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Del Plested Celebrates 100 Years!
On 7/19/2008

Contributed by: Joan Hill on 7/11/2008

Delores Plested, longtime Capitol Hill resident and noted Colorado historian and philanthropist, will celebrate her 100 th birthday on July 19.

"I had so many invitations that finally I had to say, "I'll be 100 all year long -- we can celebrate another time," said Plested. And celebrate she will. Friends and family are flying in from as far away as Alaska, Ohio and California just to be with her on her special day. Over a one week time period she'll attend garden parties, luncheons and dinners in her honor.

At 100 years young, Del still finds time to stroll around her neighborhood and continues to meet with friends and colleagues on a regular basis. When she turned 90 she was doing Tai Chi. Years prior, you would find her swimming 48 laps in the Denver Athletic Club swimming pool.

While staying healthy and active is a priority for Delores, being a humanitarian is even more important. How many people do you know who either founded or was instrumental in founding the following organizations?

Warren Village, Inc.
Arthur Mitchell Western Art Museum
Helen Marie Black Arts and Letters Awards (now Colorado Symphony Helen Black Education Fund)
Friends of Historic Trinidad (Colorado)

In 1997, Plested was honored as one of several recipients of the Colorado Historical Society's Stephen H. Hart Award for distinguished lifetime service in the field of Colorado Historic Preservation.

When asked what she is most proud of, she said humbly, "I'm very proud to be one of the founding members of Warren Village. I never imagined that it would have come so far," she said.

Warren Village opened in 1974 as a private nonprofit organization. Members of Warren United Methodist church donated the land on which Warren Village is located near 13 Avenue and Gilpin Street. The dedicated members of this small church wanted to give the gift of hope to low-income, single parent families caught in a cycle of poverty, homelessness, and despair. It was their vision to create safe housing in combination with self-help services, giving homeless families the opportunity to regroup and become valuable members of society.

Today, Warren Village is a nationally recognized, award-winning program that transforms homeless families as they chart a new path toward success, health, and prosperity. Since it's inception in 1974, Warren Village has assisted over 3,500 families.

Resident parents are primarily women between the ages of 21 and 29, with one to six children. Most have been victims of domestic abuse, violence, or crime. When they arrive, their yearly income is between $2,000 and $6,000. Previously they were homeless, lived with family and friends, or in a shelter.

In order to be accepted at Warren Village, all residents must agree that they will attend school or work full-time (or a combination of both), attend a minimum of three evening classes each month, and contribute at least two hours of volunteer service monthly. Residents are required to participate in these activities as a condition of their lease agreement. Having a residence at Warren Village is not an entitlement, but rather a privilege to be earned by progress toward specific personal and economic self-sufficiency goals.

Everyone at Warren Village including staff, board members, teachers and volunteers, wish Delores a fantastic 100 th year that brings her continued health and happiness. Anyone wanting to make a donation to Warren Village in Delores's name may do so by going online to www.warrenvillage.org and making a donation.


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Showing 1 of 1 comments
Submitted By: Joan Hill
posted on 7/11/2008 @ 12:54:15 PM
Rated Story
Del Plested rocks!
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CONTRIBUTOR INFORMATION

Joan Hill

Denver , CO

Joan Hill has posted 9 stories and 7 comments since joining on 4/14/2008. Joan Hill 's average story rating is 4.89.
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