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Golden is fortunate to have a highly-involved citizenry. This does result in a lot of groups that we have to keep track of, if we want to follow what’s going on in the city! We’ve tried to cover most of the active groups in Golden, but if we have inadvertently failed to mention yours, tell us!
Canyon Area Residents for the Environment
This group of homeowners on Lookout Mountain took the lead in the long battle to prevent installation of a new, higher-powered television antenna on Lookout Mountain. The group strongly urged the County Commissioners to prohibit installation of the antenna, citing health concerns resulting from the increased electromagnetic radiation that would be emitted from the new, more powerful antenna. See their web site to learn more….
Citizens Involved in the Northwest Quadrant (CINQ)
This citizen’s group is involved in developing suitable traffic solutions in the northwest part of the Denver Metropolitan area. There are several forces outside of Golden, including fast-growing cities North of our city and the Colorado Department of Transportation, that are pushing to put a highway through the middle of Golden. CINQ encourages planners to consider other options. The City of Golden commissioned a traffic study, conducted by Muller Engineering, that concluded that traffic congestion would be better eased by improving several existing arteries through the west side, including Wadsworth and Kipling through Arvada, as well as Highway 93 through Golden. Most of the population in the area is East of Golden, and would not be well-served by having to drive West to Golden in order to travel North and South. CINQ members attend all public meetings regarding highway placement, to ensure that these fundamental facts are not pushed aside in favor of a highway (or tollway) running through Golden. See their web site to learn more….
This group, based in the American Mountaineering Center (10th and Washington), is dedicated to connecting people who love the Colorado Rockies. They gather and disseminate information regarding the Colorado mountains, including art, science, literature, and recreation. They organize trips of varying levels of difficulty, as well as study trips. They also host lectures and films at the Mountaineering Center. See their web site to learn more….
The Golden Christian Action Guild is staffed by dozens of volunteers and supported by many area clubs, churches, and school groups. They are the primary provider of food, clothing, and financial assistance for Golden residents who find themselves in need. Several years ago, the late Mrs. Barbara Foss made a substantial contribution to provide this group with a permanent home, at 14th and Ford Streets.
The Civic Foundation is a non-profit organization that was formed in 1970. They fund projects that do not fall within the City’s budget or (sometimes) purview. As examples, they have financed installing an irrigation system in the Golden cemetery, help fund the annual 4th of July fireworks, the Golden Fine Arts Festival, Buffalo Bill Days, the downtown holiday decorations. They have provided funding to initiate several downtown redevelopment projects, including the former Hested’s building, the Table Mountain Inn (formerly the out-of-business Holland House Hotel), and converting the former Golden Junior High into the American Mountaineering Center. In addition, they have provided substantial funding to the Public Art Program (the bronze sculptures all over town), and regularly provide grant money to the schools, the museums, the fire department, etc. See their web site to learn more….
The Golden Cultural Alliance includes many of the non-profit organizations in town, such as the museums, the symphony, the library, the visitors center, Miners Alley, Foothills Art Center, etc. They work together to promote all cultural events in Golden. Their biggest annual joint effort is the production of “Heart and Soul of Golden” month. During February each year (traditionally a time when not much is happening), all GCA members sponsor special events, such as concerts, a book sale, and special exhibits. See their web site to learn more….
The Golden Good Government League is a citizen’s group that is concerned with City politics. During Council election years, they interview candidates and issue endorsements for the candidates they consider the best. In addition, when general issues such as amendments to the City Charter are proposed, they study the pros and cons and publish position papers giving their opinion on the proposed changes. See their web site to learn more….
Golden Landmarks Association is a citizen’s group that works to preserve historic structures. Their are supported by membership dues. Their first project was raising funds and public awareness to save the Astor House, which was slated for demolition in the 1970s. Their biggest project at present is preserving the brick house north of town, at the site of a former brickworks. GLA operates out of a small office on 14th Street, next to the Higher Grounds coffee house, but they hope to have a permanent office in the brick house after its restoration. GLA sponsors the Living Landmarks dinner each spring, honoring long-time Golden community members. They also sponsor the annual Holiday Homes Tour, in partnership with the Golden Pioneer Museum. In recent years, they have sponsored the “Table Mountain Tales” writing contest. Their web site is maintained by local historian Richard Gardner and includes many fascinating facts about local structures. See their web site to learn more….
