Upcoming forum: November 17th, 11:30 am- 1pm, Congregation Har Ha Shem. “How Can Businesses Become Better Community Citizens?”

We are excited to introduce you to some information about our upcoming forum panelists. First, we would like to thank Tom Robichaud, President of Precision Plumbing, for co-sponsoring the event and participating as a panelist. Our other speakers include: Joshua Onysko, Owner of Pangea Organics,John Tayer, Public Affairs and Communication Director of Corden Pharma, Rich Lotterhos, Owner of Urban Mattress, and David Page, Owner of DMPage  Images.

Here is some information about each panelist:

Tom Robichaud: Precision Plumbing is a business that encourages the financial sustainability of local non-profits. They are giving back to the community by donating $1,000 a month for the next 12 months to a Boulder County non-profit. Those that have won the drawing include: Colorado Sled Hockey, Boulder County Audubon Society, Boulder Chorale, Veterans Helping Veterans, Mercy Project Colorado, CareConnect, and the Boulder Institute for Psychotherapy and Research.

John Tayer: Corden Pharma is supporting the Boulder County community in a number of ways. First, Corden contributes a great deal of financial and in-kind resources to charitable causes and will match dollar-to-dollar employee contributions toward the annual Boulder County United Way Campaign. To boost civic engagement, employees of Corden are encouraged to invest work hours on community service projects. They are also conscious of how they are operating their plant and facilities so that is it safe for the environment, their employees, and the community as a whole.

Joshua Onysko: Pangea Organics is a socially and environmentally conscious business. Pangea Organics is a company that takes special consideration in creating earth-friendly beauty products that are free of harmful artificial ingredients. Joshua also supports the work of Women for Women International that helps women survivors of war.

As quoted by Joshua, “What we consume today directly impacts how we—and future generations—will live tomorrow.”

Rich Lotterhos: Urban Mattress is a technically advanced corporation dedicated to helping us all sleep soundly. However, they reach far beyond that. Urban Mattress supports the “Lost Boys of Sudan,” by donating and by helping the boys with employment. They have also taken special care in protecting the environment by offsetting their carbon footprint. This is done by offering products that are eco-friendly and bio-degradable.

David Page: DMPage Images is a Longmont based image company dedicated to portraits and photographic art. David Page photographs weddings, high school portraits, and engagement photos. His vision is to create a fun atmosphere for his customers and build relationships with his community. Currently, David is working on a book that tells the stories of the homeless population in Boulder County.

Upcoming Forum! “How do Businesses Become Better Community Citizens?”

 

Co-sponsored by Precision Plumbing

Please join us at our free Forum. Snacks are provided or please bring a vegetarian lunch as our host site is kosher. 

Restoring the Soul’s monthly Forums are presented by local experts who are personally involved with the topics.

Panelists:

Joshua Onysko, Owner of Pangea Organics, John Tayer, Public Affairs and Communication Director of Corden Pharma, and Rich Lotterhos, Owner of Urban Mattress, David Page, Forum Facilitator, Owner of David Page Photography

 

When: Thursday, November 17th, 2011

Panel: 11:30-12:30, Q&A: 12:30-1:00

Where: Congregation Har HaShem
3950 Baseline Rd., Boulder 80303

 

Forum on “Offenders: The Challenges to Reentry and Reintegration,” is tomorrow!

Join us for our monthly forum and discuss this rising social problem. Reentry and reintegration has become crucially important to Boulder County because, those released from the county jail are integrated back into our neighborhoods. Listen to our knowledgeable panelist discuss what we can do to help assist these offenders back into the community safely. With collaboration, we can enhance community safety, help offenders find jobs and housing so they are off the streets, and better the living environment for all. After all, we are all humans and all make mistakes and the recidivism rate of 70% proves that jail isn’t the answer anymore. 

 

When: Thursday, October 27th, 2011. 11:30 a.m. -1 p.m. 

Where: Congregation Har HaShem, 3950 Baseline Rd., Boulder CO 80303

Who:

Elise Flesher, Research and Analyst, Longmont Police Department

Joy Eckstine, Executive Director, Bridge House (formerly Carriage House)

Tim Schaaf, Lead Case Manager, Boulder Shelter for the Homeless

Jose Nieves, life experience of the issues.

Leslie Ogeda, Facilitator, Program Specialist, Community Justice Services

“How Can Local Businesses Be Better Community Citizens?”

Join us on November 17, 2011, to discover how local businesses have become responsible community citizens. We will have several knowledgeable local business leaders speak as part of our panel…

Joshua Onysko, Owner of Pangea Organics,

John Tayer, Public Affairs & Communication Director of Corden Pharma,

Rich Lotterhos, Owner of Urban Mattress,

And our panel facilitator…

David Page, Owner of David Page Photography

We look forward to see you there! Keep checking back with us for more updates on the forum.

