Serving the Barnum Neighborhood

Extreme Community Makeover is proud to serve Denver Neighborhoods. We do 
volunteer work in Elyria, Globeville, La Alma/Lincoln Park, Swansea, Villa Park, 
West Colfax, Westwood and Barnum. 

Barnum is located in an area known as West Denver. The neighborhood's 
northern boundary is the Sixth Avenue Freeway, its eastern boundary 
is Federal Boulevard, its southern boundary is Alameda Avenue and its 
western boundary is Perry Street. 

Barnum

In 1878 master showman P. T. Barnum purchased a tract of land on the western edge of 

Denver. Over 130 years the area has developed into a robust neighborhood with a 

population that is more than 75 percent Hispanic.This community of young 

first-generation and immigrant families today welcomes newcomers from all 

over the world.

History

Barnum began as a nineteenth-century Denver suburb, developed as a haven for 

working-class families. P. T. 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. Beginning in the 1950s, 

large numbers of Hispanic residents, whether from long-established Colorado families 

relocating to jobs and opportunities in Denver or relatively new immigrants from Mexico, 

began to make Barnum a distinctly Hispanic neighborhood.  In 1950, just ten percent 

of Barnum’s residents were Hispanic; three decades later, in 1980, a majority of its 

residents (50%) were Hispanic.

Today

Today’s Barnum remains a neighborhood of families, now mostly Hispanic (some 75% 

[2000]) and of modest means (with an average household income of $41,185 [2000]).  

More than two-thirds of Barnum’s housing is owner-occupied, and the rate of Hispanic 

homeownership in the neighborhood is substantially higher (66.01% [2000]) than for the 

rest of Denver (49.11% [2000]).  Barnum remains a vibrant working class neighborhood, 

as it has been for more than a century.

Reaching 100%

Neighbor to Neighbor Club "Thank you for allowing your volunteer crew to come to our home and work a wonderful makeover in our front and back yards.....we couldn't have asked for a greater bunch of people to do the admiral work that they very unselfishly performed at our residence with unmatched fervor......many kudos to all the crews involved in this community endeavor." - Chris, Barnum Resident   I received this note in the mail this week after a project we completed during an ECM Work Day earlier this month. During that Work Day, we also received a visit from Denver Mayor Michael Hancock, had a story about another project that day aired on the news that evening, as well as surpassed the mark of having 20,000 volunteers involved in Extreme Community Makeover since we began! And all those things happened in just one day.   This year has been filled with thousands of volunteers participating from Denver and across the country; residents who have received help at their own home coming out to volunteer and paying it forward to help a neighbor with a project at their home; and a new to ECM truck that makes me wonder how we ever got by this long without a truck. We're on track for 60 Work Days this year, along with completing around 250 projects. Thus, one of my goals this year is to encourage monthly donations to support all these projects. We are currently 23% of the way to reaching this goal of funding 250 projects. We need your help to partner with Extreme Community Makeover to reach 100%!   The Neighbor to Neighbor Club is a way to connect monthly donations to the projects ECM completes. Every $10 per month donated to ECM is the equivalent of supporting one project during the year, which seems like a pretty great investment since you could easily spend that same amount on one movie or a couple cups of coffee at Starbucks! If you are used to donating once or a couple times per year, you could take that donation amount, divide it by twelve, and give that donation on a monthly basis, which helps ECM tremendously.   To join the Neighbor to Neighbor Club, head to our website - http://www.extremecommunitymakeover.org/Donate/ NeighbortoNeighborClub.aspx   You can give via credit card or set up a recurring donation through your bank account. Let me know if you have any questions about getting started. Can we count on you to support Extreme Community Makeover on a monthly basis? Thank you for your partnership to impact Denver neighborhoods "one block at a time"!   Angela Bomgaars Extreme Community Makeover

8.23.14 ECM Work Day in La Alma/Lincoln Park

Individuals

Summary of 8.23.14 ECM Work Day:

