Blog Archives

19 Jan

CPRD Ribbon-Cutting Opens Center for the Healing Arts

Posted:

With the snip of shiny ceremonial scissors, a crowd of supporters, staff, dancers, family, elected officials and interested onlookers were all part of a spirited and heartfelt ribbon-cutting ceremony that officially opened Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Center for the Healing Arts. Most-heard phrase throughout five days of grand-opening activities: “It’s finally here!”

Style meets function with a reverent respect of the past at the beautiful structure at the intersection of Park Avenue, Washington and 20th streets in Denver’s iconic Five Points neighborhood. The Center’s new design nicely complements the adjoining, historic former Shorter Community AME Church, CPRD’s smaller venue, while incorporating state-of-art attributes for four new studios and a theater for performances.

Minister Daryl Walker (left) and Brother Jeff

On a chilly Saturday, Jan. 17, guests, performers and speakers helped ward off the cold with their warmth during the outdoor portion of the ceremony. Among those speaking to the crowd: CPRD President/CEO Malik Robinson; co-founder Schyleen Qualls, who flew in from San Francisco to attend; Denver City Council’s Five Points representative Darrell Watson; Denver Mayor Mike Johnston; Kim Bimestefer, co-chair of the grand opening leadership committee, who made remarks on behalf of Gov. Jared Polis; and U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, who helped with federal support of the project. African drummers led guests into the building after the ribbon-cutting. There, Board Chair Gwen Brewer and founder Cleo Parker Robinson spoke to the enthusiastic crowd.

The Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Healing Center for the Arts at 2025 Washington St

Everyone agrees that the new Center represents the mission to move forward with even more emphasis on utilizing performance arts as a way to grow and heal kids and adults alike. Classes go beyond dance into areas such as percussive arts. One thing we learned during the grand opening: Cleo Parker Robinson Dance really does feel like a positive, joyful, close-knit community (and it showcases great talent during engaging performances as well).

One of the master classes offered to guests.

To learn more about Cleo Parker Robinson Dance, go to https://cleoparkerdance.org/ (and be sure to read more about its namesake founder and staff). To see Spotlight Colorado coverage of the Grand Opening Donor Gala, please visit: https://photos.blacktie-colorado.com/event/vip-gala-celebrates-cleo-parker-robinson-dance-25-million-expansion/ .

0
17 Jan

VIP Gala Celebrates Cleo Parker Robinson Dance $25 Million Expansion

Posted:

It’s a given that anything iconic, award-winning Cleo Parker Robinson takes on automatically sparkles with her magic touch. No surprise, the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Center for the Healing Arts only adds to her legacy. The $25 million addition to Cleo Village is the result of a beautiful collaboration among supporters, staff, architects and builders, and all-important donors that turned a historic venue into a glorious functional space with respect to the past, present and future. The grand opening? So special it earned five days of public-invited participation Jan. 15-19, 2026, from free community activities and special master classes to the official Center ribbon-cutting and tours, ending up with encouraged participation in this year’s MLK Day Marade in Denver.

Ed Stumpp and Lisa Hogan, campaign co-chair and board member

On Thursday, Jan. 15, donors and supporters—dressed to the nines—gathered at the new space to celebrate the Center’s grand opening at a gala filled with energy and optimism. The evening began with a short reception and entertainment from a Colorado Symphony Orchestra string quartet. CPRD President/CEO Malik Robinson talked to the group about the project with gratitude and led a champagne toast to the new venue.

Guests adjourned to the Center’s theater to settle in for captivating performances beginning with “The Love You Carry,” a lyrical solo danced by Cleo Parker Robinson, choreographed by Chris Page-Sanders. It was followed by excerpts from “Spiritual Suite,” choreographed by Cleo Parker Robinson, featuring CPRD principal and ensemble dancers. Each dance inspired a standing ovation and the final segment, “To My Father’s House,” was so spirited that the entire audience was standing, clapping along and surely anticipating their next church visit as dancers took their final bows. Cleo and Malik addressed the audience before everyone adjourned to the second level for dinner. The evening ended with a Club Jazz performance featuring Dianne Reeves, Billy Childs, Isaiah Collier and Tim Regis.

Agatha and Center architect Curtis Fentress

CPRD Center for the Healing Arts adds new studios and amenities to the organization’s historic Five Points location, creating a significant cultural hub for health, education and arts in Colorado. Cleo Parker Robinson Dance describes itself as “an international, performing arts and educational institution rooted in African American traditions, dedicated to excellence in providing cross-cultural instruction, performances and enrichment programs empowering all our communities by cultivating the healthy mind, body and spirit development for intergenerational students, artists and audiences.”

Since 1970, Cleo Parker Robinson Dance remains Denver’s global cultural and educational dance and performing arts anchor and its namesake was ABD co-founder and 2021 National Medal of Arts Recipient. CPRD is well known for its annual Dancing With the Denver Stars performance fundraiser. View upcoming events at https://cleoparkerdance.org/tickets. To see Spotlight Colorado coverage of the official grand opening ribbon-cutting, go to: https://photos.blacktie-colorado.com/event/cprd-ribbon-cutting-opens-center-for-the-healing-arts/ .

