December 12, 2024 Minutes

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Weld Area Agency on Aging - Advisory Board Meeting Minutes

Meeting Location: Zoom Invite & Area Agency on Aging, 315 N 11th Ave., Bldg. C., Greeley, CO
Meeting: Thursday, December 12, 2024 (Thursday) 9:00 am – 11:00 am

  1. Roll Call:
    • Board Members

      Attended

      • Kay Broderius
      • Commissioner Buck
      • Susan Collins
      • DeAnn Cure,
      • Nancy Haffner
      • Alan Kress
      • Valeria Ortiz
      • Gillian Smith
      • Vice-Chair Jami Shepherd
      • Diana Vasquez, Lynn Young

      Absent

      • Father Steve Karcher
      • Ruth Leitel
      • Aaron Sanchez
      • Anne Curry Sanchez
      • Teresa Schunter
    • AAA Staff

      Attended

      • Kelly Morrison, Home & Community Supports Division Director
      • Meredith Skoglund, Community Outreach Manager
      • Michelle Roper, Administrative Assistant

      Absent

      • Tami Grant, Department of Human Services Deputy Director
      • Jill Colavolpe, Home & Community Supports Division Deputy Director
    • Guest
      • Ernest Cienfuegos-Baca, Vice President of Community Impact – United Way
  2. Program
    • United Way Services

      There are (5) initiatives that United Way focuses on:

      • Reading Great by 8

        Is a shared effort between 35 organizations.  Investments are made in several programs with county-wide impact that lead to more students reading at grade level by the beginning of 4th grade.  Activities include:

        • Supporting parents and caregivers through instruction and basic needs like diapers.
        • Recruiting new childcare providers and coaching them in opening their business.
        • Helping childcare providers improve the quality of the childcare that they provide.
        • Identifying and addressing early childhood developmental delays.
        • Protecting children that have been abused.
        • Working with students in grades 1-3 to catch up in their reading skills.
        • United Way manages Weld County’s Early Childhood Council, the community collaboration where early childhood challenges are solved.
        • Currently there are not enough childcare providers for the number of children in need. 
        • There is 1 million in grants that can be used to help providers that want to expand their services.   $980,000 in grants were used in 2023 and forecasting $750,000 for 2024.
      • Thrive by 25

        Connects youth with a caring adult that they can go to for support when they are facing a significant challenge.  This connecting increasing mental health and makes it more likely that each youth graduates’ high school and has a good job by age 25.  Activities include:

        • Decreasing learning loss and increasing knowledge at after school and summer experiences.
        • Building relationships for integrating refugee and immigrant youth.
        • Mentoring for mental health and building life skills.
        • Providing STEM education.
        • Supporting students in their higher education pursuits.
        • Participating in recreation program.
        • If a student fails a reading or math course in the middle grades, they are more likely to drop out of high school.
        • The rational, decision-making part of the brain isn’t fully developed until around age 25; as such, it is important to support students well into young adulthood, and especially more vulnerable youth.
        • Over 1 in 4 Weld County youth do not have a connection to a caring adult.
      • Weld’s Way Home

        includes over 50 organizations.  Investments are made in a number of programs with county-wide impact that lead to people ending their experience of homelessness and maintaining housing.  Activities include:

        • Serving the immediate needs of people experiencing homelessness and extreme household instability.
        • Offering a seasonal cold weather shelter and year-round emergency shelters.
        • Providing focused case management for those who are hardest to house.
        • Increasing food security.
        • Meeting rent and other household expense assistance.
        • Training for workforce readiness.
        • Increasing transportation options and homeownership opportunities.
        • Weld County was recently ranked as the U.S. region most likely to be on the verge of a housing crisis and the tenth most unaffordable housing market in the nation.
        • Over half of Weld County renter households pay more than 30% of their income on housing costs putting them in a precarious financial position, unable to meet expenses and save for the future.
        • United Way manages the Northern Colorado Continuum of Care, the community collaboration that can end homelessness in Weld and Larimer counties.
        • The aging and women are the largest population becoming homeless.
          • Q:  Member Young – What is the status of the homeless shelter?
          • A:  United Way – It’s open with 60 beds at capacity.  There are some funds to send people to hotels for overflow.  The Emergency team is activated when needed such as a major storm with the objective to save lives.
      • Aging Well

        Provides support to older adults to age well in the community of their choice.  This effort includes over 20 organizations.  Activities include:

        • Ensuring food security.
        • Providing case management and grief recovery assistance.
        • Increasing housing, recreation, and transportation opportunities.
        • Improving older adult physical and mental health outcomes.
        • Connecting volunteers with opportunities to serve older adults.
        • Assisting those with memory and dementia challenges and their caregivers.
        • Nationally almost 10,000 Baby Boomers turn the age of 65 every day.
        • People are living longer and healthier lives; while ultimately a fortunate circumstance, this is putting a strain on health care and human services capacity.
        • Those age 50 and older are a growing segment of the people experiencing homelessness.
        • United Way manages the Aging Well Volunteer Recruitment Initiative, which connects volunteers with older adult serving organizations throughout Weld County.
          • Q:  Member Haffner – How is transportation offered in rural counties?
          • A:  United Way – There are several volunteer programs that United Way can connect people to which lets them know the transportation that is available in their area and connect them to that service.
          • Q:  Member Vasquez – How does someone contact that service?
          • A:  United Way – Through RideNoCo at 970-514-3636, www.rideno.co or mobility@ridenoco.org.
      • Connecting Weld

