October Peak News
Youth Spotlight
Lanay is our October Student of the Month! She is 23 years old and has her own unit in one of our apartment buildings. She has been attending our GED program in partnership with Denver Test Prep and has been a leader in her classes.
Once she has her GED in hand, Lanay wants to attend college, most likely starting at a community college, but, ultimately, she wants to end up at UCLA in sunny California! She’s thinking she’d either like to work with animals 🐴 or become an actor 🎭.
She loves playing video games in her free time and her favorite games are NBA2K, Fortnite, Madden and Grand Theft Auto V. Lanay also loves to watch TV (especially anime, or Japanese animation) and her favorite shows are Demonslayer and Naruto.
We are so proud of her hard work in obtaining her GED as she aims for higher education, and we can’t wait to see where she goes next!
Thanks to your generosity, Lanay has access to the resources she needs to exit homelessness and create a self-determined, fulfilled life. Will you commit to becoming a recurring donor for $15 per month and help youth like Lanay to thrive?
Learn to Crochet with Ray!
Ray loves to crochet, and he’s been perfecting his craft since he first learned it from his great grandma at age 10. For him, the art of crocheting is a grounding, calming practice. He likes to crochet while watching TV or listening to music, or if he needs to decompress.
Ray wanted to share his passion with his friends and peers at The Spot, so he connected with our staff to set up a new crochet group and has been running it himself ever since! He is a patient and understanding teacher for any skill level and he always has a smile on his face.
Ray is working to set up an Etsy profile so he can start selling his crochet creations, so look out for that link from us in the future. Fun fact: Ray is also a black belt in karate! 🥋
October is LGBTQ+ History Month 🏳️🌈, so there’s no better time to share about Point of Pride, an awesome non-profit that provides financial aid and direct support to trans and non-binary folks in need of life-saving health and wellness services across the globe.
Their primary program is the Annual Transgender Surgery Fund, a scholarship-like lottery that directly finances gender-affirming surgeries for trans and gender-nonconforming (GNC) folks. The application opens November 1st and closes on the 30th, so if you or anyone you know is trans or GNC and in need of gender-affirming surgery but cannot afford it, learn more at the link above. It’s so important for the most vulnerable among us to be able to access care allowing them to be their full, authentic selves.
Peak Spotlight
Our amazing construction partners at Deneuve Construction have been working diligently all year to raise The Mothership out of the ground. The Mothership, once complete, will be a vibrant, thriving campus that will replace our previous shelter and offer integrated services and progressively independent levels of housing for youth. The basic frame of the four-story building is complete, and all that’s left to do before moving onto interior work is to add the roof! This process, known as “topping out” in the construction world, will come just in time before the snow starts to replace the falling leaves. 🍂❄️
Construction is on track to be completed in Summer 2024 (it’s so close!!) and we cannot wait for the day when we can centralize our whole continuum of services into one location and offer youth the best possible home environment before they find their own. Check out the incredible view that they'll have from the fourth-floor balcony!
Urban Peak works closely with Pikes Peak Online School (PPOS), a fully online school for grades 9 to 12 that emphasizes the importance of the social-emotional health of students. A full-time counselor and social worker meet one-on-one with students to help with goal setting, post-secondary plans and personal wellbeing.
Pikes Peak specializes in working with youth who have struggled in a traditional classroom setting. They’re great at working with students’ individual needs and within the framework of whatever situation the young person might be coming from.
PPOS follows the guidelines of the McKinney-Vento law, which establishes legal supports for children and youth experiencing homelessness. McKinney-Vento ensures that Urban Peak youth are eligible for automatic enrollment even if they do not have vital documents such as transcripts or immunization records (the lack of which is often cited as a significant barrier to accessing resources).
What’s more, our youth who choose to attend Pikes Peak Online School are provided a FREE Chrome Book laptop, a printer AND a hotspot! Talk about reducing barriers. Their education team also meets with youths’ Case Managers and Supervisors to plan for attending school full time online and help ensure a successful transition. Thank you, Pikes Peak Online School, for embodying the compassion, guidance and support that our youth deserve.
A Chance to Get Fit and Give Back
We’re excited to be partnering again with Fierce45, a local reformer Pilates fitness studio for their annual Gratitude Challenge! For all you Pilates lovers, this annual challenge takes place throughout November.
If you attend 12 classes in those 30 days, you’re eligible to enter a raffle for two free months of classes. It’s $10 to participate in the challenge, and Fierce45 will match every donation.
All proceeds go directly to Urban Peak, meaning we earn $20 for each person who chooses to get fit and give back at the same time!
Supporting Young Chefs for Thanksgiving
Urban Peak youth are excited to cook Thanksgiving dinner this year as they continue their chef journeys in our cooking groups, and we need your help! We’re looking for donations of Thanksgiving meal ingredients such as turkey, boxed potatoes, gravy packets, boxed stuffing, cranberries and all the fixings. 🦃🍗
Pictured (from left): Itzel, Titus, Sam, Daveon and Jaylen practicing their chef skills
Please, support our youth by sharing in the abundance of Thanksgiving as they work to become self-sufficient, fulfilled adults. Reach out to our community engagement manager at andrea.alcala@urbanpeak.org or call 303-974-2951 if interested! We are grateful for every single one of you.
