Church Partner: St. Andrew United Methodist Church

St. Andrew United Methodist Church's mission is to INVITE, RECEIVE, NURTURE, CHALLENGE and SEND FORTH committed (devoted) disciples of Christ. The multitude of exciting things that happen inside our church- worship, music, study groups, ministry teams, programs and activities- are all designed to lead us back out into the world to live as devoted disciples of Christ. As an equipping church we are committed to helping everyone discover their unique spiritual gifts, passions, interests and experiences so we can all live life from the inside out.
St. Andrew has been involved in ECM since we first began in 2008 and consistently sends groups of youth to make a difference in Denver neighborhoods - teaching them to serve locally and around the world.  We are grateful for your involvement in ECM and look forward to continuing to work together!

January Extreme Endeavors: Looking Forward to 2014

Extreme Community Makeover Newsletter  January Extreme Endeavors January 2014

In This Issue Spanish Classes Think Tanks Denver Digs Trees December Volunteers Quick Links About ECM  Contact ECM           Donate  Help ECM build stronger communities in Denver through your financial support.     Checks can be made to:   Extreme Community Makeover    and sent to:    Extreme Community Makeover PO Box 102586 Denver, CO 80250-2586 This past year was another incredible one for Extreme Community Makeover, with a record setting number of volunteers participating, which led to numerous relationships built between residents, volunteers, and neighbors, while accomplishing projects that made a tangible difference at each home where ECM worked.   When thinking about what 2014 holds, I expect it will be another great year because of the incredible people who are part of this movement of demonstrating what it looks like to be a good neighbor to others.  Looking forward to working with you as together we see what happens through Extreme Community Makeover this year!   Angela Bomgaars, Executive Director  ECM Work Days The full ECM Work Day schedule will be available next month, but until then, we have a volunteer opportunity available for individuals or groups over the winter - helping with our evaluation efforts.  We gather feedback from each resident partnered with on a project and would like to get to a 50% response rate.  Thus, this project entails talking with individuals ECM volunteers worked with on a project last year and filling out this evaluation with them via a conversation.  If you are interested in learning more details about how to get involved, contact Angela.

Spanish Classes If you are interested in improving your Spanish speaking skills, ECM is hosting a Spanish class starting this month. We will meet on Thursday evenings from 6:00-7:00 pm for four straight weeks, starting on January 23rd.  The class will be held at the ECM office (4200 Morrison Road, Unit 3, Denver, 80219) and will cost $20.  Contact Angela for more details about how to sign-up. Think Tanks One of the long-term goals of ECM is to connect neighbors and build stronger communities.  Thus, we are putting together a "community development think tank", comprised of those who are excited about the opportunities that ECM could be involved with as we look at how to foster building stronger communities after ECM Work Days are completed.  The main strategy we will be starting with is time banks, since we have just received a planning grant from The Denver Foundation to launch a time bank in the Globeville, Elyria, and Swansea neighborhoods.  Click here to read more about time banking.    One of the other ideas being explored is developing a professional construction/landscaping aspect to ECM that would hire people from the neighborhoods where ECM works to complete more advanced projects such as construction, roofing, tree trimming/removal, and other types of projects that require more advanced skills.  This aspect to ECM would be available for hire metro-Denver wide at a competitive market rate, while being available for ongoing maintenance and projects requiring more professional expertise.  Thus, we are putting together a "construction/landscaping think tank" to explore this idea with those who are business savvy, knowledgeable about these types of advanced projects, or interested in the concept.   Please contact Angela if you would like to participate in either of these think tanks.   Denver Digs Trees Denver Digs Trees focuses on providing medium and large sized shade trees for planting within the City of Denver, which you can plant along the street, in your yard, or both places!  What is a Street Tree?  A Street Tree is planted along the street in the Public Right-of-Way.  It is planted either in the tree lawn (the space between the sidewalk and the curb) or, in the absence of a tree lawn, at a distance 10 feet from the curb. What is a Yard Tree?  A Yard Tree is planted on private property.  It may be planted in a front-, back-, or side- yard.  At sites without a tree lawn, Yard Trees are planted 11 feet or more from the curb. On average, one tree costs The Park People $125 to provide but thanks to sponsors, trees are available for $10 each in target neighborhoods throughout Denver (including all ECM neighborhoods) and $35 each in other areas.  Apply by Sat Feb 15 by clicking here.    December Volunteers Thank you to our regular monthly crew of students from Front Range Christian School for volunteering with ECM in December and cleaning up Morrison Road, where ECM's office is located.

Thank you for partnering with ECM to make a difference in Denver neighborhoods!       Sincerely,   Extreme Community Makeover

Apply for Street or Yard Trees

Denver Digs Trees focuses on providing medium and large sized shade trees for planting within the City of Denver. We invite you to apply for one or more low-cost trees.

