Adison Wash

Fitness on the Green 2023

May 17, 2023 by Adison Wash Leave a Comment

Come get your sweat on with us this summer as we explore healthy living, community engagement and outdoor fitness!

Localworks 501(c)(3) is proud to host 2023 Fitness on the Green summer series beginning in June! Organized by the Title Sponsor Dr. Lynn Tran of Wild & Precious Optimal Living, the goal is to create an environment for you to not only challenge yourself physically but also connect with your community.

Each month, there will be two free events: 1) Fitness on the Green, and 2) Yoga on the Green. We’re so excited for these 1.5-hour events! Come connect and stay for an engaging health talk take charge of your health, plus a fun & challenging instructor-led class. You’ll leave each session energized and inspired for what’s ahead in your life.

We’ve got some fun surprises in store for you, so be sure to mark your calendars for these upcoming Wednesday events:

To learn more or register, click a date below, or check out our community calendar!

June

July

August

Location: Stevens Elementary - Big front green lawn in front of the school “The Green” 7101 W 38th Ave, Wheat Ridge, CO 80033

These events are sponsored by:

Welcome to Explore Wheat Ridge!

April 24, 2023 by Adison Wash Leave a Comment

Localworks' New App with FactorEarth

As Localworks aims to make Wheat Ridge a more vibrant and sustainable place to live and work, we have been working behind the scenes on an extremely exciting project– an app for the community. In partnership with Metcalf Technology and FactorEarth, Localworks is pleased to unveil Explore Wheat Ridge. Explore Wheat Ridge is an adventure series that takes you through the history of our community (four locations are currently included for you to explore, more are coming soon!) while giving you rewards to use in our community! Once you begin exploring, you will find BOGO deals at restaurants, a free ice cream scoop, free beverages and more.

Click here to directly view Explore Wheat Ridge or scan the QR code. We recommend accessing the application on a mobile device.

More Information

The first four locations that are featured on Explore Wheat Ridge are Fruitdale, Gold’s Marketplace, Richard Hart Estate and the “Green”. You’ll see old photographs as you continue to explore, historical information about the locations, and more.

This technology works as a responsive application, meaning there are no downloads and you do not have to sign in and create an account if you do not wish. To redeem the deals around the community, a free account will be required but your information is never sold or shared. In order to save your rewards, click on the rewards tab on the footer menu of your app screen and create a free account. Once your free account is created, head back to where you found the reward, click it again and it will be saved in your profile! When you are ready to redeem your reward at any participating business, you can open up your app and rewards tab and you’ll click “redeem”. Please make sure to wait and click redeem when you are in the business and ready to redeem your reward.

You’ll also see that there are several different ways you can explore all the locations and discoveries that are available on the app. You can explore by place, or you can pull up the map view and see all current locations that are included on the app!

Localworks is extremely excited to unveil a project that has been in the works for almost a year to the community! Localworks will continue to add adventures to Explore Wheat Ridge, so be sure stay in the loop. We encourage you to share Explore Wheat Ridge your friends, family, and even those that are visiting so they can become familiar with our incredible community! We are so excited that you are now able to connect with Wheat Ridge in a whole new way.

Questions about the app and how to best use it? We are here for you! Email reception@wearelcoalworks.org or call 720-259-1030.

More Resources

Shop Local Wheat Ridge

April 19, 2023 by Adison Wash Leave a Comment

Shop Local Wheat Ridge

Localworks is a partner with the City of Wheat Ridge and our local businesses to advance the Wheat Ridge as a vibrant and sustainable place to live and work. Part of what makes Wheat Ridge Special are the small businesses that not only provide residents with unique and original creations, but also contribute to our local economy. Localworks strives to assist in the economic development of Wheat Ridge, alongside our small businesses and business owners. “The purpose of local development is to build the capacity of a defined area to improve its economic future and the quality of life for inhabitants.”

“When you shop local, you're making a personal investment in your neighborhood and community. In fact, for every $100 spent, roughly $68 to $73 of it returns to local activity. Money is kept in the community because locally-owned businesses often purchase from other local businesses, service providers, and farms.”

Rubicon Technologies, Inc.

Why is it important to shop local?

“When you shop local, you’re making a personal investment in your neighborhood and community. In fact, for every $100 spent, roughly $68 to $73 of it returns to local activity. Money is kept in the community because locally-owned businesses often purchase from other local businesses, service providers, and farms.”

