COMMISSIONERS MARK CHILD ABUSE PREVENTION MONTH WITH PINWHEELS

National Child Abuse Prevention Month was highlighted at the regular meeting of the Board of El Paso County Commissioners on April 13. It served as a reminder of how everyone plays a role in preventing child abuse and neglect, the county said in a news release.

“Communities are a key influence in families’ lives, just like a plant is more likely to thrive in a garden with good soil and plenty of sunlight and water, families are more likely to thrive in nurturing communities,” Board of County Commissioners Vice-Chair Cami Bremer said as she read the Proclamation into the record. “Every day, we can help positive childhood experiences take root by working together to cultivate relationships, connections, and environments that help every child thrive.”

More than 20,500 hotline calls were received in 2020 by the El Paso County Department of Human Services, which provides oversight and protective services.

El Paso County DHS staff planted about 200 pinwheels in front of Centennial Hall in downtown Colorado Springs. Prevent Child Abuse America introduced the pinwheel in 2008 as the national symbol for child abuse prevention through Pinwheels for Prevention. The pinwheels serve as symbols of the happy, playful childhoods desired for all children.

This year, Illuminate Colorado gave away 40,000 pinwheels to be displayed across the state.

The statewide hotline to call in concerns about of child abuse and neglect is 1-844-CO-4-Kids. For more information, visit co4kids.org.

EDUCATION UPDATES

• Cora M. Ferguson (80921) has been selected for membership into the St. Lawrence University chapter of Omicron Delta Kappa, a national leadership honorary society for college students, faculty, staff, administrators and alumni. Ferguson, who attended Discovery Canyon High School, is a member of the Class of 2023 majoring in biology-physics.

• Diane Polley, of Colorado Springs, was recently initiated into The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the nation’s oldest and most selective all-discipline collegiate honor society. Polley was initiated at the U.S. Air Force Academy.

LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS TO HOST ANNUAL MEETING

League of Women Voters of the Pikes Peak Region is hosting its annual membership meeting at 9:30 a.m. April 24 via Zoom. Community members are invited to attend.

As part of the yearly meeting, the organization will feature National Social Studies Council President Anton Schulzki in a presentation called “Civic Education and Rebuilding Trust in Our Democracy.” Schulzki has been an educator in Colorado Springs for over 35 years, dedicating his life and work to enlighten future voters so they may make an educated decision to participate in our democracy.

For the last decade, Schulzki has lent his spare time working with the Colorado Council for the Social Studies and the National Council for the Social Studies. His Social Studies peers elected him in 2019 to serve as president of NCSS beginning in July. He is the current president-elect of NCSS.

After the presentation, the meeting will focus on League business, including a review of the League action over the last year and a preview of the year to come.

Register at LWVPPR.org.

League of Women Voters of the Pikes Peak Region is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization empowering voters and defending democracy.

COLORADO VOTERS FOR ANIMALS SEEKS VOLUNTEERS

Colorado Voters for Animals is looking for volunteers to work two-hours shifts during the Colorado Springs Pet Expo on April 24-25. The event will be held at the Colorado Springs Event Center.

“We’ll be passing out information about Colorado Voters for Animals (or CVA) and gathering contact information from attendees who want to learn more about CVA,” the organization said in a statement. “With everyone’s safety in mind, the Expo will have staggered booth spaces and attendees allowed in the Event Center at any one time will be controlled.”

Volunteers get a free CVA T-shirt along with “our sincere appreciation for helping give a voice to the voiceless,” the organization said.

Interested volunteers are asked to contact CVA’s Roland Halpern at roland@covotersforanimal.org.

CELEBRATE WESTERN HERITAGE THROUGH COLORING

Entry forms for the Western Heritage Spirit of Colorado Springs annual coloring contest are available at at locations of IHOP, Pikes Peak Library and YMCA or download the coloring page at bit.ly/3sXNTpH.

The organization developed a coloring contest with a goal of involving the youth in embracing the western heritage of the Colorado Springs area in a creative way. The contest is open to children ages 11 and younger. Categories are 5 and younger, 6-8 years, and 9-11 years.

Have your child complete it using any media (crayon, watercolor, colored pencil, paint, etc.) before mailing or dropping it off the entry at ProRodeo Hall of Fame or at any IHOP location by the April 25 deadline.

Western Heritage Spirit of Colorado Springs began in 2009 with a mission to provide awareness and promotion of western heritage and culture in the Pikes Peak region through an effort of collaboration and support.

PUBLIC INVITED TO VIRTUAL OPEN HOUSE

El Paso County invites the public to participate in a virtual public meeting for the Briargate-Stapleton Corridor Study.

The county and the City of Colorado Springs are working to complete a study of the corridor between Black Forest Road and Meridian Road — a segment that will ultimately be part of a larger, planned principal arterial roadway aimed to improve connectivity within the greater Colorado Springs area and beyond.

The study will establish a preferred alignment, conceptual design and an access management plan for the corridor between Black Forest Road and Meridian Road.

Community input will help shape the final recommendations by identifying corridor improvements that optimize safety, needs and preferences while balancing enhanced capacity, access management and development.

Attendees can log into the virtual meeting any time until April 30 by visiting briargate-stapleton.com/virtual-public-meeting.

DISPENSATION FROM SUNDAY MASS IN SPRINGS TO END MAY 23

The dispensation from Sunday Mass attendance for Catholics in the Diocese of Colorado Springs will be lifted May 23, Most Rev. Michael J. Sheridan announced earlier this month.

In a statement, the reverend said: “In March of 2020, due to the coronavirus pandemic, I granted a dispensation from the Sunday Mass obligation for Catholics living within the Diocese of Colorado Springs. Parishes in the diocese resumed public Masses two months later, but the dispensation remained in effect due to capacity restrictions at churches and the need for social distancing. Now, since the worst of the crisis appears to be behind us, the faithful in the diocese will once again be morally obligated to attend Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation. As has always been the case, individuals who are unable to attend Mass due to serious illness or advanced age are dispensed from the Sunday obligation.”

For more information, visit bit.ly/3dMQAUz.