Project Homeless Connect is a free resource fair for homeless and at-risk individuals and families. During this one day event, on Tuesday, September 19,  clients are able to access an array of services ranging from ID services, housing services, resume workshops, clothing banks, vision check and healthcare to veterans services, childcare, petcare and much more. They are expecting to see 1,000 clients at this year’s event and need nearly as many volunteers to make the day a success.

At the link below you can sign up for one of the shifts available throughout the day.

https://volunteer.unitedwaydenver.org/event/50408-Project-Homeless-Connect-2017

If you have never volunteered before, they recommend you take one of their trainings, however it is not mandatory. Trainings are listed in the link above.

Denver Arts & Venues calls for local artists to delight and surprise Denver residents, and create positive connections through art by committing to participate in World Art Drop Day Tuesday, Sept. 5.

World Art Drop Day occurs annually on the first Tuesday of September and was conceived by Utah’s Jake Parker with the goal of connecting people to one another, and generating random bonds between strangers through the act of creating and giving.

“Especially now, a project like this can generate so much positive energy, drawing people together through art,” says Kent Rice, Denver Arts & Venues director.

Participation is simple: first, artists commit to participate by filling out the online form and creating a small, inexpensive piece or two to share on Art Drop Day. Then, on Tuesday, Sept. 5, they hide their art around town. Next, they drop hints and clues on social media so people can find the hidden works, and finally the artists watch and wait for someone to discover their creations. The public can participate in the fun and search for art by following #artdropday and #artdropdenver on social media.

“It doesn’t just have to be visual art and you don’t have to be a professional artist,” says Denver Arts & Venues organizer Brooke Dilling. “Musicians can drop CDs, textile artists can drop knit scarves, soap-makers can drop a bar, paper-makers can drop a journa. If you’ve got a talent of some sort, even if you just consider yourself an amateur doodler, you can participate.”

In addition to hiding mini replicas of Lawrence Argent’s “I See What You Mean” (colloquially known as the Big Blue Bear at Colorado Convention Center) and dropping clues on Facebook.com/DenverArtsVenues and twitter.com/DenverArts, Denver Arts & Venues has partnered with VSA Colorado/Access Gallery to hide artworks from the Art-O-Mat program. Art-O-Mat artworks are original, pocket-sized pieces created by participants of VSA Colorado/Access Gallery’s summer Artworks program, a program supporting young people with disabilities transitioning out of high school by providing economic opportunities through the arts.
​
There is no deadline for artists who wish to participate in Art Drop Denver. More information can be found on ArtsandVenues.com.

 Approximately two dozen French Bulldogs rescued as part of a special investigation by Denver Animal Protection will get a chance at a new start during a special adoption event on Saturday, Aug. 26 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Denver Animal Shelter (DAS).

Earlier this month, Denver Animal Protection removed more than 34 animals from a Denver residence as part of a special investigation. Since then, DAS medical and behavior teams have been working nonstop to provide medical care for the dogs and prepare them for rehoming. Many of the dogs will be available for adoption on Aug. 26 on a first come, first served basis.

DAS staff anticipate significant interest in the dogs and encourage those looking to adopt to arrive early and be prepared for longer-than-usual wait times. The French Bulldogs will only be adopted to Colorado residents, and no pre-adoption visits will be available.

To help recoup the costs of the specialty medical care the dogs have received, the requested adoption cost for this event will be $400, which includes the shelter’s standard adoption fee and a suggested donation. This care includes:

• Soft palate resection and nares resection to allow them to breathe more easily
• Dental procedures to remove rotten and painful teeth
• Giardia and deworming treatments
• Medicine for severe ear and skin infections
• Surgery to relieve infected eyes
• Bite wound treatment

The adoption cost also includes the spay or neuter, vaccinations, a microchip, and a one-year pet license.

Prospective adopters should also be aware that French Bulldogs can require special ongoing care with regards to medical and behavior needs. For those not able to adopt but still eager to help, the shelter is also accepting monetary donations to help defray the costs of animal medical care, dental care and rehabilitation.

DAS is an open-admission shelter that cares for approximately 7,000 lost and abandoned pets each year.

The shelter is located at 1241 W. Bayaud Ave. in Denver and can be reached by phone at 720-913-1311 or online at www.DenverAnimalShelter.org.

Adams County Workforce; the America Job Center serving Jefferson, Clear Creek and Gilpin Counties; Arapahoe/ Douglas Works!; Denver Workforce Services; and the Greater Metro Denver Healthcare Partnership invite you to attend the 2017 Metro Denver Healthcare Career Fair.

