1) The Urban Farm to Host Open House/Free Admission Day

After six months of renovations, The Urban Farm is hosting a grand re-opening and free admission day on Saturday, June 4 from 9am–1pm. Guests are welcome to check out the newly renovated main building and then the farm’s 100+ animals. Other site additions include a new apiary and two pergolas for shade. Save the date!

2) Denver Zoo Celebrates Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Community

The Denver Zoo hosted a festival in honor of AAPI Heritage Month. Erica Elvove, SVP for Conservation at the zoo coordinated the event with the Filipino American Community of Colorado.

Evolve said, “This was a meaningful event not just because of our special connection with the AAPI community but because we want to host more community-led events that invite people to join us in our conservation efforts.”

3) Northfield HS Hosts Shark Tank-Inspired Competition, Awards $1,000 Seed Money

Northfield High School hosted a Shark Tank-inspired competition between thirteen teams of student entrepreneurs. Rush Brush and DooDad tied for first, winning the title of “Most Viable Product” and $1,000 seed money.

Rush Brush is a hairbrush/spray bottle-in-one. The students created the combo after buying both products on Amazon. It cost $6.40 to make, and they plan to sell it for $12.99 online, in barbershops and hair salons.

DooDad is a 3-D printed cup holder designed to hold wider water bottles that are too big to fit in a vehicle’s cup holder. DooDad cost $2.51 to make; they plan to sell it online and in the school store for $14.99.

Honorable Mentions: Pow Pack, a healthy Lunchable for student athletes, won “Most Likely to go to Market.”  Sleep Shot, a liquid sleep-aid, won “Best Hook.” Three teams—GOAT Tote, Clear View and Thrift & Things—won “Best Presentation.” GOAT Tote is a collapsible shopping bag with adjustable dividers, Clear View is a product that keeps eyeglasses from fogging up and Thrift & Things is an online thrift shop for sweatshirts.

The students are enrolled in INCubatoredu, a one-of-a-kind DPS business class that teaches students about the start-up process by providing an authentic entrepreneurship experience.

Buckner said “The entire experience was a school and community collaboration. The engineering department helped DooDad 3D-print their product, and students from the Multi-Intensive Center helped package Pow Pack for the school store. And so many business leaders volunteered to be speakers and mentors. It gave everyone a chance to pair up in a meaningful way.”

For more information on INCubatoredu visit: https://northfield.dpsk12.org/incubatoredunorthfield/

4) Combat Loneliness: Write to a Senior Citizen

Letters Against Isolation, a non-profit organization that combats senior loneliness, will have a booth at the Central Park Farmers Market on Sunday, June 19. Community members of all ages are encouraged to stop by and spend five minutes writing to a senior citizen. Volunteers will be available to assist with letter-writing, or people can also create cards and letters in advance and drop them off at the booth. All correspondence will be mailed to senior citizens in long-term care facilities in Colorado and surrounding states.

Letters Against Isolation was founded by two teenage sisters in Boston at the beginning of the pandemic. The foundation has 20,800 global volunteers who range in ages from five to 94. They send correspondence in 13 languages to more than 230 long-term care facilities in six countries.

For more information visit their website at www.lettersagainstisolation.com  or email Ellen Rabinowitz at lai.volunteer.rep@gmail.com