8.8.15 ECM Work Day - Barnum Neighborhood

Bethany United Methodist Church

Dakota Ridge High School Drama Department

Individuals

Summary of 8.8.15 ECM Work Day:

• Volunteers Participated - 20
• Projects Completed - 2
• Volunteer Hours - 80

Changing Hearts, One Block at a Time

ECM Volunteer, Trisha, sums it up very well, "Volunteering can definitely change a heart. It brings a smile to someone's face. It's good for me and it's good for everyone." Watch other video testimonials from residents and volunteers on our May 16 Work Day - serving the Barnum and West Colfax neighborhoods.

5.30.15 & 5.31.15 ECM Work Days - Barnum Neighborhood

Individuals 

Jubilee Fellowship Church

Trinity United Methodist Church

Summary of 5.30.15 ECM Work Day:

• Volunteers Participated - 30
• Projects Completed - 3
• Volunteer Hours - 120

Bethany Lutheran Church

Summary of 5.31.15 ECM Work Day:

• Volunteers Participated - 45
• Projects Completed - 10
• Alleys Cleaned - 3
• Volunteer Hours - 225

The First Work Day of the Year

The Extreme Community Makeover team kicked off the spring season last week with our first work day of the year! Saturday, April 11^th we were out in the Barnum district of Denver with a group of dedicated volunteers and plenty of alley clean up, park cleanup and individual resident work.

The day started at Bethany United Methodist Church, who was gracious enough to allow ECM to use their facility as our base. Volunteers joined us from AmeriCorp, Heritage High School’s student council group, as well as plenty of individuals looking to lend a hand. The teams were deployed around Barnum with roughly 15 different projects to complete during the day. 

One of the more memorable projects of the day was the Cedar Park clean up. A small, corner lot park that needed some love after the winter months. ECM transformed Cedar Park from an overgrown, weed covered lot, into a freshly mowed and manicured park for summer. During our work at the park, I had the opportunity to chat with April Crumley, a passionate, caring resident of Barnum and fantastic supporter of ECM. Between pulling weeds and raking, April told us stories of the history of Barnum. She covered the legends of Barnum & Bailey owning elephants in the area, and educated us on the history of Civil War General Hooker, from whom Hooker Street takes its name.

Talking with April, you could feel her passion for her neighborhood. She spoke so highly of the area, the residents and the potential at every corner. She also told us about the non-profit she leads, Concerned Citizens for Barnum. Since 1974, this neighborhood organization has had the mission to promote community responsibility through informed and active participation of citizens in their local government by implementation of positive, patriotic, fraternal, historical and educational objectives and to preserve and strengthen unity among its members, and in our community by promoting good health welfare, and environmental beautification. It was incredible to hear that for 40 years, April has been working on the improvement of Barnum.

Working alongside April to help clean up Barnum gave myself, and other volunteers an incredible sense of pride. It quickly became more than just a ‘work day’ because you could see and discuss how ECM’s efforts were impacting the residents. Like-minded people, working on a shared vision for one of Denver’s incredible neighborhoods.

We can’t wait for more work days, more neighborhoods, and more people like April.

~Adam, ECM Communications Team

4.11.15 ECM Work Day - Barnum Neighborhood

AmeriCorps NCCC

Heritage High School Student Government

Individuals

Summary of 4.11.15 ECM Work Day:

• Volunteers Participated - 55
• Projects Completed - 8
• Alleys Cleaned - 3
• Volunteer Hours - 245

Neighborhood Spotlight: Barnum

The Barnum neighborhood in Denver (6th Avenue - Federal Boulevard - Alameda Avenue - Sheridan Boulevard) is home to a unique part of Denver's history.  Read on to see how accurately this neighborhood reflects its namesake though.  On March 21, 1878, the American circus mogul Phineas T. Barnum bought 760 acres for just $11,000, and a few years later, the Barnum subdivision was platted.

Many myths and legends exist about Barnum’s interest in Denver. He did not buy the property to house his animals during the winter. Barnum’s involvement with his namesake’s development has become part of Denver folklore, especially in the durable legend of the showman’s plan to establish a winter home for his circus in the city. In fact, Barnum never wintered his animals anywhere other than Connecticut or Florida, and the entertainment entrepreneur made just four documented trips to Colorado.

Barnum’s history is one of a quiet development over more than a century, although not for lack of a strong sense of community. As the journalist and historian Robert Autobee observes, Barnum’s struggle in the shadow of Denver’s often different priorities, and its corresponding sense of community occasioned by the city’s neglect of older neighborhoods, has shaped the neighborhood’s identity.  In spite of challenges, Barnum has developed as a haven for working-class families.

Today’s Barnum remains a neighborhood of families, with more than two-thirds of Barnum’s housing being owner-occupied, making it a great fit for Extreme Community Makeover.  Our first Work Day is scheduled in Barnum on Saturday, April 11. Contact Angela for more details about getting involved...and check out some of the best views of Denver while you're there!

Read more about Barnum in the Denver Public Library's article here - https://history.denverlibrary.org/barnum-neighborhood-history

For more information, check out our website - http://www.extremecommunitymakeover.org/About/Barnum.aspx