The LWVD Newsletter
April 2022 | April Briefings - Police and Public Safety
April 5 & April 19, 5:30 p.m.
The Public Safety Study Group has asked several of the people they met through their year-long investigation of police and public safety in Denver to speak to us at two briefings in April.
 April 5 -
We will showcase all that is being done by Denver’s behavioral health community in serving mentally ill in the criminal justice system, interrupting the revolving door between interrupted mental health treatment and the jail. Chris Richardson, Associate Director of Criminal Justice Services, Mental Health Center of Denver, and Carleigh Sailon, STAR Program Director, Denver Police Department (DPD), have both been instrumental in the design, development, and management of Denver’s nationally recognized Co-Responder and STAR Programs.
 The Co-Responder Program pairs licensed mental health clinicians with Denver Police Officers to provide on-scene support, crisis deescalation, and service linkage to individuals in violent situations experiencing mental health crises. The STAR Program, under Sailon’s leadership, provides person-centric, mobile crisis intervention services to persons experiencing mental health problems, depression, and/or substance abuse issues. STAR links 911 callers experiencing mental health crises to appropriate support providers while freeing uniformed police officers from responding to 911 calls for which mental health professionals are better qualified. Denver is currently in the midst of making the STAR vans accessible city-wide as well as more hours of the day.
April 19 -
Commander Kim Bowser and Lt. Michele Folmar of the Denver Police Department (DPD) will be our briefing presenters. Kim Bowser is the newly appointed Commander of District 6 – Denver’s downtown and crime hot spot. She was formerly the Director of Training for the DPD. Lt. Folmar is the new Director of Training, replacing Commander Bowser. The two will discuss the initiatives that DPD has undertaken to focus department resources on crime hotspots and on the improvements in training undertaken since the George Floyd protests in June 2020.
Join us for both presentations by Zoom! | The Bulb Sale is Coming
Our Major Fundraiser is in the Works
 Who doesn’t love seeing spring flowers blooming all around Denver? We sell high quality bulbs which come to us directly from Holland in the fall. Let’s all commit to making this our best sale ever. Soon people will see what they are missing in their yards and will be ready to add some extra color for next year.
We are excited to welcome Barbara and Roger Mattison to our bulb sale team, and Barbara is particularly committed to getting our bulbs out into the community by marketing them to various garden clubs and other organizations. Think about how you might help with that effort. We designed this fundraiser almost 30 years ago not just to sell to Leaguers but to sell to our friends, families, neighbors, and fellow members of organizations we are involved in. We have over 200 members in the Denver League. We believe each of you knows someone who would love to buy bulbs or receive them as gifts.
We are working on the sale now and hope to have a variety of ways you can buy and sell bulbs. Watch for news on those options. We will also have available examples of how you can contact potential buyers. This fundraiser is vital to our League and is the reason we can have an office, an office manager, and provide valuable information to voters. Let’s do it!
Andrea Mitchell and Marty Sloven, Bulb Sale Co-Chairs | Notes on our March Briefing: Health and Employment Issues for Non-Binary and Transgender People
The Ides of March caught up with us on Tuesday, March 15, when problems with our Zoom link for the briefing blocked access for some of you. The good news is that you can check on our website, lwvdenver.org, to find the PowerPoint slides and the recording of the briefing. (And if you missed earlier briefings, you can connect with recordings of those as well.)
Our March speakers—Marvyn Allen, the Health, Equity and Training Director for One Colorado, and Ariel DeFazio, Esq., an employment attorney for Lawrey, Parady and Lebsack—presented a well-organized program highlighting the history of legislation affecting the rights of LBTQ+ people, as well as areas that still need work. The slide deck posted on our website lists relevant legislation. I think you will feel proud of Colorado when you review the progress made here. We are fortunate to be able to hear from two people whose work has helped make this possible.
During the March Program Committee meeting, we discussed the desirability of more in-depth study of the issues that inform our choices of briefing topics. Patty Cordova suggested the book Going to Trinidad: A Doctor, a Colorado Town, and Stories from an Unlikely Gender Crossroads by Martin J. Smith. The committee discussed the possibility of book groups to discuss relevant books. I am interested in working with Going to Trinidad. If you would like to do this, please get in touch with me at haleyerg@gmail.com. (We can discuss schedules; we don’t have to do this in the middle of a very busy time.)