Thursday, September 7th, 2017 from 1:00pm - 4:00pm                                                                                                                                                                                                                         
Doubletree by Hilton - Thornton
83 E. 120th Ave., Thornton, 80223
1:00pm – 1:30pm – priority entrance for Veterans & VIP Workforce Customers (WIOA and Talent Pool Candidates)
1:30pm - 4:00pm – Job Fair

Pre-Registration required so we can contact with you periodically with a list of the updated employers: jobseekerdenvermetrohealthcare2017.eventbrite.com

Saturday, August 26, 2017 from 7:30 AM - 9:30 AM

Soak up the sun! Get outside and explore nature and birds that live around Athmar Park! This tour will focus on viewing and discussing birds seen along the South Platte River with local volunteer birder, Jackie King from the Audubon Society of Greater Denver. Whether you are a birder or just curious how to tell one bird from the other, this tour is for you.

Things to bring: Water, binoculars, camera, bird guide / ID book, good walking shoes, and enthusiasm.

Meet us at Johnson Habitat Park by the parking lot at Exposition and Jason. We will be walking and wheelchair-rolling south down the South Platte River Trail for about a mile and a half.  The tour will end at Overland Pond Park near S. Platte River Drive and S. Huron Street, so please feel free to carpool and leave a car there to ride back.

FREE and open to the public, all are welcome. Hosted by the Athmar Active Living Coalition. Please sign up at Eventbrite….. Registration limited to 25 people.
​
Johnson-Habitat Park
610 South Jason Street
Denver, CO 80223

New community input opportunity: The Denver Moves: Transit team has started to identify, evaluate, and prioritize where major transit capital investments (e.g., rail, bus rapid transit, new transfer facilities, etc.) could be in Denver. We need your input to help inform the final recommendations. Please share with your community the new online survey to tell us where they would like to see major transit investments and services in Denver.  The transit plan team will also be back out in the community in August and September offering a number of in-person opportunities to provide input about transit corridors – information about where we’ll be is here and on the Denveright calendar.

Blueprint and Denver Moves: Pedestrians and Trails are hosting workshops/public meetings in August and September – click on the links for more information: Blueprint(PDF), Denver Moves: Pedestrians and Trails

Linkedin Workshop
Date: Wednesday, August 23rd
Times: Professional Portrait: 5 p.m.
Workshop: 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.
*Professional attire is encouraged

Enhance Your Personal Brand

• Get a FREE professional portrait for your profile
• Effectively use search features to discover referral partners, clients, and job openings
• Learn elements you need in your profile to help you land your next job
• Increase your employ-ability by building a well-crafted LinkedIn profile

Space Limited! Click here to register for Linkedin

1-on-1 Career Coaching
Learn the skills you need to succeed in today’s workplace!

-Create a customized career plan
-Craft your resume
-Practice interview skills
-Career Readiness Training
-Professional communication
-Customer service skills
-Microsoft Office
-Career Portfolio
-Professional head-shot included
 
Space Limited! Click here to register for Mi Casa Next Step Program

“Name your own adoption fee” event aims to place 40-plus animals in forever homes

Denver Animal Shelter (DAS) is partnering with Telemundo Denver to host Clear the Shelters on Saturday, Aug. 19 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. This “name your own adoption fee” event is one of hundreds of local adoption events taking place across the country as part of the annual promotion. Each event aims to place all stray, abandoned, lost, and homeless pets in safe and loving homes.
​
DAS is an open-admission shelter that cares for approximately 7,500 lost and abandoned pets each year, with standard adoption fees ranging from $15 to $150. The shelter currently has more than 40 cats, dogs and other animals available for adoption. 

While most animals will be adopted as family pets, the shelter also has a new Working Cat program for cats that can help provide rodent control.
 
Denver Animal Shelter’s adoption package includes a wellness check, spay or neuter, and a one-year pet license. While adoption fees will be reduced for this special event, potential adopters must meet with an adoption counselor and complete the shelter’s application process. Spanish-speaking adoption counselors will be on hand as well.
 
For those not able to adopt but still eager to help, the shelter is also accepting monetary donations to help defray the costs of animal medical care, dental care and rehabilitation.
 
The shelter also offers low-cost vaccination, pet licensing, microchipping and other helpful services.
 
DAS is located at 1241 W. Bayaud Ave. in Denver. The shelter can be reached by phone at 720-913-1311 or online at www.DenverAnimalShelter.org.

Denver’s Department of Environmental Health today released the findings of a new study the city recently commissioned to measure the health and environmental benefits of electric vehicles (EV), and provide recommendations to guide the acceleration of the growing EV market in Denver. 
 
Opportunities for Vehicle Electrification in the Denver Metro area and Across the Front Range was funded by a grant from the Regional Air Quality Council (RAQC) and developed through a partnership with the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project (SWEEP). The report is intended to help guide infrastructure and related planning efforts, as the popularity of EVs increase. In 2016, registrations increased more than 43 percent in Colorado.
 
