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Golden is fortunate to have a
highly-involved citizenry. This does result in a
lot of groups that we have to keep track of, if we
want to follow what's going on in the city! We've
tried to cover most of the active groups in Golden,
but if we have inadvertently failed to mention
yours,
tell us!
This citizen's group is involved in
developing suitable traffic solutions in the
northwest part of the Denver Metropolitan area.
There are several forces outside of Golden,
including fast-growing cities North of our city and
the Colorado Department of Transportation, that are
pushing to put a highway through the middle of
Golden. CINQ encourages planners to consider other
options. The City of Golden commissioned a traffic
study, conducted by Muller Engineering, that
concluded that traffic congestion would be better
eased by improving several existing arteries through
the west side, including Wadsworth and Kipling
through Arvada, as well as Highway 93 through
Golden. Most of the population in the area is East
of Golden, and would not be well-served by having to
drive West to Golden in order to travel North and
South. CINQ members attend all public meetings
regarding highway placement, to ensure that these
fundamental facts are not pushed aside in favor of a
highway (or tollway) running through Golden.
See their
web site to learn more....
(See
the page on The City!)
This group, based in the American
Mountaineering Center (10th and Washington), is
dedicated to connecting people who love the Colorado
Rockies. They gather and disseminate information
regarding the Colorado mountains, including art,
science, literature, and recreation. They
organize trips of varying levels of difficulty, as
well as study trips. They also host lectures and
films at the Mountaineering Center.
See their web site to
learn more....
This group gardens some city
property just West of the rec center. The land is
divided into fifty plots. Some are operated by
groups that give their produce to Golden food
pantries. Most are just individual gardeners who
enjoy seeing their fellow gardeners at the shared
land.
See
their website to learn more....
Golden Cares
is the consortium of the local groups that help
people. This group includes many area
clubs, churches, and school groups. They can
provide food, clothing, and financial assistance for
Golden residents who find themselves in need.
The Civic Foundation is a non-profit
organization that was formed in 1970. They fund
projects that do not fall within the City's budget
or (sometimes) purview. As examples, they have
financed installing an irrigation system in the
Golden cemetery, help fund the annual 4th of July
fireworks, the Golden Fine Arts Festival, Buffalo
Bill Days, the downtown holiday decorations. They
have provided funding to initiate several downtown
redevelopment projects, including the former
Hested's building, the Table Mountain Inn (formerly
the out-of-business Holland House Hotel), and
converting the former Golden Junior High into the
American Mountaineering Center. In addition, they
have provided substantial funding to the Public Art
Program (the bronze sculptures all over town), and
regularly provide grant money to the schools, the
museums, the fire department, etc.
See
their web site to learn more....
The Golden Cultural Alliance
includes many of the non-profit organizations in
town, such as the museums, the symphony, the
library, the visitors center, Miners Alley,
Foothills Art Center, etc. They work together to
promote all cultural events in Golden. Their
biggest annual joint effort is the production of
"Heart and Soul of Golden" month. During February
each year (traditionally a time when not much is
happening), all GCA members sponsor special events,
such as concerts, a book sale, and special
exhibits.
See their web site to learn more....
Golden Garden Club members are, of
course, enthusiastic about their own and other
members' gardens. In addition, they planted and
maintain the rose garden along the creek path,
behind the Golden History Center.
The Golden Good Government League is
a citizen's group that is concerned with City
politics. During Council election years, they
interview candidates and issue endorsements for the
candidates they consider the best. In addition,
when general issues such as amendments to the City
Charter are proposed, they study the pros and cons
and publish position papers giving their opinion on
the proposed changes.
See their web site to
learn more....
Golden Landmarks Association is a
citizen's group that works to preserve historic
structures. Their are supported by membership
dues. Their first project was raising funds and
public awareness to save the Astor House, which was
slated for demolition in the 1970s. Their biggest
project at present is preserving the brick house
north of town, at the site of a former brickworks.
GLA operates out of a small office on 14th Street,
next to the Higher Grounds coffee house, but they
hope to have a permanent office in the brick house
after its restoration. GLA sponsors the Living
Landmarks dinner each spring, honoring long-time
Golden community members. They also sponsor the
annual Holiday Homes Tour, in partnership with the
Golden Pioneer Museum. In recent years, they have
sponsored the "Table Mountain Tales" writing
contest. Their web site is maintained by local
historian Richard Gardner and includes many
fascinating facts about local structures.
See their
web site to learn more....
