Volunteers Make the Difference!

Hurry Up Please: It's Time.

2011-08-11T08:55:00.000-07:00

I love to garden in the mornings. The air is cool and the bugs are slow, too sleepy to bite. The dogs chase the trails of fox and coyote, rabbit and owl that canvass my backyard at night,and they roll in the bent grass of some creature's nocturnal bed.

The last few mornings, as I look for ripe tomatoes, bring in some ears of corn, check on the beets and measure myself against the giant sunflowers to confirm that indeed I am not getting shorter, the flowers are simply growing taller, I've noticed a certain nip in the air. One leaf at a time the aspen turn yellow.

Of course every day is a new day- but some days just feel newer than others.

CareConnect invites you to celebrate each new day by offering your time and compassion to older adults and people with disabilities in our communities. Please contact us to join one of our fine volunteer programs.

Interested in Yard Busters? Please call Rebecca.
Interested in Fix It? Please call Mary or Aaron.
Interested in Medical Mobility? Please call Allison or Elizabeth.
Interested in Carry Out Caravan? Please call Rebecca or Carolyn.

Interested in supporting our programs through a financial contribution? Please call Emily or Richard.

Other questions about how you can support CareConnect? Please call Jackie or Jan.

Please call our office at 303-443-1933 for access to all our great services and volunteer opportunities.

As for me: I'm off to new adventures and say good bye to the many incredible volunteers and staff I've had the great fortune to meet. Thank you.

- Until we meet again,
Maggie

Volunteer!

2011-07-19T14:03:00.000-07:00

Boulder County CareConnect needs your help!!! We have an incredible group of volunteers and they want you to get involved too!!

Currently we have two major volunteer opportunities that need your help:

Medical Mobility: Spend some time with an older adult or person with a disability while driving them to their medical care related appointment. Who knows, maybe you'll meet someone who is as crazy about the Red Sox as you are or has the perfect recipe for strawberry rhubarb pie and is willing to share.

Best of all you'll know you are truly appreciated because you made it possible for someone to get the medical care they need.

Volunteers receive orientation, free supplemental liability insurance, mileage reimbursement and support. Please call Allison at 303-443-1933 ex 406 for more information about how you can be a Medical Mobility Volunteer today!

Is fun in the sun more your cup of tea> Call Rebecca or Aaron and learn more about volunteering with our new Yard Busters program!

Pull weeds (my favorite weed I love to hate is creeping Jenny) plant flowers, trim hedges, garden to your heart's delight and help older adults and people with disabilities keep their yards safe and beautiful year round. Call today (or in the morning). 303-443-1933 ex. 416 and have more fun in the sun.

p.s. you don't need a green thumb. Have some goats? Bring them along!

Meet Judy Cavcey

2011-07-11T09:34:00.000-07:00

Meet Judy Cavcey

Judy loves “getting up on Monday mornings because I know I have someplace to go and that people are counting on me to be there.” Her destination most Monday mornings: The Our Center food pantry program. Judy has volunteered with the Our Center for over 24 years and has made a positive impact on thousands of individuals and families thanks to her volunteer service.

CareConnect would like to honor Judy Cavcey as the Volunteer of the Month for her long time commitment to helping the Longmont community through her volunteer service.

Ever since the OUR Center opened in 1987, Judy has been part of the dynamic volunteer team that helps low income individuals and families find resources and support. She has worn many hats while volunteering, including coordinating the agency Clothing Bank, but she currently volunteers as a Food Recorder, helping families needing food assistance find nutritious food that meets their dietary needs. According to Judy, “I know I’m doing something worthwhile. I never leave without knowing that I made a difference that day and helped somebody else with their struggles.”

In fact, according to Judy, volunteering with low income individuals and families makes her feel a renewed appreciation for her own life. Judy states, “it wouldn’t take much for any of us to be in the same boat as some of the people who turn to the OUR Center for help.”

Seeing the need in the community for food and emergency assistance has been really eye-opening. “What surprises me most is that more people my age, senior citizens, need food pantry food. Older people are really struggling now like we haven’t seen in the past,” Judy states.

Originally a microbiologist, Judy knew she had to get into volunteering once she retired. “It’s a great way to broaden your understanding of the world and meet a huge variety of people,” she points out.

“We have some life experience behind us, and it only makes sense to share it with other people while learning so much about others and making lifelong friendships.” Judy states: “I feel really blessed to be able to get involved.”
Volunteering continues to be a great way for Judy to express her appreciation for our communities.

As Judy mentions “Don’t ever hesitate to ask for help, and don’t ever hesitate to give to others.”

CareConnect celebrates Judy Cavcey’s commitment to serving families in Longmont and invites you to explore a wide variety of volunteer opportunities available through the RSVP program in Boulder County.

If you would like more information about volunteering with a great variety of nonprofit programs throughout Boulder County, please call our office at 303-772-2262 or 443-1933.

Who Ya Gonna Call?

2011-07-05T12:26:00.000-07:00

YARD BUSTERS!!!

CareConnect has launched a new program and we invite you to join us in making our neighbors' yards and gardens beautiful, safe and bountiful.

Unleash the inner gardener/groundskeeper/ park ranger/ landscaper/ poet/ naturalist/ earth mother/father in you. You know you have it in you. You know you want to spend more time outside soaking up that vitamin D, surrounded by the bird calls, savoring the color green.

Maybe your own yard is perfect, maybe your crops are in. Maybe you live in a modern condo or apartment and your potted figs just are NOT enough. You can have more. You can be in the sun, feeling the cool spray of a summer hose, You can be a volunteer.

Our goal is to help older adults and people with disabilities enjoy their yards and gardens without tripping over broken branches, without worrying about how to get their grass mowed, without that wistfulness that comes with having a garden plot but seeing it wither with nothing but creeping Jenny and a tumbleweed.

Imagine it. Your yard just gets a bit too much to handle. Surgery. Glaucoma, MS, COPD, AIDS, cancer, creaky knees. The winds knocked a couple branches down. You meant to plant some sweet william and that packet of four o'clocks, but you just couldn't find the energy or can't bend down and sink your hands in the dirt like you still want to. The grass grows high, turns brown, gives way to the thistle, blows off in the dry wind.

I thought about that on Saturday. I was thinking about what a shame it was that the poppies and Iris have lost their bloom. I was reaching in to a little dark corner of who knows what under a butterfly bush, fearful of slugs and snakes, when it struck me that someday I won't be agile enough to be on my hands and knees, covered in grass clippings and bits of weeds.

Some day, if I live a loooong life, I won't be able to dig deep to plant this new heather or bend down low enough to snip my oregano. I'll miss the smell of lavender fresh on my fingers.

If I'm lucky I will have my friends and family to call on to lend a hand. Maybe some nice neighbor kids will move next door and offer to mow the lawn.

But what if I have to draw the curtains against time: what if I can't bear to see what has been robbed of me? What if I lose the color green to the wind and the weeds?

I hope I can count on Yard Busters. Just like I hope older adults and people with disabilities looking out at their yards today can count on you.

Let them count on you to lend a hand because in the small pleasures of the garden we can travel to distant lands, we can turn back time, we can let the scent of one rose carry us all the way back to a stolen kiss under a maple tree.

So. Enough about kissing. There is yard work to do.

Please call Rebecca or Maggie to become a Yard Buster volunteer in Boulder County. We'll put you to work for a good cause and you won't regret the sun on your back and the dirt on your hands.

Call us: 303-443-1933

photo: Maggie's favorite wheelbarrow.

Meet Dave Becker!!

2011-06-13T09:28:00.000-07:00

Dave Becker began volunteering with CareConnect’s Fix-It program two years ago. Dave also recently volunteered to share his experience at CareConnect’s annual luncheon event “Celebrating the Ages.”

CareConnect is pleased to honor Dave Becker as Volunteer of the Month for his ongoing dedication and commitment to the Fix-It program and its many clients who depend on him.

“This is the best job I’ve ever had!” says Dave. “Once or twice a week I get an email from CareConnect explaining a client’s problem or need and asking if I would like to help. If I’m busy, not in the mood or just don’t want to take it, I say so. But the clients are so interesting, and the work is so much fun, I can’t remember the last time I turned one down.”

The Fix-It program has 52 handy volunteers providing minor home repairs for hundreds of seniors and adults with disabilities in Boulder County. Volunteers are available to install grab bars, fix a leaky faucet or broken TV, provide weatherization services and much more!

“Boulder County offers so many opportunities for volunteering,” says Dave. “For me, working with my hands fixing things and helping folks is the perfect mix, and that’s why I love Fix-It. Most of our clients would much rather take care of themselves than ask for a hand. But when you’re disabled or getting up there in years, sometimes you just need some help.”

Dave recently helped a young man who had broken his back when the stairway outside his apartment collapsed. With some modifications to his bathroom door, and a slew of grab bars, Dave made sure that he was able to get in and out of his bathroom and shower.

Not only does he provide excellent repair work, Dave is also there for his clients whenever they need him. “One of my clients, an elderly woman who dearly hopes to continue living in her home as long as possible, calls me from time to time when she can’t remember how to get a picture on her television. I’m able to help her right over the phone!”

CareConnect is thankful for Dave’s kindness and generosity. To sum up his volunteer experience, Dave says: “I love Fix-It because I can keep having fun going out to people’s homes and fixing things!”

To learn more about volunteer opportunities with CareConnect, please call 303-772-2262 or visit www.careconnectbc.org.

Vote for CareConnect and help support our Medical Mobility program

2011-06-06T12:53:00.000-07:00

Help Us Win $5,000! Vote CareConnect for The NOVA Award!

Vote online between June 5-11 for CareConnect's Medical Mobility Program.
1. Click on the blue box entitled "2011 NOVA VOTING"
2. Read the nominee summaries
3. Choose 5 nominees and rank them
4. Make sure to rank Medical Mobility #1!
5. Forward this email to friends and family!

Please use this link: http://www.commfound.org/nova/2011

What is the NOVA Award?

The NOVA Award honors innovation in programs/services or innovations in business operations, within Boulder County's non-profit sector. The NOVA Awards will be presented this year at Community Ventures on July 29, 2011.

Medical Mobility started in partnership with Special Transit in 2008 to provide volunteer-escorted rides to medical appointments for seniors and adults with disabilities. Sign up to volunteer for Medical Mobility!

"I was nervous to get injections for macular degeneration but the volunteer comforted me. The gentleman was wonderful, we laughed the entire time. Laughing keeps me going, I hope I can laugh the rest of my life. Bless your hearts, I love this service."

-Dorothy, Medical Mobility Client

Thanks!

Come One, Come All

2011-06-06T07:45:00.000-07:00

CareConnect invites you to get the most out of summer ( yes I know it is still technically spring- but the sun is blazing!) AND join our group of incredible volunteers.

It's hard to describe the work these individuals do without falling into the cliche trap- but all of the superlatives do apply in that each volunteer makes an incredible difference in the lives of older adults and people with disabilities EVERY DAY.

Whether a volunteer installs a grab bar and prevents a potentially fatal fall, or a volunteer drives someone to dialysis, or delivers nutritious groceries to someone who hasn't been able to leave their home in many years, CareConnect volunteers make the impossible possible by sharing their time, talent and love with the rest of us.

SO- make your summer even brighter by finding out how you can join our (fill in all the positive superlatives you know) group of CareConnect volunteers.

Right now our most urgent need is Medical Mobility drivers: especially volunteers who are willing to drive to hospitals and medical centers in the Denver area.

Please call us at 303-772-2262 to volunteer!

Volunteer with CareConnect

2011-06-01T12:16:00.000-07:00

Jackie Hampson made this great video highlighting our wonderful volunteer programs. Bravo!

Please check it out! Here is the link!

http://animoto.com/play/LpK1Rkrb42p1Z9pVxsfp9Q

And please call us today to learn more about our exciting volunteer opportunities! Please call 303-772-2262.

Just In from Circle of Care

2011-05-26T13:54:00.000-07:00

CIRCLE OF CARE
Volunteer Orientation & Driver Training Meeting
June 16th 5:30-8pm REGISTER BY JUNE 8TH

Circle of Care, is holding a volunteer orientation and driver training on Thursday June 16, 2011. Come learn more about our innovative community development project that connects seniors and volunteers of all ages to life-enhancing community resources.

We are seeking caring, responsible, and engaging individuals to escort older adults to local cultural, academic and social/civic engagement opportunities in Boulder County and beyond.

Volunteer Opportunities include: Volunteer Drivers/ Performance & Cultural Companions, Senior Audit Partners, Phone Friends, Event Coordination, Fundraising, Graphic Design, Outreach/Education Ambassadors, Library Access Partners.

TO REGISTER: Phone: 303. 449. 8884 or email: beth@circleofcareproject.org Website: www.circleofcareproject.org

Please notice: Pizza will be served!!

May Is.....

2011-05-16T14:14:00.000-07:00

National Older Americans Month! One great way to celebrate the life long accomplishments of our "elders" is to volunteer with programs that help support the health and well being of older adults in our communities. Here in Boulder County there are many great organizations that focus on older adults.

Why not start your volunteer adventure with CareConnect? We offer several great volunteer opportunities that help you connect one on one with older adults in meaningful, concrete ways.

Please call our office to learn more about our Medical Mobility, Fix It, Carry Out Caravan and RSVP programs: 303-772-2262.

Three Cheers!

2011-05-11T07:46:00.000-07:00

Come out to Twisted Pine Brewing on Thursday, May 26 and have a beer for a good cause! Twisted Pine will be donating $1 of every pint sold that night to CareConnect!

Happy Mother's Day, Ms. Potter

2011-05-06T13:05:00.000-07:00

Happy Mother's Day and Many Many Thanks to Ms. Mary Potter. Mary was our guest speaker at Celebrating the Ages, and we appreciate her sharing her life story with us. Mary is an incredible person who has more energy at 82 than many of us have (or had) at 22. Thank you Mary for sharing your life with all of us!

Celebrating the Ages is an annual CareConnect event. Thank you to everyone who has made a donation to our program. If you would like to support our programs with your contribution please call Emily Ditty at 303-443-1933.

Volunteers in Action

2011-05-02T09:11:00.000-07:00

From the Corporation for National and Community Service: AmeriCorps and Senior Corps Responding to Natural Disasters Across Southern and Midwestern U.S.

AmeriCorps members and Senior Corps RSVP volunteers are helping communities respond in the wake of the devastating tornadoes and flooding across the Southern and Midwestern United States.

The tornadoes that ripped through Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Georgia, Kentucky, and Virginia on Wednesday were the deadliest in 37 years, causing nearly 300 deaths and billions dollars of damage. They came as communities in other states are reeling from the effects of flooding and severe storms.

The Corporation for National and Community Service is working closely with FEMA, state emergency officials, state service commissions, and nonprofit organizations to assess the dynamic situation and determine the most effective role for national service participants in response to these disasters.

Here is a summary from the Corporation for National and Community Service of current national service responses to natural disasters.

Alabama: AmeriCorps NCCC teams are on standby to help the residents of Tuscaloosa and Birmingham, some of the hardest hit areas in the Alabama tornadoes.

Kentucky: AmeriCorps members in Kentucky serving with the American Red Cross Louisville Chapter, the Homeland Security Corps, and the Senior Connections AmeriCorps Program are providing vital services to those affected by flooding throughout the state.

Oklahoma: RSVP volunteers in Oklahoma are providing assistance to the residents of Tushka, where an EF-3 tornado hit. The RSVP volunteers have helped families relocate, cleared debris, prepared and delivered meals, and provided transportation to seniors with critical medical appointments.

Mississippi: An AmeriCorps NCCC team was on the ground in Clinton, Mississippi within 24 hours after a tornado struck to assist the Salvation Army with food preparation and distribution to first responders and evacuation shelters.

Missouri: AmeriCorps VISTAs in Poplar Bluff are helping with evacuation efforts, setting up a shelter for displaced residents affected by severe flooding in Southeast Missouri.

North Dakota: More than 1,000 RSVP participants have organized and registered volunteers for sandbagging efforts in North Dakota.

North Carolina: An AmeriCorps NCCC team has been dispatched to Bertie County to help with cleanup efforts, food donations and distribution, and assistance to first responders.

Ohio: RSVP volunteers in Athens and Meigs Counties have acted swiftly in the face of potential flooding risks, monitoring river levels and flood threats and surveying the impact of the tornado damage.

Virginia: More than 210 RSVP volunteers in Pulaski, Virginia are organizing supply drives for clothing and person hygiene kits and overseeing distribution of food and clothing.

Wisconsin: AmeriCorps NCCC team has been deployed to Adams County to assist in debris removal and clean up efforts as a result of a tornado that moved through the area.