0
31 Aug

Rocky Mountain JA Free Enterprise Center Celebration

Posted:

Between its brand-new facility and a couple of very bright student ambassadors, Rocky Mountain Junior Achievement gave us all hope for the future at its recent dedication celebration in Greenwood Village. From great idea to the finished product, the sparkling new JA Free Enterprise Center is designed to be a go-to place for education, innovation and inspiration–with plenty of opportunities for any students who just want to figure things out as well. All in all, it’s a hands-on, immersive experience tailored to each individual. With the variety of functional and beautiful spaces, along with some “wow” technology involved, prepare to be impressed.

Mary Pat Link with philanthropists Judi and Charlie McNeil

On Tuesday, Aug. 29, sponsors, donors and supporters gathered at the facility for self-guided tours and the ribbon ceremony. Not a ribbon cutting—but a ceremonial ribbon-tying and untying that ultimately signified the endless possibilities for students in the world of business. The short program included remarks from student ambassadors Andrew Kim and Maxwell Skidmore, as well as JA President and CEO Robin Wise. Speaking and participating in the ribbon ceremony: James Taylor, of Dedication Celebration sponsor Charles Schwab and board member; and Chris Gdowski, board member and superintendent of Adams 12 Five Star Schools.

Chris Gdowski and James Taylor begin the tying-untying ribbon ceremony.

JA reports: The JA Free Enterprise Center fuses the physical and digital worlds to deliver innovative, real-world and inspirational learning experiences in financial literacy, entrepreneurship and career readiness, reaching an additional 25,000 students annually.

The Daniels Fund JA Dream Accelerator is an interactive and responsive career exploration experience designed to motivate high school students to develop a plan to pursue a meaningful career. After students’ initial visit, JA provide ongoing learning opportunities and additional resources customized to each student’s experience.

JA student ambassadors Maxwell Skidmore (left) and Andrew Kim

The second JA Finance Park in metro Denver doubles JA’s capacity to provide teens the opportunity to become adults for the day in this immersive simulation. Recognized by Harvard University as a best practice for teaching financial literacy, students explore a mini-city, learning first-hand how to budget for housing, insurance, transportation, retirement investments and more. Volunteer role models share their experiences, helping teens connect their learning to the real-world.

Spaces within the facility are available for community use, including conference rooms, a large terrace overlooking the Rocky Mountains and event space with capacity for 80 to 150 people.

Junior Achievement-Rocky Mountain, Inc. (JA) is part of the world’s largest nonprofit dedicated to motivating kids for future career success, self-sufficiency and financial acumen.

0
05 Oct

Archway Unveils Its Newest Affordable-Housing Project: 40 West Residences

Posted:

With paperwork, financial concerns and inevitable red tape, all the way to the design and physical labor itself, it’s really hard to put together an affordable-housing project. Just ask anyone who was part of Archway Housing & Services’ newest gem: 40 West Residences. On a snowy day in April 2016, a bevy of Archway supporters donned hardhats and grabbed golden shovels to ceremonially break ground for the residential project at 5830 W. Colfax. Ave. Barely 18 months later, they had the opportunity to see their dream come to fruition as 40 West Residences opened its doors for the first time.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony for 40 West Residences

On Thursday, Oct. 4, about 75 people gathered at the sparkling new 40 West Residences site to celebrate and tour the building. Nearly everyone in attendance took part in the process, representing an army of companies, government entities and organizations … and there were even more people behind the scenes who had a hand in the successful completion of the building. Among the speakers at the grand opening were: CEO/Executive Director Joyce Alms-Ransford; Mary Anderies and Yvette Craddock, board presidents of Archway Housing & Services and Archyway Investment Corporation respectively; and Adam Paul, Mayor of the City of Lakewood. With the air full of floating white flakes from a building project next door, Mayor Paul had the quip of the day when he told the audience that Lakewood managed to provide both sunshine and “fake snow” for the grand opening.

40 West Residences. Hard to believe that previously this intersection was the site of an old run-down motel.

With four stories and 46,663 square feet, the affordable-housing project is comprised of 54 one-bedroom and six two-bedroom apartments, with 25 of those units set aside for homeless veterans. In partnership with the US Department of Veteran Affairs–VA Eastern Colorado, the Colorado Division of Housing and HUD, residents of 40 West will benefit from Archway’s 25 project-based VASH Vouchers to serve the veterans. Additionally, Jefferson Center for Mental Health, the VA and Rocky Mountain Human Services will provide supportive services, assisting veterans in stabilizing their lives. Lakewood Elks Lodge members and Keller Williams Realty put together complimentary (and complementary) “welcome” baskets of much-needed necessities for new residents.

Lakewood Elks Lodge #1777 Veterans Committee

Archway never rests on its laurels. The organization has purchased the property directly behind 40 West Residences, and plans to turn it into an affordable-housing project with 72 apartments. Archway’s mission is to change lives by providing housing and related supportive services that engender a safe environment and teach community skills for families with very low to moderate incomes. Along with that comes the goal of building healthier communities by offering quality affordable housing with services that enhance the social and economic well being of families in metro Denver. For more information, please visit: ArchwayHousingandServices.org.

0