In a first, Denver is offering residents $500 to fix their neighbourhoods

While the individuals can apply for up to $500, businesses can apply for up to $1500 from the grant’s funding

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Neha B.

Sep 28, 2024

By Neha B.

September 28, 2024

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Photo credit: Representative Cover Image Source: A member of a construction crew works on the exterior of a new home in the Stapleton neighborhood of Denver, Colorado. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images) – Array

One’s neighborhood is an important determinant of one’s overall lifestyle, health, and wellness. The city of Denver is now offering Denverites financial aid to support healthy and active living in their neighborhood. Whether it is community clean-up, potholes fix-up, or an art project for the street walls, the fund will enable city people to do about anything to redress their neighborhoods.

Image Source: An aerial view downtown Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Kevin Carter/Getty Images) — Image Source: An aerial view of downtown Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Kevin Carter/Getty Images)

The project has been organized by Denver Community Active Living Coalition (CALC) in partnership with the Department of Transportation & Infrastructure (DOTI) and Denver Streets Partnership (DSP), according to its official website. “We are offering Micro-Grants of up to $500 for individuals and $1500 for businesses and organizations in support of walkability, bike-ability, or access to safe and healthy spaces for physical activity,” the officials wrote on the website.

Image Source: Tables sit empty in the Lower Highlands neighborhood in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)

The applications for the grant opened on April 19th, 2024, and will be reviewed on a rolling basis throughout 2024, until the organization’s funds are fully exhausted. The committee behind the program will grade and select individuals’ projects based on a rubric and equity map.

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However, certain terms and conditions apply to those interested in filling out the application form. For example, the project must take place within Denver and finish within 90 days of receiving funding. Post-project reflections must be returned within 2 weeks of project completion. The last condition is that the Micro-Grant approval cannot be replaced or superseded by other necessary permit processes or approvals that may be needed for a project.

Image Source: A member of a construction crew works on the exterior of a new home in the Stapleton neighborhood of Denver, Colorado. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)

There is also a set of eligibility criteria for applying to this program. For instance, the individual, business, or organization applying for the Micro-Grant must be a citizen of the City & County of Denver. Individuals may apply for up to $500, to be distributed via gift card or check. In addition, organizations or businesses with a valid W-9 may apply for up to $1500, to be distributed via check or ACH. All the Micro-Grant recipients will receive a 1099 for their Micro-Grant funds if being paid by check. So, they should prepare the essential expenses and taxes appropriately. Interested residents can apply online or by calling the city at 720-865-8716.

This is not the only Micro-grant that the City of Denver has offered to its residents. The city has been generous in offering several grants to support budding entrepreneurs, youth, and vulnerable populations. As per Denverite, the city has a lot of grants for things like RTD passes for those in need, long-time small businesses, and public art. This particular grant is focused on individuals in addition to organizations, businesses, and other groups.

Image Source: Downtown Denver skyline, photographed from the Jacquard Hotel rooftop in Denver, Colorado on November 15, 2018. (Photo By Raymond Boyd/Getty Images)

However, the eligible and selected individuals cannot employ the funds of the grant for personal use like purchasing a new vehicle, refurbishing one’s house, for family entertainment or retreats, and of course, for any illegal activities.

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Photo credit: The Coleman Family via Caitlyn Driscoll on GoFundMe – Firefighter Maddie Geer saved the life of her husband, firefighter Robert Coleman Jr.

Local, News

Arizona firefighter donates her kidney to a fellow firefighter—her husband

Husband and wife firefighters go through a kidney transplant together.

Erik Barnes

7/28/2026

Firefighter Maddie Geer was shocked when she heard the news. Another firefighter was diagnosed with stage five kidney failure out of nowhere. She rushed to volunteer her kidney to save her colleague’s life. That colleague also happened to be her husband.

Geer and her husband, Robert Coleman Jr., fell in love while training to become firefighters at different stations. Last year, they got married. This year, after visiting a doctor to address fatigue issues, Coleman found that he was diagnosed with a rare kidney disease.

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It was a total surprise

“What really threw us for a loop, though, is the fire department does very thorough physicals, and nothing was caught with my blood pressure,” Coleman told Action News 5. “Blood pressure was good when I was going into my doctor’s meetings, but at night, my blood pressure was just going out of control. So, that’s what the scary part is.”

Not only that, but Coleman had stage five kidney failure. He needed a new kidney as soon as possible. Geer leapt to volunteer.

“Ever since he got diagnosed with it, I was like‚ ’If I’m a match, it’s meant to be because I’m going to give you my kidney,’” said Geer.

“(Maddie) was just itching to help me in any kind of way. It ended up being the most miraculous way,” Coleman told 12 News.

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A perfect match

Geer took the necessary tests and found she was a perfect donor match for her husband. They underwent the transplant to rounds of cheers from friends, family, and hospital workers. After the transplant, Coleman immediately felt the change.

“Once I saw him, he looked like a new person,” said Geer. “His face was lit up; he had a smile I hadn’t seen in a while.”

“I felt alive again,” he said. “She gave me a chance at a second life.”

While the two are itching to get back to their jobs, they have to wait until they’re fully recovered. Knowing that taking the proper time off to heal impacts their income, Geer’s sister Caitlyn has set up a GoFundMe for the couple. The money will be used to help with household expenses and follow-up doctor’s visits.

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Check for signs, see your doctor regularly

There’s one thing that Robert Coleman Jr. hopes people do after hearing his story. He’s advocating that everyone gets their annual physical and regular checkups with their doctors.

“No one is invincible, and I learned the hard way,” he said.

It’s important to be mindful and alert about any changes in your body. The signs for kidney disease can be pretty mundane. Symptoms include swelling in the ankles and feet, frequent urination, and trouble sleeping among others. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, it’s probably best to check with your doctor. It may be scary, but it’s best address any issue you may experience for the best chance of an optimal outcome.