Shopping locally stimulates our local economy and in turn helps sustain Wheat Ridge’s unique character and personality. “Small local businesses are the largest employers nationally. In fact, since the 1970s, more than 65% of new jobs have come from the rise in small business.

Not only do small businesses employ more people directly per dollar of revenue, they’re also the customers of local businesses themselves.”

Local business owners provide significant support for non-profits, like Localworks, as well. In fact, non-profits receive as much as 350% more money from local shops than non-locally owned businesses.

Shopping local also reduces our environmental impact. To learn more about shopping local and sustainability please visit https://sustainableconnections.org/why-buy-local/.

Some Wheat Ridge businesses, and those in the surrounding areas, are making an effort to eliminate food insecurity in our community. Whether you support said local businesses, or donate food yourself. The impact YOU can make is remarkable.

Food Insecurity and Resources to Help

What is food insecurity?

Food insecurity is the limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods, or limited or uncertain ability to acquire acceptable foods in socially acceptable ways.

Food insecurity can affect anyone. Unfortunately, many people in America struggle to meet their basic needs, which increases their risk of food insecurity. For example, lay-offs at work, unexpected car maintenance, or an accident can suddenly force a family to choose between buying food and paying bills. The causes of food insecurity are complex (www.feedingamerica.org).

Are you or someone you know struggling with food insecurity? We hope this page can provide some resources for our community members; however, please note that this is not an all encompassing list. More resources and information can be found on these sites:

Local and sustainable businesses to check out!

THIS IS NOT A COMPLETE LIST OF LOCAL WHEAT RIDGE BUSINESSES

If you or someone you know would like to be included on this list please contact Adison at awash@wearelocalworks.org. We are seeking businesses that are locally owned and operated, have a commitment to contributing to our community’s sustainability efforts and are frequently/would like to be involved in community events. We are here to promote all businesses that allow residents to “shop local”! We can’t wait to hear from you.

Wheat Ridge Poultry:

For this information and more please visit https://wheatridgepoultry.com/

What is Wheat Ridge Poultry?

Wheat Ridge Poultry is a local, sustainable and family-run butcher right here in our community. They got their start in 1942 as a family run poultry farm offering fresh chickens, turkey and eggs. They still use many of their original equipment and building hardware to this day! Wheat Ridge Poultry are whole animal butchers that work directly with producers/growers. They have fresh cuts daily, smoked and cured meats, sausages and bacon, as well as produce. They take pride in the fact that they have developed strong relationships with local ranchers and farmers to ensure that they bring the highest-quality, locally sourced products in Wheat Ridge.

Wheat Ridge Poultry are local champions. They are invested in our community and believe that the only way to do business is by giving back. They are committed to helping make Wheat Ridge a better place. They host a Community Fridge Project and Weekly Food Pantry deliveries. They also are committed to having zero waste. Scraps and Bones that would normally be dumped in a landfill are: used to produce raw pet food, donated to local animal sanctuaries and used to feed the tigers at the downtown Denver Aquarium.

Community Fridge:

Wheat Ridge Poultry are proud to host the first community fridge in our community. The fridge and pantry are supported by community members who wish to share their food with others who are in need. The fridge is open to anyone who needs food or has extra to donate.

Food Pantry assistance:

Regardless of your position in life, everyone deserves access to fresh, high-quality, locally sourced and sustainably raised products. They currently work with 5 local food pantries to help feed over 1,000 families in our community!

Local Producers & Growers:

They strive to work with local producers and growers to help support our local food system. If you know of a local product that would be great in our store, send them an email at info@wheatridgepoultry.com

Bag Credit Program:

Their Bag Credit Program has helped raise funds for community schools, school supplies, and sports teams. Plus, you Save Money too!

Holiday Meals:

Each year we donate more than 100 complete holiday meals to neighbors in need. Your continued support helps us help them.

Community Support:

It is our mission to help our community!

From fundraisers to the community fridge, we continue to find ways to give back.

If you would like to learn more about any of their support please click here or email info@wehatridgepoultry.com.

How can I support Wheat Ridge Poultry?

There are many ways that you can support Wheat Ridge Poultry, but to put it simply, shop local! Visit The COOP & Kitchen at 5650 W 29th Ave, Wheat Ridge, CO. The COOP & Kitchen at Wheat Ridge Poultry is an indoor market that brings together farmers, ranchers, and food producers to bring attention to the importance of eating local, supporting local, and shopping local.

The COOP is OPEN TO ALL SHOPPERS!