• Volunteers Participated - 10
• Alleys Cleaned - 4
• Volunteer Hours - 70

8.9.14 ECM Work Day in Barnum

Bethany United Methodist Church

Greenwood Community Church

Mile High Young Professionals

Ogletree Deakins

Summary of 8.9.14 ECM Work Day:

• Volunteers Participated - 60
• Projects Completed - 14
• Volunteer Hours - 410



My Work Day Experience

My first day as a volunteer with Extreme Community Makeover (ECM) was on August 9, 2014, in the Barnum neighborhood of Denver. I am a new volunteer with the Communications Team. My assignment was to check out a Work Day and blog about my experience.

ECM works with volunteers to deliver on the organization’s two-pronged mission to spruce up neighborhoods and strengthen relationships within communities. The organization’s slogan, “building tomorrow . . . one block at a time” encompasses both.

Two weeks before our August 9 Work Day, a crew went out to residents in the Barnum neighborhood (between Ellsworth and 1st Avenue along Winona Street) to ask residents if they had any outside projects they needed help completing. Residents committed to pitch in whatever materials and labor they could for painting, landscaping, and debris removal projects. A list of projects was put together and two weeks later a group of volunteers showed up, along with additional materials and a gigantic dumpster. This cycle repeats every two weeks. 

While volunteers were sprucing up the Barnum neighborhood, another crew was out in one of ECM’s other target neighborhoods setting up for the Work Day on August 23. By the end of its 2014 season, ECM will have completed 60+ Work Days across the city!

There were 15 homes on the list for August 9. Projects included weed removal, mowing, tree trimming, general yard work, and painting. I spent some time with a couple of the homeowners.

Kelly moved into her house on Winona Street about a year ago and is fixing up the inside. She needed help getting the exterior of her house painted (the whole house in a day). Without skipping a beat, volunteers helped her finish scraping and prepping the house for painting. Just as Kelly went to pick up the paint sprayer, the weather turned stormy so she ended up painting about half of the house with friends and relatives on Sunday. ECM always offers to help finish projects if the homeowners need it. 

  

Up the block, Miguel also just purchased his house after his sister Emma and brother-in-law Jorge convinced him of the benefits of home ownership such as financial stability, the ability to borrow against an asset if needed, and the tax deduction for interest expense. Like Kelly, Miguel is fixing up the inside of the house for his family before they move in. The kids aren’t too impressed with how long it takes to fix things up, but the house is coming along. Miguel, Emma, Jorge, and several other family members were working alongside volunteers to trim trees, pull weeds, and clean up debris.

 

Emma also made burritos to feed volunteers. Emma says, “We are like this. You help us and we want to do something to give back.” She was surprised to learn that ECM was feeding volunteers and residents lunch at Bethany United Methodist Church, the community partner hosting the Work Day. Lunch is a big part of building relationships in the community. So, I urged Emma to take the family to lunch and bring the burritos. 

All in all, I enjoyed my Work Day experience and I am looking forward spending more time getting to know and creating relationships with ECM volunteers and Denver residents. 

~Mary J., Communications Team 

Video Testimonial 

*ECM serves eight Denver neighborhoods: Barnum, Elyria, Globeville, La Alma/Lincoln Park, Swansea, Villa Park, West Colfax, and Westwood. 

Denver Days - Creating Healthy Communities

Creating community through neighborhood activities and volunteer projects.

Denver Mayor, Michael B. Hancock, is proud to launch the 2nd year of Denver Days. Denver Days is a citywide effort to help neighbors get to know each other and get involved with their communities. Strong communities are vital to a healthy Denver. Therefore, the city of Denver is waiving all permit fees for individuals, groups, organizations, etc. to host block parties, events, etc. Denver Days is a great way to encourage community involvement and general connectivity to your neighbors and to your community.

Denver Days is August 2nd through August 10th. It's too late to get in the game this year. However, below are some ideas to help you plan your event for next year. 

Throw a Block Party!