“To help reduce our greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent, we must significantly expand the use of electric vehicles, and this report confirms that they’re a valuable investment in both air quality and as a tool for fighting climate change,” Mayor Michael B. Hancock said. “Electric vehicles are an important component of Denver’s newly released Mobility Action Plan, and the market opportunities identified for charging infrastructure throughout Denver and Colorado shows consumers and businesses that choosing EVs is not just an environmentally-conscious choice, but an economical one.”

Among the key health and environmental benefits, the study concludes that plugging in an EV in Denver reduces emissions of nitrogen oxides by 63 percent and reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 43 percent compared to the average vehicle. Nitrogen oxides are the primary contributor to ozone pollution, which has serious health and respiratory impacts, and greenhouse gas emissions cause climate change.

Those reductions are forecast to improve over time as Colorado’s renewable energy portfolio increases. By 2025 electric vehicles are expected to produce 84 percent fewer nitrogen oxides and 49 percent fewer greenhouse gases as compared to a new gasoline automobile meeting 2025 emissions standards. 
 
Transportation is the leading source of air pollution and the second leading source of greenhouse gases in Denver. Electric vehicles can help the City improve air quality and uphold Mayor Hancock’s ongoing commitment to the Paris Climate Accord.
 
The study also found that ensuring electric vehicle drivers have reliable, convenient access to charging is essential to continuing the growth of electric vehicles.
 
Key recommended actions include:

• Changing building codes to require charging preparation during construction or renovation of new commercial or multi-family properties
• Engaging utilities to help minimize demand charges at direct current fast charger (DCFC) locations
• Future-proofing charging locations to minimize costs and prepare for faster charging speeds
• Siting fast chargers at or near high-density multi-family dwellings
• Expanding fast charging access along highways throughout the state

In addition to a lifecycle emissions analysis, the study pinpoints options for accelerating the growth of electric mobility through deployment of more DCFCs, which can charge a vehicle battery in less than 30 minutes, and charging at multi-unit dwellings. The study identifies market conditions, charging costs, and deployment barriers to consider in planning a more comprehensive charging network.  

According to Will Toor, Director of Transportation at the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project (SWEEP), “Denver already has the fourth fastest growing electric vehicle market in the nation. Our research found that polices and public investment to get more fast charging and more charging in multifamily housing could further accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles in the region.”
 
“The time to purchase an electric vehicle is now! Colorado is the most affordable state in the country to buy an electric vehicle, and there are grants available to assist in funding electric vehicle charging
stations across the state,” said Steve McCannon, mobile sources program director for the RAQC.
“Tailpipe emissions from cars and trucks account for almost a third of the air pollution in the United
States. The adoption of these zero-emissions electric vehicles can significantly reduce air pollution
caused by motor vehicle travel.”
 
A companion study on statewide priority EV charging locations conducted by the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), RAQC, Colorado Energy Office and Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) will be released later in the month. The study evaluates hypothetical fast charging networks throughout the state to understand how fast charging could increase electric vehicle miles traveled and how often drivers would utilize the stations depending on the range of the vehicle, temperature, and other factors.
 
Findings from both studies will set a foundation to inform multiple electric vehicle opportunities in Colorado, including Governor Hickenlooper’s charging corridor partnership with Utah and Nevada, Electrify America’s commitment to invest in more than 300 chargers in the Denver area over the next two years, and the release of approximately $10 million in Volkswagen settlement funds by the State of Colorado for charging infrastructure.
 
For more information contact Tyler Svitak at Tyler.Svitak@DenverGov.org, 720-865-5426.

There will be 5 workshops this September for Denverights’ Blueprint Denver Plan. These workshops are focusing on mapping out the city, identifying the areas of growth and reviewing the feedback with the community that has been received thus far.  Visit Denverights’ Blueprint Denver Plan website for more information.

Northeast Denver 
Wednesday, September 13th at 5:30pm.
Maxwell Elementary School, 14390 Bolling Dr

Southeast Denver
Thursday, September 14th at 5:30pm
University of Denver: Anderson Academic Commons, 2150 E Evans Ave

Northwest Denver 
Wednesday, September 20th  at 5:30pm.
Scheitler Rec Center,  5031 W 46th Ave 

Southwest Denver
Tuesday, September 19 at 5:30 p.m.
Doull Elementary, 2520 S. Utica St.

Central Denver
Thursday, September 21 at 5:30 p.m.
East High School, 1600 City Park Esplanade

Denver City Council tonight, unanimously approved the referral of seven 2017 General Obligation bond (GO bond) measures to the November ballot. 
 
“I am incredibly proud of this thoughtful, balanced and responsible investment package that was created by and for the people of Denver,” Mayor Michael B. Hancock said. “This bond package represents an unparalleled opportunity to invest in our city to repair roads and bridges; improve our parks, playgrounds and rec centers; upgrade our police and fire stations; and enhance our libraries, cultural institutions and Denver Health Medical Center.”
 
