We’re proud to share the Neighbor FOR Neighbor Stories of Impact. The following four stories were selected based on caring demonstrated by these four individuals. In the middle of the COVID-19 outbreak it’s so wonderful to share stories of compassion and caring. Thank you Rosie, Kathy and Dick, Casey and Lisa!
Rosie Quiroz
Rosie Quiroz is the Admin. Asst/Bookkeeper at EL Comité. When El Comité closed its doors on March 16th. Staff started working from home, each staff took intakes with client’s names and phones numbers from 2019 and the first two months of 2020. Staff called clients to see how they were and if they needed anything (ie, rent, utilities, etc.…) including if they had done census. Rosie would do their census for them if they had not. She called this family who used to live in Longmont but had moved to Evans because rent was cheaper there. The woman told Rosie that her husband was sick and could not work. He had been working at the Greeley hospital but was afraid to tell them because he feared losing his job. Rosie called his employer and they arranged for him to get tested and not only did he have covid-19 but he was admitted into the hospital and spent 27 days in the ICU. Happy to report he is back home and doing much better. Rosie knew she could not give her any Longmont references and gave her the number to Salvation Army to help with rent. The woman did not know how to drive and could not go to the local food bank. Rosie took it upon herself to call the Discount Grocery Store in Dacono and got three boxes of food donated. Rosie drove to their house and left the food outside. The woman called Rosie crying and thanking her for all help, she blessed Rosie over the phone. I did not know about this incident until after the fact. I am honored to share Rosie’s story for he LCF and the Sharing Nextlight program.
Kathy and Dick Vossler
I am nominating Kathy and Dick Vossler, pictured below, as a couple, for their outpouring of love, labor, and material donations to men and women coming out of Colorado prisons. Since COVID, Colorado prisons have released many people, and thanks to Kathy and Dick, the Reentry Initiative (TRI) has set up a Welcome Back Shop to provide for the basic needs of these returning citizens. People returning from prison come out with a garbage bag containing their sole possessions, dressed in prison-issued, gender-neutral pants, tops, shoes, etc. During COVID, people have used their time indoors to clean out their closets. Retail stores are getting rid of unsold inventory. Many of these generous folks have donated clothing and furnishings to TRI, such as Fabulous Finds, and members of local churches. Kathy Vossler, always looking for a way to be useful to TRI, suggested a way to handle this outpouring of clothes and other furnishings. So TRI rented a 10 x 20 storage unit in Longmont and set up the Welcome Back Shop. Kathy and Dick spent many hours installing shelves, hauling stuff, unpacking stuff, sorting and hanging clothes and stuff, and then rehanging the clothes when the rack, filled with donations, collapsed…twice! All in the heat. Then they learned that a local thrift shop is, sadly, going out of business. (This is such a huge loss for our community.) Kathy and Dick loaded emptied shelves and racks into their cars and set them up in the storage locker. Thanks to Kathy and Dick, many men and women will get out and get outfitted with like-new clothes to begin the transformation to their new lives. Donations of all types help transform the lives of men and women coming out of Colorado prisons. TRI takes donations of furnishings to help people set up their first home out of prison. We are so grateful to Kathy and Dick for taking the time and putting in the grunt work to set up shop. They rock!
Casey McClure
This is to nominate EHS teacher… Casey McClure. Casey is in her second year of teaching in the History department at EHS. This young teacher is beloved by her students… garnering letters, flowers, candy and cards from students… as they miss her during this time away from school. During this Covid shut down she has found ways to assist others that may be going through difficult times. Casey has sewn hundreds of masks for military and first-responders. All have been given away, as a way to thank those that serve our communities and country. She has raised $$$ to purchase groceries for those trying to feed their children. She has made these donations through Erie Uplink, which serves the greater Erie area. Casey has also ‘adopted’ a couple of EHS Senior students, that have lost out on the conclusion of their high school careers. She has provided gift bags and boxes to brighten the spirits of these students. She has also hand written letters to each of her students… expressing her love and care for them in these uncertain times. I am aware of all these issues and more… my space is limited. I know she would not fly her own flag… so I am doing it for her. She is what teaching is about… loving kids and hoping the best for them and their future.
Lisa Bitzer
Lisa Bitzer, Director of Paratransit and Mobility Services of local 501(c)(3) nonprofit Via Mobility Services, values “neighbors for neighbors” by helping older adults and people with disabilities in our community thrive during the pandemic. As the manager of Via’s Call Center and accessible transportation services, she receives phone calls every day from people who are hungry but too scared of COVID-19 to leave home. Consider one of Via’s recent clients who is at-risk after being exposed to Agent Orange, an herbicide used in chemical warfare during his military career in Vietnam. Today he is an older homeless person of Longmont who is fearful of catching the coronavirus, especially given his medical risk. The American Legion helped by getting him a hotel room to stay in during the pandemic. While he had found shelter, he was very hungry after not eating for two days. So, he called Community Food Share, who invited him to come and pick up food. Feeling afraid of going out and picking up the food, he was referred to Via for food delivery. Lisa answered his call and coordinated drivers to pick up and deliver food to him the same day. In the event that same-day delivery wasn’t available, Lisa would have shared food from her own home. She makes sure that our community’s most vulnerable residents don’t go hungry. Lisa’s contributions to developing partnerships and serving Longmont’s community are exemplary. She’s also developed partnership between Via and other groups to better serve the community: – Boulder County Farmers Markets: Delivering food to more than 100 at-risk and isolated families. – Emergency Family Assistance Association (EFFA): Delivering emergency bags of food to low-income residents in Boulder County. – Boulder Housing Partners: Delivering food to patients in Boulder and Longmont. – TRU PACE (Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly): Delivering food to patients in Boulder and Longmont. – Center for People with Disabilities: CPWD is referring their clients to Via to sign up for grocery delivery services. – Community Food Share: Delivering food to older adults. – Area Agencies on Aging: Delivering food to vulnerable residents in rural mountain communities of Boulder, Larimer, and Weld counties. – Word of Mouth Catering & Boulder County Area Agency on Aging: Deliver food to rural Lyons residents every Wednesday and Friday. – Local Senior Centers like the Louisville Senior Center: Delivering food to older adults served by senior centers.