For each tree that you request, we need you to identify whether it is a "Street Tree" or a "Yard Tree" based on the definitions of Street and Yard Trees below. You may apply for Street Trees, Yard Trees, or both!

What is a Street Tree? A Street Tree is planted along the street in the Public Right-of-Way. It is planted either in the tree lawn (the space between the sidewalk and the curb) or, in the absence of a tree lawn, at a distance 10 feet from the curb.

What is a Yard Tree? A Yard Tree is planted on private property. It may be planted in a front-, back-, or side- yard. At sites without a tree lawn, Yard Trees are planted 11 feet or more from the curb.

(Site Inspectors will visit each potential Street Tree site to confirm the proper spacing, mark where Street Tree(s) must be planted, and approve City planting permits. We will NOT conduct site visits for Yard Trees, so you will need to plan carefully on your own.)

Tree Fees:

On average, one tree costs The Park People $125 to provide. Thanks to our sponsors, we are able to subsidize much of this expense. The per-tree fee is based on the neighborhood in which the tree will be planted. Click here to determine your official neighborhood.

Standard Fee: $35 per tree
Target Neighborhood Fee: $10 per tree *

* Planting sites in these target neighborhoods with low tree canopy cover qualify for trees at $10 each: Athmar Park, Baker, Barnum, Barnum West, Chaffee Park, Clayton, Cole, College View/South Platte, Elyria-Swansea, Five Points, Globeville, Green Valley Ranch, Jefferson Park, Lincoln Park, Montbello, Northeast Park Hill, Overland, Ruby Hill, Skyland, Sun Valley, Valverde, Villa Park, West Colfax, Westwood, and Whittier.

Any applicant facing financial hardship may request a Treeship to receive trees for free.  More details here - http://theparkpeople.org/Programs/DenverDigsTrees/ApplyforTrees.aspx

Connecting Generations : Building Relationships

Let's End 2013 with a Bang! CONNECTING GENERATIONS As we approach the final days of 2013, Extreme Community Makeover has seen a lot of great things take place through connecting generations and building relationships through our Work Days and projects.  BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS       In these last few days of the year, our  goal is to raise $9,000 to meet our yearly operating budget.  Can we count on you to help us reach that goal?   Here are two easy ways you can give:       - via credit card - Donate Now    - via check made payable to "Extreme Community Makeover" and mailed to:            Extreme Community Makeover            PO Box 102586            Denver, CO 80250-2586   Thank you for your partnership in 2013!   Sincerely,   Angela Bomgaars, Executive Director Extreme Community Makeover

Shout-Out to ECM on Jeopardy

Check out the shout-out ECM received on Jeopardy! This video is of the whole episode but if you skip ahead to the 6:00 minute mark, you'll be at the right spot.

Volunteers + Relationships = Impact

The Impact of One Project If you are receiving this message, you have probably participated in an Extreme Community Makeover project and have been one of the 17,275 volunteers who have demonstrated how to be a good neighbor and thus, experienced the privilege of getting to work side by side with someone on a project at their home.  This summer a group from Bethany Lutheran Church met a young couple, Megan and Tim, who indicated that they did not need help with a project at their home but that they would be willing to volunteer with the group and help out their neighbors.  When it came time for the Work Day, Megan and Tim worked with others from Bethany to come alongside Pauline.  Pauline is wheelchair bound and thoroughly appreciated the volunteers who helped her tackle a landscaping and yard work project.  After talking more, the group learned that Pauline struggled to maintain her yard each week.  Megan and Tim, the neighbors who lived a few doors down, heard Pauline's concern and offered to mow each week!  ECM met an immediate need, but also connected Pauline with ongoing support through the relationships built during the project.   Next Tuesday, December 10, is Colorado Gives Day, which is an opportunity to give where you live.  100% of your donation will come directly to ECM since credit card fees are waived and the value of your donation will be increased by the FirstBank Incentive Fund.    ECM makes stories like Pauline's possible for around $120 per project - a pretty substantial impact for that dollar amount.  Our goal is to raise $2,500 this year, which would fund 20 projects - which means 20 more stories like Pauline's are made possible. You can donate online here any time during the 24 hour period of December 10, or you can pre-schedule your donation today.  Simply click here, click "Donate Now", and check the box for "Schedule a donation for Colorado Gives Day", and follow the rest of the prompts.  Thank you in advance for your partnership with ECM in our efforts to impact Denver neighborhoods "one block at a time"!   Sincerely,   Angela Bomgaars, Executive Director

Extreme Community Makeover

Giving Tuesday

Did you know today is #GivingTuesday? And one week from today (Dec 10) is #COGivesDay. Consider how your donation can make an impact "one block at a time" through supporting ECM. You can even pre-schedule your gift today!