“A community food system is designed to support local growers and producers, packagers and distributors, residents of all needs, assist in building a better environment and work towards ending food waste and food insecurity.

Local producers and processors are real people in our community growing and packaging real products that can benefit our community and ensure that our food supply is one that allows enough for everyone.

Our mission is to help make the switch from large and convenient, and cheap to small, local, and fair.”

Five Fridges Farm:

For this information and more please visit https://www.5fridgesfarm.com/

What is Five Fridges Farm?

Located at 11100 W 38th Ave, Wheat Ridge, CO, Five Fridges Farm is a local, sustainable and accessible farm right here in Wheat Ridge. Five Fridges Farm “strives to research and practice realistic local solutions to the issues in our current food system: access, waste, taste, environment, soil/range management, water use, and land conservation.”

This farm was originally known as Red Wing Ranch, owned by Earnestine and Walt Williams from the 1930’s to the mid 1990’s. They raised steer, hogs, chickens, and later goats! In 2010, Amanda Weaver began working with then-owner Louise Turner, a long-time Wheat Ridge resident and farm neighbor. In 2011, Amanda took over as the new owner of the 13-acre sustainable urban farm and began renovations on the old farmhouse. During renovations, refrigerators of all ages and sizes were removed from every room of the 800 square foot farmhouse. Hence, the name 5 Fridges Farm.

Amanda is a local Wheat Ridge resident. While finishing a dissertation on the viability of local food production in Colorado, Amanda apprenticed Turner with dairy goats in the urban environment. While teaching at CU Denver, she now maintains dairy and weed grazing herds, flocks of chickens and turkeys, hives of bees, as well as growing a variety of vegetables for local restaurant sales. Amanda uses her farm as her research lab and classroom, teaching urban agriculture, sustainability, and environmental science.

The city has grown up and around the farm since Earnestine’s time. But Five Fridges Farm has a totally unique opportunity for “urban agriculture.” The city will continue to grow around the farm, but the farm will remain the same as Earnestine established a conservation easement on the land known as the William’s Wildlife Preserve. This is managed by Colorado Open Lands. The farm is protected for agriculture use and wildlife habitat forever! The land cannot be subdivided or built on outside the envelope of the currently existing building. Earnestine wanted to conserve the place she loved for future generations to enjoy. Though it is privately owned, it is monitored every year to ensure that the conservation values are maintained.

“The farm works closely with Colorado Open Lands to promote information about conserved lands by holding events at the farm as well as participating in Conserved Colorado – a website listing products and services available at locally conserved farms. For more information on privately conserved land, please see the Colorado Open Lands website.”

5 Fridges Farm has a 3BL Evaluation for Projects (triple bottom line)

Social: Provide and maintain healthy habitats and diets for animals and insects

Financial: Be local and financially sustainable

Environmental: promote and sustain the land they live on

5 Fridges farm partners with many businesses within the Wheat Ridge community and the surrounding areas. Here is a list with links of all the current partners of 5 Fridges Farm.

How can I support 5 Fridges Farm?

There are many ways that you can support 5 Fridges Farm, but to put it simply, shop local! You can buy directly from 5 Fridges Farm on their website. You can also take cheese or poultry classes.

If you have any questions about the farm, how you can support them, or how they can help you please click here to contact Amanda.

All Seasons Holiday Market:

What is the All Seasons Holiday Market?

Located at 7200 W 38th Ave, All Seasons Holiday Market is similar to a farmer’s market you’d see outside, but instead moved indoors to accommodate their vendors and customers all year long. All Seasons Holiday Market is a unique shop full of gifts, foods and holiday decor while supporting many local Colorado vendors. They are home to over 30 individual vendors with all types of products as well as something special each specific holiday. You can find anything from unique greeting cards to resin art, coffee, hand blown glass figures and so much more.

All Seasons Holiday Market carries local products and supports local creators. Lana Austen, opened her business five years ago. Before owning All Seasons, Lana was hustling at other markets selling her honey she makes from keeping bees! You can still purchase Lana’s honey today in her shop! Lana describes her shop as a family, they are a community of people that support each other not only professionally but, but also personally.

All Seasons Holiday Market is very active in our community. They participate in all sorts of events, from a Localworks Live Local event to the Carnation Festival, Wheat Ridge Farmers market and more. They are involved with the Wheat Ridge Chamber of Commerce, the Grange and Kiwanis club as well. Over the years, they have hosted a community yard sale for the neighborhood each year and donate to a local food bank.

