KADEP Poetry

These poems were written by two participants last semester in the Poetry Group.

(Click to enlarge)

Current Events

KADEP's volunteer, Dean, went to great lengths to make his current events group exciting and interesting...

Dean dressed up at Dr. Seuss to celebrate his 110th birthday. Everyone in the group was able to remember reading these books as a child or reading them to their children.

Ghost Story

This ghost story was written by Donna's Campfire Group Fall 2013. Enjoy!

The Wild West Experience

 One night not long ago, a small group of life-long friends, Becky and Tom Wiggins and George and Susan Clooney, were settled in for the evening in the old saloon of the Stampede Saloon and Inn, a historic inn in Olde Town Denver.  They were in town because one of the ladies had won a sweepstakes with the grand prize of a “Wild West Experience.”  The two couples had left home in New Jersey a couple of weeks earlier and were soon to be returning after spending their days in old mining and ghost towns and evenings at dude ranches and historic forts.  It had been the trip of a lifetime, and the group was relaxing over their last glasses of wine after dinner reliving some of the memories of the trip as a storm was blowing in out of the North.

Susan was beginning to feel tired, and that she had had enough wine; so she was considering retiring to her room in the balcony of the old saloon when she saw the reflection of a young woman in the mirror behind the bar; she was standing on the stairs up to the balcony.  Susan was startled by this as the foursome had been all alone in the saloon dining room all evening and had not heard even the slightest noise of others being in the inn; that, and the young woman was wearing what looked to be the costume of an old-time saloon girl.  Susan became a little excited then thinking that there must be a show that was part of dinner: maybe a reenactment of a saloon fight from the old mining days!  She turned toward the stairway to get a better look at the young woman’s costume and became frightened as the stairs were empty. But no! The young woman reflected in the mirror was still on the stairs!  Susan was sure then that she had had more than enough wine and needed to get to bed; she was seeing things!  She quietly excused herself from the others and headed up the stairs.

As Susan was approaching the top of the stairs, the temperature suddenly dropped and the lights began to flicker.  Downstairs in the dining area, Tom and George both experienced the sensation of someone hold their hands.  Tom quickly jumped up and rushed to the front desk to request the heat be turned up and to voice his concern over the flickering lights. 

As Tom was returning to the dining area to join the others, the night-shift desk clerk followed Tom back to their table to reassure the group that all was well; that every now and then, particularly on stormy nights, these occurrences where not that uncommon at the Stampede.  He went on to relay the following story… “Back in 1871, Trixey Lynn Thomas had come to Denver with her husband; the two had figured to stake a claim and strike it rich mining gold.  Unfortunately, Trixey Lynn’s husband was killed in a freak accident when their mine collapsed.  Having no money of her own and refusing to run home to her mama, Trixey Lynn began working at the Stampede Saloon as a dancer.  As time went on, she also began entertaining some of the gentlemen folk, especially the high winners at the poker table.

One night, much like tonight, Trixey Lynn was particularly interested in the company of one Bobby Lee Jones; a young miner who had had a rather successful month panning and was in town to cash in and celebrate.  The two were on their way on their way up to Trixey Lynn’s room above the saloon when there was yelling down below.  With the storm, tempers were running hot and guns were drawn when someone was accused of cheating at the poker table.  Shots were fired.  Next thing, Trixey Lynn was dead in Bobby Lee’s arms after a bullet ricocheted and struck her in the heart killing her instantly.

Later, on another stormy night, during a fundraising poker tournament held in the saloon in 1921, Trixey Lynn was seen in the reflection of the bar mirror.  Those in attendance, the most famous of Denver’s high society, experienced a drastic drop in temperature, the flickering of the chandeliers and mysterious piano music from an empty corner of the room.   The gentlemen playing in the tournament then experienced the most bizarre occurrence as their cards and poker chips begin levitating.  Then, with a big clap of thunder the cards and chips all went plummeting to the floor.”

After learning the story of Trixey Lynn and realizing there is no danger, the rest of the foursome decided to call it a night and began up the stairs to bed.  As George opened the door to the room he and Susan were sharing, he saw Susan packing her suitcase and looking frazzled.  When George asked his wife why she is packing, she replied she thought she had seen a ghost downstairs and, then had heard piano music coming out of the bedroom closet.  Susan then cried, “I can’t take any more “Wild West Experiences!  I am going home right now!”

After the group got Susan settled down, and told her the tragic tale of Trixey Lynn, Susan realized there was no harm in the situation and agreed it is time to turn in and get a good night’s sleep.  As the moon was seen breaking through the clouds, all was quiet and they returned to their rooms.  The next morning over breakfast the four friends were able to laugh at their final “Wild West Experience” of the trip and were looking forward to the tales they would be able to share with friends back home. 

THE END

Spanish 2 Group

Wendy's Spanish Class is currently working on writing stories about themselves, then they share the stories with the group. And of course everything is done in Spanish!

Ultimate Flash Dance Video

Watch the world premiere of "I'm Too Sexy" created by the Ultimate Flash Dance Video group!

http://youtu.be/kn1Gd7VwMkE

Thanks to John Garrity and Laura Hartman for their great work!