Thank you to the thousands of volunteers who have responded with compassion and caring.

In previous blog posts we have shared information about potential budget cuts to the AmeriCorps and RSVP programs. Where does the Americorps and RSVP 2011 budget stand now?

The federal funding for the AmeriCorps program has been cut 23 million dollars for 2011.The federal funding for the RSVP program has been cut by 12.7 million dollars for 2011.

We are awaiting concrete information about how these 2011 budget cuts will impact the CareConnect RSVP and AmeriCorps programs.

The Corporation for National and Community Service, which funds Americorps and RSVP programs has again been targeted for elimination in the 2012 budget.

Meet Fred Barnett

2011-04-25T10:08:00.000-07:00

from Rachel Ingraham, CareConnect Americorps member

Fred Barnett

Medical Mobility Volunteer and Broomfield resident Fred Barnett has made a great impact in a short time since he began volunteering with Medical Mobility earlier this year. His commitment to service through transportation does not come as a surprise at all, though, in light of his history of exciting travel, both for work and for pleasure.

Fred was born in New York, moved to Washington DC shortly thereafter, and spent most of his life based in the Washington DC area. He loves our nation’s capitol, stating that it was a “phenomenal city” in which to grow up in the 1950s and 1960s. In fact, he says, he loved the city’s vibrant culture, theater, and restaurants so much that he didn’t make any permanent moves out of the city for many years. In 2006 Fred and his wife, Stel,moved to Colorado in 2006 to be closer to family.

While he was based in Washington DC, Fred also spent a great deal of travelling around the country with his job as a sales representative for Ce De Candy, Inc, the manufacturers of the popular fruit-flavored candy, Smarties.

Fred worked in the candy business for over 48 years. Despite such a long time in the candy business, Fred says that he eats very little candy today!

Fred’s great passion has been travelling around the world with his wife. When asked about the places he most liked visiting, Fred shares a long list of locales, including Paris, Santorini, Rio de Janeiro, Barcelona and various cities in Russia, Australia, New Zealand, Vietnam, China, and other locations in Europe. This past year, his favorite journeys were to Prague and Budapest, due to their hospitality to tourists and amazing sights and architecture.

And when he's not seeing the world, Fred makes a great contribution to the Medical Mobility Program.

Fred loves volunteering with Medical Mobility because it means that he gets to use his skills and time to help people in need. And older adults and people with disabilities who use the Medical Mobility program truly appreciate Fred's time and dedication!

Fred says, "More than anything, it's a chance to meet some interesting people, 99.9% of whom are so appreciative of your service.”

Thanks Fred, for being a great volunteer!

Hurry Up Please- It's Time

2011-04-18T07:12:00.000-07:00

Time to Volunteer that is! CareConnect invites you to volunteer with our Medical Mobility program that offers medical appointment related transportation to older adults and people with disabilities. Volunteers offer free transportation and also support and companionship. Drive as often as you like. We offer full orientation, support, free supplemental liability insurance and mileage reimbursement while you volunteer.

And if you are free on Thursday mornings, start the morning off right by grocery shopping! The Carry Out Caravan grocery shopping and delivery program makes sure that home bound older adults and people with disabilities or chronic illness get the groceries they need. Volunteer as frequently as your time permits!

Please call our office: 303-772-2262 to get started today! (or tomorrow if that works better for you.)

Trees!

2011-04-14T10:40:00.000-07:00

This just in from the Foothills United Way:

Fourmile Volunteer Tree Planters Needed!
The American Bar Association (ABA) is looking for volunteers to help plant trees in the area affected by the Fourmile Fire. Tree planting will take place on Saturday, April 23, 2010.

The plan is to plant 3,555 baby trees in the Fourmile Canyon, Sunshine Canyon, Gold Hill and Sugarloaf areas. Wow. That's a lot of trees!

Also needed are people to lead planting crews of 8 to 12 volunteers. These "crew leaders" will be trained at a special hands-on workshop on April 19, 2011 at 5 p.m. in the Sugarloaf area (about 20 minutes from Boulder). The crew leaders will then train and lead planting crews on April 23. No special skills or experience is needed to be a crew leader.

If you are interested in being a crew leader and can attend the one to two hour workshop on April 19, please contact Ann Rhodes (amr@bhgrlaw.com) or Lisa Decker (ldecker@swlaw.com) ASAP.

If you would like to volunteer, see the project details below, and please send your contact information (including your name, email address and a contact phone number) to the volunteer coordinators listed below. You can also contact the people listed below if you have any questions or concerns or if you know of anyone else who would like to volunteer.

More details:

Where: Fourmile & Sunshine Canyons, Gold Hill, Sugarloaf areas
Volunteers needed: Anyone age 16 and over is welcome
Bring: Sturdy boots, work gloves, hat, water, shovel, (pick axe and spade would be helpful), and a spirit of adventure! We will supply the trees.
Dress: for spring weather in Colorado foothills (everything)

Please contact:

Lisa Decker: ldecker@swlaw.com
David Perlick: david@perlicklegalcounsel.com
Ann Rhodes: amr@bhgrlaw.com
Maki Iatridis: adi@bhgrlaw.com
Susan Hofer: susanhofer@mac.com
Kit McChesney: kit.mcchesney@colorado.edu

Happy Planting!

National Volunteer Week

2011-04-11T08:22:00.000-07:00

Happy National Volunteer Week. Thanks to all the volunteers, young and old, who make our world a better place. Personally, I think every week should be National Volunteer Week. So. Find all the volunteers you know and give each and every one of them a pat on the back and a big Thank You for all the volunteer work they do!

And speaking of volunteers: There's no better time to get involved. Call our office at 303-772-2262 for more information.

In Memory

2011-04-06T13:11:00.000-07:00

This week we said goodbye to two of our long time volunteers: Belle Weisman and John Coffin. Belle and John were both incredible people and both contributed thousands and thousands of volunteer hours to our communities.

Belle had a thick New York accent and an attitude to match. Whether she was answering phones at our office, coordinating projects with neighbors at Golden West or sharing the love of family and friends, Belle made her mark and shared her 94 years of living with all of us.

John was a big guy. He looked like a cop who would treat you fair, maybe help you fix a flat, or haul you off to jail if that's where you belonged. Although he wasn't officially on the police force, John volunteered with the Longmont Police Department for over 20 years. He volunteered 40 hours a week, every week, until just a month ago. John was 78 and will be missed by all.

To Belle and John: Thank you and we miss you.

This April

2011-04-04T08:57:00.000-07:00

is National Poetry Month!

"Poetry is above all a concentration of the power of language, which is the power of our ultimate relationship to everything in the universe."

-Adrienne Rich, American poet.

Are your daffodils blooming? I know mine are- and that reminds me of a fine poem by William Wordsworth. Maybe you should find a poem and stand outside under a tree or on a street corner and read it out loud at the top of your voice and see how it makes you feel.

But- today's blog entry is "just to say" that spring is a grand time to volunteer with some community projects that need your time and commitment!Here at CareConnect we are looking for volunteer support for our Fix It, Medical Mobility and Carry Out Caravan grocery program in Boulder.

Fix It Volunteers install grab bars, energy efficiency kits, and complete a wide variety of small home repair projects for older adults and people with disabilities who can't complete the projects themselves. This opportunity offers a flexible schedule- volunteer as frequently as you like!

Medical Mobility Volunteers offer free transportation for medical related appointments. Medical Mobility is our fastest growing program and we could really use your help if you have time during the week to help older adults and people with disabilities get to vital medical appointments. We especially need drivers willing to take callers to appointments in the Denver area. We offer complete orientation, supplemental insurance and mileage reimbursement.

The Carry Out Caravan grocery delivery program in Boulder invites you to help out on Thursdays. Volunteers shop for and deliver groceries to folks who don't have transportation and/or can't handle the physical strain of grocery shopping. Come out and have fun on Thursday mornings!

And around town:

Community Food Share still needs greeters to help with their upcoming Hunger Hurts the Whole Community Food Drive.

The Boulder Humane Society needs volunteers to help with animal care and also volunteer in their thrift shop.

WOW Children's Museum needs volunteers for a wide variety of upcoming projects.

Please call our office at 303-772-2262 for more information about these programs!

p.s. one of my favorite places to find contemporary poetry is an on line journal called "Guerrilla Pamphlets." The editors urge readers to print the pamphlets and share them free of charge. Now that's beautiful. And- for what it's worth: I think every month should be Poetry Month.

Save Community Service

2011-03-31T14:01:00.000-07:00

We need your help! Please call your Representatives in Congress and ask them to fund the Corporation for National and Community Service!

The Corporation for National and Community Service funds the RSVP and AmeriCorps programs throughout the United States. The funding for these programs was eliminated in the House Continuing Resolution Budget and are in jeopardy of being completely cut from the federal budget.

RSVP and AmeriCorps serve thousands of human service programs around the nation. For
more information please visit:

Save Service
www.saveservice.org

Community Forum on Aging

2011-03-22T08:10:00.000-07:00

Community Forum This Thursday in Boulder!

Our Aging Community:
Resources Galore!

How to Benefit and How to Serve”

Thursday, March 24
Panel: 11:30 a.m.- 1 p.m.

Where: Congregation Har HaShem,
3950 Baseline Rd., Boulder 80303

Panelists:
Peggy Arnold, M.A. Program Coordinator, PrestigePLUS, a service of Longmont United Hospital will focus on ways that seniors can remain healthy and active.

Rosemary Williams, Certified Sage-ing Leader and Co-Founder of WisdomWork. Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi is the founder of the Spiritual Eldering Institute and a mentor to all members of the Sage-ing Guild.

John Torres, Executive Director of Golden West will speak on resources for seniors.

Terrie Ryan-Thomas, Manager, Adult Protective Services/Family and Children Services Intake Units

Joan Raderman, Executive Director, Circle of Care, Elder Enrichment Program

Richard Varnes, Executive Director, CareConnect, will moderate.

Take a Look at These Magpies!

2011-03-16T09:29:00.000-07:00

Did you know that the Greenwood Wildlife Rehabilitation Center Volunteers assist over 2,200 wild animals a year? The Center rehabilitates injured animals and abandoned baby animals representing over 135 species each year. Pictured above are a little hatch of magpies, courtesy of the Greenwood Wildlife Center's website. I don't know why but I've always been partial to magpies! To see more great animals that have benefited by the program visit: greenwoodwildlife.org

Remember that Giant White Pelican with the fish hook embedded in it's beak? The volunteers at Greenwood successfully treated that incredible animal and successfully released it back into the wild. Crows, Fox, Loons, Squirrels, Owls, Cormorants, ferrets, mice,bobcats and scores of other animals have all benefited from the loving care and compassion of Greenwood Volunteers.

Lindsay, the program's volunteer coordinator, needs more volunteers to help the dozens of new arrivals expected this spring. There are a wide range of volunteer opportunities: feeding and caring for injured animals, assisting with building and maintenance projects, helping out in the thrift store, working on fundraising projects etc. Please contact Lindsey if you would like more information about becoming a Greenwood volunteer: 303-823-8455.

We Love RSVP!

2011-03-14T10:29:00.000-07:00

CareConnect loves RSVP- The Retired Senior Volunteer Program! Each year nearly 900 volunteers donate over 130,000 hours of volunteer time to over 100 nonprofit agencies in Boulder County alone. The RSVP program, funded by the Corporation for National and Community Service, makes a huge impact on the lives of people of all ages throughout our communities.

Would you like more information about how to get involved with RSVP? Please call our office for more information: 303-772-2262.

We have had some new Volunteer Requests come in to our office recently: Please contact these groups if you would like to get involved.

The City of Boulder needs volunteers for the Accessibility Parking Team. These volunteers go out in pairs to help ensure that parking spots dedicated as handicapped parking are only being used by cars with official and current parking permits. If you would like more info please contact Diane at 303-441-3334.

YES (Your English School) needs a volunteer with a passenger van to help ensure that adult students are able to attend English language classes. A volunteer is needed in Boulder on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. YES will reimburse for gas and insurance. Please call Rose at 303-499-1507 for more information.

Community Food Share still needs volunteer greeters for the April 20- May 1 Food drive in Longmont, Louisville and Lafayette. Please call Sue for more info: 303-652-3663 x. 202.

CareConnect Medical Mobility program needs drivers willing to take older adults from their homes in Boulder County to medical appointments both locally and in Denver. Please call Allison at 303-443-1933 for more information.

Thanks to RSVP volunteers, and everyone who volunteers their time and talents, the world is a better place.

And our minds are on Japan. Several national and international organizations are organizing emergency response drives. If you would like to help please contact the Red Cross, Doctors without Borders or another charity of your choice. Assistance is also still needed in Haiti. Unfortunately, there are people that try to take advantage of these horrible disasters so please verify the authenticity of a fund drive before making a donation.

We Love Americorps Volunteers!

2011-03-09T09:43:00.000-08:00

Aaron, Marina and Rachel are Americorps members.These three individuals are an incredible part of our CareConnect program.

Aaron, originally from Indiana, helps coordinate the Fix It program and ensures that volunteers are prepared to install grab bars, complete home repairs, install energy saving light bulbs and low flow shower heads, shovel snow and help with a wide variety of other "handy person" kinds of activities that help older adults and people with disabilities live safely and independently.

Marina, originally from Georgia, helps support the work of CareConnect through grant writing, events coordination and business partnership development. Thanks to her hard work we are able to diversify our funding and expand our programs to more older adults who need our assistance throughout the year.

Rachel, who hails from New England, helps coordinate the Medical Mobility program which provides individualized transportation to medical related appointments. Rachel has taken on the Herculean task of improving our computer system so that we can more quickly match people who need a Medical Mobility ride with volunteers who are willing to offer their time and support.

Thanks to Aaron, Marina and Rachel, CareConnect is able to serve more older adults and people with disabilities through our quality programs. In fact, for several years, CareConnect has benefited from the dedication and commitment of many Americorps members who have served our programs.

Once Americorps members complete their year of national service they go on to work in both the public and private sector. Recently Carly, a former CareConnect Americorps member, joined the staff of the Denver Meals on Wheels program. Three current staff members, Allison, Jaclyn and Rebecca, were introduced to CareConnect as Americorps staff and have since joined CareConnect as full-time staff.

Americorps members complete one year of community service with nonprofit organizations throughout the United States and have a tremendous impact on the communities they serve. To learn more about the Americorps program please visit www.americorps.gov

If you would like more information about our programs or would like to volunteer please call our office at 303-772-2262.

Women

2011-03-08T13:41:00.001-08:00

Happy International Women's Day!

Happy Birthday Justin Bieber!!

2011-03-01T10:03:00.000-08:00

March 1. It's a beautiful day here in Colorado and it feels like spring is just around the corner. But please don't put those shovels away yet: our IceBusters program is counting on you to tackle those crazy March snowstorms that can pop up in an instant!

Have some extra time during the week? CareConnect needs volunteers to help with our Medical Mobility program. Volunteers drive older adults and people with disabilities to medical related appointments, free of charge, and offer support and reassurance, as well as reliable transportation. We offer volunteers orientation, free supplemental insurance and mileage reimbursement. If you would like more information about becoming a Medical Mobility volunteer please call our office at 3030-772-2262.

Looking for something fun to do this weekend? Visit the Interfaith Quilters Quilt Show and Sale this Friday and Saturday at the First Lutheran Church, 3rd and Terry, in Longmont! It's the Show's 25th Anniversary!

Many RSVP volunteers are involved in this great weekend event. All proceeds from the sale benefit the Safe Shelter of the St. Vrain Valley and the Our Center. These two great organizations make a huge positive difference in the lives of families in our community. Come out and see the beautiful hand crafted quilts and crafts and support a great community event. Contact Linda Kreibech at 303-772-8828 for more information.

And it's not too early to sign up for "Hunger Hurts the Whole Community" Food Drive. Community Food Share conducts this major food drive at area grocery stores- and they can't do it without the support of hundreds of volunteers. This Year the food drive will be held on April 20- May 1.

Volunteers are needed to help out as greeters at grocery stores. Many shifts and stores are available. Sue says that people are so much more likely to donate groceries if they are asked to help by a friendly volunteer. Please call Sue at 303-652-3663 ex. 202 for more information and to sign up for your volunteer shift.

And Happy Birthday Justin Bieber. I can't say I'm your biggest fan, but good for you kid, enjoy your time in the spotlight- and always listen to your mother!!

p.s. We've started the peppers in their pepper pots. This year it's all out: white, red, green, purple, orange and the spicier the better! Please note: Due to last year's premature tomato propagation, we have delayed their germination until later this month!