        Connects people with supportive resources for those facing life-changing experiences.  United Way offers several direct service programs and resourcing opportunities that help individuals and nonprofit organizations connect to the support they need.  Support services include:

        • 211 Colorado information & referral.
        • Weld Project Connect.
        • Disaster preparedness and response.
        • Volunteer engagement.
        • Greeley-Evans transit bus pass program.
    • Upcoming Changes with United Way:
      • Things that will happen in the next 5 years:
        • Collective impact backbone work – hire collective impact staff members whose focus is to convene ALL stakeholders for Collective Impact work.
        • Capacity building for childcare providers
        • 211 Colorado and Disaster Preparedness and Response
      • Things that will discontinue in the next 5 years:
        • Direct Service which includes:
          • Housing Navigation Center and overnight shelter
          • Northern Colorado Continuum of Care
        • Refrain from being a gap filling organization, instead convening the right partners/organizations to help address identified gaps.
          • Q:  Member Collins – How do you get agencies to work together when they have their own funding needs to deal with?
          • A:  United Way – The Collective Impact team will over support to bring together agencies that want to be a part of the initiative. There are a lot of non-profit agencies coming into Weld County.
  3. Approval of Minutes:   
    • Motion made by Vice-Chair Shepherd to approve the minutes from December 12, 2024.  Member Broderius made first approval and Member Young made second approval.   All approved.
  4. Committee Overview, Sign-up, and Committee Reports:
    • Nutrition: 
      • Staff Member Skoglund – The December Prime Rib dinners will be served on 12/16 and 12/19 for a suggested donation of $5.00 per person.  UNC will go on holiday break from December 23, 2024, to January 2, 2025 and meals will resume on Monday, January 6, 2025.
    • ADRC:
      • Staff Member Skoglund – Meeting quarterly.  Nothing to report.
    • AARP Livable Communities:
      • Member Collins – Attended the online CCOA Age Friendly Communities Subcommittee Listening Session.  The focus was on the older population from different committee groups.   What they found so far is that transportation is still a barrier and need more visibility on resources.  Data is important but need to tell stories to humanize it.  Look at how many people have actually been helped by the services that are offered.  It was a great networking event and hope they continue.
    • Fraud Updates:
      • Commission Buck – There is a lot of fraud happening during the holidays.
      • Member Haffner - watch out for texts about a package delivery.
      • Member Collins – don’t click on links that say, “if you got this message in error, click here”.
      • Member Haffner – Attending a Cyber Security presentation at the Eaton Library that discussed how sites are being cloned that you are familiar with.
    • Legislative & CCA: 
      • Vice Chair Shepherd – CCA call on Monday.  The state is looking at different ways to save money.  Bernie Sanders has sponsored a bill advocating for the Older American’s Act.  Today is the last day of the session, please reach out if you would like to support this bill.
    • 50+ Art Show:
      • Member Haffner – A committee member has stepped down but an artist from the event has joined the committee.  Next meeting is in January.
    • Beyond 60
      • Staff Member Skoglund – Recently received some articles from a retired police officer that are being considered.  
    • Monitoring, Oversight, Request for Proposal
      • Staff Member Skoglund – The audit is still in process. 
  5. Board Participation Reports:
    • Commissioner Buck – Announced that her 2 years of service to the AAA Board has concluded and this would be her last meeting and she has greatly enjoyed being a part of this Board.  Commissioner Lynette Peppler will be joining the AAA Board.
    • Commissioner Buck – Cycling Without Age would like to present at a future meeting.  They are looking for new Board members.
    • Member Cure – CU Anschutz is putting together curriculum for 1st and 2nd year medical students as they found that the Geriatrics Education Program has doctors that do not understand the needs of Seniors. 
    • AAA Board – Everyone thanked Commissioner Buck for her service and voice.
    • Member Haffner – Thanked Member Shepherd for stepping in a Chair and Vice-Chair.
  6. General Agency Updates:           
    • Staff Member Skoglund – The Program Coordinator position has been filled by Payton Richter who started last week.
    • HCSD Director Morrison – handed out ballots for the new AAA Board Chair and Vice-Chair. 

    UPCOMING EVENTS

    • 50+ Art Show: TBA
    • Senior Symposium: TBA
    • Project Connect: TBA
    • Caregiver Appreciation Day: TBA
    • Greeley/Weld Senior Foundation: May 25, 2025
  7. Adjournment
    • Motion to adjourn meeting. All agreed.
  8. Next meeting
    • Thursday, January 9, 2025, from 9:00 – 11:00 am  
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