The Golden Lions Club was founded
during World War II, and is still a thriving service
club. Their major production each year is the
Golden 4th of July picnic, which features live
entertainment, free children's rides, and a big
fireworks display (in Lions Park, of course). They
have helped build many of our parks facilities,
including the gazebos in Beverly Heights, Ulysses,
and Norman D parks. They also make substantial
financial contributions to projects such as the
Golden Visitor's Center and fund many of the benches
placed around town, several of the public restrooms,
and one of the planter boxes downtown. They provide
financial support to Golden's needy families through
the Christian Action Guild.
Internationally, the Lions
organization is very involved in vision programs.
They collect eyeglasses and clean and distribute
them to third world countries. Here in Golden, they
are actively involved in a program called Kid Sight.
They screen preschool children for eye problems,
basically lazy eye which can be corrected at an
early age. They do this with a special camera and
the photos that are forwarded to doctors who analyze
the photos and refer the families of children to Eye
Doctors. Lions assist those who can't afford exams
from professional eye doctors. Golden Lions screened
788 preschoolers just this past year!
This group meets twice monthly at
the Buffalo Rose.
See their
web site to learn more....
The Chamber promotes business
interests in the City and operates the Visitors
Center, with the help of scores of volunteers. They
help organize many of the Civic Events, such as the
Farmer's Market, the Fine Arts Festival, the Old
Golden Christmas parades, and the candlelight walk.
Businesses pay dues to support the chamber, which is
run by a full-time executive director (Gary Wink).
See their
web site to learn more....
The Kiwanis Club of Golden, founded
in 1921, sponsors several youth activities,
including a service club at Golden High School and a
local Boy Scout troop. They are responsible for the
hundreds of flags that decorate the city on several
national holidays, they host the annual Easter Egg
hunt in Parfet Park, and they serve breakfast each
year to the participants in the Relay for Life
cancer fund raiser.
See their web
site to learn more....
Leadership Golden was established in
1984, to encourage more people to take part in the
Golden community. The annual 9-month program offers
a series of classes that teach participants about
how the City and county governments operate, area
history, cultural organizations, and the schools.
The program is designed to help people see the
opportunities to become involved in the community,
by volunteering with one of the local non-profits,
serving on a city board or commission, or running
for public office. The program is run entirely by
volunteers and is funded by the Leadership Golden
Alumni Association. The Civic Foundation, Chamber
of Commerce, and Coors provided seed money to get
the organization started, and the tuition-free
program is now self-sustaining through a combination
of Christmas ornament sales and the proceeds from an
endowment fund.
See their
web site to learn more....
The Golden Optimist Club also
focuses on youth support. They sponsor a
long-running program to collect used bicycles,
refurbish them, and distribute them for free to
local children. They raise money, in part, through
their annual Christmas tree sale at the corner of
Ford and 13th streets.
See their
web site to learn more....
The Rotary Club of Golden meets once
a week, at Rolling Hills Country Club. This is a
very active group. They do quite a bit of work with
the Golden area schools, providing scholarships to
high school seniors and sending several junior high
and high school students to an annual leadership
development camp. They sponsor a foreign exchange
student each year. They also raise a lot of money
to support local as well as international projects.
They support local families in need through cash and
food contributions to the Christian Action Guild.
In 2004, to celebrate Rotary International's 100th
birthday, club members constructed the amphitheater
along Clear Creek, behind the fire station. In
addition to substantial contributions by club
members, Rotary raises money through their annual
golf tournament (at Fossil Trace in June) and their
annual sale of Colorado Peaches.
See their
web site to learn more....
This is a citizens group formed to
protest and stop development of North and South
Table Mountain. The two mesas were threatened with
various types of commercial development over the
years, including a plan to put a gravel mining
operation on South Table Mountain and the
possibility of establishing a corporate campus near
Castle Rock (the Northwest corner of South Table
Mountain). The group brought a lot of public
attention to the possibility of development, and
helped drive public sentiment toward acquiring the
land to be used as public Open Space. Most of both
Table Mountains now belong to Jefferson County Open
Space and are available for hiking, biking, and
equestrian use.
See their web
site to learn more....
This non-profit organization was
formed to raise money to help save the mesas (North
and South Table Mountains) from being developed.
They, working with many others, have succeeded in
preserving most of the land as Jefferson County Open
Space. Several key parcels of South Table Mountain
remain privately-held, and this group continues to
work and gather funds to try to make those Open
Space as well.
See their
web site to learn more....
Golden is fortunate to have two
garden clubs. The Table Mountain Garden Club
planted and maintain the "Friendship Garden" at the
south end of the pedestrian bridge over Clear Creek.
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