by Prescott Knock
Last week’s issue introduced the conference, “Aging Well in Lyons: Community, Connections & Resources” (AWIL) scheduled for Saturday May 14th from 9:00am to 3:30pm at the Lyons Elementary School Gymnasium, 338 High St., Lyons, CO. 80540. Many people in the community are working diligently to bring local groups, faith/spiritual communities, social service representatives and government agencies together for this conference that will address aging issues in Lyons.
Ed Bruder, Lyons Trustee, has a particular interest for tending to aging issues and sees the need to foster collaborative community projects locally. Ed is a Board liaison to the Golden Gang (a Lyons senior social group) and has taken on aging issues in general over the years with the Mayor’s support. Ed began a discussion with the aging community of Lyons, with the encouragement of the Mayor, to evaluate and revise services. After attending a presentation by Restoring the Soul: Faith and Community Partnerships (RTS) www.restoringthesoul.org in Boulder, Ed was most impressed with the partnering process of the inter-faith community. John Williams of St. John the Baptist, Longmont was a keynote speaker who discussed how the faith community of Longmont came together to pool resources and create a center which caters to the needs of the community. John Williams will be a panelist at the conference. Don’t miss his inspiring story.Ed has been impressed with how grassroots efforts in Boulder have creatively addressed aging issues, so a few months ago he invited key members of the collaborative movement of Boulder to re-evaluate how services are addressed in Lyons. Many social service organizations have recently been taking collaborative partnerships to a new depth because of challenging economic times. This perspective is strengthening relationships between organizations and the volunteer community as people are becoming increasingly aware of the power of shared resources. Ed was impressed with how the social service group, RTS has been dedicated to nurturing the connective fiber between service groups for mutual benefit. RTS was brought in to facilitate the co-creative process between the many diverse agencies required for this initiative.
Local groups, faith/spiritual communities, organizations, and individuals are encouraged to explore their partnership potential by discussing concerns and offering wisdom, skills, and resources to come together as a community of Lyons to co-create a new relationship toward aging issues. Some of these organizations include: Restoring the Soul: Faith in Community Partnerships, Boulder County Aging Services, The Office of Congressman Polis, The Office of Senator Nicholson, Circle of Care Project, Care Connect, Longmont United Hospital/Millstone Family Clinic, The River Church, Lyons Community Church, The Buddhist Coalition, Lyons Re-Runs, Mental Health Partners, Special Transit, Volunteer Connect, and Spice of Life Catering.
Faith/Spiritual Communities have been an integral part of the collaborative movement for community change because they are typically well connected with community resources and well organized. One such example is The River Community Church of Lyons which regards their service to others as a natural part of being a member of the community. Ed is most grateful that Pastor Mickey of The River Church has picked up the torch of community collaboration and brought together the other faith/spiritual organizations of Lyons for this new initiative. Pastor Mickey is excited about the new AWIL initiative because he sees the potential of this program to bring the many groups in Lyons together to work on common issues. He is looking forward to hearing about the community our most pressing needs so we all can focus our efforts together to be of greater service. The volunteering spirit of The River has been so active in tending to various issues in Lyons that they were one of the first organizations to be consulted by Ed Bruder as a resource for the AWIL initiative. Please contact The River Church at 303-823-6469 to volunteer at the AWIL conference and/or to volunteer to help with this initiative in general.
Another major local contributor to the AWIL conference will be Lyons Trustee and advocate of community awareness, LaVern Johnson, known for her column in this newspaper and member of the Golden Gang for twenty years. LaVern is an important resource of information for this initiative because of her extensive knowledge of community issues, especially with the senior community. LaVern is very excited about the AWIL conference mentioning that she is interested in discussing issues with the many social service representatives that will be facilitating the round-table talks.
If your organization is providing services to the aging population of Lyons and could use volunteer help please contact Marissa Davis of Lyons Parks and Recreation
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303 823-8250.
The Board of Trustees wants to thank those groups that are already onboard supporting this initiative and welcomes the participation of other groups and individuals to take part in this event by considering what particular wisdom and skills you may have to offer your neighbor.
Look for an invitation from The Town of Lyons for the AWIL conference in your mailbox soon!
For all other questions and more information please contact Keith Carr of Boulder County Aging Services at 303-823-9016
Prescott Knock is a resident of Pinewood Springs. He is a committee member of the AWIL initiative and board member of Restoring the Soul , as the liaison for Lyons. Prescott is a Community Resources Consultant and Executive Director of the Buddhist Coalition www.buddhistcoalition.org. Please contact Prescott at
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if your Faith/Spiritual Community would like to get more involved in transforming Lyons.
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