All Seasons Holiday market is a unique place, not many small businesses can say they are home to over 30 other small business vendors. The shop allows vendors to be able to affordably sell their products. Lana says, “[All Seasons Holiday Market’s] sustainability vision is to provide goods and services to the community while supporting the small businesses that create them.”

How can I support All Seasons Holiday Market?

There are many ways that you can support All Seasons Holiday Market, but to put it simply, shop local! You can buy directly from All Seasons Holiday Market’s shop, located at 7200 W 38th Ave, Wheat Ridge, CO 80033, or stop by and see them at their varying booths at community events.

If you have any questions about the shop, how you can support them, or how they can help you please call (720) 295-4642.

THIS IS NOT A COMPLETE LIST OF LOCAL WHEAT RIDGE BUSINESSES

Sources used throughout this page:

www.ers.usda.gov

www.rubicon.com

OECD

Localworks’ Monthly Donor Club

March 2, 2023 by Adison Wash Leave a Comment

Monthly Donors Club: Local Champions

Reasons to give

Localworks is introducing a new program to help give back to those that give to us. All of these monthly donations will go directly into our programming to make Wheat Ridge a more vibrant place to live and work. These programs include community-favorites like Live Local, Block Party grants and our summer Dumpster Days. Your donation directly impacts these programs, and in return, will directly benefit you and your community.

Mark De La Torre, a resident of Wheat Ridge says “Localworks is a community-first organization, through and through.” He continues, “I give to Localworks because, beyond programming, they’re investing in every aspect of life for businesses and residents to make Wheat Ridge the best place it can be.”

Localworks has and will continue to graciously accept donations of any amount throughout the year; however, in addition to this, we are introducing a tiered donation program that will benefit both parties. Our monthly donor club will begin on March 1st and continue through the year! Some of the donor benefits will evolve and change as we continue to learn how to best accommodate our community members. Localworks is continuing to grow and develop here in Wheat Ridge and it is all thanks to those that continue to support us whether it be through donations, volunteer time, or just attending our events periodically throughout the year!

What’s a monthly donor club?

A monthly donor club consists of members of our community who fiscally support our organization with a scheduled donation that goes directly into our programs once a month. To show our appreciation for your impact, we want to give you something in return! We have split our monthly donors into three different levels to allow a range of giving depending on what works best for our community members. Our monthly donor levels show pride for Localworks as our community makes Wheat Ridge special, these colors make our logo special and identifiable. Beginning with our Crimson members at a gift of $5 a month, then our Gold members with a gift of $10 a month and, finally, our Royal members who donate $20 a month. Each with varying perks in return. Together, you all are LocalChampions!

Crimson givers – $5/month

What can your $5 a month do? Believe it or not $5/month will have a significant impact on our mission of making Wheat Ridge a vibrant and sustainable place to live and work! Your $5 a month equates to $60 a year, which allows us to fund THREE Live Local events for a single Wheat Ridge community member. Live Local events aren’t your thing? That same $60 a year can cover costs of 25 cubic yards of trash disposed of on a Dumpster Day! To put that in perspective, a cubic yard of soil typically weighs around 2100 lbs. That would mean your $5 a month would cover over 100,000 lbs of dry, loose trash a year. Talk about helping your home be a clean and sustainable community!

In exchange for your gift to us and your impact on your community, you will receive an extra free drink token at every Live Local event for as long as you are a Crimson giver! As well as a one time gift of a $5 gift card to Stylus and Crate.

Gold givers – $10/month

If $5 a month can do all of that, just imagine what $10 a month can do. This $10 a month donation will double your impact. No matter what level of donation you give monthly will go into the same pool for Localworks programs, how big of a splash will YOU make?

In exchange for your gift to us and your impact on your community, you will receive an extra free drink token at every Live Local event for as long as you are a Gold giver! In addition, you will receive a one time gift of a $10 gift card to your choice Infinitus Pizza Pie or Esters in Gold’s Marketplace AND a shout out in our monthly newsletter.

Royal givers – $20/month

For $20 a month and $240 a year, you can directly impact TWELVE live local events for a single community member and greatly impact our TLC dumpster day program to help us keep Wheat Ridge neighborhoods clean!

Royal LocalChampions will also receive an extra free drink token at every Live Local event for as long as you are a Royal giver, as well as a one time gift of a $20 gift card to your choice of ANY Wheat Ridge business. Royal members will also have their name in our monthly newsletter. In addition, Localworks will invite Royal members to be first in line at our TLC Dumpster Day events. There will be a designated time and reserved space instead of moving cars out of the way for traffic control reasons. Although we do not expect to change this, all of the church parking lots are different and we may have difficulties executing this plan.

