Our weekly stories and articles in this space have traced local events and told stories about the neighborhood throughout the year. We hope to continue with good news and information – always aiming to make a better community – as we turn the calendar page to 2025. 

Community

We started 2024 with some thoughts about doing business in the local community. You might notice that’s a favorite theme of ours, and we believe in its importance in making this a better place to live. We’re all about that. Then, another familiar theme, outlining the benefits of volunteering, Giving is Gaining. Our friends at Joy’s Kitchen do so much to alleviate hunger and mitigate food waste. Volunteering there is a real eye-opener, besides being a direct benefit to the community. On a roll in that article with the idea of volunteering, we mentioned a few ways to help the school for the benefit of our kids. Most of those projects and volunteer opportunities recur every year. There are so many good things that need doing. Who will do them?  We linked to a song by Matthew West. The singer is anguished about all the things that are wrong in the world, and sings, I shook my fist at Heaven / Said, “God, why don’t You do something?”  / He said, “I did, yeah, I created you!”  Doing good can be accomplished in small bites. Our neighbor Harry Puncec gave an example with the following week’s story, Warm Thoughts on a Snowy Day, how a small act of helping a neighbor can have a big effect.

Local Issues

In January we introduced the candidates for our City Council Ward 5 position, and then February brought the Lakewood Tree Sale. Some of our neighbors got some really good deals. Trees were the subject of other informative articles too, with information and warnings about the arrival of the Emerald Ash Borer and what to do to protect our vulnerable ash trees, and then in September we reported its arrival in Lakewood. 

Local history

Harry also gave us a nostalgic look at the early days of Southern Gables when it was a new development, and a vignette of the venerable old backbone of Denver’s street grid, Broadway. 

Meet Your Neighbor

Over the course of the year we interviewed some really interesting Southern Gables neighbors. We met Roger Hanlon, Lauren Colaizzi, Pam Engel-Livick, Bob and Patti Ellis, and Van and Krystal Than. We also interviewed the young owner of a unique local landscape maintenance service, Tommy’s Lawn Care. Back in April we introduced you to Luke Jones, or as the kids call him, “Mr. Luke.” It was a heartwarming story of Inspiration at Green Gables Elementary. Just last month we met the owner of the Cultivar Café at the Molly Brown Summer House, Prince Kayigire. We are proud to say that the Cultivar Cafe joined the Neighborhood Association as a Local Business Supporter, to strengthen the community connection with Southern Gables. In addition to being a restauranteur, Prince is an author, and a survivor. He just released a book, Prince: Beauty for Ashes about the genocide against the Tutsi people in his native Rwanda. 

Spring

As the seasons turned, we followed along with the spring tradition of the Green Gables Leprechauns participating in the Denver St. Patrick’s Day Parade for the 55th year, a promo for the monthly neighborhood luncheons (featuring the Front Range Inn), pieces about our Association Board meetings and the annual neighborhood meeting in May. We republished and updated Kristen De Lay’s informative piece on invasive weeds, we promoted block parties, coordinated a garage sale weekend and provided maps for people to find them, and started organizing for Neighborhood Night Out. More volunteer involvement came with getting neighbors to give some spring and summertime care for the landscaping at the Southern Gables neighborhood entrance sign at Estes and Jewell. 

Summer

Summertime! Great Time for Block Parties! July featured an in-depth, information-packed article on transforming an ecologically unsound yard into a garden that the birds and bees see as a perfect home, using minimal water. It makes a beautiful retreat and it’s done in six big steps. In August we had articles anticipating Neighborhood Night Out and then when it was done, we gave some credit for all the work that went into putting it on and showed off with pictures: That Was the Neighborhood Night Out. Oh, on social activities with neighbors and friends, we dropped a hint about joining the Southern Gables Book Club. 

Fall

Fall leaves fell, actually at an inconveniently late date. The ones that were on the ground by the first of November got a lot of attention by good-hearted kids doing good deeds in Southern Gables. Kind of makes your heart warm, doesn’t it?  Neighborhood volunteers – there’s that word again – took them to the Fleischer Family Farm. As Farmer Paul told us, he will process them into compost “to have some incredible soil to grow great food for you all next season.”

Something else

Along the way there were two essays in the category of “What to write this week?  Um… travel story” one was about the Eclipse in April, and in October, Feelings, a fish story. Also in October we tapped that familiar theme again, buying local to support our neighbors and make a better community. 

Finishing up the year

We wrote about another word for thanks-giving, gratitude, in November. In that article we asked if you had any recommendations for year-end donations from the Association. Supporting local nonprofits and activities that benefit the community is an important part of our charter. At the Board meeting that followed, we awarded grants as follows. Joy’s Kitchen for their work in local food distribution and waste reduction; Denver Christian School in consideration for their work in raking leaves for our senior and disabled residents; Green Gables Elementary School Community Support Fund; Lakewood Police Department Employee Assistance Fund; Moms’ Clothesline to help with providing clothing to needy students at our local high schools; Spay Today, a nonprofit dedicated to animal health and a Southern Gables Business Supporter; and Westwoods Community Church for their community outreach and volunteering work. We also made an emergency grant to a Green Gables Elementary School family that lost their home to a tragic fire at Thanksgiving. 

Then in December lots of neighbors dressed up their mailboxes and entered our Mailbox Decoration Contest, adding a special touch to Southern Gables. We announced the winners on Facebook and Nextdoor: Denise Raper on W Iliff Lane took first place, Tammra McCloskey also on W Iliff Lane got second place, and Tyler & Shannon Gray came in with a close third on S Cape Way. Congratulations to all our winners, and a great big thank-you to all of our mailbox-decorating neighbors who entered the contest. Every single entry brightens the street for our neighbors and makes the mail carrier smile. And then, ending the year with lots of smiles, we presented highlights from the Southern Gables extravaganza of holiday lights. 

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