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Photo credit: Pangea Elephant Sanctuary/YouTube – Julie at the Pangea Elephant Sanctuary.

News, World

After 40 years in a Portuguese circus, elephant retires to become the first resident of a new sanctuary

Julie the elephant starts a new life.

Erik Barnes

7/28/2026

Around 40 years ago, a young elephant named Julie was captured in Africa. Since 1988, she has performed with the Victor Hugo Cardinali Circus. Now, as the last circus elephant in Portugal, she’s finally getting the retirement she deserves—becoming the first resident of the Pangea Elephant Sanctuary.

In 2018, Portugal officially banned wild animals from performing in circuses. The law was fully implemented in 2024 with the circus’s full cooperation. Since then, the circus has continued caring for Julie while Pangea built a home for her and other elephants.

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Getting Julie to her new home

“This has not been an easy decision, as she has been a member of our family for nearly forty years,” Vítor Hugo Cardinali told The Portugal News. “But we believe it is the right decision for Julie. Working with Pangea on her transition to her new home was a critical factor in our deliberations.”

Now Julie is enjoying mud baths and her new surroundings at the sanctuary in Alentejo, Portugal. Pangea’s officials hope to make Julie’s final years the best they can provide.

“We cannot be sure; elephants in the wild live for more than 70 years,” Kate Moore, Pangea’s director-general, told The Associated Press. “Unfortunately, elephants born in captivity have half the life expectancy of an elephant born in the wild, so we cannot know exactly how much time she has left. She has had a hard life, but I must say she has been very energetic at Pangea this week, so we remain hopeful.”

About the sanctuary

The elephant sanctuary spans 400 hectares and is designed to welcome up to 30 elephants, giving them space to live and thrive. Later in 2026, the sanctuary will welcome a second elephant, Kariba, who is also around 40 years old and currently lives at a zoo in Belgium. Until more elephants arrive, socialize, and get settled, the sanctuary will remain closed to visitors.

Students adopt and support Julie’s new living space

Julie also has some little human friends cheering her on as she settles into her new home. The pupils at Wenhaston Primary School near Halesworth, Suffolk, England, are keeping track of Julie’s progress during their science lessons. After learning about Julie’s life in the circus, they wanted to show their support. They were delighted to hear that Julie was enjoying her new life at the sanctuary.

“I was a bit upset that Julie was taken away from her mum when she was really young,” 9-year-old Mars told BBC News. “[I am] really happy [she’s been given a new life] because in the wild it’s their natural habitat. I think she feels really happy.”

The children’s teacher, Emma Skinner, added, “[The students are] just completely in love with the fact that she’s been released and is in a wonderful place, doing all these wonderful things that she’s not been able to do for such a long time.”

With the support of schoolchildren, her former trainer, and Pangea, Julie’s golden years are looking brighter than ever.

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Photo credit: Canva – Young Jory Thomas saved a life with his roping skills.

Local, News

14-year-old Montana kid rescues a drowning man with his lasso and rodeo skills

“Luckily, I caught him first try.”

Erik Barnes

7/23/2026

A teenager is being praised for pulling off a heroic act straight out of an American western film. The boy saved a man from drowning by lassoing him like a cowboy.

Fourteen-year-old Jory Thomas was just visiting with his grandparents on their campground near Yellowstone River. Jory had his lariat to practice the roping skills he’d been learning for the past year. That’s when he heard cries for help from the nearby river.

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“We all heard, ‘Help, help,’” Jory said to KTVQ News. “There’s two or three people floating down the river, one hanging on to the cooler, and he wasn’t saying anything.”

A raft carrying four people crashed into a bridge pillar, knocking them all into the Yellowstone River. While three of them made it to shore, the fourth was drifting quickly downstream as he clung to a cooler. Jory emptied his pockets and grabbed his lariat, immediately rushing to help.

Practice prepared him for this moment

“This current was pretty fast then, and he was moving pretty quickly,” said Jory. “Only thing I could focus on was helping him get out of the water because I didn’t want to see anyone go in front of me.”

Jory had been practicing using a lariat to rope a dummy on his parents’ ranch nearly every afternoon when the weather was fair. Ready for action, Jory ran into the shallower part of the river, getting chest-deep into the water. Letting his training do the work, Jory took his 12-foot lariat and lassoed the drowning man.

“Luckily, I caught him first try,” he said.

Jory slowly pulled the man to shore as first responders arrived.

“I felt pretty good afterwards that I knew he was okay and was out of the water,” he said. “God was basically putting me in the place of all this. God was just telling me all of this at the time and saying, ‘Go get him, you got it, and I believe in you.’”

Jory’s instinct was to help

Jory’s family was proud but not too surprised that he leapt into action. To them, being helpful was just Jory being Jory.

“His first instinct always is to help other people. He’s always been that way,” said Sandy, Thomas’ grandmother. “The whole community is proud of him. We’ve had a lot of feedback, but that’s Jory. He’s always there to help somebody else.”

“We’ll be in town at the grocery store, and you’ll see an elderly person,” Jase, Jory’s father, told Cowboy State Daily. “They can’t pack the groceries, and he never says a word. He goes over and gets their groceries and packs them out. That’s just who he is.”

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The local police also praised Jory for taking action.

“My opinion, Jory saved the individual’s life, 100%,” said Sweet Grass County Sheriff Alan Ronneberg. “Had Jory not acted, I believe the chances of this individual making it to shore were very slim.”’

“Jory saw another in trouble and acted, not for himself but for another,” Ronneberg added. “Jory is a lesson for all of us in this day and age and showed us what is courageous and right.”

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