March Peak News
Urban Peak was honored to host Congresswoman Diana DeGette and the leaders of several local nonprofits last week for a press conference announcing that 10 local projects will receive funding as part of this year’s federal government spending bill.
Rep. DeGette talks with Urban Peak's medical services coordinator Stephanie
Thanks to the efforts of Rep. DeGette, Sen. Bennet and Sen. Hickenlooper, Urban Peak will receive $3 million to support the construction of a catalytic new campus at the site of our current Shelter.
Affectionately referred to as “The Mothership,” the project will significantly increase our capacity and provide space for youth to rest, recharge and rebuild in a safe and supportive environment. Youth will have full-time, on-site access to comprehensive, wrap-around services, including medical and mental health, education and employment, housing and more. Based on the principles of trauma-informed design and our conversations with Urban Peak youth and staff, the mothership will feature added security and plentiful outdoor spaces. And for the first time, youth ages 21 through 24 will have space at the shelter while minors will have dedicated shelter services with a separate entrance.
After the press conference, Shelter Supervisor Ben Kinghorn led a tour of our current Shelter and Rep. DeGette heard more about the wellbeing center planned for the mothership.
Without the support and advocacy of Urban Peak’s community at all levels, we wouldn’t be able to do the important work of providing youth with opportunity to achieve self-sufficiency and success. Stay tuned for more exciting mothership updates!
Art Therapy: Messy, Mindful and More!
At Urban Peak, we believe in the power of supportive relationships and community building to help our youth not just survive, but thrive. With that idea in mind, every month our social emotional coordinator Savannah hosts a “Mamas and Babies art group” at Rox’s Place, where parenting youth can bring their kiddos to unwind, enjoy light refreshments and make art together.
Savannah’s goal for the group is to create both an emotionally and physically safe space for all involved, where parents and kids can collaborate on hands-on art projects. In March, some parents and children used salt, glue and food coloring to create a beautiful watercolor shamrock, while others had the option to make a leprechaun picture frame at home.
Parenting is an exhausting and intimidating prospect for anyone, much less the most vulnerable among us, and it’s important to remind youth that they’re not alone in their journeys.
Peak Spotlight
Last week, at the Colorado Business Committee for the Arts (CBCA)’s Business for the Arts Awards, Urban Peak received an Arts and Business Partnership award to “celebrate innovative cross-sector partnerships” and organizations that go above and beyond to support the arts and creative industries. The award also comes with a grant from the Denver Music Advancement Fund!
Urban Peak staff and board members are all smiles at the CBCA awards
We received the honor thanks in large part to the hard work and dedication of our longtime volunteer and friend Owen Kortz. Beyond nominating Urban Peak for this award, Owen has been supporting us for over a decade. His fundraising efforts allowed us to not only refurbish our state-of-the-art music studio at the Drop-In Center (DIC) last year, but also hire our studio manager, Gabe, a sophomore at CU Denver in the College of Arts & Media (CAM) recording arts program. Gabe works directly with youth at the DIC to help record and mix their music.
Urban Peak youth, Janelle, wrote a letter to the award committee expressing her appreciation. “Being a part of Urban Peak and attending studio time is helping me find more of my voice,” she wrote. “It’s giving me room to grow, and room to be creative. It deeply reminds me of why I love music so much and the joy it brings to my ears hearing it being played back.”
We’re grateful to the CBCA and Owen for the award and we’re thrilled to be able to provide youth like Janelle with the opportunity to speak their truth through music and heal in the process. Hit the link (https://bit.ly/3wpvPsY) for a sneak peek at Janelle’s new song, “Back In Love”, or check out Urban Peak’s award honoree video at the link below and let us know how the arts have impacted you!
Peak Highlight
Room & Board, a home furnishings company that sells “modern furnishings, artisan crafted, designed to last,” is one of our most generous community partners. They believe in environmentally sustainable design using recycled and reclaimed materials mainly sourced in the United States, as well as the importance of corporate social responsibility.
In addition to their generous monetary donations to Urban Peak over the years, Room & Board frequently donates new and slightly-used furniture for our youth in need. We’re able to collaborate closely to determine what our greatest needs are in any given month, depending on whether we’re looking for a specific item like the mattresses recently donated to Rox’s Place, or ready to receive miscellaneous donations. We’ve received some truly fabulous items to help youth make their apartments a rejuvenating space of their own!
We’re happy to work closely with organizations like Room & Board that share our mission to provide support for the most vulnerable members of our community, with the principles of social responsibility, equity and sustainability at the heart of every decision.
Youth Spotlight
Geronn has been making great strides during his time at the Shelter! When he’s not hard at work on his goals or attending program groups, he can often be found taking part in or even facilitating youth council. Geronn was recently honored as youth of the week at the Shelter, which means he gets to be first in line at meals, doesn’t have to do chores for a week (pretty sweet!), and even has the option to eat lunch with one or two staff members of his choosing.
Geronn enjoyed a nice sunny meal on the patio with Rachel, our weekday overnight life skills manager, because he appreciates her kindness and outgoing nature, as well as the care and attention she shows youth. We love to see it!
Wish him luck, because Geronn will be starting basic training with the Army any day now!