Where:  Congregation Har HaShem, 3950 Baseline Rd., Boulder, CO 80303.

When: November 11, 2011.                                                                   Panel Discussion 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.,  Q & A: 12:30-1 p.m.

 

*Snacks are provided, or please bring a vegetarian lunch since or host site is kosher

What can we, as a community, do to help lower the recidivism rate of Boulder County offenders?

“Offenders: The Challenges of Reentry and Reintegration.” FORUM REMINDER

• The United States incarcerates more people for drug offenses, than the European Union does for all offenses combined.
• Colorado has unprecedented growth in the prison population. In 1980, there were 2,658 people in prison. In 2009, that number increased to 23,152.
• 65% of women in prison are mothers with children under the age of 18.
• Children with a parent in prison have a much higher likelihood of being incarcerated themselves.
• A large, three-state recidivism study found that less than half of released prisoners had secured a job upon their return to the community.

Recidivism- The act of a person repeating an undesirable behavior after they have experienced negative consequences of that behavior. This results in re-arrest.
* statistics are found at ccjrc.org

Find out more at our forum!

When: Thursday, October 27th
Panel: 11:30-12:30, Q&A: 12:30-1:00

Where: Congregation Har HaShem
3950 Baseline Rd., Boulder 80303

Elise Flesher, Researcher, Longmont Police Department,
Joy Eckstine, Executive Director, Bridgehouse (Carriage House)   
Tim Schaaf, Lead Case Manager for the Shelter Programs 
Jose Nieves, life experience of issue.

Facilitator:

Leslie Ogeda, Program Specialist, Community Justice Services
 
Please join us at our free Forum. Snacks are provided or please bring a vegetarian lunch, as our host site is kosher. 

Restoring the Soul’s monthly Forums are presented by local experts who are personally involved with the topics. You may listen to the Forums regularly from 8:35-9:30 on KGNU 88.5 FM. Forum broadcasts will continue on the fourth Thursday of the following months:  January, February, April, May, July, August, October and November.

~The Trends Report Reviewed~

The childhood poverty rate in Boulder County reportedly shot up from 9% to over 13% between 2008 and 2009. This means that every one of four children in Boulder County over five years of age is living in poverty.  What’s also surprising is that Boulder County is ranked 23^rd in childhood obesity. At first glance, these statistics don’t seem appropriate for Boulder. Personally, I know that my friends who don’t live in Boulder assume it to be prosperous and healthy paradise because of the abundance of outdoor activities, progressive nature, and attractive aesthetics. These are just small parts of Boulder that don’t necessarily define the population of Boulder County.

On the contrary, 24% of families live in poverty. That means that a family of four is living off of $22,000 a year or less, and that a single person would be living off of $11,000 or less. That is a large number of people who are in desperate need of social service assistance so that they can feed their family or themselves. However, Colorado is ranked 52^nd in food stamp turn-around. Meaning, these families are waiting a long time before they receive the assistance they need to nourish themselves. The reason for this is because social services is having trouble keeping up with assistance benefits is because the gap between the low income and the non-free and reduced lunch is growing at an alarming rate. These are just the summaries of a few surprising statistics that were reported in The Community Foundation’s 2011 Trends magazine.

The Community Foundation aims to improve the quality of life in Boulder County now and forever, and build a culture of giving among the community members. The first step in this process is the act of spreading the knowledge about Boulder County using the Trends magazine.

Restoring the Soul is grateful to have hosted a forum with The Community Foundation’s Civic Forum Director, Editor and Publisher of Trends magazine, Morgan Rogers, who was able to present these statistics in a very concise manner. Forum audience members noted that this information was, “informative, accessible, and important community information.”  For more information about the Community Foundation and to learn more about Boulder County, visit their website at http://www.commfound.org/home.php. Slides from the Community Foundation’s presentation can also be found here. http://www.commfound.org/nonprof/trends/trends-presentations

We Invite You to Join Us and Your Community to Learn More About Boulder County’s Key Indictators!

September Forum:

“The Community Foundation’s 2011 TRENDS Report Reviewed”

The Community Foundation is excited to announce the release of the new TRENDS report for 2011. The 2011 TRENDS magazine contains updated data on education, health and human services, our local economy, the environment, arts and culture, and our civic participation and giving. 

When: Thursday, September 22nd

Panel: 11:30-12:30, Q&A 12:30-1pm

Where: Congregation Har HaSham

3950 Baseline Road, Boulder

Panelist:

Morgan Rogers, Civic Forum Director, Editor and Publisher of TRENDS