This incentive is subject to change depending on our ability to keep our TLC Neighborhood Clean-up Days running smoothly. If our gift needs to be changed, we will communicate on how best to reimburse you, or provide you with a different incentive.

We would like to reiterate that Live Local events are always free and open to all residents of Wheat Ridge. These benefits are to thank those who choose to fiscally support our organization, not to block or hinder those who either do not want to or are unable to donate. We truly appreciate any kind of support that our community gives us.

TLC Wheat Ridge is a joint effort of Localworks and the Wheat Ridge Police Department. The goal of this program is to bring neighbors together to strengthen the community and keep our city clean and safe. To accomplish this work, we offer Clean Up Days, Dumpster Day Grants and Block Party Grants. Your donation directly impacts this programming by allowing for more debris to be collected in Wheat Ridge as we strive towards our daily mission of making Wheat Ridge a more vibrant and sustainable place to live and work.

To schedule a monthly donation, please click here. Thank you Wheat Ridge!

Localworks Committees

September 23, 2022 by Adison Wash Leave a Comment

Localworks Committee Applications Open

Looking to get more involved in the community? Localworks is re-opening applications for committee membership! Below is a comprehensive list of all the committees that are now open for registration. Whether you are interested in networking/educational programs or local events, there is a place for you here! Joining a committee is the best way to have to connect with your community and be able to be a part of Wheat Ridge’s positive progress.

Members of the community are able to join one or more committees if that is of interest to you. Here is a list of our committees:

Ready to sign up? Click here.

Partners in Progress Committee

The Partners in Progress Committee will steward community-based education and networking growth in Wheat Ridge. During these meetings it is intended that stakeholders lead discussions surrounding how we can further engage the Wheat Ridge community in the educational component of Localworks. Localworks is searching for committee members who are keen to bring back events like Policy and Pints, business roundtable conversations and education and civic participation for community members.

For those seeking a leadership role, early participants will meet on a temporarily ad hoc basis. Once committee membership and roles within the committee are established a more formal schedule and strategic plan will be put into place.

Please consider becoming a member of the Partners in Progress Committee and help Localworks and Wheat Ridge engage with and educate the next generation of involved members within our community.

Communications Committee

The Communications Committee has been formed from three previous committees as an opportunity for a more cohesive communication system: the Public Relations Committee, Communication Advisory Team and Marketing Committee. The primary purpose of the Communications Committee is to have conversations around potential new campaigns via Localworks existing and upcoming channels. This committee will meet on an as needed basis, discussing ideas surrounding new campaigns for business corridors, like Ridge at 38, Localworks programs, Makerspace membership/programs and more!

If you are interested in contributing to the promotion of peer-to-peer communication for local events and putting on a strategic cap for the growth of Wheat Ridge through branding elements, this committee is for you!

Live Local Committee

If you enjoy attending our community’s Live Local events, the Live Local Committee is a great opportunity to get involved and help plan fun, interactive events with Localworks in the future. Some of our events we have focused on this summer include a Coffee 101 with Stylus and Crate, an ice cream treat with Em’s, local beverages with Rickoli and an Adoption Day with Cosmos.

The Live Local Committee will meet quarterly.

Events Committee

The Events Committee’s role will be similar to our Live Local Committee; however this group will be responsible for all events outside of the Live Local realm. You can expect to be working on things like Ridgefest, Localworks annual fundraiser, mid-modern home tour and urban farm tour. The Events Committee is a great way to further engage in the Wheat Ridge community and help behind the scenes of your favorite events.

The Events Committee will meet on an ad hoc basis.

Ready to sign up for one of these committees? Sign up here. If you are interested in the Makerspace Advisory Board, please use the link at the bottom of the page that says “register”.

Makerspace Advisory Board

The Makerspace Advisory Board is the best way to take an active role in the development of the Localworks Makerspace program. Managed by the Program and Development Officer, the primary role of this committee is to provide recommendations, insight, and advice to the Localworks Board of Directors on matters relating to the development and operation of the Makerspace.

Please note that the Makerspace Advisory Board will work a little differently than the rest of the committees. Registration applications will be available on a different platform to allow for more in depth information and resume compatibility. However, if any of the other committees pique your interest, click here to register.