Denver Botanic Gardens Visits Sensory Group

The Denver Botanic Gardens came to Makena's Sensory group last week!

 They brought with them all different kinds of plants and materials for us to smell and feel.

 Every participant got to make their own terrarium.

Thanks to the Botanic Gardens and Makena for providing such a stimulating opportunity!

Body Image Awareness Day

The Body Image group had fun trying out some new looks this week to help celebrate Body Image Awareness month!

The group planned our experiment and offered different costume pieces to the larger KADEP community to join in the fun.

 The idea was to dress different than we normally do, and see how people responded to our "new looks." We created flyers to help explain what we were doing.

All in all, the experiment was a success and we learned a lot. Thanks to all who joined in the fun!

Wheelchair Basketball for Friday Fun

The Funky Friday Fun group had a ball playing wheelchair basketball today! We used our extra wheelchairs so everyone could have their own set of wheels to participate. 

Thanks to interns Claire and Sara for providing the laughs!

Broadway Actress visits KADEP

Ordinary People Who do Extra-ordinary Things.

In this group we talk about how everyday people use their knowledge, talents and/or gifts to make a difference in the world.  Lately we have been talking about how laughter and music are sometimes the best music - especially with all of the colds and flu right now.  Valerie Hill is a Broadway actress (currently living in Arvada), who is currently performing in the Christmas show at the Arvada Center.  Val explained how she hopes her performances let people escape the everyday rat race.  She spoke with us about her "job duties" as an actress and then performed three songs to everyone's delight.

Special thanks to Valerie and KADEP Volunteer, Dean Bernard, for running this fantastic group all semester long- What a treat!

KADEP's Meditation Group visits Boulder Shambhala Center

KADEP's Meditation group visited the Boulder Shambhala Center Tuesday morning. Thank you to Barbara and Walter who have helped lead our Meditation group this semester. 

Buster Khan

History of China Group:

The History of China group discussed Chinggis Khan today.  They decided that KADEP participant, Buster, is a descendant of the Mongolian Ruler.   From this day forth, Buster shall be named, Buster Khan, the KADEP Ruler.

Here is some history on today's topic:

Chinggis (Genghis) Khan was born probably in 1167, though Mongol tradition has it that he was born in 1162. Because much of his early life is not described, except in myth, reliable knowledge of Chinggis's early life is very limited.

What we do know is that his father was assassinated when Chinggis was nine years old, and that this event left his family extremely vulnerable. Chinggis's mother appears in the traditional Mongol sources as a savior and great heroine.

Chinggis's mother kept her family together, even after many of her retainers left when her husband, the family patriarch, was killed. She kept the family going in the harsh desert lands of Mongolia, surviving on nuts and berries or whatever else they could find. She taught Chinggis the basic skills of survival, particularly those needed for survival in the steppelands and in the desert.

Men's Group tours Sports Authority Field

The KADEP Men's Group took a visit to Sports Authority Field in March.  They took a guided tour inside the facility.  They were guided to a private box where you could see the field.  They toured the media room and also got to spend some time in the guest locker room. The group visited the beer room and also were able to walk out the tunnel onto the field.

What a great trip!  Thanks to John, MSW intern, for planning this adventure for the men of KADEP!

KADEP visits Shambhala Mountain Center

Ten KADEP participants attended a Spring Retreat at the Shambhala Mountain Center March 28-30th.  Located on 600 acres in a mountain valley of pine forests and meadows, Shambhala Mountain Center provides an ideal environment for meditation, yoga, retreats, and conferences.

We stayed in the Shambhala Lodge and enjoyed many of the relaxing and renewing activities that SMC has to offer.  As we were unloading our bags on Wednesday, we even spotted 8 deer right outside our bedroom windows.

Meditation expert, Robert, taught us the basics and led us through a meditation exercise.  We had a delicious healthy dinner, and watched a movie about the Dalai Lama.

Thursday, we awoke to a hearty breakfast and a visit to the Great Stupa, which is a unique architectural marvel and a quiet site for contemplation.  Joshua was a great guide and taught us about the beautiful Great Stupa. 

We gathered for lunch and met some more of the SMC guests.  We visited the gift shop and enjoyed the outdoors near our lodge.  Next we gathered for Dharma Art, taught by Greg.  Each of our drawings of Buddha turned out different and unique. It was a therapeutic experience.  We enjoyed Dinner and Ikebana (zen flower arranging).  This was a truly unique experience where we learned and reflected through ourselves and our arrangements.

Friday we awoke after a full filled day of activities and self exploration.  We had breakfast and met with Albert and Robert for our closing circle and a brief guided meditation session.  We said goodbye to SMC and headed back to KADEP with hopes of returning soon.

Thank you to KADEP staff members, Shin and Laura, interns Jessica, Amanda, Kasey and Becky, and family members, Sylvia and Cheri.  Thank you to all the Shambhala Mountain Center staff, Albert, Joshua, Robert, Greg, and our gorgeous Ikebana leader.  We had an amazing trip that will always stay with us!


We have TONS of great photos.  To view all the pictures from the Retreat click on the below:

http://pix.kg/p/746612834214%3A891783365/scl