Grab those Shovels!

2011-02-25T13:00:00.000-08:00

Baby It's Snowy Outside! Please grab a shovel and clear the sidewalk and walk way in front of your house or apartment and help your neighbors who may not be able to shovel themselves. Icy sidewalks lead to falls for young and old alike.

And is shovelling your obsession? If so please call Mary and sign up to become an IceBuster Volunteer! This great program helps ensure that older adults and people with disabiilties have their sidewalks and walk ways clear of snow and ice.

Want more information about any of our volunteer programs: Please call our office at 303-772-2262.

Currently we are in urgent need of Medical Mobility Drivers in Boulder County. Call our office to learn more about this great program!

Talk about Compassion

2011-02-22T10:12:00.000-08:00

A coworker shared this info and asked me to pass it along.

“Cleaning for a Reason”

If you know any woman currently undergoing chemotherapy or treatment for any type of cancer, please pass the word to her that there is a cleaning service that provides FREE housecleaning - once per month for 4 months while she is in treatment. All she has to do is sign up and have her doctor fax a note confirming the treatment.

Cleaning for a Reason will have a participating maid service in her zip code area arrange for the service. This organization serves the entire USA and currently has 547 partners to help these women.

http://www.cleaningforareason.org/

You may not know someone going through chemo, but someone on your email list might. Please forward or send out a notice on your FaceBook or other social media.

Sounds like an incredibly caring network.

And speaking of Compassion: CareConnect needs volunteer support for our Carry Out Caravan grocery shopping and delivery program in Boulder and our Medical Mobility program that serves the entire county. Please call our office if you would like more information: 303-772-2262.

Meet Ken and Lydia

2011-02-16T14:15:00.001-08:00

Meet Ken and Lydia

Lydia Tafoya and her father Ken Barhite share a rich family history and a dedication to community service. In fact, this father –daughter team have volunteered together for almost ten years with the Carry Out Caravan grocery shopping and delivery program and have shared their time and good will with hundreds of older adults and people with disabilities in the Longmont area for nearly ten years. CareConnect would like to honor Lydia and Ken for their dedication and community service.

“I was raised in a house where you helped out wherever you could. Volunteering was something we did as young kids and it’s part of who we are as a family,” Lydia points out. “My mom and dad volunteered for Carry Out Caravan for many years, and when my mom Lovella passed away in 2002 I knew that I wanted to fill her shoes and support my dad with his volunteer work.”

In addition to volunteering, Lydia has an active schedule caring for her own family and grandchildren. “Volunteering is so rewarding, I get incredible satisfaction knowing that I can actually do something concrete to help someone else. I know that if my dad and I don’t deliver the groceries to people who can’t get out to the store, these people might not have food in the house all week.” The Carry Out Caravan program offers free grocery shopping and delivery to older adults and people with disabilities throughout Boulder County.

Ken, who recently celebrated his 90th birthday, knows the secret to a long and happy life: “volunteering is what it’s all about- it keeps me young!” According to Ken, who grew up during the Great Depression, “people had to help one another to get through the hard times. I grew up on a farm in Iowa and we had to pull together as neighbors to survive.” Ken adds: “We have to keep up volunteering, and helping each other out, now more than ever. I have 19 great grandchildren and I hope every one of them grow up and make a difference in our world.”

Both Ken and Lydia describe the personal rewards of getting involved in a volunteer program. Lydia remarked, “When I deliver groceries I know I may be the only person this lady sees all week. They are so happy to see us, they just light up when we come to the door. It’s awesome that I can spend just a couple hours a week volunteering and mean so much to someone.”

“It makes me feel great that I know I can get out there and do something important for somebody else. A lot of retired people, could be, should be, volunteering. It would be good for them and certainly good for the community. It makes you forget about your own worries when you think about other people and what you can do for them,” Ken remarks.

Lydia sums up the volunteer experience: “Just try it. Do it. You’ll love it.”
CareConnect would like to thank Ken and Lydia for their dedication to the Carry Out Caravan grocery shopping and delivery program.

If you would like more information about Carry Out Caravan or a wide range of other volunteer opportunities, please call our office at 303-772-2262. Make volunteering part of your life!

We especially need shoppers and drivers for our Thursday program in Boulder!!

Sometimes Denver seems Very Far Away

2011-02-14T09:14:00.001-08:00

(Willam Carlos Williams)

Sometimes Denver seems very far away especially if you need to see a doctor or get to the hospital for medical tests and proceedures. The commute along I-25 that many of us just take for granted can be a harrowing experience if you have vision, health or mobility issues. CareConnect Medical Mobility Volunteers often make that drive and escort older adults and people with disabilites to appointments throughout Boulder county and as far as Denver to help ensure that people get the medical care they need.

If you are a seasoned expressway driver please consider volunteering with our Medical Mobility program. We offer orientation, support, free supplemental insurance, and mileage reimbursement. We would love to have your help ensuring that folks who need to reach Denver doctors get there safely through the support of volunteers.

And if can't stand the highway but still want to help, our program also invites you to volunteer. We have many requests for medical appointment rides in Longmont, Lousiville, Lafayette and Boulder that don't require a trip down I-25. We offer all our volunteers the same great support and benefits and appreciate all the generous time and care that has been donated to our program over the past several years.

This Valentines Day we'd like to Thank Medical Mobility Volunteers for all their love: Thanks Vi,and Marianne, thanks Fred, Janeen, Mary, Elizabeth, Bette and Harriett. Thanks Miguel and Pam, Barise, Francine, Jack and Anna. Thanks Clare and Eric, Herb, Ellen, Wade and Sheila. Thanks Jason, Stacy, Maryann, Leslie and Ann. Reese, Cinda, Barbara and Blake. Thanks Lou, Stan, Ed, Gary, Greg, Alan, Ray, Austin, Brian and Sarah. Thank you.

If you would like more information about becoming a volunteer please call our office at 303-772-2262

And on this Valentines Day a poem from one of my favorites: William Carlos Williams. He was a doctor by day and a poet by night.

This Is Just To Say
by William Carlos Williams

I have eaten
the plums
that were in
the icebox

and which
you were probably
saving
for breakfast

Forgive me
they were delicious
so sweet
and so cold

From all of us at CareConnect:
Love, to you and yours.

Vengan Todas- Come One and Come All

2011-02-10T10:08:00.000-08:00

El Comité is holding it's delicious Annual Fundraising Dinner on Saturday, February 26. This year the event will feature the Regional Cuisine of the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico.
Great food, great music, great speakers, great friends.

For more information please call El Comité: 303-651-6125.

El Comité, a non profit organization was founded in 1980, and continues today through community support.

As Marta Moreno, executive director of El Comité always says "Sin Accion No Hay Milagros- Without Action There are No Miracles".

For more information about El Comité, reserve tickets for Dinner on 2/26 or learn about volunteer opportunities please visit: elcomitedelongmont.com or call 303-651-6125.

Baby It's Cold Outside!

2011-01-31T07:39:00.001-08:00

So Marty, Kathy and Mike, our local weather prognosticators, report that things are going to get much worse before they get better. They also report that our troubles are going to spread across the country in icy waves of general winter misery. It's about 10 degrees here in Boulder Colorado and we are slipping and sliding our way to school and work. We are a hardy bunch. But by Wednesday morning, when temperatures are expected to dip below minus 15 (actual degrees- not wind chill) even the most bundled of us might be tempted to hide under the covers all day!

What can we do to collectively make ourselves all feel warmer no matter what part of the country we're in? Help our neighbors of course. If you live in Boulder and love to shovel call our IceBusters coordinator Will at 303-443-1933 and he'll match you up with some older adults and people with disabilities who need help shovelling.

Live anywhere else on the planet where the weather etc. looks pretty frightful? Please check in on friends, family and neighbors, especially older adults who may need extra help during this rough weather.And of course don't forget the pets. Bring those furry creatures indoors.

Want to feel great no matter what the weather? Volunteer! Call our office for more information 303-772-2262 or contact a volunteer program near you!

Thursdays

2011-01-28T09:06:00.000-08:00

Be part of the zany fun on Thursdays and be part of the Carry Out Caravan in Boulder, Colorado. Shop because it's fun. Shop because it's healthy. Shop because you can can help someone else. Shop because Carolyn needs your help.

Carolyn coordinates the Carry Out Caravan program in Boulder and she needs your help shopping for and delivering groceries to older adults and people with disabilities who just can't make it to the grocery store. Whether it's a health or mobility related issue, many folks in Boulder, Louisville and Lafayette rely on the Carry Out Caravan for their weekly groceries.

So- have a couple of hours to spare on Thursdays? Please give our office a call and find out more about the program.

Carry Out Caravan also meets in Longmont. Call us and we'll fill you in.

So grab that grocery cart and give it a spin.

Please call our office for more information: 303-772-2262

p.s. are you a current CareConnect volunteer reading this blog right now? If you refer a friend to volunteer for any of our programs we will enter your name in a drawing for a gift certificate at the Med. Yummmm.

p.s.s. I have it on good authority that one of our CareConnect staff (not me!) met her future husband while volunteering with the Carry Out Caravan!

Speech Pathologist?

2011-01-24T11:01:00.000-08:00

Jodi at the Boulder Senior Center just called us with a very specific volunteer request. A woman recovering from a stroke has used up her benefits to pay for a speech pathologist but still would like to continue with her therapy. The speech pathologist is willing to train a volunteer who agrees to work with the client. I am not sure of all the specific information but this sounds like a great volunteer project for someone with a teaching or therapy background. The volunteer doesn't need to have previous training in speech pathology.

If this sounds like a volunteer project for you please call our office: 303-772-2262 or contact Jodi directly at 303-441-4388.

What to Do about the Children?

2011-01-24T09:32:00.001-08:00

Good news: the Volunteer Connection just released their Youth Volunteer Guide. If your kids want something meaningful to do with their time, the Youth Volunteer Guide is full of great ideas. The guide is organized by interest area and age so it's easy to navigate. Check out this free resource at The Volunteer Connection of Boulder County.

And while you are thinking about how to get your children more involved in the wider world, invite yourself to explore volunteering with CareConnect. We need you. We need volunteer drivers for our Medical Mobility program. We need snow shovelers to support our IceBusters. We need grocery order takers, shoppers and delivery drivers for our Carry Out Caravan program and we need women and men who like to do home repairs for our Fix It program.

Please give our office a call at 3030-772-2262 to become a volunteer today! Say hi to Sue our new Monday morning office volunteer!

A Capella!

2011-01-20T11:41:00.000-08:00

A Capella, anyone?

You can enjoy an exciting line up of performers and show your support for CareConnect!

The Zonta Foothills Foundation with the Zonta Foothills Club of Boulder County presents "Zing for Zonta"

What can Zing for Zonta be?? An A Cappella concert and silent auction to support the wonderful work that Zonta provides to the community. The concert will feature nationally acclaimed groups from Boulder County and beyond!

Sunday, January 23, 2011
1:30 - Silent Auction
2:00 - Performance
Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church: 3485 Stanford Court, Boulder, CO
Tickets: $20 per person (a portion is tax deductible)

to buy tickets visit: http://zontafoothills.org/zing.asp

Zonta Foothills Foundation Partners for 2010-2012 are: CareConnect, Boulder Valley School District Teen Parent Program and There With Care.

Don't miss this fantastic performance! That's THIS Sunday, baby.

Urgent Volunteer Needs

2011-01-18T07:16:00.001-08:00

The CareConnect Medical Mobility program has an urgent need for volunteers willing to drive older adults and people with disabilities to medical appointments. The demand for the free program keeps growing and we need more volunteers to make sure we don't turn anyone away. CareConnect offers free liability insurance, mileage reimbursement, fun get togethers and training. Volunteers also know that they are really doing something concrete and immediate to help their neighbors. Drivers must be 21 and have a positive driving history.

And if you are free on Thursday mornings, The Boulder Carry Out Caravan program needs your help shopping/delivering groceries for older adults and people with disabilities. Come out and have fun with a great group of people while meeting a critical need in the community.

Want to get started? Call our office at 303-772-2262. Thanks! And thank you to all our wonderful volunteers who share their time and energy with us!

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service

2011-01-12T07:41:00.000-08:00

I just received a call from Chris Mitchell at the Boulder Shelter for the Homeless Outreach program. The Shelter program needs over 300 new or gently used blankets to help people who are homeless and staying in overflow shelters on frigid nights. The program also needs winter jackets, hats, gloves. If you can donate blankets or jackets etc. to the program please call Chris at 720- 366-7446. Thanks.

Monday, January 17th is the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service. Around the US volunteers will come together to celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, and engage in volunteer service projects that benefit our communities.

In Colorado, information about regional events and volunteer opportunities are available at:

www.coloradogov/gccs/mlk/Projects2011.html

In other states please search on line for the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service links available on the web, or contact your local volunteer or community center.

Volunteer opportunities are available year round with CareConnect. Please call our office for more information about volunteering! 303- 772-2262

Meet Eleanor Hoffman

2011-01-10T09:25:00.000-08:00

this just in from Jaclyn Hampson:

Eleanor Hoffman describes herself in one word – zippy! The 93-year-old has a jam-packed social life full of family, friends, fun and volunteering! CareConnect would like to honor Eleanor Hoffman as the January 2011 Volunteer of the Month for her many volunteer commitments through the RSVP 55+ Volunteer Program.

Eleanor moved to Boulder in 1998 from New Hampshire to be closer to her children and grandchildren. She quickly become involved with CareConnect’s RSVP 55+ Volunteer Program in order to meet new people and make friends.

As a CareConnect office volunteer she answers the phones, files paperwork and calls other volunteers to record their monthly volunteer hours.

“Eleanor is an inspiration to us all,” says Maureen Ewing, past CareConnect Executive Director. “At 93, she is more active than anyone I know! Her commitment to helping people in need is commendable.”

“I love volunteering because I get to work with a lot of young people,” says Eleanor. “It keeps me busy and makes me feel younger. When I’m volunteering at CareConnect I’m 39, when I’m not here is when I’m 93!”

Eleanor’s initial wish to meet new people through volunteering has certainly become a reality. “It’s amazing, everywhere I go I find people I know – from exercise class or the senior center dinners – volunteering has helped me create relationships and connect with people,” she says.

Besides volunteering, Eleanor also believes that the key to her healthy life is exercising and eating healthy foods. Becoming involved in volunteering has helped her learn about the many resources and activities for older adults in Boulder County. Eleanor exercises three times a week at the East Boulder Senior Center, attends concerts with Circle of Care, receives rides to her eye doctor appointments from CareConnect’s Medical Mobility program and utilizes Special Transit to get around town. As Eleanor says, Boulder is a great place to be if you are a senior!

CareConnect would like to honor Eleanor’s dedication to her volunteer work, and the positive energy she brings to her work and the many people she interacts with.

If you are interested in volunteering in Boulder County, please call our office to get involved today! 303-772-2262.

Two Thousand and eleven

2011-01-06T12:10:00.000-08:00

Hello and Happy New Year!

I'm back from vacation and what a lovely vacation it was. Real life is also sweet and so I'm glad to be back with volunteers and co-workers alike. And this year I have made some New Year's Resolutions I am bound and determined to keep. Suffice it to say that my resolutions may or may not include: finding every free book available to Kindle users, filing my taxes on time, belly dancing on Thursday nights, and learning to love green tea.

One thing I do resolve is to encourage you to volunteer, early and often. Whether you have been a life long volunteer or are just dipping your toes in the water, there is plenty for you to do.

CareConnect needs your help right now for three of our essential programs.

Medical Mobility volunteers provide rides for older adults to doctor's offices, hospitals, clinics, physical therapists etc. Volunteers decide how many rides they can offer each month and we offer free supplemental liability insurance as well as mileage reimbursement.

Carry Out Caravan volunteers offer free grocery shopping and delivery to older adults and people with disabilities. Volunteers meet on Wednesdays in Longmont and Thursdays in Boulder. We also offer the free supplemental insurance and mileage reimbursement.

Ice Busters volunteers shovel snow for residents in the City of Boulder. Clear sidewalks make walking in the brisk air a pleasure, and shovelling can be just too difficult for residents with health or mobility issues. Volunteers see the snow, grab their shovels and clear the sidewalks of their assigned older adults who have requested the help.

Every day is the perfect day to make a new resolution: volunteer.

And if our current opportunities aren't what you are looking for, please call our office and we can share more information with you about a wide variety of volunteer projects throughout the community.

Our office: 303-772-2262.

Live outside Boulder County? Call your local RSVP program or visit a neighborhood community center to find out about volunteer opportunities waiting for you.

A Change is in the Air!

