With just a few weeks until Daylight Saving Time and more vaccine coming our way each day, I have a sense that we are transitioning out of our dark winter days. Sure, we’ll likely—and hopefully—get a substantial snowfall soon, but the atmosphere seems lighter and a bit more hopeful. We can harness this positive energy and have some fun while supporting some very worthy causes.
Ovation West Opens the Spring Season With a Virtual Center Stage Concert
The Ovation West Performing Arts’ Kaleidoscope Series will feature Rob Drabkin in concert with the Patrick Lee Trio in a virtual, recorded performance from Center Stage beginning Friday, February 26. Passes are $19.50 for one viewer and $32 for two or more participants.
Drabkin received international attention for his song, “It’s a Beautiful Day.” His tours in Rwanda and Uganda attracted crowds of more than 25,000. In the United States, Drabkin consistently sells out his headlining performances and has toured with notable artists such as The Head And The Heart, Michael Franti, Trevor Hall, Big Head Todd, and G. Love & Special Sauce.
Sharing Center Stage will be a trio lead by talented pianist, composer and Ovation West musical accompanist Patrick Lee. The Patrick Lee trio has been recognized for its influence on the jazz scene in Denver and beyond. Lee has a vast portfolio of original music projects, DJ mixes and meta-sourced hip-hop. He has licensed his music to national outlets such as ESPN, Showtime and the Smithsonian Institute.
The combination of the Patrick Lee Trio and singer/songwriter Drabkin promises to be a memorable musical experience. Drabkin’s philosophy seems fit for the times, too. “We too often forget that love is ever-present. We share it with each other through laughter, smiles and sympathy,” he said. “We can find it in everything, and we can also create it in the smallest, most unassuming moments of our lives. All we can do is keep being kind and have the courage to choose love in every decision we make.”
Passes to the virtual performance are available at bit.ly/3pWloHp
Blue Spruce Kiwanis
February Community Challenge Benefits Aktion Club
Our area Kiwanians are continuing their campaign to raise money for designated nonprofits each month. Between now and March 1, the service organization is asking mountain area residents to make contributions to support the Blue Spruce Aktion Club, a group of developmentally disabled adults who are clients of Mountain Community Pathways in Evergreen.
Pathways offers numerous services to special needs adults and their families including a day program, caregiver support, host homes, and transportation. Its Aktion Club gives members the chance to participate in a variety of educational and recreational field trips. The Club also emphasizes service by engaging members in projects such as maintaining the community garden at Buchanan Recreation Center and helping the Evergreen Elks Club with its annual Easter Egg Hunt.
Through its Helping Hands Community Challenge, the Blue Spruce Kiwanis (BSK) is accepting February donations for the Aktion Club online at bluesprucekiwanis.org. Contributions are 100 percent tax deductible and are allocated equally between the cause of the month and the BSK Foundation, which supports organizations serving mountain area children and families.
BSK members come from mountain communities west of Denver with a shared mission of working together to make the world a better place for children. There is also an active group of non-member volunteers, the “Friends of Kiwanis,” who participate in the Club’s service and fundraising projects.
An Invitation to a Very Special 40th Birthday Party
Mount Evans Home Health Care & Hospice is celebrating four decades of caring for our mountain community… and marking the occasion with a stylish, virtual birthday party February 26 from 5:30 – 7 pm. The live-streaming gala will feature the music of Tunisia, a special toast, silent and live auctions, and a presentation highlighting the compassionate services provided to our mountain community for 40 years, thanks to the generosity of local supporters.
Registered guests will receive a “party box” to include a commemorative bottle of wine, a wine glass, a special dessert, party favors and a few other surprises. Details for the party box pickup and a link to the live event will be emailed to attendees.
The online auction will open on Sunday, Feb. 21 and is available to both participants and non-attendees. Go to the Silent Auction page to view items offered for bid such as travel experiences, fun activities and artwork. There are also opportunities to make donations to support the organization’s most critical program needs.
Event tickets are $40 and are available at mountevans.org.
Girl Scouts Offer Creative Ways to Satisfy Your Cookie Cravings
Are you craving a sleeve of Thin Mints®? Wanting to dunk some Do-si-dos® in your coffee? This year, it may not be as easy to satisfy your cravings on the way into a local supermarket, but the resilient Girl Scouts have found a way to make their hallmark cookies readily accessible to patrons.
You can visit the Girl Scouts Colorado website to purchase cookies from a local troop for direct shipment to your home. If you want to support your local troop, but sweet treats are not part of your New Year’s resolutions, cookies can be purchased and donated to local nonprofits or to the military.
If you would rather not wait for your shipment to arrive in the mail, you can place your order through Grubhub for contact-free pickup and delivery. This new collaboration also gives the Scouts experience in managing e-commerce, as they track and fulfill the orders. Grubhub is waiving fees for the Girl Scouts, so sales’ proceeds remain in Colorado.
Scouts will also host a limited number of drive-through cookie booths and you can find them by texting COOKIES to 59618 or using the Girl Scout Cookie Finder app that is free on iOS and Android devices.
Local troops rely on the funds they raise from cookie sales to support their programs throughout the year. Cookies will be sold until Sunday, March 7.
For more information and to place your order, go to bit.ly/36Q4Wkb