Elsie Haley, Non-Binary Committee Chair and Director of Communications
| Annual Meeting
Saturday, May 14
9:00 - 11:30 a.m.
Join by Zoom
Please join us for our third (and hopefully final) Zoom video conference Annual Meeting.
Our guest speaker will be:
Dawn Davenport, PhD
Vice President, Child and Family Services
Mental Health Center of Denver
Dr. Davenport has worked for the Mental Health Center of Denver (MHCD) for over a decade, and in her latest role, she oversees Child & Family Services. Her office is located at Dahlia Campus for Health & Well-Being.
Child & Family Services has been the focus of Dr. Davenport’s work throughout her time at the Mental Health Center of Denver. She has held the role of psychologist, program manager for home-based services, and the director of clinical services. “I’m passionate and motivated to provide children and families with the best services we possibly can as an organization,” she said. “We have an incredibly talented and committed staff with the ability to provide excellent care across the life span.”
We have asked her to speak about MHCD's current work with families and children, the highest priority of unmet needs in our city, and any plans for applying for new federal and state funds on behalf of Denver's children and families.
The business part of the meeting will follow our guest speaker and is a chance for members to learn more about our organization and fellow Leaguers. The 2022-23 budget will be presented for approval, and the Nominating Committee will present their slate of Board of Directors for the coming year. Our annual awards are always a highlight. Look for the slate, a call for award nominations, and a proposed change to the bylaws below.
Marge Fisch and Pam Hovik, Directors of Organization | Board Member Nominations
At the Annual Meeting of the Denver League of Women Voters, a number of new Board members will be elected. The Nominating Committee has prepared a slate of nominations, but we also wanted to alert all League members about the opportunities available to serve on the Board or to work for the League in other ways.
It has been apparent to the Board for several years that the Board tends to be filled with the same people every year. If the League is going to be a vibrant and effective organization, we need to involve newer (dare we say younger) members and take advantage of all the knowledge and skill that members bring to the League. Because the Nominating Committee cannot know all the talents that members have, it is important for members to be willing to let us know what you can do for the League.
At the present time, there are two positions that the Nominating Committee was not able to fill on the Board. The chair of the Development Committee leads efforts to raise money to fund the League’s activities with the help of a committed and effective committee, already in place. We suspect there is a member of the League who has this type of experience and could capably fill this position. There is also an At-Large position open on the Board. This Board position does not have any specified responsibilities but allows the person filling it to learn about the Board’s functioning and to pitch in wherever the member has the skills to make an impact.
If you are interested or want more information about these positions, please contact a member of the Nominating Committee: Carla Bennett, Chair, Sally Augden, Frank Bennett, or Bobbie Heisterkamp or any member of the Board.
Here is the slate of Board members proposed by the Nominating Committee. This slate will be voted on at the Annual Meeting, but nominations can also be made from the floor at that meeting.
Nominated for a Two-Year Term:
| Co-Director of Program |
Sue Stark |
| Co-Director of Communications |
Frank Bennett |
| Treasurer |
Bobbie Heisterkamp |
| Co-Chair Voter Service |
Anne Duncan |
| Membership |
Mary Giammari |
| Unit Organization |
Terry Cookro |
| Technology Coordinator |
Andrea Mitchell |
| Member-at-Large |
Marge Fisch |
Members Continuing to the Second Year of their Terms:
| Director of Organization |
Pam Hovik |
| Co-Director of Program |
Barbara Allen Ford |
| Co-Director of Communications |
Elsie Haley |
| Secretary |
Marty Sloven |
| Co-Chair Voter Service |
Jeanette Scotland |
| VOTER Editor |
Pearlanne Zelarney |
| Nominate a Fellow Leaguer!
Due by Thursday, April 14
We have several ways we can recognize each other during Awards season.
All members are encouraged to nominate fellow members for the Shirley Weaver Suffragist and Marty Sloven Mother Lode awards that are given each year at the Annual Meeting. We also recognize those members with more than 50 years of membership.