2010-12-20T09:22:00.000-08:00

(photos: Richard Varnes and Maureen Ewing)

"There's a sad sort of clanging from the clock in the hall
And the bells in the steeple too
And up in the nursery an absurd little bird
Is popping out to say "cuckoo"
Cuckoo, cuckoo

Regretfully they tell us Cuckoo, cuckoo
But firmly they compel us Cuckoo, cuckoo
To say goodbye . . .

Cuckoo!
. . . to you

So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, good night
I hate to go and leave this pretty sight

So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, adieu
Adieu, adieu, to yieu and yieu and yieu

So long, farewell, au revoir, auf wiedersehen

I'd like to stay and taste my first champagne

So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, goodbye
I leave and heave a sigh and say goodbye -- Goodbye!
I'm glad to go, I cannot tell a lie

I flit, I float, I fleetly flee, I fly

The sun has gone to bed and so must I

So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, goodbye
Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye

Goodbye!"

I always loved that song. I've been singing it softy (off key and to myself) the past few weeks as our staff prepares to say Goodbye to our Executive Director, Maureen Ewing. Maureen has made great contributions to CareConnect over the past seven years. She has expanded our programs, built coalitions with other human service agencies, and offered care and support to thousands of older adults throughout Boulder County.

Mostly I will remember her quirky sense of humor, her indomitable optimism and her focus on treating everyone with dignity and respect. Maureen has great plans for her future: more time with family and friends, world travelling, exploring new educational and career options-- a world of possibilities.

Maureen promises to stay in touch and I'll be happy to post tales of her adventures on our blog. So here's to you, Maureen, Adieu, Adieu, Adieu.

But alas, we aren't lost at sea. Richard Varnes, CareConnect's Fix It Coordinator, is taking over as the CareConnect Executive Director. Richard loves his friends and his family, he takes a mean photograph, and he cares about the strength and the vision of our organization. Best of all he lives in Longmont Colorado, a great American City with a picture postcard view of the front range.

And What about Fix It? Our program is now in Mary Wilson's good hands. Mary has been working part time in the Boulder office, handling the databases and helping with the huge volume of calls from people who want to learn more about our programs. Mary has a quiet calm about her that I truly admire. She is also a woman who knows her way around a tool box! Photo of Mary coming soon!

I look forward to a great New Year with all of the staff and volunteers at CareConnect and the RSVP program. Here's to you!

Tonight there will be a red moon in the sky. The first in centuries -and for centuries to come. I'm going to stand in the field across the street from my house and howl with the coyotes in celebration of the spectacle. Join me.

And then::: I'm on vacation through January 5th!

Want more information about our programs and services? Please call our Boulder office at 303-443-1933.

Cheers to All of You!

p.s. Interested in Volunteering? This is one New Year's Resolution you won't want to break. Call Rebecca at 303-772-2262 and we can get you started!

p.s.s. D. H. Lawrence wrote a poem entitled "Red Moon- Rise." Yikes!Sons and Lovers is my favorite Lawrence novel. In fact, it's the only time I've ever been curious about wrestling!

See you in January!

Weather Forecast: Snow??

2010-12-16T10:56:00.001-08:00

It's another sunny day here in Boulder, Colorado. We haven't had a flake of snow to speak of in the city yet this season, but boy oh boy when it decides to snow I'm sure we'll be measuring it in feet instead of inches.

But don't despair: there's plenty of snow to enjoy in the mountains and more is on the way every day. Get out those skis, snow shoes, snow boards and shovels. Winter is on it's way!

In fact, do you love to shovel more than you love just about anything else?

We would love your help shoveling snow for older adults in the City of Boulder who need to keep their walk ways and sidewalks safe but who may not be able to shovel themselves.

Please call our Ice Busters coordinator Will at 303-443-1933 to sign up to be a volunteer IceBuster today before the first flake falls!

What a Great Saturday!

2010-12-13T07:22:00.000-08:00

(photo: high school volunteers!)

What a Great Saturday! How do you deliver 900 Holiday Fruit Baskets over about a 60 mile square radius? Ask a volunteer to do it! Saturday was just incredible. Thanks to everyone who turned out for our annual Holiday Fruit Basket project.
What a massive undertaking that works something like this: area supermarkets donate fruit to Volunteers of America in Denver. School children in Denver make cheerful holiday cards. Staff and volunteers with VOA make up the baskets and then the volunteers arrive with trucks, cars, wagons, and load those baskets up for distribution around the metro area.

CareConnect RSVP volunteers Bill C. and Wendell S. drive trucks full of baskets to Longmont and Boulder and then volunteers from across the county stop by, pick up their routes and make their heart felt deliveries.

Behind the scenes are the staff and volunteers that make it all come together. Thanks Evelyn and Larry- map makers extraordinare! Thanks Dottie and Jan and Lori and Nelson and Kelsey and Rebecca and Eileen and Bill and Kirbie and Kelly and Jane and Norma absolutely everyone who works so hard to achieve one common goal: giving some beautiful fresh fruit to low income older adults who may not get many packages at the door, or phone calls or visitors during what can be a very cold and wintry season indeed.

This morning a lovely woman with a Swedish accent called our office. She was so overwhelmed that a volunteer stopped by on Saturday.She just couldn't believe it. Who would do this for her, she asked. We all would.

And then of course, who could forget Saturday night..... The Boulder Theater hummed with guitar and banjo and fiddle and bass. What a sound. Thanks everyone who turned out for the Mark Vann Foundation concert. Just proves once again, you are never too old to rock n roll!

Just can't get enough volunteering?? Call me. 303-772-2262

This Saturday Night!

2010-12-10T07:49:00.000-08:00

Thanks to everyone who donated to CareConnect and other great nonprofit agencies this week! Your donations are greatly appreciated throughout the year.

And: The Mark Vann Foundation Concert is this Saturday Night! Tickets are still available at the Boulder Theater. Part of the proceeds will benefit CareConnect!

Volunteering to Delivery Holiday Baskets tomorrow morning? Bundle up!

Colorado Gives Day is Today- Wednesday December 8- is the day!

2010-12-08T07:03:00.000-08:00

Colorado Gives Day is today: 12/8! Please donate to CareConnect and your gift will have triple the impact with a match from GivingFirst.org and the CareConnect Lifeboat Donor Circle. Please donate today.

here's our profile: http://www.givingfirst.org/careconnectbc

This is a great, one day only way to support CareConnect!

Thanks!

and John Lennon we still miss you.

RSVP- Your Best Year Ever!

2010-12-02T08:52:00.000-08:00

Been meaning to Volunteer all year? Hurry In! There's still Time!

Many nonprofit organizations still need help with their winter and holiday volunteer projects. Whether it's delivering Fruit Baskets (call me Boulder County!), serving meals, helping with a food drive, offering respite to caregivers during what is often a stressful season, there are many quality organizations that welcome your volunteer time and talent.

And it is never too early to plan for next year. Make 2011 the Year that you start volunteering for the first time or take on a new volunteer project where you feel like you can really make a difference in the lives of others and the overall well being of our communities!

Here are just a few of the many volunteer projects available:

Focus: mentor ex offenders and help these individuals address a wide range of self sufficiency issues including education and employment, housing, better mental health and empowerment.

Meals on Wheels: programs throughout Boulder County (and around the country) that offer free or low cost nutritious meals and meal delivery to older adults and people with disabilities.

Reach Out and Read Colorado: encourage children to participate in read aloud programs, especially in medical facilities and clinics.

Greenwood Wildlife: care for injured and abandoned wildlife in a humane and professional setting

WOW Children's Museum: share your love of science, engineering, ecology, theater and arts with young children and their families.

Medical Mobility: offer rides to medical related appointments for older adults.

IceBusters: shovel snow for older adults in the City of Boulder

Fix It: install grab bars and complete minor home repairs for older adults and people with disabilities.

Carry Out Caravan: Grocery shop and deliver groceries to older adults and people with disabilities.

Holiday Fruit Basket Delivery Drivers: deliver a lovely basket of fresh fruit to low income older adults throughout Boulder County on December 11.

Call our office at 303-772-2262 for information about how you can make a difference starting in December and last well into the Millennium!

Hurry Up Please! It's Time!

Make RSVP volunteering part of your best year ever!

In Memory: Pam Copen

2010-11-29T09:19:00.000-08:00

This past month we lost a good friend and great volunteer: Pam Copen. Pam was an incredible woman who will be missed by family, friends and the hundreds of people she reached out to each year through her volunteer work. Whether Pam was giving Medical Mobility rides through CareConnect, making quilts for low income families through the Longmont Area Retired Quilters volunteer group, or being active in her faith community, Pam shared her love and compassion with others.

Pam was all set to be the December RSVP Volunteer of the Month. I interviewed her for the article a week before she died suddenly from health complications. Pam was so happy to share her story to try to inspire other people to volunteer and to know that they would get as much as they gave through the volunteer experience. I took some photos of Pam as part of our interview, and I think you can really see her compassion and self awareness shining through.

Here is the "formal" article that will appear this week in the Fifty Plus Marketplace.

In Memory of Pam Copen

This past month we lost a dear friend and valued volunteer. Pam Copen passed away unexpectedly in early November. Her family and friends knew that she was going to be featured in the December Volunteer of the Month, and hoped that we would still publish her article as a tribute to her incredible spirit of giving. We will miss Pam and we would like to acknowledge her dedication and caring spirit.

Pam moved to Colorado in 1977 and believed that one of the most fulfilling parts of her life was volunteering for the CareConnect Medical Mobility program. She was interviewed for this article a week before she died. CareConnect would like to honor Pam Copen for her dedication and service to the Medical Mobility Program, and honor her memory through the Volunteer of the Month spotlight.

A few years ago, Pam needed surgery and learned how really difficult it was to get back and forth to the doctor’s office if a person can’t drive or use public transportation. Pam said her family was very supportive, but that they couldn’t always be there to get her to her appointments on time.

When she heard about the Medical Mobility program from the Longmont Senior Center staff she was relieved. “I didn’t know what I would have done without them, Pam explained. Medical Mobility volunteers offer free rides to older adults and people with disabilities who need safe, reliable transportation to medical related appointments. Pam was so impressed by the program that she knew once she was on her feet again she was going to become a volunteer driver - and she did.

Volunteering is the best way to prevent feeling isolated and lonely after a person retires, Pam pointed out. She had worked for over 20 years at Valley Labs before retiring and knew she wanted to stay active and connect with her community on a deeper level. Volunteering with the Medical Mobility program was the answer.

For Pam, volunteering was a joy and a challenge. She stated, “I make it a challenge for myself every week, I want to be able to give as many rides as possible and make sure each person has a great experience. Pam pointed out that everyone who requests a ride is unique, but the one thing they have in common is that they know they can trust the volunteer who picks them up to treat them with respect, dignity and confidentiality.

According to Allison Dellwo, CareConnect Medical Mobility program coordinator, “Pam was wonderful. She was a warm and caring person and that came through to all people she has helped. She puts her whole heart into her volunteer work and her kindness touched everyone. We will all miss her very much.”

Pam described volunteering as part of her life’s mission. She stated: “My faith motivates me. I feel like I’ve been put on this earth to serve other people year round. You can’t believe how much your volunteering touches someone else until you see how relieved and grateful people are because they know you were there for them. “

Pam continued: “I know I save lives. I know that’s true. Just getting somebody to their doctor so they can get the care they need, that saves lives. There’s no better way to live my life than doing that for someone else.”

CareConnect would like to honor Pam Copen for her sharing her life with the Medical Mobility volunteer program. Her genuine spirit of care and compassion will be missed by family, friends, and volunteers alike.

If you would like more information about becoming an RSVP volunteer, please call our office at 303-772-2262. If you would like more information about the Medical Mobility program please contact Allison at 303-443-1933.

8th Annual Mark Vann Foundation Concert

2010-11-23T11:27:00.000-08:00

Join Us for the magical......

8th Annual Mark Vann Foundation Holiday Benefit Concert

Come out for a night of bluegrass in support of CareConnect! The 8th Annual Mark Vann Foundation Holiday Benefit Concert is on Saturday, December 11 at the Boulder Theater. A portion of the proceeds will benefit CareConnect.

Critically acclaimed performers include: Todd Snider, Great American Taxi, Bonfire Dub, Banjorchestra, Shannon McNally & Hot Sauce, and many more special guests, friends and surprises!

The night will feature a silent auction, art show and raffle for some great prizes. Tickets are only $20, and are on sale now - buy yours today!

P.S. Looking for an early holiday gift? Surprise them with an amazing night of music and help us help more people in need!

Visit CareConnect's website to learn more!

CareConnect is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that provides free Safety-Net Services and volunteer opportunities to promote the security, comfort and independence of seniors and adults with disabilities.

When the Snow comes Tumbling Down

2010-11-19T09:33:00.000-08:00

Ice Busters is a great CareConnect program that helps older adults in the City of Boulder. Will Duane, program coordinator, is keeping his eye on the skies and knows we're in for a big one soon. Will hails from Vermont, and knows a thing or two about shovelling snow. His goal is to make sure that older adults get help shovelling out their walkways and sidewalks this winter.

Have a strong back and a willing heart? Please call Will to sign up for a snow shovelling assignment that will keep our neighbors safe. Just think of all the exercise. Just think of that healthy glow you'll get shovelling snow.

Call Will at 303-443-1933 to sign up and help the CareConnect Ice Busters program today.

It's all Happening On December 11

2010-11-15T09:22:00.000-08:00

On December 11 CareConnect volunteers will deliver 900 Holiday Fruit Baskets to low income older adults. This great event is a huge collaborative effort between volunteers and program staff from several organizations that serve older adults. Each basket contains 6 pounds of delicious fresh fruit donated by an area supermarket. Volunteers of America put these great baskets together and make sure they get delivered to thousands of older adults throughout the Front Range.

It's a beautiful effort. Six pounds of fresh fruit is only a tiny fraction of the support many low income older adults need, but these baskets, arriving during the season of short days and long nights, can shine some light on a chilly day. Holiday Fruit Basket volunteers don't just deliver a basket, they share a kind word and a brief moment of connection at a time when many older adults find the holidays hard to bear.

Do you live in Boulder County and want to volunteer on December 11? We'll be meeting Saturday morning in locations in Longmont and Boulder. It's a great way to volunteer as a family and possibly introduce your kids to the joy of sharing their time in service to others. Delivery drivers must be 21 and volunteers need to sign up in advance to volunteer. Please call our office for more information: 303-772- 2262.

and also on December 11: Come out for a night of bluegrass and jamgrass to support CareConnect! The 8th Annual Mark Vann Foundation Holiday Benefit Concert is 12/11 at the Boulder Theater - The event is once again benefiting CareConnect and There With Care. Order tickets now!

Meet Craig Brown

2010-11-10T07:00:00.000-08:00

Craig Brown travelled a long road from his home in rural Colorado to the battlefields of Vietnam – and back again. CareConnect would like to honor Craig Brown as our Volunteer of the Month for his courageous volunteer work at Veterans Helping Veterans Now.

As a Marine Corps veteran, Craig understands the huge spectrum of issues that many other veterans face. According to Craig, “some of us have needed help for thirty years before we recognized we needed some one to talk to.” In fact, to address his own issues, Craig had reached out to others at the Boulder Vet Center and found some of the support he needed.

He also met other vets, mostly from the Vietnam era, that expressed the same struggles and challenges. And as Craig continued his own process of healing he “wanted to share that knowledge and experience with others.”

Although Craig appreciated the programs at the Boulder Vet Center, he and other veterans knew more could be done to not only support older veterans but to also reach out to young people who were experiencing post traumatic stress disorder, addiction, health problems and other issues upon returning to civilian life. “At one point in my life I was a Merchant Marine and visited Kuwait a couple years after the first Gulf War. The oil fields were still on fire. What a culture shock that must be for kids who go to war in Iraq or Afghanistan,” he points out.

Craig knew that there was a need for a new organization that could offer more intensive and wide ranging support to vets, no matter their age, in our area. Craig, and fellow veteran Ray Meyers, co-founded Veterans Helping Veterans Now, a nonprofit organization. “Our name says it all,” Craig states.

“What they can get at VHV Now is the chance to talk to other veterans in a safe environment. We offer honest advice, honest criticism and feedback. We are able to handle whatever it is people need to talk about without judgment or fear. What’s said in VHV stays in VHV,” Craig explains.

One volunteer project that Craig and other vets have taken on is visiting veterans at local jails and prisons. VHV Now volunteers work closely with Probation, Parole, Corrections and Community Services in Boulder County.

