DHA Receives Unprecedented Award From OIG
In a history making move, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Office of Inspector General (OIG) presented the first special recognition award to the Denver Housing Authority (DHA) for their established financial controls to ensure effectiveness and efficient administration of federal housing program funds. HUD OIG presented the special award at the DHA headquarters for its five consecutive years of successful financial administration of their $74 million annual funding for public housing and Section 8 housing choice voucher program. Established in 1938, the Denver Housing Authority provides more than 23,800 very low, low and moderate-income residents with subsidized housing throughout the city.
For more information, visit www.dhanet.com.

Pictured are (left to right):  John Carson, HUD Regional Director; Robert Gwin, Office of Inspector General; Bill Mosher, Chair, DHA Board of Commissioners; Sarasu Zachariah, DHA COO of Finance; Sal Carpio, DHA Executive Director; Fred M. Smith, OIG Regional; and John Dibella, HUD Regional.

CBCC Elects New Board Member
Willie Kellum, a Denver businessman for more than 40 years, was elected Nov. 13 to the Colorado Black Chamber of Commerce board, said Chamber Board Chairman Odell Barry and Chamber President Wellington Webb. Kellum has operated as a concessionaire at Denver International Airport through DAE-Kellum Enterprise. He also owned Duncan’s Men’s Stores for more than 26 years; a Travel Lodge hotel; and other real estate holdings. Barry said Kellum’s vast business experience strengths the 21-member board.

CU-Boulder Recognizes Four Who Foster International Awareness
CU-Boulder's Office of International Education gave its first Global Citizens Award to mark International Education Week Nov. 13-17. Senior instructor Anne Bliss has been named campus global citizen of the year for her efforts to share best-of-practice classroom methodologies with English teachers in remote regions of the world. Her recognition also stems from her work with CU-Boulder international students seeking to perfect their English. Housing and dining services employee Liza Hensleigh was recognized for her contributions to the Smith Hall International Program, or SHIP, a program for first-year students interested in global issues. Undergraduate student Katherine Bruch was named study abroad student of the year; while in China last summer, she studied traditional East Asian philosophy toward the human body and how that correlates with diet, exercise and medicine. Galina Siarheichyk has been named international student of the year; the Belarus-born graduate student of Polish heritage is working on a doctorate in comparative literature and teaches CU-Boulder students to think critically about the culture, literature and history of the Russian language and the countries in which it is spoken.

FBR Announces New Controller
Food Bank of the Rockies (FBR) welcomes Marshall Aster as their new Controller. Marshall comes to FBR with recent background experience as a Chief Financial Officer and Small Business Owner. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants as well as the Colorado Society of Certified Public Accountants. Food Bank of the Rockies, a non-profit organization, distributed over 22 million pounds of food last year through partner agencies. Those agencies include more than 900 hunger-relief programs in northern Colorado and Wyoming that provide more than 15 million meals to those in need.

Gross To Lead 2006 Lighter Side Of Christmas Parade
Local mother, wife and business associate Gayle Gross will lead Woodland Park’s 2006 Lighter Side of Christmas Parade as Grand Marshal. Gross, Relationship Development Professional at Park State Bank & Trust, was instrumental in organizing the Colorado Festival of World Theatre activities in Woodland Park this summer. With a BFA degree in Communication Design from Kutztown University of Pennsylvania, Gross’ art talents spread to her marketing and event coordination. The 2006 Lighter Side of Christmas Parade will take place down Highway 24 between Maple St. and Fairview, Saturday Dec. 2 at 6 p.m. The theme this year is "The Blizzard of Oz." The Woodland Park annual tree lighting ceremony will follow the parade at the Ute Pass Cultural Center.

Humane Society Of Boulder Valley Honored For “Best Practices”
The Humane Society of Boulder Valley was recently honored by the American Humane Association as a national leader in the animal welfare field for its innovative and effective pet adoption program. The Humane Society of Boulder Valley was recognized for streamlining the adoption process by asking for only vital information on an adoption profile and having trained staff engage potential adopters in conversations using open-ended questions. Clients felt they received better service and gained a better understanding of the needs of the animal, and the number of animals adopted increased by 30 percent in just the first year. The Humane Society of Boulder Valley is one of 42 organizations across the country to be recognized for “best practices” as part of American Humane’s national initiative “Getting To Zero: Ending Euthanasia of Healthy & Treatable Animals.”

