ROARING FORK VALLEY NEWSLETTER MARCH 2021

A little
Join Us for
A Little Talk
on January 20th
JANUARY 2021
From Hilary’s Desk
Happy New Year! As we mark the
beginning of the year, I’m filled with
appreciation. We did it. We made it through 2020
– a year that brought loss and challenge and also
tested our strength and resiliency.
We supported more older adults than ever in
our 15-year history last year. All of us – staff,
volunteers, members, and financial supporters
– worked together to meet unanticipated
challenges in new and innovative ways. Thank you
to everyone who helped make this possible.
And thank you to all who rallied again, last month,
to help us raise more than $85,000 through our
Colorado Gives Day campaign.
As I look to 2021, I’m hopeful. Many of the
initiatives we created in 2020 will help us
continue building community and connection safely
until we can gather again, in person, to break
bread, dance, and hug one another. I can’t wait.
Wishing you the happiest of new years. Thank you
for being part of our A Little Help family. We could
not have made it to this new year without you!
2020 Successes
2020 was a tough year for all of us. Working together, we found our way forward.
Below are a few highlights from the year.
• Onboarded and engaged over 1,000 new volunteers
• Supported over 1,000 older adults, including over
500 new members
• Expanded into new neighborhoods in Northern
Colorado, Metro Denver, and Roaring Fork Valley
• Grew staff capacity to accommodate growing impact
• Introduced technology support to help members
navigate online connection
• Created new initiatives – Little Kindness Kits,
birthday signs, reverse ice cream socials – to support
members while keeping our community safe
• Adapted existing member programs – holding our
first-ever virtual holiday party; transitioning our
Tough Talks online; creating Little Kindness Days
to help with outdoor work
Thank you to every one of you who made this vital work
possible and who continue to bolster this community!
A Little Help Roaring Fork Valley • 970-404-1923 • www.alittlehelp.org
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Resources and Partners
Need Technology Help?
We will continue offering virtual
technology sessions in the new
year. They will be held on certain
Tuesdays from 6-6:30 p.m. (or
longer if needed.) Contact our office
to RSVP. Upcoming dates and
topics are listed below.
January 12 and February 16: New devices, new year.
Let’s get connected! Learn the basics of Zoom. Use this
guide to get you connected and we’ll go over the rest!
www.seniorsguide.com/technology/a-step-by-step-guide-toa-zoom-meeting/
January 19: Placing food orders online. How to order
groceries online and have everything delivered to your door.
No human contact necessary!
February 2: Email scams. How to identify email scams, how
to avoid them, and what do to when you encounter
Energy Resource Center
Is your home feeling a
little bit chilly? Energy
Resource Center is a 501c3
nonprofit organization
that provides energy efficiency upgrades to income-qualified
homes throughout 27 Colorado counties. Upgrades reduce
carbon emissions and lower energy costs. In 2019, ERC made
improvements at more than 900 homes and saved more than
3.4 million pounds of CO2 from entering the atmosphere.
Find out more at erc-co.org.
Benefits Data Trust and SNAP
A Little Help
continues to
partner with
Benefits Data
Trust to tell you
about SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program),
which provides food assistance for people who need a little
extra help making ends meet. Go online to Benefits Launch
Express at snapco.benefitslaunch.org to see if you are
eligible. To learn more about Benefits Data trust, go
to www.bdtrust.org.
A Little Nourishment
The Power of Proactive Planning
Join us online or by phone for our January Little Talk,
on January 20, from 12:00-1:00 p.m. Mindy Rickard,
Project Coordinator for Larimer
Advance Care Planning, will
discuss the importance of advance
planning and getting your
documents and affairs in order.
To RSVP or for more information, call your local
A Little Help office. Past talks can be found online
at www.alittlehelp.org/littletalks.
Paint Through It
Are you looking for a new
way to pass the time? Are
you interested in getting arty,
improving your painting
skills and connecting with
others? Denver-based artist
Tabetha Landt offers online
painting classes. And she
offers an online course
on Julia Cameron’s book “The Artist’s Way.” For more
information, check out Tabetha’s website for courses at
www.paintingsoiree.net.
Learn with Your Local Library
Libraries across
Colorado continue
to offer lifelines
for connection and
learning. Denver Public
Library membership is
open to all Colorado
residents, and now, you
can get a Denver Public Library card without going to the
library. www.denverlibrary.org/get-library-card
From songwriting to
navigating grief to meditation,
Denver Library has something
for everyone! And within
the Denver metro area, the
Library can deliver to library
patrons who are not able to
leave their home. To learn
more about this service, contact Cindy Schneider at
720-865-1351 or homedelivery@denverlibrary.org.