Veterans Helping Veterans Now offers addiction recovery and groups facilitated by a licensed therapist, intergenerational support groups to bring vets together of all ages, and support for veterans’ families.

There are also programs designed for female veterans, many of whom faced combat related situations. A licensed therapist works closely with all of the counselling and support groups.

In addition, VHV Now volunteers drive vets to medical appointments and the VA hospital through their partnership with CareConnect.

Craig is the Board of Directors Chairperson for VHV Now and encourages veterans of all ages to find out more about their programs and services. “My life has improved beyond my wildest dreams because of being associated with these incredible people. I never expected to volunteer; it wasn’t even in my vocabulary until I became part of Veterans Helping Veterans Now. This group helped me change my life. And I’m glad I did,” Craig states.

If you would like more information about Veterans Helping Veterans Now please call 720-620-3215.

And don't forget to visit Hungry for Change, a fun way to support the work of Veterans Helping Veterans Now and CareConnect. Participating restaurants are listed on the previous post!

THIS THURSDAY!

2010-11-08T11:21:00.000-08:00

Hungry for Change

This Thursday, November 11, is a great day to enjoy breakfast, lunch and dinner at some of Boulder county's amazing restaurants. Enjoy your favorite meals and take part in Hungry for Change to support CareConnect and Veterans Helping Veterans Now.

Participating restaurants will donate 15% of your entire purchase to support these great organizations that serve veterans year round. So order all your favorite dishes and don't forget dessert!

Participating Restaurants include:

Longmont:
Kho's Asian Bistro
Sakura Japanese Cusine
Leenie's Southern Cafe
Pinocchios

Nederland:
The Pionner InnBoulder:

Boulder:
Walnut Cafe
South Side Walnut Cafe
The Sink
Nepal Cuisine
KT's BBQ
Bacco Trattoria
Connor O'Neill's
LarkBurger
Casa Alvarez
Restaurant 4580

Lafayette:
Leenie's Southern Cafe
Martino's Pizzeria

Louisville:
Old Louisville Inn
Blue Parrot

All these restaurants offer great food and friendly service. Try the camerones at Casa Alvaraz, order the soup at Walnut Cafe, don't miss Pinocchio's ravioli.... I could go on and on. It's all good.

and please watch for a special post about Craig Brown, one of the co-founders of Veterans Helping Veterans Now, later this month.

Please make it a date: Hungry For Change, Thursday, November 11, 2010. See you there.

Hey Longmont! Meet Us at the Grocery Store!

2010-11-02T11:52:00.000-07:00

Our Carry Out Caravan program needs you in Longmont on Wednesday mornings! If you have a couple hours on Wednesday mornings, we would love to have your help shopping for and/or delivering groceries to older adults and people with disabilities.

And if you are busy on Wednesdays what about Thursdays shopping and delivering in Boulder?
We could sure use your help!

Come out and have a great time while helping your neighbors. Please call our office: 303-772-2262 to volunteer today!

And speaking of food:

This just in from Sue Ericson:

Community Food Share needs volunteer greeters to help with their November 14-24 food drive at various locations throughout Boulder County. According to Sue, 2 hours of volunteer time generates enough food to serve a family of four for tw weeks. Call Sue at 303-652-3663 x 202 if you would like to volunteer with the Food Drive this month.

"Life in and Out of the Alley"

2010-11-01T10:11:00.000-07:00

just in from the Longmont Housing Opportunities Team.

SAVE THE DATE
NOVEMBER 17, 2010

What: “Life In and Out of the Alley”
Presented by the Longmont Housing Opportunities Team
When: 6:00 - 8:00 PM

Where: Longmont Senior Center, 910 Longs Peak Avenue

- Light Supper will be served -

-LIFE IN AND OUT OF THE ALLEY

“The Impact of Relationships”

A free, public event hosted by the Longmont Housing Opportunities Team
during National Homelessness and Hunger Awareness Week

The event will feature:

• Dramatic performance by “Stage Fright”, Longmont Youth Center
• Update on the “Homeless Plan: Working Together to End Homelessness
• in Longmont”
• Light Supper will be served
• Look for featured Book at Longmont Public Library in November

Please join us on Wednesday, November 17th from 6-8PM at the Longmont
Senior Center, 910 Longs Peak Avenue

If you are interested obtaining more information please contact John Rostykus:
event@lhotonline.org, 303 709-5404 or visit our website at www.lhotonline.org

Hungry for Change

2010-10-28T07:14:00.000-07:00

Thursday, November 11, is a great day to step out of the kitchen and enjoy breakfast, lunch and dinner at some of Boulder county's amazing restaurants. Enjoy your favorite meals and take part in Hungry for Change to support CareConnect and Veterans Helping Veterans Now.

Participating restaurants will donate 15% of your entire purchase to support these great organizations that serve veterans year round.

Participating Restaurants include:

Longmont:
Kho's Asian Bistro
Sakura Japanese Cusine
Leenie's Southern Cafe
Pinocchios

Nederland:
The Pionner Inn

Boulder:
Walnut Cafe
South Side Walnut Cafe
The Sink
Nepal Cuisine
KT's BBQ
Bacco Trattoria
Connor O'Neill's
LarkBurger
Casa Alvarez
Restaurant 4580

Lafayette:
Leenie's Southern Cafe
Martino's Pizzeria

Louisville:
Old Louisville Inn
Blue Parrot

All these restaurants offer great food and friendly service. Try the camerones at Casa Alvaraz, order the soup at Walnut Cafe, don't miss Pinocchio's ravioli.... I could go on and on. Ask about the history of the Louisville Inn or enjoy the mountain air at the Pioneer Inn in Nederland. It's all good. And if you are so inclined, sample one of Connor O'Neill's Irish whiskies. It can warm you up from your head to your toes.

and please watch for a special post about Craig Brown, one of the co-founders of Veterans Helping Veterans Now, in November.

Please make it a date: Hungry For Change, Thursday, November 11, 2010.

Cheers to You! and the Harvest is In!

2010-10-25T08:36:00.000-07:00

There's still one week left to pick up a couple of bottles of Coppola Diamond Label Wines at Liquor Mart in Boulder, Colorado. Liquor Mart will donate $1.00 of every purchase to CareConnect.

Francis Ford Coppola is an interesting guy. He makes films, runs a vineyard, sponsors a literary magazine called All Story, and hosts an on- line writer's workshop called zoetrope.

I've seen the movies, read the magazine and participated in the workshop. Now it's time to kick back and try a little wine.

Stop by Liquor Mart at 1750 15th street in Boulder and pick up a bottle or two of Coppola's Diamond Label this week while the fundraiser is still on.

Salud!

And by the way- the harvest is in. This weekend I plucked the last of the Early Girls, The Better Boys, The Sunkissed cherries, and the wild volunteer tomatoes that grew from past years' seeds. My favorite of those were these odd little hexagon tomatoes that tasted strangely like raw eggplant and strawberries. Not delicious but certainly unique.

I lost the tomato count sometime in early July, but I do know that the freezer is full of sauce, and hundreds of tomatoes made their way to the kitchens of friends and strangers alike. What a bountiful crop this year. The smell of potatoes, onions, garlic and beets waft up my basement steps, and there's an old wooden chair in my kitchen full of strange gourds we are afraid to eat. Possibly some vegetables are best admired from a far.

Have a garden full of half forgotten fruit? Take the basket outside and fill it to the brim. We're expecting a hard frost tonight.

Talk about harvesting: Last night, somewhere in the wilds of Pennsylvania, my sweet friend Dreama, and her fine looking husband Jim, headed out in a cherry red convertible, Bruce Springsteen playing low on the radio, driving under a midnight full moon, headed out to glean abandoned farms for lost peppers and pumpkins, tomatoes and potatoes. And Bruce was singing: "riding out to case the promised land... oh oh thunder road..." By now all that pilfered produce is at the local food pantry to help out folks who just can't make ends meet this month.

Had a bountiful harvest? Buy a bottle of wine to celebrate and share what you can with your neighbors near and far.

How I spent yesterday morning

2010-10-21T10:53:00.000-07:00

I had a great time yesterday morning. I spent it with volunteers at the grocery store, shopping and delivering groceries with our Carry Out Caravan volunteers. It was great to get out of the office and have some fun with the volunteers.

I expected to be on my feet all morning so I wore my most comfortable pair of shoes. They are this hideous shade of lime green with thick bouncy soles and the best arch support you can image. They are made of this odd canvas stuff so my feet stay cool and breezy with every step. I love those shoes. They are so ugly I only break them out for special occasions, and I worry that when I wear them out I won't be able to replace them. They remind me of my favorite old dog, Hazel. I love her so much I'm afraid my love will wear her out and I just can't bear to lose her.

But back to the grocery store. The Carry Out Caravan program shops for and delivers groceries to older adults and people with disabilities or chronic illness who find that grocery shopping is too heavy a burden. Many of the COC customers no longer drive, and unfortunately hauling groceries around on the bus is physically exhausting or just out of the question because of health and mobility issues.

The COC volunteers meet this incredible need by shopping and delivering free of charge. That's right. No strings attached. Customers pay for the groceries but the peace of mind that comes with knowing your pantry is full is literally price-less.

Our Carry Out Caravan programs which meet in Longmont on Wednesdays and Boulder on Thursdays are short handed so sometimes CareConnect staff pitch in. I love getting out of the office, putting on my ugly shoes, and spending time with the volunteers.

Our volunteers know their grocery store like they know the back of their hand. It's their turf and they are the boss of me when I show up, in those shoes, ready to lend a hand.

First I get the clip board, then the list, and last the cart.

Shopping for someone else, a stranger, is a fascinating process. I am a people pleaser and I want to please Mr. Smith, or Ms. Jones with all my heart. The list says peach yogurt so I head down to yogurt row and am confronted by a dozen different peach yogurts. It's confounding.

What do they like? Which peach is best? My plain vanilla yogurt awaits on the shelf,but I have to pass it by, reminding myself that I am not shopping for me.

It's worse in the produce section. Normally I'd grab a bunch of bananas or a handful of grapes. I'd squeeze a couple lemons and toss it all rather randomly into the bag. But when I am shopping for someone else each grape becomes a world unto itself because it's not my grape- it belongs to someone else and I really really want to find the perfect grape.

And maybe that is love. Loving someone so much, loving someone that you don't know and may never meet, and wanting that someone to have the most perfect peach yogurt and the most delicious grape just because you want them to enjoy the perfect peach and experience the perfect grape.

One of the things I loved about my yesterday morning was knowing that love. The volunteers have become family over the years, teasing and joking with each other while still making new volunteers feel welcome. And I loved the love that each shopper put into each order. We were all searching for the perfect grapes together.

You can get your love in the produce aisle too. Become a Carry Out Caravan volunteer.

Call us for more information: 303-772-2262

You Would Look SO Good

2010-10-13T09:11:00.000-07:00

You would look SO good behind the wheel of this automobile - or any mobile- if you were a Medical Mobility Volunteer. Everyone would notice that air of quiet confidence that comes from helping your neighbor. Everyone would remark about how youthful you look now that you are making time to volunteer. Everyone would see that sparkle in your eye and just love the way your eyes crinkle up just a little when you laugh because you are feeling so good, driving in your car, talking about the lovely weather, chatting with Barbara or Bill who you have just delivered safely to their medical appointment. Barbara or Bill look good too- because no matter what may be going on in their lives, they know they were able to count on you.

You look so good behind the wheel of your car when you volunteer and that so good look spreads all the way from your head to your toes. It gets down deep, it's not just some superficial glow, and before you know it you feel as good as you look, all the time, not just when you are sitting in your automobile.

Allison Dellwo, our Medical Mobility Coordinator, just told me she needs about 15 new volunteer drivers to keep up with demand for our free program. We offer training, free supplemental liability insurance, full mileage reimbursement and the most intangible thing of all: a way to get that glow.

Call Allison or Rachel if you would like more information about volunteering with the Medical Mobility Program. 303-443-1933. Lines are busy? Call Maggie at 303-772-2262 to learn about how you can Look So Good behind the wheel of your automobile.

p.s. as of right now 15 miners are up and the rest of the guys are on their way. It's a glorious day.

Meet Donna Meintz

2010-10-12T13:52:00.000-07:00

Before Donna decided to take it on, the inner courtyard and surrounding shrubbery at Arapahoe court in Boulder Colorado looked like a typical neglected expanse of cement and rocks.

By the time Donna got through with the project, the area had been transformed into a shady garden oasis tucked away from the busy traffic on Arapahoe Avenue. CareConnect would like to honor Donna as the Volunteer of the Month for her volunteer work on behalf of all the residents of Arapahoe Court.

One thing everyone at Arapahoe Court had in common was their desire to have a safe, comfortable community where neighbors felt good about sitting outside and getting to know one another. What was missing, Donna realized, was a focal point that all the neighbors could enjoy and contribute to. As a volunteer, Donna took on the challenge of transforming their drab courtyard into a beautiful garden that would bring pleasure to the neighborhood. “I’m the volunteer Grounds Keeper and Gardener and that’s a year round responsibilitiy,” Donna points out.

Originally from Casper, Wyoming, and growing up near Loveland, Donna has lived in the Boulder and Denver metro areas most of her life. For over 20 years she managed the sound design and lighting for one of the premier clubs in Denver. Donna points out: “ I’ve always been full of energy and always love doing my own thing. “ She has an eye for design and has been responsible for putting together elaborate stage productions.

In fact the Arapahoe garden reflects that flare for design. Nestled in among the live vegetables, herbs, flowers and bushes, are artificial trees that Donna has collected and recycled. These unexpected additions, along with shells and orenamental folk art pieces, give the garden both a natural and exotic quality.

“I love to walk and sometimes I’ll find something that I know will fit right into a section of the garden I’m working on,” Donna points out. Recently a Boulder Police Officer visiting the neighborhood mentioned that this was “the prettiest garden in Boulder County,” and he wished he could just relax under the shade trees.

Donna credits much of her inspiration for her garden project and her commitment to volunteering to her mother. “My mom has an incredible garden and she’s always wanted me to be involved and help other people, make things beautiful for them. Now that I’m retired too I have some time to make things beautiful for other people.”

From everyone at Arapahoe Court: Thanks Donna for all that you do.

"Welcome to Shelbyville" at the Longmont Public Library

2010-10-11T07:17:00.000-07:00

from our friend Bob Norris:

We are presenting a community screening of a provocative and inspiring film, "Welcome to Shelbyville" followed by a community dialogue. I really like the film and think it comes at a critical time for our communities. “Welcome to Shelbyville” is challenging – exposing layers of complexity - race, immigration, secondary immigration, change and the variety of responses to change. It moves in a good direction and I think will catalyze some renewed energy to build stronger communities – in places like Longmont and across the state.

You can learn more about the film at:
http://welcometoshelbyvilleonline.org/wordpress/ (information and short trailer)
http://www.itvs.org/films/welcome-to-shelbyville (text description of the film)

The details:
EXCLUSIVE SCREENING AND COMMUNITY DIALOGUE
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
6:00 p.m. - 8:00
Lngmont Library

Volunteer Opportunities

2010-10-04T10:19:00.000-07:00

Several great volunteer opportunities are available this month:

Carry Out Caravan in Boulder and Longmont need volunteer shoppers and delivery drivers. Volunteer with a great group of people who love to have fun while ensuring that older adults and people with disabilities get the nutritious groceries they need.

Community Food Share need volunteers on Tuesdays for a variety of food bank tasks. Now more than ever people are turning to food banks for help and Community Food Share volunteers work hard to make sure non one goes hungry in Boulder County.

Greenwood Wildlife needs volunteers to help care for abandoned and injured animals. Volunteer times are flexible and it's a great learning experience.

Circle of Care whose mission is to share art and cultural events with older adults needs volunteers who may have passenger vans to help transport larger groups of participants to area programs.

Medical Mobility Transportation Volunteers are needed to ensure that older adults and people with disabilities get to essential medical related appointments. Training, supplemental liability insurance and mileage reimbursement are available.

Please call our office for more information about these and other great volunteer opportunities at your earliest opportunity! Our office: 303-772-2262. Thanks.

and one more thing:
Throughout the month of October, Liquor Mart will be donating $1 of every bottle of featured Coppola Diamond Label wines purchased to CareConnect! Liquor Mart is located at 1750 15th St., Boulder. You can visit their website at: www.liquormart.com.

The Power of RSVP Senior Corps Volunteers

2010-09-27T08:28:00.000-07:00

Last week was National Senior Corps Week. Our RSVP volunteer program is part of the national Senior Corps Program. We celebrated by hosting our annual Volunteer Recognition Breakfast.

