DENVER, CO - When the College View Neighborhood Association arrives at City Hall Monday at 4:45pm they will be delivering love letters to members of the Denver City Council.
"Residents of our neighborhood love their recreation center" which is threatened with closing in the budget the Council is considering, according to Dan Ridgeway, president of the Association.
The city recreation center serves elementary school students with after school with sports, snacks and homework help.Teens join the center's basketball teams, keeping them off the streets and out of local gangs.Even senior citizens rely on the center for quarterly visits with the visiting nurse and socialization which includes square dancing at the Center..
"Many seniors don't drive long distances and rely on the center for essential medical services," said, Jo O'Shea, visiting nurse.
People in the neighborhood have been writing letters to members of the City Council, hoping to show that the neighborhood center is an asset to the city and an investment in its citizens, not an expense.
Tara Espinoza, the mother of two children, said "During the time that my kids were the ages 4 through 12, without the center I wouldn't have been able to work. Now that my kids are in their teens, more then ever I rely on it as a place for my kids to socialize and get involved in activities that are positive and safe. I also use the Center because I would never be able to afford a conventional gym membership for myself. Also, as a neighbor of College View I fear that the violence, which is already high, will sky rocket if we lose the Rec Center.
Espinoza continued "You know when I sit and think of all the ways the center has affected my life, I realize that truly for the last 30 years it has helped mold me into the person I am today, The first time I went there I was5. I was an active kid and back then, there wasn't anywhere else to go, I remember the staff being like extended family, and I learned a lot of discipline and responsibility in my childhood and early teen years. I learned how to be a team player and learned good sportsmanship through all the sports I played there. I am a success story and my kids will be 2nd generation success stories. I hate that people don't fully understand the impact a place like College View has on people like me and my kids. I get so emotional when I think about it not being there and I had to ask my self am I fighting for nostalgia? No, I am doing this because for every phase of my life so far, the Rec has been there, and I hope that it will be there for me as a senior also."
"There are great recreation centers just over a mile away, but to use them our children would have to cross major roads during rush hour.If they were closer and there was a safe way for the children to get there, combining the centers would be a great solution, but I'm sure the parents at Athmar and Harvey Park Recreation Centers would agree - they wouldn't want their children to try to cross Federal Boulevard, and Jewell and Evans Avenues to come to College View if their centers were closed," said Debbie Zamora, a local resident.
Local residents have been meeting and making plans to supplement the offerings at the College View Center with no additional cost to the City.Local permaculturist and executive chef Maggie Rice has volunteered to work with the neighborhood children to plant vegetable gardens around the center in the spring.When the veggies are ready to harvest, she will teach neighborhood residents to cook with fresh, healthy vegetables.
Other parents are hoping to help with scorekeeping, organizing teams and even starting a cheerleading squad.
Monday is not Valentine's Day, but love letters are heading to City Hall anyway.