Long Over Due Update

Since its been a while since I have updated everyone with what is going on here in Denver, I thought I would share a little bit more about the Denver Inner City Parish with all of you.

With my primary job description being the volunteer coordinator I have been spending a lot of my time trying to not only learn about DICP history but also about all of the programs that they offer to the community on the west side of Denver. Here is a basic overview of the parish:

“The Denver Inner City Parish is a nondenominational, non-profit agency dedicated for the past four decades to serving the secular and spiritual needs of West Denver's low-income community. We offer a "familia" model of support that provides holistic, "wrap-around" educational and human services, all of which help develop self-sufficiency for people of all ages.”

Currently DICP offers 11 programs (Seniors, ReNew, the Emergency Food Bank, La Academia, Night School, Puentes (Bridges), Afterschool Programs, Summer Day Camp, Summer Meal Program, Young Fathers, Worship) and does it with only about 20 people on staff. Although this means I have a lot to learn and I am sure I will face many challenges along the way I am excited about the work I have been called to do.

Seniors: The Parish Seniors program works to enhance the health, social well-being and quality of life for West Denver residents 55 years and older.

ReNew: “Project ReNew provides reintegration programs for those returning to Denver from the Department of Corrections. We work to reduce community crime by rebuilding the lives of individuals who have previously made poor choices.”

Emergency Food Bank: “The Emergency Food Bank at the Denver Inner City Parish is our longest running program and serves a strong need in the community. The clients who use our food bank range from low-income working families to homeless individuals. This past year, we have served over 1,700 different families.”

La Academia: “La Academia at the Denver Inner City Parish is a private, non-profit school located in West Denver serving 80 ninth through twelfth grade low-income students. Founded in 1971, La Academia has addressed the educational and social needs of at-risk youth..”

Night School: “Our Adult Night School assists an additional 20 students who earn their high school diploma or prepare for the G.E.D. test.”

Afterschool Program: “The Afterschool Program is relatively new and is run by the same staff member as the day camp. Many of the objectives and goals are similar to the day camp program. This program is also geared toward boys and girls ages 6-11 and pulls mainly from the elementary and middle school within close proximity to La Academia.”

Young Fathers: This program is to help young men from the ages 16-24 to learn the skills of fatherhood. It focuses on teaching how to create strong relationship between father and child and provides them with many resources that they may never have known existed.

Worship: “The Parish holds ecumenical worship services twice each month, several of which are bilingual.” For many community members this is the only service they can attend on a regular basis.
One aspect that has begun since I have started my work here is creating a Children’s Educational hour, which I will be leading up with the help of our two pastors.

I know that this is a lot of information but isn’t it amazing to see how much the DICP provides within the west side community?

I’m not sure that even a brief description of the programs does DICP justice in the work that they do in their community and as you can imagine trying to find my way within this great agency has been a challenge. I have been spending the last month meeting with our program directors as well as finding Volunteer Coordinators at other non-for-profit agencies within the city to meet and consult with. So far I have met with three wonderful women who have proven to be great resources and provided me with all sorts of reading materials and websites to look at. All of their input and advice has been a Godsend but in many ways has provided me with too much information. I have slowly been able to sift through the many resources and have found a starting point. I have made a list of things that will need to be done and am not sure of the order in which they need to be done right now but trust it will become clear as I continue muddle through.

It is these programs and the staff that run them is what makes me leave in a state of awe everyday. I know that God has brought me here to help and trust that not only will he give me patience when I worry about things I can not change but that he will also provide the strength to get me through.


If you would like any more information about any of these programs please feel to get in touch with me or check out the website (http://dicp.org/index.html).