Here is more information about the power of RSVP volunteers from the Corporation for National and Community Service:

For more than four decades, Americans age 55 and up have used their lifetime of skills and experience to solve problems and strengthen their communities.

At time of serious economic and social challenges, nearly 500,000 volunteers age 55+ are serving through Senior Corps' three programs – Foster Grandparents, RSVP, and Senior Companions. These individuals contributed more than 98 million hours of volunteer service worth an estimated $2 billion in 2009, and their impacts are proven and measurable:

Each year, RSVP programs expand the capacity of more than 61,000 local organizations to deliver essential services including assisting victims of natural disasters, improving the environment, conducting safety patrols, and more. Last year, 414,000 RSVP volunteers provided 62 million hours of service valued at $1.2 billion, representing a 20-1 return on federal investment.

With the theme “Making a Difference for Generations,” Senior Corps highlights the powerful impact of 55+ volunteers and inspires others to get involved. The initiative recognizes that service by older Americans benefits everyone – it helps volunteers by keeping them active, healthy, and engaged; it helps our communities to have millions more skilled volunteers; and it helps our nation by saving taxpayer dollars, reducing healthcare costs, and strengthening civic participation.

“Older Americans bring a lifetime of skills and experience as parents, workers, and citizens that can be tapped to meet challenges in our communities,” said Dr. Erwin Tan, a board certified geriatrician and recently appointed Director of Senior Corps. “Given the many social needs facing our communities – and the growing interest in service by 55+ Americans – this is a moment of unprecedented need and opportunity for our programs.”

The Corporation for National and Community Service is a federal agency that engages more than five million Americans in service through Senior Corps, AmeriCorps, and Learn and Serve America and leads President Obama's national call to service initiative, United We Serve. For more information, visit NationalService.gov.

If you would like more information about the RSVP program that serves Boulder County, please call our office at 303-772-2262.

Meet Jane Smith

2010-09-22T07:15:00.001-07:00

Jane Alice Smith staffs the volunteer support station at Longmont United Hospital’s ICU unit on Saturdays. Each week Jane offers compassion to family members and loved ones who turn to her for help. CareConnect would like to honor Jane as our RSVP Volunteer of the Month for her volunteer service with the hospital and with many other organizations in the community.

As a hospital volunteer, Jane offers assistance to individuals and families during a critical time in their lives. Loved ones waiting to hear the news about a friend or family member in ICU go through a huge range of emotions. “I like to be there for them, let them talk if they want to, try to help them get the information or help they need,” Jane states. According to Jane, some of the most moving moments on the ICU floor are when “somebody just lost somebody and they just need to hold my hand.”

Jane credits her experience as a volunteer EMT for preparing her to serve on the ICU floor. “I worked as an EMT in Virginia for many years and you have to be calm and prepared for anything,” Jane points out. “You also need to like people. You need to want to help them.” Sometimes just offering a cup of coffee helps someone feel less alone. According to Jane the hospital is a great place to volunteer because the staff treat the volunteers with respect and offer quarterly meetings and ongoing training.

“I was named after my two grandmothers, Jane and Alice, and I’m just like both of them.” Jane admires the spunk and determination of her foremothers and has brought that strength to her own life experience as a mother, grandmother, and great grandmother of seven children. “I’m the oldest of my siblings and everybody turns to me when they get in trouble.”

Before starting her family, Jane earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education at Crane School of Music in New York and has often incorporated her love of music into her volunteer work.

In addition to volunteering on the ICU floor, Jane is active on the residence council of Village Place in Longmont, and her church community council. She also volunteers with CareConnect as an office assistant and enjoys sharing information about programs and volunteer experiences.

“Volunteering helps you. It helps older adults stay sharp and feel connected to what’s going on.” Jane points out that “if you don’t start volunteering once you retire you are just going to sit around and vegetate. If I had to sit around all day I’d just go nutty!”

Jane wants to encourage everyone, no matter what age, to make volunteering part of their lives. CareConnect appreciates Jane’s strength and volunteer commitment. If you would like more information about finding a volunteer opportunity that’s right for you, please call 303-772-2262. You can reach Jane at this number on Wednesday mornings!

Fourmile Canyon

2010-09-08T07:26:00.000-07:00

Day Three of the big fire in Fourmile Canyon. Over 200 firefighters are trekking up the hillsides trying to control the blaze. Many of these incredible firefighters are volunteers; several have lost their own homes in the blaze.

The American Red Cross is accepting donations to assist displaced families and teams working to put out the fire. Please call: 303-772-7474

The Longmont Humane Society, Boulder Humane Society and the Boulder County Fairgrounds are all accepting donations of hay, feed and other supplies to help support the animals they are boarding as a result of the evacuations. Please call: 303-772-1232 or 303-687-6200.

The Volunteer Connection has a list of immediate volunteer opportunites for individuals who would like to offer their time. Please call: 303-444-4904.

"Amie Whatcha Gonna Do?"

2010-09-02T07:12:00.000-07:00

What a lovely summer and it's not over yet. Many thanks to all the cities and towns across America that threw such great free summer concerts. Whether it's chamber music, a string quartet, barber shoppers or good ol' rock n roll, this summer we've been treated to some great free music. My warmest thanks to the City of Longmont for bringing Pure Prairie League and Firefall to town this year.

I was just a girl, a very young girl, when I sang along to "Fallin in and Out of Love" on the radio. Seeing these bands play live years later is proof that you're never too young, or too old, to rock n' roll. Thanks guys.

Working behind the scenes at all these great festivals and performances are a huge number of volunteers: planning events, booking bands, organizing parking, etc. etc. etc. It just wouldn't happen without people willing to donate their time and energy.

Circle of Care volunteers are an incredible group. Throughout the year volunteers accompany older adults and people with disabilities to concerts, plays, lectures, festivals and help ensure that folks who would otherwise miss out on the pure fun of summer get to enjoy themselves. If you'd like more info about Circle of Care please call 303-449-8884.

And speaking of good things. This morning I picked fifty tomatoes in 15 minutes. Now that is ridiculous. Do my eyes seems a little brighter? Do I talk a little faster? I'm tomato crazy and I dream tomato dreams.

One of the many spectacular things about growing tomatoes, especially from seed, is meeting the volunteers. Volunteer tomato plants that is. Each year some tomatoes don't make it out of the garden alive. A bird attack, a heavy wind, a neglectful farmer. These lost tomatoes end up quietly decomposing under the compost. In the spring new, unexpected plants pop up and the tomatoes they produce are one of a kind individuals. What happens when a Roma and a Beefmaster cross- pollinate? Delicious!

And by the way it's all organic, baby. When the last tomato of the year jumps into my sauce pan we'll plow the plants back into the dirt and let nature do the rest.

Live in Boulder County and longing for a fresh, I mean really fresh tomato? Call me.

Want to learn about how you, too, can become a volunteer? Call me: 303-772-2262.

We Love Plumbers

2010-09-01T08:10:00.001-07:00

This just in from Jacyln Hampson:

Every month Precision Plumbing gives $1,000 to a local charity based upon community members voting online. The charity that gets the most votes wins!

All you have to do is go to the website below and fill out the simple form (make sure CareConnect is one word!) Please pass this info on to your friends! You don't have to live in Boulder County to vote, so please pass on to as many people as possible!

http://plumber.precisionplumbing.com/guarantee/crazy-promotion-precision-plumbing.html

Thanks!

August 28, 1963

2010-08-28T09:46:00.000-07:00

Martin Luther King Speech
I Have a Dream - Address at March on Washington
August 28, 1963. Washington, D.C.

I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.
Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of captivity.

But one hundred years later, we must face the tragic fact that the Negro is still not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languishing in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. So we have come here today to dramatize an appalling condition.

In a sense we have come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men would be guaranteed the inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check which has come back marked "insufficient funds." But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. So we have come to cash this check -- a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice. We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to open the doors of opportunity to all of God's children. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood.

It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment and to underestimate the determination of the Negro. This sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. Those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. There will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.

But there is something that I must say to my people who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice. In the process of gaining our rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.

We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force. The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny and their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom. We cannot walk alone.

And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall march ahead. We cannot turn back. There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, "When will you be satisfied?" We can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. We cannot be satisfied as long as the Negro's basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.

I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow cells. Some of you have come from areas where your quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive.

Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed. Let us not wallow in the valley of despair.

I say to you today, my friends, that in spite of the difficulties and frustrations of the moment, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal."

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at a table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a desert state, sweltering with the heat of injustice and oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day the state of Alabama, whose governor's lips are presently dripping with the words of interposition and nullification, will be transformed into a situation where little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls and walk together as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.

This is our hope. This is the faith with which I return to the South. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

This will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with a new meaning, "My country, 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim's pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring."

And if America is to be a great nation this must become true. So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania!

Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado!

Let freedom ring from the curvaceous peaks of California!

But not only that; let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia!

Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee!

Let freedom ring from every hill and every molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring.

When we let freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"

(from MLKonline.net)

Empty Nest?

2010-08-24T08:15:00.000-07:00

Several friends are packing their children off to college this week. I see relief and worry in their faces. Where did the time go? What should they do now that little junior has flown the coop?

I have some advice: Turn up your stereo and Blast Bruce Springsteen, The Rolling Stones,Bob Marley,Joni Mitchell and NPR so loud that the neighbors call the police on you! Dance in your kitchen while cooking YOUR favorite foods. Put your feet on the table. Forget to take the trash out. Leave your towel on the floor. Go on a date. Have a glass of wine and watch the A&E "Pride and Prejudice" mini series as many times as you want in a row. Stay out late, so late that you might even worry about yourself if you weren't having such fun getting to know the new "now my kids are in college Yippee!!" you.

Those are all the things I plan to do three Augusts from now when Dustin heads off to a higher education. I also plan to become a pet hoarder, and possibly open a little shop called "Matilda's Garden." I may also write a romance novel under my soon to be pen name Veronica Midnight. All I know is that I plan to make the most of it and I urge you to do the same thing too.

Whether you have kids who have flown the coop this week or not, August is a great time to expand your horizons and bring more good things into your life. You know what I'm going to say next, but I'll say it anyway: It's time to Volunteer!

Here are just a few ideas:

Donna Foster at the Boulder County Sheriff's Office is taking registration for the upcoming Victim's Services Volunteer Advocate Program. Call Donna at 303-441-3656.

The WOW Children's Museum in Lafayette is looking for volunteers to help with all aspects of their interactive children's museum. They are planning a huge new space and science exhibit and would love to tell you all about it. Please call Heather at:303-604-2424.

Greenwood Wildlife Sanctuary needs volunteers for a variety of animal care and support responsibilities. Please call 303-545-5849. In fact Greenwood is having a big bash "Wild Night for Wild Life" on September 10th. I'm going to put on my dancing shoes.

CareConnect needs volunteers to drive older adults to medical appointments. Call Allison or Rachel for more information at 303-443-1933.

These are just a few of the wonderful opportunities available in Boulder County. No matter where you live you can find a warm welcome and open arms when you choose to volunteer.

Many Thanks

2010-08-19T07:33:00.000-07:00

This just in from Will Duane, Americorp Vista CareConnect Fix It coordinator:

On Friday August 13th CareConnect and 10 employees from Roche Colorado participated in a Day of Caring service project sponsored by Foothills United Way.
The volunteers worked for 4 hours in the early morning sun to help brighten up the property of an older couple who needed volunteer help. The focus of this particular volunteer project was lawn care and property maintenance. Because the couple needed to attend to each other's serious health issues, a once beautiful garden had been sadly neglected.

At 8 AM on Friday morning the volunteers got to work. They painted a wheelchair ramp with its first coat of non-slip paint, trimmed back ivy and blue spruce branches that made a walkway inaccessible, removed a broken garden fountain and pulled the weeds from the curbside boxes.

Still full of energy and motivated to make the most of their volunteer time, the volunteers undertook a major trimming operation. They cleared a walkway between the quince bushes and the forsythia to reveal a garden gate that hadn’t been opened in years.

At the back of the house two large shrubs were transplanted to sunier spots and a brick walkway was extended and widened to permit someone using a walker to acess the path. The day was a great success.

One Roche Colorado employee said, “Roche Colorado has participated in this event for 13 years and it always turns into a great day. The employees all love it and we look forward to it every year. It feels so great to help such a deserving and kind couple.”

The homeowners were thrilled with the volunteers and grateful for the help. They'd missed their gardens and missed being able to get outside and enjoy the morning sunshine. “Fantastic job, fantastic work. You all had so much energy and everything was great! Thank you so much, everything looks terrific. It looks like the old days.” Thank you, they said as the volunteers headed off to a well earned picnic sponsored by Foothills United Way.

Many thanks to the Roche employees who participated in the Foothills United Way Day of Caring and to the 1,000 volunteers throughout Boulder County who participated in this powerful day.

We Need Your Help

2010-08-18T07:25:00.000-07:00

Just in from Jacyln Hampson:

Dear Friends of CareConnect,

The senior population in Boulder County is growing at a faster rate than the rest of Colorado. In the past few months, CareConnect's services have been growing as well. In fact, our Medical Mobility program has increased from giving 203 rides in January, to 376 rides in June!

With your help we will continue to reach the increased number of seniors and adults with disabilities throughout Boulder County who need our services!

How you can help:

Tell a friend, family member or neighbor who may be in need of extra assistance with transportation, getting the food they need, or minor home repairs about our free services!
Spread the word - forward this information on to friends and co-workers.
Volunteer to help distribute CareConnect fliers throughout Boulder County.
Make a referral - let us know if there is someone you would like us to call and check-in with on your behalf.
Call our offices at 303-443-1933 or 303-772-2262 for more information!

Thanks!

Community Forum in Boulder

2010-08-13T09:26:00.000-07:00

CareConnect and Restoring the Soul are co sponsoring a forum on "Aging Issues from the Elder's Perspective: Struggles and Resources." The forum features our own Judy Nogg and Alamar Hernandez.

This forum is part of a series of lively and informative community discussions held throughout the year.

The forum meets Thursday, 8/26, 11:30 a.m.- 1:00 pm. at the Congregation Har HaShem, 3950 Baseline Road, Boulder. For more information please call Judy Nogg at 303-443-1933.

Where in the World is CareConnect?

2010-08-10T08:10:00.000-07:00

What a lovely vacation! And it is good to be back!

We have been changing the look of our website and would enjoy your comments about how easy (or not) our CareConnect website is to navigate. We'd also like to remind you about what we do here at CareConnect and invite you to support our programs in Boulder County, Colorado.

Our mission is to promote the security, comfort and independence of older adults and people with disabilities. We support a vibrant volunteer community and know that volunteering can enrich our lives.

Just this morning a guy named Gary stopped into our office. He's a recently retired engineer and he wants to start doing all the things he's been meaning to do. For him that means traveling to reconnect with old friends and family, taking better care of his health, and volunteering. He seems really excited about redefining himself- and wants to make a deeper connection to the community part of that experience. My hat goes off to Gary and I hope he enjoys his travels, feels great about his body, and finds volunteer projects that really engage him.

Here are the programs and volunteer opportunities we offer at CareConnect:

Medical Mobility: Volunteers drive older adults and people with disabilities to medical related appointments. Volunteers get to know the people they drive, they find common ground, common interests and know that they have done one concrete thing that day or week or month to really support the health and well being of someone else.

Fix It: Volunteers repair leaky sinks, stuck drawers, haywire television remotes. They replace light bulbs, install grab bars and help make homes more energy efficient. They also maybe share a cup of coffee, talk about the weather, and just let another person know that someone cares about them, someone will be there to lend a hand.

Carry Out Caravan: Volunteers shop for and deliver groceries to older adults and people with disabilities who may be unable to get to the store or find shopping too tiring. Our volunteers get to know the customers who call us weekly. They know that Wendell likes New York style crumb cake but doesn't want it if it feels a little stale. Rosemary wants the pre-cut veggies because her arthritis is acting up and it's too difficult to make salads if she has to do all that cutting from scratch. Our shoppers and drivers shop for customers like they are shopping for their own families. Because it's okay to extend your family to the people in your volunteer world.

RSVP: We offer people 55 and older help finding the right volunteer opportunity that matches their interests. We have over 130 agencies who send us information about ongoing volunteer opportunities. We'd be happy to share our information with you.

Don't have the time to volunteer on a steady basis? There are plenty of other ways you can support our programs.

Tell your friends and family about CareConnect. Let your old neighbor down the street know that we can get her to that doctor's appointment. Invite our staff and volunteers to speak at a community meeting. Stop by our office and pick up fliers to hang all over town. We also appreciate your financial donations that help keep our doors open.