The Suffragist Award recognizes lifetime achievement and is only given to an individual once. It is in recognition of outstanding work and contributions to the Denver League over a lengthy period of time. The Mother Lode Award is for special effort during the past year.This award can be won more than once. Previous winners for both awards can be found on the nomination form.
The nomination form for both awards is available here. You may use the nomination form or just send an email with the same information to me at Jfriendrd@gmail.com. Nominations will be accepted until April 14. It takes a few extra minutes to complete the form or send the information to nominate a fellow Leaguer, but it means so much to the winners and to the League.
Let us continue to support each other as we strive to inform our Denver community and Colorado, as well as those nationally and internationally.
Joan Friend, Membership Committee Chair
Jfriendrd@gmail.com
303-596-1022 | Bylaws Change
The Board will be bringing a bylaws change proposed by the Program Committee to the Annual Meeting for an all-member vote. The change will allow us to be more flexible in making changes to our Program Positions. Any future program position proposals would still have to be approved by the Board and voted on at Annual Meeting. The proposed changes can be found here.
| League Advocacy
Both League of Women Voters Colorado and League of Women Voter Denver support HB22-1279 -- Reproductive Health Equity Act (RHEA). We have asked COLOR and Cobalt to add LWVD to its list of supporters.
The bill declares that every individual has a fundamental right to use or refuse contraception; every pregnant individual has a fundamental right to continue the pregnancy and give birth or to have an abortion; and a fertilized egg, embryo, or fetus does not have independent or derivative rights under the laws of the state.
HOUSE SPONSORSHIP: Froelich and Esgar, Amabile, Bacon, Benavidez, Bernett, Bird, Boesenecker, Caraveo, Cutter, Daugherty, Duran, Exum, Garnett, Gonzales-Gutierrez, Gray, Herod, Hooton, Jodeh, Kennedy, Kipp, Lindsay, Lontine, McCluskie, McCormick, McLachlan, Michaelson Jenet, Mullica, Ortiz, Ricks, Roberts, Sirota, Snyder, Sullivan, Tipper, Titone, Valdez A., Weissman, Woodrow, and Young
SENATE SPONSORSHIP: Gonzales, Bridges, Buckner, Coleman, Danielson, Fenberg, Fields, Ginal, Hansen, Hinrichsen, Jaquez Lewis, Kolker, Lee, Pettersen, Rodriguez, Story, Winter, and Zenzinger | Reminder: 55th LWV National Convention in Denver
SHERATON DOWNTOWN & ONLINE
JUNE 23-JUNE 26, 2022
LWVCO and LWVD will be hosting the biannual national convention in June in downtown Denver. It is planned to be a hybrid event with either in-person or virtual participation possible. We will need to provide volunteers for the in-person part of the event. Mark your calendars and think about being a volunteer. National is also looking for members willing to host Leaguers from out-of-state in their homes. Marge Fisch and Nancy Ulrich are coordinating for Denver and working with Beth Hendrix at State League. More information to come!
| Board Member Highlight
Barbara Allen Ford, Director of Program
Editor’s Note: This is the seventh in a series of articles highlighting Board members. We thought you’d like to know a little more about their backgrounds and what League means to them. We’ve also asked them for recommendations on books, movies, or activities.
 I joined the Denver League back in 1973 and was part of the Cherry Creek Unit. I was inspired by a biography of Eleanor Roosevelt, a life-long League member, but that history dovetailed with my motivation for moving away from Washington, DC where I’d grown up – wanting to be politically engaged. I viewed the LWVD as my opportunity to achieve my goal to get involved. I worked for the federal government and was hatched, so the League was perfect. I remained active, up to the point of becoming the Chair of the City Government Committee in the midst of the committee writing the first edition of Know Your City Government, which was funded and used by the City and County of Denver. I joined the board under Lorie Young’s presidency, but shortly after, I took a job with Colorado’s Medicaid Program, married, had two sons, and moved with my very political husband back to Washington, D.C. From there we moved to Pueblo, and then California, with no time or opportunity to rejoin until we returned to Denver in 1992. I’ve been a member continuously since then - always involved with Program, including organizing neighborhood tours, program planning potlucks and the LWVColorado Behavioral Health Study.
