Host Alec Harris spoke with Beth Beckel, an energy efficiency and sustainability specialist with Boulder County’s Energy Smart program.  They provide expert assistance to take the guesswork out of making your home or business more energy efficient.

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After eight years in Uganda, Experience Educate has grown from Colorado high school students raising money to support Ugandan college students , to creating a mentorship program that develops social entrepreneurs in their endeavors to improve the lives of all Ugandans and tackle tough issues of AIDS, orphans, Malaria and poverty. Founder Eric Glostrom chats with host Nikki Kayser about their next step to help the government adopt the Experience Educate model of experiential educate and mentorship into their national curriculum.

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Boulder County’s Sheriff”s Office has a Victim Assistance Program that trains volunteer victim advocates who provide crisis intervention support and referral to victims of crime and trauma. They act as liaison with the law enforcement agency and connect victims with resources available in the community. Host Rachel Sapin chats with Donna Foster about the volunteer role. To learn about becoming an advocate, call  at 303-441-3656.

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February has been designated Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month. Did you know that one out of four teen girls report that they have physically or sexually assaulted before the age of sixteen? Project Safeguard, helps end domestic violence by holding society responsible for developing, implementing and enforcing sanctions against abusers while increasing safety and survival options for abused women and their children. Project Safeguard’s mission is dedicated to providing safety planning, legal advocacy, and direct court support to victims of domestic violence and abuse, ensuring their safety and survival.

Matter of Balance is an evidence-based program offered in a series of workshops to reduce the fear of falling and increase activity levels for older adults. Marja Johnson  of Boulder County Aging Services explains to host Doug Cosper that falls are the leading cause of death from injury among people sixty-five and older. Of those who fracture a hip, twenty-five percent require life-long nursing care.  Of the elderly that sustain a fall-related injury, half will be discharged to a nursing home rather than return home. A quarter of people aged seventy-five and older unnecessarily restrict their activities because of fear of falling. Workshops are held in Longmont, Lafayette,and Boulder.

Diners can help out Louisville seniors who have trouble paying their heating bills by eating at one of several local restaurants Feb. 11. During the Savor the Favor event, 10 percent of proceeds at participating restaurants will go to the Louisville Senior Foundation to help seniors cover the cost of heating their homes. The Louisville Senior Foundation improves the lives and meet the needs of the Senior Citizens of Louisville, Colorado. To accomplish this the Foundation works to raise, receive or otherwise acquire revenues and gifts, which are used in a manner which assists the Senior Citizens of Louisville. Nadia Khasawneh gets the details.

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In 2006 10,569 people were booked into the Boulder County Jail. The recidivism rate for Boulder County is half. FOCUS mentors work with inmates and probationers to help them establish stable lives. We also serve the safety of Boulder County citizens by helping reduce the recidivism rate. FOCUS is a collaboration of congregations, service agencies, community organizations and local businesses whose objective is to facilitate inmate reentry through mentoring. FOCUS trains mentors to provide consistent encouragement and assistance to inmates and probationers by helping them find housing, employment, childcare, medical help, education opportunities, and other basic needs, in partnership with local. Tania Leontov, FOCUS Project Director chats with host Kirstin LeGrice.

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The mission of Second Wind Fund is to decrease the incidence of teen suicide nationally by removing financial and social barriers to treatment for at-risk youth and to create a network of local affiliates to provide such services in their own communities. Nationally, suicide ranks as the third leading cause of death for young people ages 15-24, behind only homicides and accidents. Each year, there are approximately approximately 12 young people between the ages of 15-24 dying every day by suicide. Kathy Valentine chats with host Nikki Kayser about the program and its reach into 80 percent of Colorado.

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Boulder County Suicide Prevention Coalition, now called HOPE Coalition of Boulder County, was formed in 2005 on memory of the former CU Buff football player,Gabe Oderberg, who took his own life in September, 2004, at the age of 23. The  HOPE Coalition provides financial assistance to depressed and suicidal individuals for professional treatment. Kathy Valentine speaks with host Nikki Kayser about the prevalence of suicide in Colorado and some of the causes.

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