So please give us a call in Boulder at 303-443-1933 or Longmont at 303- 772-2262 and let us know how you'd like to get involved.

It's never too warm to talk about Quilts

2010-07-19T12:45:00.000-07:00

The Longmont Area Retired Quilters lost a good friend last week. Martha Van Wormer, a long time community volunteer, passed away on July 13th. She was 72. Martha was a loving parent, great friend and beautiful volunteer. She'll be missed by everyone who knew her.

Part of Martha's legacy was her dedication to the Longmont Area Retired Quilters (LARQ). Martha started volunteering with LARQ in 2003. She helped make hundreds of beautiful quilts which were distributed to area schools, hospitals, shelters and emergency assistance programs.

LARQ volunteers make over 400 quilts a year and give them to CareConnect for distribution throughout the community. Recently, Employment Link, an agency that serves people with disabilities, volunteered to hand out the quilts and that's become a beautiful partnership.

If you would like more information about the Longmont Area Retired Quilters program please call our office. LARQ also takes donations of fabrics and batting. Please call our office at 303-772-2262 if you'd like more information.

Martha was a great volunteer and beautiful person. She'll be missed.

"The Tree Guys" Police Alert

2010-07-16T08:34:00.001-07:00

Longmont Colorado police have asked us to spread the word about "The Tree Guys" who are harassing older adults and intimidating home owners into paying for yard and home repairs. There is a link on the Longmont Police Department website about these con men.

Unfortunately, summer is a great time to accost older adults with a wide variety of roofing, painting, gutter cleaning, tree trimming etc. etc. Please remind your family and neighbors to watch out for these schemes and report any aggressive or suspicious solicitations to the police.

No matter where you live there are always schemers and crooks on the look out for new targets.

So if you see "The Tree Guys" on your street call the police.

More for July

2010-07-12T08:22:00.000-07:00

More people are turning to the Sister Carmen Community Center in Lafayette for emergency food assistance and consequently, Sister Carmen is very low on food supplies. Many folks who are asking for help have never used a food pantry or other emergency services before.

Non perishable food as well as fresh vegetables can be brought to the Community Center. Sister Carmen would also be glad to talk with groups or individuals interested in holding food drives. Please give them a call at 303-665-4342.

In fact, many food pantries are in the same boat. Some pantries around the country report that requests for food help is up over 100%. Many of these individuals have been unemployed for many months, some families have faced devastating medical bills, and many older adults can't keep up with basics like groceries while faced with mounting medical and other bills.

Another causality of the housing crisis that hasn't gotten a lot of media attention but is still urgent: people who rent houses, condos, and apartments are being evicted if the owner of the property goes into foreclosure. Although these renters have kept up with their payments, if the building owner forecloses then these renters may find themselves homeless. Despite the drop in housing prices, rents remain high, and some individuals and families who had stable housing in the past are now at risk for homelessness.

Community Centers like Sister Carmen, The Our Center, Emergency Family Assistance and programs around the country are trying to offer food, emergency assistance and access to information and resources. These programs are also always looking for volunteers to help provide these vital services.

Wildlands Restoration Volunteers have a number of new and on going projects and invite new volunteers to get involved. On August 7-8 they have big plans to celebrate the New Moon and Meteor Shower while working on the Pawnee Buttes Trail and Grassland Restoration. Call 303-543-665-4342 for more information.

Simply interested in volunteering but don't know what to do? We'd be happy to talk with you. Please call: 303- 772-2262.

July is a Great Month

2010-07-08T08:12:00.001-07:00

photo: Harper Lee

July is a Great month.

The Declaration of Independence was signed on July 4, 1776.
Harper Lee published "To Kill a Mockingbird" on July 26, 1960.
The Civil Rights Act was signed on July 2, 1964.
The Americans with Disabilities Act was signed 10 years ago on July 11, 1990.

It's a great month to liberate yourself, stand up for the rights of others and reflect on the past 234 years of US history.

If you haven't read "To Kill a Mockingbird" I think you should. It's another great book to read with someone you love: a friend, neighbor, coworker, kid. Although it's celebrating it's 50th anniversary, it's a timeless classic.

Meet Monty Richardson

2010-07-06T08:15:00.000-07:00

“I’ve been a firefighter since 1978. When you go into people’s homes and see some of the problems they face you just want to help, but as a firefighter you can’t do everything. Volunteering with the Fix It program has been my way going beyond that and really keeping people safer,” states Monty Richardson, a Longmont firefighter and CareConnect volunteer.

Monty first got involved with CareConnect several years ago when he and other firefighters wanted to bring the File of Life, a small fold able card and magnetic holder that contains an individual’s medical history and emergency contact information, to the Boulder County area. The card can be placed on the refrigerator and local firefighters and paramedics are in the habit of looking for the File of Life when they respond to an emergency call.

While helping to launch the File of Life program, Monty got to know more about CareConnect volunteer opportunities and decided to get involved with the Fix It program. “I met Milton Cox, a long time volunteer, and he is such a great guy to work with. I learned a bunch and got off to a great start.”

According to Monty, "people shouldn’t be afraid to volunteer; everybody can do something to help other people out. Volunteering gives me tremendous satisfaction. Knowing I made a difference for somebody is all the thanks I need.”

And here's something many people around town don't know about Monty: in his spare time he spends hundreds of hours designing and crafting beautiful handmade quilts. One beautiful quilt which depicts the sun shining over the Rockies, fill an entire wall of his office. He and his wife used to own a quilt shop and he thought that if he was going to sell supplies and materials he better learn the craft himself. His quilts have been appraised for thousands of dollars, but he makes them simply because of the challenge and pleasure they offer.

Monty is a true Renaissance Man.

Thanks Monty, for everything you do.

Interested in volunteering with CareConnect? Please call our office at 303-772-2262.

Happy Birthday Bill Sompayrac!

2010-07-01T08:32:00.000-07:00

Bill Sompayrac turns 95 tomorrow, July 2. Happy Birthday Bill! He's an incredible guy who still volunteers over 25 hours a month with Boulder Meals on Wheels and our CareConnect Carry Out Caravan program.

Bill hails from Chicago and can tell some great stories about life in the Windy City. In fact Bill is a born story teller and can fill you in on most of the major events of the 20th and 21st centuries thus far!

Bill has received numerous awards over the years for his community service. In a newspaper article published a few years back, Bill stated "I'm busier now as a volunteer then when I worked for a living!" Thank you Bill. Rock on!

Vacationing at Home This Summer?

2010-06-28T13:04:00.001-07:00

Staying close to home this summer? I know I am. My backyard is beautiful and my budget is tight.

If you are staying close to home too, please consider making volunteering part of your summer experience.

CareConnect would appreciate your volunteer support.

Carry Out Caravan, our program that offers free grocery shopping and delivery, needs volunteer shoppers and delivery drivers on Thursday mornings in Boulder. Not only do you get to volunteer with a great group of friendly people, but you help ensure that older adults and people with disabilities get the food and supplies they need. Shoppers must be 18 and drivers must be 21.

Medical Mobility, our program that provides rides to and from doctor's offices, dentists, health clinics, hospitals and other related medical appointments, also needs more volunteer drivers. We'll provide orientation and ongoing support. Drivers must be 21.

Volunteers not only provide concrete support by giving their time, but they offer precious intangibles: a friendly conversation, kindness, humor, contact with the outside world for many folks who may be isolated and lonely.

We offer volunteers mileage reimbursement and free supplemental liability insurance.

Even if you only have a few hours to volunteer this summer,please give us a call. We could use your help. Our office: 303-772-2262

In between things?

2010-06-21T08:45:00.000-07:00

The Summer Solstice. The longest day of the year. Twelve hours of sunshine today and then we start to inch towards winter. All I know is that my garden is soaking up the sunshine. The garlic and potatoes are in flower, the tomatoes are ripening on the vine, the onions are bulging and the basil smells sweet.

And while the earth spins around the sun, let's make the most of it.

Volunteering is a great way to get more out of life no matter the season. I know that sounds cliche, but it's true. Volunteering engages you more deeply in your community no matter what kind of volunteer project you pick.

And there's a beautiful freedom that comes with giving your time freely- no strings attached. In essence you are your own boss, you can offer as much or as little time as you choose and you can tailor your volunteer experience to your own interests. You are free to explore and express your inner gardener, artist, manager, organizer, chauffeur, chef, etc. while contributing not just your time but your spirit.

And volunteering is a great way to positively fill those in between places that mark a variety of transitions in our lives.

Are you?
Recently retired?
Waiting for your kids to go off to college?
Feeling like you're in a rut?
Looking for a job?
Missing someone?
Wanting to try something new?
Are you?

If so, you may feel slightly "unstuck in time" with more time on your hands than you'd like. Volunteering may start as an in between thing and turn into a life long passion and bring you closer to your neighbors and closer to your true self.

Recently two great organizations have asked us for help finding volunteers to help their programs.

The Community Foundation needs a volunteer office assistant for a few hours a week. The schedule is perfectly flexible to meet a volunteer's schedule.

Engineers without Borders is also looking for a volunteer administrative assistant. Ideally that person would be available 15 hours a week.

CareConnect always welcomes new Medical Mobility volunteers

Please call our office if you would like more information about these, or many other volunteer opportunities. Our Number: 303-772-2262.

I've been rereading Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse Five. Thanks Kurt, for reminding me that "being unstuck in time" can happen not just to a guy like Billy Pilgrim, but to anybody.

Meet Ray Stanton

2010-06-14T07:58:00.000-07:00

Ray Stanton is a volunteer driver for the CareConnect Medical Mobility Program. This program provides transportation to medical related appointments, pharmacies, dentists etc. for older adults and persons with disabilities. Ray began volunteering in December 2009 and has already contributed over 150 hours.

Ray wanted to become more active in the community and when a friend mentioned that CareConnect needed more volunteers he decided to get involved. “I enjoy driving and I’m good at it,” Ray points out.

Born in New Jersey, Ray is the youngest of seven children. He moved his family to Colorado in 1967 and has been happy living here for over forty years.

Ray also enjoys fishing, discussing politics and paying attention to current events throughout the world. According to Ray, Colorado is a great place to do all three.

Ray gets a really feeling of joy from volunteering. "The best part is that I know people really appreciate what I'm doing."

The CareConnect Medical Mobility program has seen a real increase in ride requests over the past 12 months. With the economy impacting older adults and people with disabilities, the need for these services continues to rise. Last month, volunteers provided more than 300 rides to doctor’s offices, dialysis, chemotherapy, dental visits, physical therapy and other medical related appointments. Because of such a high need in the community for this program, more volunteers are needed.

CareConnect appreciates the time and the flexibility Ray offers to Medical Mobility and the people we serve. If you would like to volunteer as a Medical Mobility driver, or for more information on the other programs CareConnect offers, please call Allison at 303-443-1933 or Maggie at 303-772-2262.

Under the Stars

2010-06-11T10:03:00.000-07:00

Join volunteers under the stars this summer.

Circle of Care volunteers enjoy some of the best music, theater and cultural events year round. Volunteers receive free tickets and the pleasure of sharing the arts with older adults. Don't miss the Chautauqua Silent Film series, The Colorado Music Festival, and much more.

A Volunteer Information Meeting will be held on Wednesday, June 16. Please call 303-449-8884 for more information.

Talk about Volunteering....

2010-06-08T14:00:00.000-07:00

According to the Corporation for National and Community Services, about 61.8 million American adults gave approximately 8 billion hours of volunteer service valued at 162 billion dollars last year.

That's just incredible.

The website www. independentsector.org has more great information about the impact volunteers and nonprofit organizations have on our communities.

If you would like information about becoming a CareConnect volunteer please contact our office at 303-772-2262

Come all you writers and critics, come senators and congressmen, Come mothers and fathers and teachers and friends

2010-06-01T07:15:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Andy Griffith! I've never met Andy, but he's always struck me as a really nice guy.

Spend the weekend gardening? In Colorado Springs, volunteers have planted vegetable gardens outside of City Hall. Because of the budget crisis, the City has had to cut out their flower budget, so some inventive gardeners are taking over the flower beds and planting beans, carrots, asparagus etc. that will be donated to the local food bank. City workers are volunteering to tend the garden before and after work and during their lunch hours. Although I love flowers, maybe more cities should turn their flower beds into victory gardens.

Summer is beautiful- cool mornings and the days stay light for ever. It's a great time to launch yourself into one of the many volunteer projects going on in our communities. The possibilities are endless. Please give me a call at 303-772-2262 and we can talk about your volunteer interests and possibilities.

Thursday Night at the Walnut Brewery

2010-05-26T08:55:00.000-07:00

There will be toasts galore at the Walnut Brewery in Boulder Colorado on Thursday Night. Please join us for good food, good conversation and White Pelican Pilsner.

Event Details: Tapping Night
When: Thursday, May 27 - 6PM
Where: Walnut Brewery - 1123 Walnut Street, Boulder

The Walnut Brewery will be tapping their White Pelican Pilsner and $0.25 of every pint sold of this delicious special brew will be donated to CareConnect until the tap runs dry! Proceeds from the Walnut Brewery will benefit CareConnect's direct services for seniors and adults with disabilities. Bring your friends and family and come out for good food, good drinks and a good cause!

And remember, don't drink and drive. Boulder has a safe and dependable public transportation system.

What is White Pelican Pilsner?

2010-05-19T08:29:00.000-07:00

Save the Date! On Thursday, May 27 the Walnut Brewery will be hosting a special tapping event to benefit CareConnect!

The Walnut Brewery will donate $0.25 of every White Pelican Pilsner pint sold until the tap runs dry (2-3 weeks) to CareConnect. White Pelican Pilsner is a delicious special brew that is only available once a year.

Details: Tapping Night
When: Thursday, May 27 - 6PM
Where: Walnut Brewery - 1123 Walnut Street, Boulder

Help support CareConnect just by trying a White Pelican Pilsner! Be there at 6PM on Thursday, May 27 to receive a free pint! Bring your friends and family, and come out for good food, good drinks and a good cause!

On a Beautiful Saturday

2010-05-17T10:32:00.001-07:00

On any given Saturday you can meet Cheryl at the Rocky Mountain Riding Center. Cheryl Thompson has volunteered with Rocky Mountain Riding Center in Louisville for over 13 years.

“What could be better than spending time outdoors, working with people and horses, watching the hawks and eagles soar?” Cheryl asks.

The Rocky Mountain Riding Therapy Center offers therapeutic riding classes to children and adults with physical, emotional and cognitive disabilities. Cheryl cares for the horses and works with riders and other volunteers.

The Center offers therapeutic riding classes for children as young as three and to adults of all ages. Cheryl is particularly interested in working with riders of all ages who may have some form of autism. She is fascinated by the rider/horse interaction and the progress riders make in their physical, occupational, and speech therapies while interacting with the horse and volunteer instructor.

Rocky Mountain Riding Center relies almost exclusively on volunteers to staff and support their programs.

Lucy, Abby, CJ, Sunny, Tango and the other horses in the program all have an interesting and varied history. Most arrive from horse rescue programs, others are donated by individuals. One horse is a retired polo pony.

Cheryl encourages anyone who loves horses and enjoys helping others to visit her at Rocky Mountain Riding Therapy on Saturdays mornings to learn more about volunteering. Cheryl says “Volunteering on Saturday mornings is my reward for working at my full-time job in a neurosurgeons’office all week!”

If you would like to explore a wide variety of volunteer opportunities, please call our office at 303-772-2262 for more information.

And speaking of the great outdoors: It's been a tense few days down on Maggie's farm. Blame it on my impatience. Blame it on my stubbornness. Blame it on the weather. All those gorgeous tomatoes I've been bragging about? My tall and trim Better Boys and my voluptuous and verdant Early Girls? On Mother's Day we dragged them out the back door one last time and planted them in their awaiting beds. For 24 hours they reveled in the freedom-unfettered from their cramped pots. They spread their roots in the rich soil and their prickly leaves soaked up the sun. Their fat little tomatoes already growing on the vines luxuriated in the atmosphere.

Paradise can indeed be found right in your own backyard.

And then the snow came. Hail. Sleet. Falling Temperatures. The Big Freeze. The Better Boys and Early Girls hunkered down under their trash bags, while the cherry tomatoes were able to take refuge in the shed. For 2 days the yard looked like a home horror movie set- tall black bags looming in the persistent sleet. Finally the temperatures returned to the 40's and a weak sun broke through the clouds. What was left of the crop?

The Early Girls can't be defeated. A leaf or two looks a bit blackened by the frost but they are all about survival. They won't let me down. The Better Boys. Well that's a sadder story. Too ghastly to describe.