Latina Restauranteur Recognized By Aurora
Lupita's Mexican Restaurant owner Betty Oxley was recently honored by Aurora entrepreneurs, elected officials and community leaders during Aurora's Business Recognition Program Awards ceremony. Located at 11809 E. Colfax Ave., Lupita's has been a delicious destination for thousands of diners who visit the historic East Colfax Avenue corridor. In addition to fantastic food, the restaurant has become known for delivering superior customer service, and in 2001, Oxley worked with the City of Aurora to invest more than $250,000 to refurbish the property, making a dramatic improvement to the site and the surrounding area. Now in its second year, the Business Recognition Program is an initiative created by Aurora City Manager Ron Miller to honor new and existing businesses within the city that are enjoying success as a result of innovation, exemplary customer service delivery or through a strong contribution to the community.

Montbello Branch Librarian Hall Retires
After 38 years of service with Denver Public Libraries, Mildred Hall’s last day as librarian will be Dec. 14. She has worked at many library branches throughout the Denver area, and is known and loved for her contributions to the community. A small farewell reception will be held Wednesday Dec. 6 from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. at the Montbello Brach, 12955 Albrook Drive in Denver. The community is invited to come to the library anytime before she leaves to say their farewells and let her know how much she is appreciated for all she has done in the community.

Two New CHP+ Regional Outreach Coordinators Named
Child Health Plan Plus (CHP+) recently announced Kari Smith and Ileana Perez have joined the statewide outreach team as regional outreach coordinators. Prior to joining with CHP+, Smith served as the Patient Financial Specialist Team Leader for Mercy Regional Medical Center in Durango. Prior to joining CHP+, Perez served as executive director of Adams County Early Childhood Connections, a nonprofit organization serving infants and toddlers with developmental delays or disabilities. Members of the CHP+ outreach team provide CHP+ education, outreach and application assistance services to community stakeholders including schools, health and human service organizations, employers and Latino community agencies

Stacey Donaldson Joins CBS4 As Weather Anchor
CBS4 announced that meteorologist Stacey Donaldson will join the station as the morning weather anchor beginning in March 2007. Donaldson, who has been awarded seals of approval from the American Meteorological Society and the National Weather Association, joins CBS4 from Fox 31 News where she has served as morning weather anchor since March 2004. Prior to working at Fox 31, Stacey served as weather anchor for WTTG-TV (FOX) in Washington D.C. and as a weather anchor for WESH-TV (NBC) in Orlando, Florida, and KARK-TV (NBC) in Little Rock, Arkansas. Donaldson is a graduate of the University of Arizona.

Community Leader Maestas Honored With Park Naming
The park located in the heart of Lodo’s Ballpark neighborhood at the intersection of Broadway, Lawrence and Park Avenue West, unofficially called the “Broadway Triangle Park,” is now named the Edward J. ‘Eddie’ Maestas Park. As part of the Denver Parks and Recreation naming process, and after meetings with the community and signature collections for a neighborhood petition, the park has a new name for a community leader who embodied the true spirit of community activism. Eddie Maestas (1932-1998) was a life-long worker on Larimer Street, where he became owner and operator of Johnnie’s Market at 2030 Larimer Street. For his selfless service and community work, respect for all, engaging manner, inspiration, charm and generosity, he won the unofficial title of “the Mayor of Larimer Street.”

Red Cross Honors Qwest With Top Award
The American Red Cross recently honored Qwest Communications Chairman and CEO Dick Notebaert with the American Red Cross Circle of Humanitarian Award at the Qwest Communications International Offices in Arlington, VA. American Red Cross Senior Vice President of Preparedness and Response, Joe Becker presented the prestigious award that recognizes companies and individuals whose contributions provide life-saving support through Red Cross programs. Qwest Communications, based in Denver, Colorado, has been a valued Red Cross partner for the past several years. During that time, the Qwest  Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Qwest Communications, awarded a grant to the Red Cross to be used for disaster preparedness programs and training. In addition to training disaster response volunteers, together, the two organizations aim to educate communities in Qwest’s 14 state region about the importance of safety and preparedness.

NHLI Honors Leading Latinas
The National Hispana Leadership Institute (NHLI) honored and recognized the accomplishments of three powerful and visionary Latinas during their annual Mujer Awards Gala. The award recipients are: Dr. Gloria Rodriquez, founder of AVANCE; Moraima Oyola Pizarro, President and Founder of Forjando un Nuevo Comienzo, and Eva Longoria, actor and national spokesperson for PADRES Contra el Cancer, and founder of “Eva’s Heroes.” The Gala was held Friday Nov. 10 at the Westin Riverwalk Hotel in San Antonio, TX. NHLI is the premier organization in the United States dedicated to developing Hispanic women as ethical leaders through training, professional development, relationship building and community and world activism.