In terms of my professional life, following graduation from American University, I was a management intern at the Department of Health and Human Services (DHEW at the time) working in HeadStart and community health. I was a deputy director of Colorado Medicaid, and later, the director of the Pueblo YWCA. I led Denver School-Based Health Centers (SBHCs) and then the Colorado Association for SBHCs for ten years.
In 2004, I began my second career as a marriage and family therapist. I worked as a school-based therapist in Jefferson County, and I also volunteered at Clinica Tepeyac Community Health Center in Globeville. Currently, I still have a small private practice, providing therapy to three or four clients per week.
My husband Chuck has recently retired from his career as a lobbyist at the Colorado Capitol, where one of our sons now works as a lobbyist for the State of Colorado. Our second son is a small businessman, doing property management. My dad was in the Air Force and my mom, who was a Denver native, shepherded my five siblings and me across the world and the United States growing up.
Many of you know that this year, Chuck and I returned to Pueblo, after 35 years. I highly recommend visiting Pueblo as a destination. Last month, I visited Rosemount, a beautiful home on a hill not far from the City Center. Rosemount was designed by noted New York architect Henry Hudson Holly, who also selected nearly all furnishings, accessories, decorative arts, paintings, custom woodwork, wall and window treatments, which still remain in beautiful original condition. Other attractions include the Arkansas River trail, historic Union Avenue Railway Station, the Riverwalk, and the Sangre de Cristo Arts and Conference Center. The Steelworks Center Museum preserves the history of the steel and coal industry in Southern Colorado. At one time, 42 languages were spoken in the mill and mines. The history of migration to the American West is in many ways the history of steel in Southern Colorado.
| In Memoriam
We were recently saddened to hear of the death of long-time member Addie Cohen, a loyal member of Southwest Unit, originally Whitman. Addie joined the Denver League in 1963 and was already First Vice President under President Kay Schomp in 1969. Here is a wonderful quote from Lorie Young: “Addie Cohen was the stabilizing, practical influence on the board as treasurer for a number of years. She knew the budget and what we should do with our money and what we could not do with our money. But when we had something to laugh about, she joined in with her hardy laugh; when we had a victory, she celebrated with great feelings. There was no better Denver Leaguer.”
A service for Addie will be Sunday, April 3 at 1:00 p.m. at the Green Mountain Townhomes Club House, the home of her daughter, Marcia Cohen. That address is 12691 W. Alameda Ave., Lakewood, CO 80228-2817. | 
A Quick Note from Cindy Sestrich
Please note that the Denver redistricting process is coming to a close as City Council will finalize on March 29. They have narrowed down to two maps. Take a look at your area and make your comments to the Land Use, Transportation & Infrastructure committee soon. | Welcome New and Returning Members!
Karen Andrews, krooth1966@gmail.com
Lisa Haddox, lisa.m.haddox@gmail.com
Abbey Hruby, moffitt.abbey@gmail.com
Lyric Mastenbrook, lyric454@gmail.com
Leslie Minor, rubyhil303@msn.com
Sharron Pettiford, 816-582-3557
Donna Robertson, donnarobertson51@gmail.com
Judy Woods, cfwoodsfamily@gmail.com
| Please Renew Your Membership or
Become a Member
If you received this email and are not a member, please consider joining us. If it's time to renew your membership, consider doing it on-line. Follow this link to join or renew at one of our membership levels. Membership dues are tax deductible.
| Regular Individual Membership |
$60 |
| Sustaining membership (includes an additional donation) |
$125 |
Two regular members at the same address
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$90 |
| Two sustaining members at the same address (includes an additional donation) |
$150 |
Member needing assistance with paying dues
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$5 |
| Part or full-time student |
$10 |
Members: Forward this VOTER and encourage your friends and neighbors to join! | | www.LWVDenver.org
info@LWVDenver.org | | 1980 Dahlia Street, Denver, CO 80220
303-321-7571 | | | |