The Golden Lions Club was founded during World War II, and is still a thriving service club. Their major production each year is the Golden 4th of July picnic, which features live entertainment, free children’s rides, and a big fireworks display (in Lions Park, of course). They have helped build many of our parks facilities, including the gazebos in Beverly Heights, Ulysses, and Norman D parks. They also make substantial financial contributions to projects such as the Golden Visitor’s Center and fund many of the benches placed around town, several of the public restrooms, and one of the planter boxes downtown. They provide financial support to Golden’s needy families through the Christian Action Guild.
Internationally, the Lions organization is very involved in vision programs. They collect eyeglasses and clean and distribute them to third world countries. Here in Golden, they are actively involved in a program called Kid Sight. They screen preschool children for eye problems, basically lazy eye which can be corrected at an early age. They do this with a special camera and the photos that are forwarded to doctors who analyze the photos and refer the families of children to Eye Doctors. Lions assist those who can’t afford exams from professional eye doctors. Golden Lions screened 788 preschoolers just this past year!
This group meets twice monthly at the Buffalo rose. See their web site to learn more….
Greater Golden Chamber of Commerce
The Chamber promotes business interests in the City and operates the Visitors Center, with the help of scores of volunteers. They help organize many of the Civic Events, such as the Farmer’s Market, the Fine Arts Festival, the Old Golden Christmas parades, and the candlelight walk. Businesses pay dues to support the chamber, which is run by a full-time executive director (Gary Wink). See their web site to learn more….
The Kiwanis Club of Golden, founded in 1921, sponsors several youth activities, including a service club at Golden High School and a local Boy Scout troop. They are responsible for the hundreds of flags that decorate the city on several national holidays, they host the annual Easter Egg hunt in Parfet Park, and they serve breakfast each year to the participants in the Relay for Life cancer fund raiser. See their web site to learn more….
Leadership Golden was established in 1984, to encourage more people to take part in the Golden community. The annual 9-month program offers a series of classes that teach participants about how the City and county governments operate, area history, cultural organizations, and the schools. The program is designed to help people see the opportunities to become involved in the community, by volunteering with one of the local non-profits, serving on a city board or commission, or running for public office. The program is run entirely by volunteers and is funded by the Leadership Golden Alumni Association. The Civic Foundation, Chamber of Commerce, and Coors provided seed money to get the organization started, and the tuition-free program is now self-sustaining through a combination of Christmas ornament sales and the proceeds from an endowment fund. See their web site to learn more….
The Golden Optimist Club also focuses on youth support. They sponsor a long-running program to collect used bicycles, refurbish them, and distribute them for free to local children. They raise money, in part, through their annual Christmas tree sale at the corner of Ford and 13th streets.
The Rotary Club of Golden meets once a week, at Rolling Hills Country Club. This is a very active group. They do quite a bit of work with the Golden area schools, providing scholarships to high school seniors and sending several junior high and high school students to an annual leadership development camp. They sponsor a foreign exchange student each year. They also raise a lot of money to support local as well as international projects. They support local families in need through cash and food contributions to the Christian Action Guild. In 2004, to celebrate Rotary International’s 100th birthday, club members constructed the amphitheater along Clear Creek, behind the fire station. In addition to substantial contributions by club members, Rotary raises money through their annual golf tournament (at Fossil Trace in June) and their annual sale of Colorado Peaches. See their web site to learn more….
This is a citizens group formed to protest and stop development of North and South Table Mountain. The two mesas were threatened with various types of commercial development over the years, including a plan to put a gravel mining operation on South Table Mountain and the possibility of establishing a corporate campus near Castle Rock (the Northwest corner of South Table Mountain). The group brought a lot of public attention to the possibility of development, and helped drive public sentiment toward acquiring the land to be used as public Open Space. Most of both Table Mountains now belong to Jefferson County Open Space and are available for hiking, biking, and equestrian use. See their web site to learn more….
Table Mountains Conservation Fund
This non-profit organization was formed to raise money to help save the mesas (North and South Table Mountains) from being developed. They, working with many others, have succeeded in preserving most of the land as Jefferson County Open Space. Several key parcels of South Table Mountain remain privately-held, and this group continues to work and gather funds to try to make those Open Space as well. See their web site to learn more….
Garden Club members are, of course, enthusiastic about their own and other members’ gardens. In addition, they have planted and maintained several beautiful gardens in Golden’s public areas. They work on the heritage gardens that surround the Golden Pioneer Museum, they created a garden at the south end of the pedestrian bridge over Clear Creek, and they maintain the gardens around the Golden Visitors Center.