Prepare your block party with the help of our handy tool kit. It will give you tips on organizing, creating committees, managing budgets, creative activity ideas and more. You can also download and customize our full-color Denver Days flyer for your event.

Organize a Service Project

Service projects are a great way to help improve your neighborhood while at the same time building a sense of community. These ideas will help you get started today.

Host a Social Activity

Hosting a neighborhood social event is a great way to come together year round. 

Organize a group walk or bicycle ride

Do a cooking demonstration

Host a dance, aerobic or yoga class 

Tour a nearby historic district  

Host an outing to a local sporting event

Have a neighborhood art show/competition

Host a furry friends pet show/party

Organize 'Snow Buddies' for winter shoveling 

ECM's Denver Day Participation 

Extreme Community Makeover is participating in Denver Days in two ways!

1) ECM Fun Day - click here to RSVP for the event. 

2) Work Day - Service Project - Saturday, August 9th. 

If you'd like to participate in our work day click here. 

August Extreme Endeavors: A More Neighborly Community

Extreme Community Makeover Newsletter  August Extreme Endeavors August 2014

In This Issue ECM Fun Day: Sun Aug 10 BMW Championship Save the Date: Fri Nov 14 July 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 The past two months have been packed with volunteers and projects.  A number of the volunteers have been students who have traveled to Denver from around the country.  I'm reminded of how important service opportunities are for learning and character development for youth today, as this note reminded me.....   "We just wanted to thank you so much for allowing our students a place to volunteer at all summer and for sharing your vision of a benevolent, more neighborly community with all of us.  Please keep up the important work that all the volunteers contribute to the people of Denver."   - Youthworks summer staff   Thank you for the role you play in making Denver a great place to live for all of our neighbors!   Angela Bomgaars, Executive Director  ECM Work Days Click here to view the schedule for all ECM Work Days.  To register a group, click here.  To register an individual, click here.                  Saturday, August 9 @ 9:00 am (Barnum)    Bethany United Methodist Church - 3501 West 1st Avenue, Denver, 80219         Saturday, August 23 @ 9:00 am (La Alma/Lincoln Park)    His Love Fellowship - 910 Kalamath Street, Denver, 80204    To get involved, please RSVP to Angela and follow the links below to fill out the appropriate liability form.

ECM Fun Day: Sun Aug 10      BMW Championship  The 2014 BMW Championship is coming to Denver and will be held at Cherry Hills Country Club on September 1-7.  You may be wondering what this has to do with ECM?  We have the opportunity to staff the food and beverage tents during the tournament and a percentage of sales will then be donated back to ECM!   These are the shifts we are aiming to cover:      - Wednesday September 3: 6:30 am - 1:30 pm AND 11:00 am - Close      - Friday September 5: 9:00 am - 4:00 pm AND 11:00 am - Close      - Sunday September 7: 7:00 am - 2:00 pm AND 11:00 am - Close   To sign up for a shift, fill out your name and contact info here.  Feel free to invite anyone to join you.  Spaces will be available on a first come-first serve basis. Save the Date: Fri Nov 14 Our annual "Art is in the Air" event will take place Friday, November 14 at 7:00 pm at the Artwork Network gallery.  More details will be coming your way in the next month, but make sure to mark your calendar now for this fun evening of appetizers, drinks, desserts, a raffle, and silent auction to support Extreme Community Makeover! July Volunteers ECM had another strong showing of volunteers in the month of July.  Thanks to all those who traveled many miles to come to Denver and those who served in their own backyards! Altria Champion Forest Baptist Church Christ the King Anglican Church Church of the Resurrection C to the O Denver Community Church Encana Ken Caryl Ranch Middle School Leadership Corps Kingfisher First United Methodist Church Lake Lotawana Methodist National Western Stockshow Onebody International Peace Lutheran Church Youth Rosewood Reformed Church Silver Lake United Methodist Church SOS Outreach  Sunnybrook Community Church Takeda Central Region Team TASC Westwood Unidos Youthworks

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