Jack Levinson chats with host Nikki Kayser about his organization that matched scooters and electric wheelchairs for disabled veterans that need mobility. Wheels For Disabled Veterans refurbishes donated wheels , sometimes simply replacing the batteries, and gets them to vets who need them. Right now he has more equipment than contacts for those in need. Jack has got a shipping company donating fright space, a local furniture store donating storage space, and a battery manufacture donating batteries. If you need of someone who could benefits from a set of wheels, please call Jack at 720-938-4993.

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Host Kathy Frazier chats with Sarah Spaulding about a refreshing dip in the Boulder Reservoir on New Year’s Day for a great cause. Think that’s crazy?  Not according to the 800 plus “plungers” who take part in the Polar Plunge every year.  Participants form a team, start planning their costumes, fund-raise online, and sponsor the event for the Alzheimer’s Association.

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Amanda Lueck Grell envisions a writing community for students in Denver where they can enjoy writing. More often than not, schools cannot provide a place in which creativity and discovery receive one-on-one attention. Students too often view writing as yet another task for which they will be assessed and graded. Metro Denver Promotion of Lettters hopes to help young writers see that writing is a vehicle for expression and communication, for publication and storytelling.   Host Nikki Kayser gets the details.

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The Boulder County Parks and Open Space Department is accepting applications for the 2012 Artist-in-Residency Program at Caribou Ranch Open Space. Host Steve Miller chats with Pascale Fried to find out about the program that provides an opportunity for artists to pursue their work in the inspiring landscape and history of Caribou Ranch. By sharing their art with Boulder County, artists can add to residents’ enjoyment of their open space lands and create a legacy of art preserved for future generations. Musicians, painters, illustrators, photographers,visual/film artists, sculptors, performers, poets, writers, composers and crafts/artisans are all welcome to apply.

Each year, July through September, selected artists stay in the historic DeLonde Barn at Caribou Ranch Open Space for up to seven days. The open space property offers a variety of landscapes to explore including streams, waterfalls, forests, and beautiful vistas. Moose, elk, black bears, beavers, bats and nearly 90 species of birds live within or pass through the area. Also found on the property is the Blue Bird Mine complex where miners from the 1870s to the 1960s extracted silver ore. In the early 1900s, the site was a whistle stop for the Denver, Boulder & Western Railroad.

While more than seventy percent of Namibia’s urban population has access to the electric grid, only fifteen percent of rural households are connected.  Despite this enormous gap between urban and rural energy access, the target presented in Namibia’s third National Development Plan was only for twenty percent rural electrification by 2012.  Namibia lacks the resources to construct a transmission system to meet the needs of its rural population.  Rural Namibians must either find alternatives to grid-based power or continue to live without electricity for the foreseeable future.  In addition, the solution to Namibia’s rural energy crisis must take into account climate change, as models predict that temperature increases will lead to increased climate variability in Namibia, stressing delicate ecosystems and rural economies. Host Nikki Kayser chats with founder Doug Vilsack about Elephant Energy’s goal this year to light 18,000 Navajo homes.

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Discarded electronics account for 70 % of the heavy metals in Colorado’s landfills.  When disposed in landfills the chemicals in electronics can cause potential harm to the soil, groundwater and air.  For example, mercury contained in bulbs in laptops, televisions and displays is very harmful even in small quantities.  It can be released into the environment easily when a laptop or display screen is crushed. This holiday season, instead of throwing away our used electronics, Randy Moorman with the Colorado Environmental Coalition wants us to recycle them. He tells host Nikki Kayser that it helps the environment and it creates jobs.

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Nancy Cranbourne

Artistic Director Nancy Cranbourne and her collaborator, Linzee Klinkenberg, chats with host Kenneth Flowe about her dance company that consists of 45 female performers over the age of 40. They share the artistic directorship of BOOM, that mashes up 16 smokin’ hot young dancers (ages 20-34) with 20 smoldering older dancers (ages 35-60). The result of this rich mix is a non-stop dance production of athletic, humorous, soulful modern jazz work. BOOM’S highly anticipated Colorado premiere will be at the Dairy Center for the Arts on April 27 – May 6, 2012.

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They’ve got a place for girls looking for fun and friendship, potential volunteers seeking to make a difference, and parents who want to spend more quality time with their daughters. Girl Scouts is for all girls in kindergarten through 12th grade, and involves 9,500 volunteers around Colorado. Amanda Kalina chats with host Kathy Frazier.

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Since 1975 Ignite Adaptive Sports has provided therapeutic recreation opportunities for people with special needs to enhance their quality of life. Located at Eldora Mountain Resort 21 miles west of Boulder, Ignite serves the disabled population with safe and fun instructional programs in adaptive alpine and nordic skiing, snowboarding and snowshoeing. Their instructors are passionate and knowledgeable in accommodating students with disabilities who require unique teaching methods. Barbara Kish, program director, chats with host Kristin Daly.

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One of the sponsors of this year’s program, Share-A-Gift, has provided toys, bikes and books for the Boulder Valley School District’s low-income families since 1972. They’re an all-volunteer organization. Members of the Boulder Valley Rotary Club sponsor the annual Share-a-Coat drive that distributes about 3,000 warm coats to needy people. Coats are collected throughout the Boulder Valley School District and distributed to Boulder community residents in need. Host Kathy Frazier is joined by volunteer Sue Barcklow.

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