|
It's surprising how often Golden people
say, "I wish I was more involved." Getting
involved in Golden is easy--the trick is to keep
from being overwhelmed with options. One easy
way to get involved is to study the local
non-profits, such as the museums, and identify
one that appeals to you. Non-profits
thrive on volunteer labor, and almost always
welcome more help. Just tell them you'd
like to be involved, and soon you will be! The
Golden Visitors Center has a large staff of
volunteers, who man the desk and provide
visitors with information about things to see,
things to do, where to eat, shop, and stay.
More volunteers are always welcome. The City
depends on volunteers to serve on their boards
and commissions.
Each of these groups are made up of citizens
who have agreed to served for a fixed term of
years. They study particular issues and
provide advice to the City Council.
The schools always need help, so if you would
like to work with children, contact the
principal of any of the local schools and see if
they can use you. Golden offers one very
unique opportunity to learn about involvement in the community. Leadership
Golden is a tuition-free class, held annually
for the past twenty years. Applications to
participate are accepted during the summer, and
the class starts in August. Participants
attend an evening session about once a month for
nine months. Dinner is provided.
Each session has a different focus, such as
history, the arts, city and county government,
the schools, and volunteering in the community.
It's a wonderful way to get to know your
options, and to learn more, meet people, and
have fun while you're doing it. There are
similar Leadership programs throughout the
country (in fact, Jefferson County has one), but
as far as we know, this one is unique in being
free to the participants. Leadership
Golden supports itself through sales of its
annual Christmas ornaments. The Civic
Foundation, Coors, and the Chamber provided
generous seed money to get the program started.
To learn more about the Leadership Golden
program, see their
web
site. Leadership Golden also maintains a
list of volunteer opportunities in and around
the Golden area. It is available for
download from their web
site!
|