The measures referred to Denver voters this fall were created with the most public input of any bond proposal in Denver’s history. Denver residents provided more than 4,000 ideas, comments and suggestions for investment through emails and public meetings, 60+ volunteer stakeholder committee members spent countless hours reviewing potential projects, and dozens of city staff spent more than a year to make this bond package a reality.
 
Mayor Hancock continued, “I look forward to continuing the conversation about the importance of these projects with Denver residents. I want to thank City Council for their partnership throughout this entire process, as well as the stakeholder committees, city staff and Denver residents who proposed ideas for investment. This truly is the people’s bond package, and we created it together.”
 
The package of infrastructure investments includes 460 projects valued at $937 million. More than half of the projects on the list will fix and repair existing infrastructure, with the remainder dedicated to upgrades and new infrastructure across the city.
 
The seven ballot questions include:

• $431 million for transportation and mobility projects
• $116.9 million for city-owned cultural facility improvements
• $75 million for a new outpatient care center at Denver Health Medical Center
• $77 million for safety facility projects
• $69.3 million for Denver Public Library improvements,
• $151.6 million for parks and recreation and
• $16.5 million for city-owned facility improvements

 
“This GO bond represents some of the most critical investments we can make in our city for the next decade and beyond. My Council colleagues and I had a healthy debate about each project and evaluated each one carefully. Ultimately this was the package of projects we were proud to refer to the November ballot because they offer balance, equity and an opportunity for all areas of the city to see improvements,” said Council President Albus Brooks.  
 
The city began the GO bond process in 2016 by engaging the Denver community in a conversation about the improvements they want in their neighborhoods and throughout the city. With six public meetings, a map-based online tool, City Council engagement, and comment cards located at libraries and recreation centers across Denver, the city received more than 3,000 investment ideas. The stakeholder phase of the GO bond process saw an additional 1,000+ emails from residents advocating for projects and each stakeholder committee meeting featured a public comment period. 
 
Visit www.denvergov.org/2017GObond for more information about the bond process and projects

Consent Agenda
17-0911 Appropriates $1 million from the Urban Drainage and Flood Control District to fund the drainage and flood control improvements for the Sanderson Gulch - Lipan Street to South Platte River project in Council District 7. 
17-0912 Sets a public hearing before City Council for 10-02-17 on the I-25 and
Broadway Urban Redevelopment Plan in Council District 7. 
Committee Items
No District 7 Specific Items on Committee this week

City Council Agenda
No District 7 Specific items on the City Council Agenda this week

Consent Agenda:
17-0864 Renames Market Place Street to South Market Place Street to correct an error on the Broadway Station Filing No. 1 subdivision plat recorded at reception No. 2017068642 located on Broadway between Mississippi Avenue and Kentucky Avenue in Council District 7. 

Committee:
Land Use and Transportation Committee
17-0841 Approves an official map amendment to rezone property located at 385, 395, 405, & 415 South Cherokee Street from I-B UO-2 to C-MX-16, in Council District 7. 
City Council Meeting
No District 7 specific items.  

The Active Living Coalition is working hard to collect surveys from neighbors in Athmar Park to find out what you love about the neighborhood and what your priorities are for improvements!
Sign up here to volunteer August 12th or September 9th: https://form.jotform.us/71776407165159

Visit our Bike Rack Participatory Map to give feedback about where you would like to see bike racks to park your bike in Athmar Park! This feedback will help the Active Living Coalition to create our Active Living Plan! Visit the link, and click "Edit". Use the "Add a Marker" pin to mark the location on the map you'd like to see a bike rack in Athmar Park. For example, you could place the pin outside your favorite business where you'd like to see bike parking in the neighborhood. Please add notes describing the location and photos, if you have them. 

Upcoming ALC Meetings and Community Events. Click here for more information!

August 11: Golf Clinic at Overland Golf Course
Time: 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm
Location: Overland Golf Course 1801 S Huron St, Denver, CO 80223

Free Bike Maintenance at Athmar Park Library
Dates: Saturday, July 8th, August 19th, and September 9th 
Time: 10 am to 1 pm
Location: 1055 S Tejon St, Denver, CO 80223

Huston Lake Bilingual Summer Yoga
Dates: August 7th, August 14th, September 11th and September 25th
Time: 6:00 pm-7:15 pm
Location: Ohio Ave. and Vallejo St.
 
August 26: Athmar Park Birding Walk
Time: 7:30 am - 9:30 am
Location: Johnson Habitat Park at Exposition and Jason

August 30th: Athmar Park Resource Night
Time: 6:00 pm -7:30 pm
Location: Valverde Elementary, 2030 W. Alameda Ave

August 5: Back to School Carnival
Time: 12:00 pm - 2:00 pm 
Location: Crossroads of the Rockies, 2707 W. Mississippi Ave.