Denver- January 14, 2017

By: Jane Lorimer

INC’s special program for the January monthly meeting featured an impressive panel of speakers who addressed how to get neighborhoods engaged with their neighborhood organizations.

The meeting was appropriately held at The Hub at Northfield, a unique community center that also houses the District 5 Cop Shop. The Hub lends bikes, has storytelling for children, hosts community meetings and presents meetings on various safety issues. The Hub also works with public transit to bring shoppers into the mall area by ground transportation.

The presentation for this meeting was made by a great informative panel about building diversity and neighborhoods.

The panel was moderated by Angie Rivera-Malpiede, Vice President, Stapleton Foundation, Executive Director, Northeast Transportation Connections and oversees The Hub

Cec Ortiz, Ann White, Virginia Calderon, Nola Miguel

• Ann White – Montbello 20/20 RNO President. Ann White came from North Carolina, lived through the 1960’s Civil Rights; she and her husband moved to Montbello and raised 12 kids.

• Nola Miguel – Chaffee Park resident and RNO board, Director of Globeville Elyria Swansea Right to Live Well and member of the GES Anti-displacement Coalition, Community Organizing and Social Work experience in neighborhoods, city council and schools. She served as an Aide to Councilwoman Montero; is proud of her mixed race heritage (Pilipino, White) and says she “can’t not do what I do”. Nola is also a recent recipient of INC’s Neighborhood Star award.
• Virginia Calderon, Swansea resident and neighborhood leader, member of GES Anti-displacement Coalition, formerly worked for Servicios de la Raza, Family to Family program, experience in community engagement and family support. She is fighting with Globeville Right to Live Well group.
• Cec Ortiz – Former leader of Mi Casa and Consultant for large community and economic development initiatives and is involved with helping seniors age in place

Key Messages:

• Know when to listen to understand and when to listen to reply. Listening to understand will break down more barriers.
• Diversity means strong communities and it is a social responsibility to give back.
• Bottom line is to network and build relationships.
• Find parallel interests to draw people to resolve a common problem or support a common cause like beautification, public safety, fundraisers and so on. Most don’t want to go to meetings so find out what they are willing to do.

Suggestion Highlights

• Identify the stars in the neighborhood or project groups who are getting things done. Elevate them and recognize them
• Portion off neighborhoods into blocks and work a block at a time to build coalitions
• Go to “them” – new people in the neighborhood, welcome them, introduce yourself, engage them into on-going projects, educate them about your neighborhood goals.
• Newsletters delivered to every door
• Involve local businesses as members and contributors
• Walking around and noticing things like elderly who need help, graffiti that needs cleaned up, nice yards you can compliment people about.
• Talk to neighbors and don’t assume you know them. Be friendly and welcoming.

INC MEMBERSHIP RENEWALS ARE DUE

Letters inviting INC renewal membership were sent in December and reminders in January. Please remember, you must renew by end of February in order to participate in Board elections to be held in March 2017. You can renew online at http://www.denverinc.org/membership/ or request another membership form from membership@denverinc.org

We continue to build our coalition of neighborhoods by inviting all registered neighborhood organizations to become members with INC.