Thank goodness I share. I'd given several tomatoes plants to family and friends who all had better sense than to plant them outdoors on Mother's Day. Maybe my friends will toss a Better Boy tomato my way, just so I can see what could have been.

Hope springs eternal. I've got more seeds under my lights today!

Thank You!

2010-05-12T08:20:00.000-07:00

Many thanks to everyone who attended our annual Celebrating the Ages luncheon last week. Thanks to generous donations of many individuals, we are able to offer our life saving services to over 2,000 older adults and people with disabilties each year. Many thanks also to our speakers who talked about what it's like to need help, or volunteer their time, and work with such an incredible group of volunteers and community members.

I especially appreciated meeting our guest speaker, Electa Wiley, who shared some of her poetry with us. Dr. Wiley, 92, was one of the first African American women to receive a Doctorate from the University of Arkansas. A poet, scholar, teacher, artist and parent, Electa has made her mark on American history. Electa currently lives in Longmont with her family and was gracious enough to attend Celebrating the Ages this year.

That's the best part of my job: getting to know incredible people.

Thank you Electa. Thank you to everyone who supports our great organization.

Wildlands

2010-05-03T12:35:00.001-07:00

This just in: Wildands Restoration Volunteers is offering Crew Leader Training and also a variety of other exciting volunteer projects throughout the Front Range. Please give them a call at 303-543-1411 for more information.

Special Thanks: To the RTD bus driver that just called to volunteer with our Medical Mobility program. Way to go Betty!

Grocery Delivery Volunteers Needed!

2010-04-29T07:10:00.001-07:00

The Carry Out Caravan grocery shopping and delivery program needs volunteer grocery delivery drivers to help us reach more older adults and people with disabilities who may not be able to travel to the grocery store to do their own shopping. Carry Out Caravan is a free shopping and delivery program available throughout Boulder County.

We meet on Wednesdays in Longmont and Thursdays in Boulder. We also deliver to Louisville and Lafayette.

The project requires approximately 2 volunteer hours each week. Volunteers can sign up for weekly delivery or sign up as subsitutes.

Please call Maggie for more information. My office: 303-772-2262

Many thanks to the volunteers who keep this great program going every week!

Happy National Volunteer Week

2010-04-19T07:38:00.000-07:00

April 18-24 is officially National Volunteer Week. Many many thanks to the thousands of volunteers that give their time, talent and compassion to make the world a better place, one hour at a time.

Volunteers have a tremendous impact on all of our lives. Volunteers produce immediate, tangible results: serving meals and collecting food for the hungry, tutoring kids struggling with reading, offering rides to chemotherapy patients, saving a woman's life by answering the hotline at 2 a.m. The list goes on and on.

Volunteers improve the quality of all our lives. They help kids put on plays or learn baseball, set up street festivals and art exhibits, keep our parks green. Right now volunteers are breaking through hard-packed ground,creating community gardens,turning an ugly lot into an edible paradise. Later this summer the neighborhood will feast on the freshness that comes from the love of volunteer labors.

I meet incredible volunteers all the time. Each one has his or her own reason to say "yes- count me in- what can I do?"

Two volunteers I've had the privilege of meeting are Thomas Huffman and his golden retriever Bonnie. Tom and Bonnie have visited nursing homes and hospice programs for years. According to Tom, people respond to the unconditional love of the dog- sometimes an Alzheimer's patient who hasn't spoken in months will be so moved by Bonnie that he'll start talking about a dog that he'd had 60 years before. Bonnie unlocked a good memory and reclaimed a lost moment.

Recently Tom lost Bonnie to old age and health problems. Tom mourns Bonnie the way we mourn anyone we love. Fortunately Tom's dog, Willie, is in training to become a therapy dog too. Willie has already worked with students with autism and at risk youth who also open up to the joyful presence of a volunteer dog.

It's never to late to add volunteering to your legacy. Call our office at 303-772-2262 to find out more about joining your neighbors making a difference through volunteering their hearts and hands.

Fifty Strong but Not Enough

2010-04-14T08:20:00.000-07:00

CareConnect has over 50 volunteers active with our Medical Mobility volunteer program. Thank you to all the men and women who have recently volunteered, and many thanks to all the volunteers who drive older adults and people with disabilities to and from doctors,dentists, dialysis clinics, acupuncturists, physical therapists, optometrists, hospitals and many other medical related appointments.

Thanks to you we were able to give over 300 rides in March, and it looks like we'll exceed 400 rides in April! Our volunteers do more than just offer a ride: they offer human kindness and compassion to someone who needs help just getting to a doctor's office.

I live a mile an a half from the nearest bus stop. It's a long walk on a cold day. I'd hate to have to walk a mile and a half to catch a bus to see my doctor. I don't imagine it will be any easier when I'm in my eighties.

Medical Mobility needs more help. Every day more older adults find out about our Medical Mobility program and call for essential rides to health care services. We'd like your help spreading the word about our volunteer needs.

If you can post this volunteer request on work, church, health club, community bulletin boards and on your own twitter, facebook etc. page we'd really appreciate it.

If you have a friend who might just like to get out of the house and connect more to his or her neighbors, tell them about us.

If you have been meaning to volunteer but just haven't had the mojo to do it- now's a good time.

Our staff and volunteers are also happy to speak with your coworkers, church members, club, group etc. about our programs and volunteer opportunities.

Call Allison or Carly to volunteer. Call today. 303-443-1933.

This blog has a funky "analytics" feature so I can track the number of readers and the countries and states they live in. Some days it's a real ego boost. Some days it's not.

So far readers in 5 countries and 20 U.S.states are popping in to see what's new. If you happen to live outside of Boulder County, Colorado and want to find a great place to volunteer, check out 1800volunteer.org If readers outside the US want to post Volunteer Resource information please send it my way and I'll be sure to post it.

Meet Dixie Johnston

2010-04-05T10:11:00.000-07:00

CareConnect would like to honor Dixie Johnston as our April Volunteer of the Month. Dixie has shared her time and talent with older adults and adults with disabilities since 2003 and has donated over 2,500 volunteer hours so far.

As a CareConnect volunteer, Dixie wears many hats. Her responsibilities include taking grocery orders for Carry Out Caravan, our free grocery shopping and delivery program, and making sure that customers are satisfied with their orders. The COC program helps promote independence for older adults and people with disabilities by meeting their grocery shopping needs. “People order everything from toilet paper to organic vegetables,” she points out.

In addition to working with the Carry Out Caravan program, Dixie volunteers at least 25 hours a month in the CareConnect office. She answers phones, greets visitors and volunteers and helps people connect with our volunteer programs and safety net services. She fields questions about our Fix It program and lets people know that we install grab bars and provide other minor home repair services. She also helps people who need a ride to medical appointments schedule their rides through our Medical Mobility transportation program. Dixie states: “I always want to help people and volunteering is the way to go.”

Not only does Dixie help older adults and adults with disabilities get the help they need, but she encourages everyone to get involved in volunteering. “I ask them if they want to help out and tell them what a great experience it is.” Dixie also checks in with other volunteers at least once a month to make sure their volunteer projects are going well.

Over the past several years, Dixie has seen a real increase in demand for CareConnect services. “People know they can count on us so they keep calling,” she points out. And for anyone thinking about volunteering but who isn’t sure if it’s right for them, Dixie has some advice: “Just do it. Give it a shot. It’s an incredible experience.”

And here's something else you should know about Dixie: she's a self described choca-holic who loves rabbits. Real ones- not just the chocolate kind.

If you would like more information about volunteering, please call Maggie at 303-772-2262.

April 1st

2010-04-01T11:26:00.000-07:00

T.S. Eliot writes:

April is the cruelest month,
Breeding lilacs out of the dead land, mixing
Memory with desire, stirring dull roots with spring rain.

Come on T.S., why were you so glum? After all April is National Poetry Month.

This just in from Julie Bir:
“This program changes lives. Please know that all of the work and hours that you have invested in this program have brought hope, courage and strength to those of us that others have given up on.” – A FOCUS mentee

Julie works with the FOCUS Offender Reentry Mentoring Program. Focus helps adult offenders in jail or on probation improve their lives. Volunteer mentors from the Boulder Community encourage offenders in healthy decision-making and support their transition from incarceration to freedom.

From meeting over coffee or lunch, to hiking or going to an art museum, mentors help mentees reintegrate into the community. Mentors lead by example and encourage the potential and human dignity of their mentees. Mentors are crucial support for shaky individuals who have been through the system time and time again. Mentees who have completed our program say that just having someone show up when promised is extraordinarily encouraging.

Mentor training includes 14 hours in 4 initial sessions and additional monthly workshops. FOCUS also provides ongoing, extensive mentor support. We’re looking for volunteers over 25 years of age, with any occupational background, and who have a big heart.
Interested? Please read the job description at http://focusreentry.org. Call FOCUS at (720) 304-6446 to learn more about the program.

The next Focus training will start April 17.

Just a reminder: Love to drive? Want to volunteer? CareConnect needs volunteer drivers to support 2 important programs: Medical Mobility and Carry Out Caravan. For more information: Please call Maggie at 303-772-2262.

And speaking of Poetry: if you have a chance, check out The Poetry Bomb ,brought to you by SA Griffin ,coming to a town near you soon!

Energy Sweep

2010-03-25T08:06:00.000-07:00

Longmont Power and Communications (The local electric company) and Longs Peak Energy Conservation need volunteers to help with their Energy Sweep on Saturday April 24th.

The goal is to canvass neighborhoods and offer to install free energy saving devices like CF light bulbs, and talk to families about energy conservation. No experience necessary but volunteers need to attend a mandatory 2 hour training.

Volunteers will receive a Energy Sweeps T Shirt (sure to be an early 21st century collectible), free breakfast and lunch, volunteer recognition and the happiness that comes through helping others while making Longmont more environmentally sustainable!

You also get to have some fun, meet great people and get a litte exercise while walking around our beautiful neighborhoods.

Please call Dave Hatchimonji at 303-441-3912 for more information!

Front Page News

2010-03-18T09:54:00.000-07:00

Rachel Leber wrote this article about CareConnect for the Prime Time for Seniors Newspaper, March 2010. Thanks for sharing it with us.

RSVP of Boulder County has changed it's name to CareConnect in order to more accurately reflect its direct services for older adults and adults with disabilities.

Since 1972, the name RSVP has been associated all over the country with a program that connects older adults with volunteer opportunities in their communities. While the Boulder branch of RSVP continues to provide this volunteer program for seniors, it also provides a number of Safety-Net Services to older adults and adults with disabilities that make it unique.

With the current economy bringing such hard times to so many people, it is more important than ever that we have a name that more accurately reflects what we do, and to get our name out to those who need our services. We want to let people know that our new name is CareConnect, and that we are here to help.

CareConnect provides a free grocery shopping and delivery service, rides to medical appointments and a Fix-It program for minor repairs. The organization also services as a resources to Seniors by offering Senior Safety Seminars, airs a television show called 50 UP!, and has an emergency health information packet called "File for Life."

Even in Boulder County, an increasing number of older residents live in poverty, as the "Baby Boomer" generation reaches retirement.

There are currently 8,948 adults over the age of sixty in Boulder County living on less than $21,660, and 2,600 older adults living on less than $10,830 annually. There are currently 44,515 people sixty years and over living in Boulder County, and the number of people seventy-five and older is predicted to triple by 2030.
This will mean an even greater demand for community-based services like CareConnect for older adults who hope to staying living in their homes. In addition to supporting the dignity of older adults staying in their homes, the services that CareConnect provide have a substantial economic impact to the individual and the Health Care system.

To learn more about CareConnect or to volunteer please call the Boulder Office at 303-443-1933 or the Longmont Office at 303-772-2262.

To speak with Rachel, please call our Boulder office.

We Need You!

2010-03-11T10:55:00.000-08:00

Have a car? Love to drive? Want to help? CareConnect, formerly RSVP needs your help! Our Medical Mobility program provides safe, reliable rides to older adults and people with disabilities. We offer rides to and from doctor's offices, clinics, pharmacies, acupuncturists, dentists, hospitals and more.
Demand for our program keeps increasing and we need more volunteers to help provide this vital service.

This is how our program works. Someone who needs a ride to their doctor will contact us and we will contact our volunteers to see who is available to offer a ride. If you are available, you'll receive all the information about date, time and location.

When it's time for the appointment, you'll pick the person up (let's call him Bob) and take him to his appointment. Depending on the type of appointment, you might wait for him, or agree to pick him up at a later time.

While you're driving, Bob may want to talk about the Rockies chances for the World Series, or tell you about his grandkids, or even share some information about the reason for the doctor's visit. Your job as a volunteer is to be kind and supportive. Your support means a lot and he'll be relieved that he has a safe and reliable way to his medical appointments.

We never offer medical advice but we do provide support and encouragement. We also always respect the confidentiality of everyone we help.

You will receive orientation, ongoing support,training and the gratitude of folks who might not be able to keep their doctor's appointments without our program. We also reimburse volunteers for their mileage. Volunteers need to be 21 and have a good driving record.

If you would like more information about volunteering with the Medical Mobility program please call Allison or Carly at 303-443-1933.

I missed it!

2010-03-03T14:50:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was Dr. Suess's Birthday. Drat, I missed it!

So today while driving around town, I hummed "Happy Birthday Dr. Suess, Happy Birthday Alexander Graham Bell, Happy Birthday Allen Ginsberg, to myself all day.

Not that Allen Ginsberg, just this guy I know.

How about this beautiful weather?

Wildlands Restoration Volunteers are already planning a wide variety of spring and summer projects. Wildlands Restoration Volunteers maintain trails, collect seeds, adopt streams and do all manner of things to protect and preserve our environment. Volunteers of all ages are welcome. Please call Katie or Mary at 303-543-1411.

March is a great time to plan your spring volunteering! We have over 130 nonprofit programs looking for volunteers to meet a wide variety of community needs. There's something for everyone and we'd be happy to help you find the right volunteer activities for you. Please call our office at 303-772-2262 for more information.

Pomme d' Amour update: Better Boy has taken the lead. All twelve seeds sprouted and have been transplated into their nursery pots. Only eight Early Girls made it out of their seeds. Nine if you count that vagabond struggling along in my Palm Tree pot. However, Early Girl boasts bigger, brighter leaves. My money is still on Early Girl- but Better Boy reminds me that there's strength in numbers.

On a more serious note: First Haiti, now Chile. Many groups and organizations are supporting relief efforts. Local doctors and nurses, rescue teams, and humanitarian groups have been working tirelessly to save lives and help survivors. There are many legitimate aid organizations and charities that appreciate our help. Several local groups are holding fundraisers. Please consider making a donation to help with ongoing relief efforts.

Meet John Coffin

2010-02-19T07:39:00.000-08:00

Meet John Coffin

John Coffin has seen a lot of mug shots. In fact, as a volunteer for the Longmont Police Department, John has played an essential role in law enforcement and court proceedings for over 22 years. CareConnect, formerly RSVP would like to honor John for his many years of service to the community.

Originally from Illinois, John has worked in public service for over 50 years. Once he and his family moved to Colorado, John worked first for the Streets Department, and then as a Park Ranger. “I’ve seen a lot of rattlesnakes, mountain lions, and bears around here.” John reports. His job was to protect Button Rock, Ralph Price and Copeland Lake reservoirs. While making his rounds, he ran into plenty of lost hikers and hippies who needed his help finding their way home.

Once he officially retired, John knew he had to “do something.” He states: “sometimes I wonder if I can still get up in the morning, but volunteering really motivates me and makes a real difference in my life.”

His good friend and retired police officer, Jim Peterson, introduced him to the idea of volunteering with the Longmont Police Department. John’s interests include photography, so soon he was processing mug shots. “Now some of those were really something,” John recalls.

Once computers replaced traditional film processing, John decided to switch gears and became a liaison between the Police and the District Attorney’s office. “They trust me with all the paperwork,” he points out.

Johns says the most rewarding part of volunteering is the people. “Mike Butler (Chief of Police) is a really great guy; he cares about the people, and appreciates his volunteers.” John has received the Volunteer of the Year award and other awards for his community service through the Police Department.

At 78, John has plenty of energy to not only volunteer with the Police Department 40 hours a month, but also volunteer for food drives and help raise money for area charities. In his spare time, John still enjoys photography, but leaves the mug shots to the police.

Kay Armstrong of the Longmont Police Department appreciates all of John’s hard work and invites more people to volunteer. Please call Kay at 303-774-4440 for information about current volunteer opportunities.

If you live in Boulder County Colorado and know a volunteer who deserves some extra thanks and recognition, please let me know. My office: 303-772-2262