| One
of the projects we at Diné of Denver will undertake
is a mentor program to assist all new Diné residents
of the Northern Colorado region. Here’s how it works:
A new resident, upon request, will be placed in contact
with a volunteer from Diné of Denver, who can be
your “buddy,” your “mentor,” or whatever
you want to call him (or her). The mentor is someone you
can count on in a time of need, such as the loss of a job,
a family emergency, etc. In a nutshell, the mentor is someone
you turn to when you don’t know who else to turn to
because you are new to this region. The mentor can be Diné,
but if it doesn’t matter to you, he or she may not
be.
Diné
of Denver needs volunteers from present residents of Denver
to assist in this project. You do not have to be Navajo
to qualify as a mentor, you need only be a resident of Northern
Colorado for 3 years or more. If you are new to Denver,
or if you are willing to serve as mentor to a new Diné
resident for at least one year, please e-mail me at GenBToledo@DinehofDenver.com.
We will attempt to assign to you a mentor who lives in close
proximity to you. And hey, if you don’t like the mentor
we suggest, let me know and we’ll assign somebody else.
We’re all in this together.
There are several services available to you in Denver which
you should know about. The
Denver Indian Family Resource Center offers family support
and counseling for just about any issue which is disruptive
to the family, especially issues which may adversely affect
child welfare. The Center advocates to assist families to
avoid involvement with the child welfare system, and for
family reunification following the standards of the Indian
Child Welfare Act. The Center is located at 393 South Harlan
Street in Lakewood, CO 80226. Their telephone number is
(303) 871-8035.
Denver Indian Health and
Family Services is located at 3749 S. King Street here
in Denver. Their telephone no. is (303) 781-4050. DIHFS
provides diabetes case management, victims' services, assistance
for substance abuse, and low-cost referrals for dental,
optical and medicinal health care.
The Denver Indian
Center is located 4407 Morrison Rd. in Denver, CO 80219.
Their telephone number is (303) 936-2688. The DIC is an
EXCELLENT community center for all Native Americans, offering
youth programs, tutoring, emergency energy and food bank
assistance, as well as fundamental training in computer
literacy. I strongly encourage you to take advantage of
their services.
WELCOME TO DENVER!
Genevieve
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