To learn more about Denver Library programs, go to
their website at www.denverlibrary.org.
A Little Help Roaring Fork Valley • 970-404-1923 • www.alittlehelp.org
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December Kindness Lifts Spirits
Wow! Volunteers across Colorado delivered 200 Kindness Kits to
members during the holidays! Smiles were shared by all, and we received
happy notes from both givers and receivers.
“ Brrrrr! It’s cold outside. A Little Help Volunteers were just at my
home with a Bag of Merry Christmas Goodies: warm socks and my
favorite color-purple, cookies, cake, can of soup, candy, gloves, ear
muff, popcorn, book of puzzles, tube of hand cream, “cawfee” mug.
(I am from Rhode Island and this is how we pronounce “coffee”.)
I am so, so thankful and blessed beyond measure. I love this
organization and the many wonderful for A Little Help.”
“ It was so much fun delivering these
kits! Everyone was so appreciative
and grateful! Really filled me with
the Christmas spirit!” ~ Keelie
Northern Colorado Office Grows
We grew, and we connected with more people in
Northern Colorado in 2020. And with that, our staffing
needs increased. In fact, two of the people you’ve come to
associate with our Northern Colorado office – Steve Courts
and Krista Markell – have increased their responsibilities.
Steve has agreed to join us full-time as our
Northern Colorado Coordinator. Steve
helped launch A Little Help in Berthoud
in 2019, coming out of retirement after
31 years spent leading branches of the
YMCA. Berthoudites, rest assured that
you will continue to see Steve. But he’ll also
be working with members and volunteers
across the region to make sure everyone is
taken care of.
Krista has become our Member
Coordinator. You may have spoken with
her by phone or met her in person at our
Berthoud Farmers’ market table. She
started as a Snow Buddy last year, then
became an office volunteer, and when the
pandemic hit, she agreed to come on staff !
We Enjoyed Our December Gatherings
Finishing an unprecedented year, we held our annual
holiday party virtually this year. More than 50 people
joined us on December 8 to kick off the holiday season
and celebrate Colorado Gives Day. We met around a
virtual table via Zoom so that we could all see each other.
The event featured stories of holiday traditions from
several members and volunteers, along with music from
the incredibly talented musicians of Sound Affects! If you
weren’t able to join us, you can still catch the party online
at www.alittlehelp.org/holidays.
About 50 people joined us on December 16 for our
holiday-themed “Little Talk”. It included self-care ideas, a
homemade chicken tortilla soup recipe, some favorite and
must read book ideas, and a performance by the band Half
Pelican. If you missed the gathering, you can view it on our
website at www.alittlehelp.org/littletalks.
A Little Help Roaring Fork Valley • 970-404-1923 • www.alittlehelp.org
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P.O. Box 4231
Basalt, CO 81621
A LITTLE NEWS
January 2021
A Monthly Publication
by A Little Help
Board of Directors
Alan Walker, Chair
John Chase, Esq., Vice Chair
Marcy Greenslit, CMC,
Treasurer
Katheryn Stewart, Secretary
Bob Brocker
Rio Chacon
Steve Davis
Shannon Love
Sean McBride, CPA
Jonathan Mueller
Dr. Paul Leon Ramsey
Hilary Simmons, MPH,
Executive Director
Get Social and connect with A Little Help!
ALittleHelpCO
@ALittleHelpCO
@ALittleHelpCO
Community Happenings
Navigating COVID-19 Together
Currently, A Little Help is:
• Trying to stay in touch with members. Please call us
with your most important needs, and let us know how
you are feeling.
• Matching volunteers with members to provide essential
grocery/medicine/errand runs and make check-in calls.
• Continuing snow removal.
• Suspending rides until Colorado COVID levels go
down and the state is no longer in Code RED.
• Suspending indoor requests until further notice.
Join us for Little Talks in 2021
More people than ever before
attended our “Tough Talks’’ in 2020,
taking these conversations to an
entirely new level. Our conversations
will continue in 2021, but we’re dropping the word
“tough” as it no longer seems to fit. We hope you’ll join
us for many Little Talks in 2021. Below are the topics
planned through June.
January 20: Power of Proactive Planning
February 10: Travel Without Leaving Home
March 10: How to Manage Household Financial Issues
April 14: Getting your House in Order/Spring Cleaning
May 12: Managing Life’s Transitions
June 9: Adding Creativity to Your Life
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A Little Help Roaring Fork Valley • 970-404-1923 • www.alittlehelp.org