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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 group
of homeowners on Lookout Mountain took the lead
in the long battle to prevent installation of a
new, higher-powered television antenna on
Lookout Mountain. The group strongly urged
the County Commissioners to prohibit
installation of the antenna, citing health
concerns resulting from the increased
electromagnetic radiation that would be emitted
from the new, more powerful antenna. See
their web site to learn more....
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....
The Golden Christian Action Guild is staffed
by dozens of volunteers and supported by many
area clubs, churches, and school groups.
They are the primary provider of food,
clothing, and financial assistance for Golden
residents who find themselves in need.
Several years ago, the late Mrs. Barbara Foss
made a substantial contribution to provide this
group with a permanent home, at 14th and Ford
Streets.
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....
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.
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....
Garden Club members are, of course,
enthusiastic about their own and other members'
gardens. In addition, they have planted
and maintained several beautiful gardens in
Golden's public areas. They work on the
heritage gardens that surround the Golden
Pioneer Museum, they created a garden at the
south end of the pedestrian bridge over Clear
Creek, and they maintain the gardens around the
Golden Visitors Center.
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