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Getting Involved in Golden

It’s surprising how often Golden people say, “I wish I was more involved.”  Getting involved in Golden is easy–the trick is to keep from being overwhelmed with options.

One easy way to get involved is to study the local non-profits, such as the museums, and identify one that appeals to you.  Non-profits thrive on volunteer labor, and almost always welcome more help.  Just tell them you’d like to be involved, and soon you will be!

The Golden Visitors Center has a large staff of volunteers, who man the desk and provide visitors with information about things to see, things to do, where to eat, shop, and stay.  More volunteers are always welcome.

The Golden Chamber of Commerce needs volunteers for our many special events, such as the Farmers Market, First Friday Street Fairs, the Golden Fine Arts Festival, and more.  Call the Chamber to see how you can help.

The Golden Cruise is a family-oriented bike ride that takes place the last Tuesday of the month, May through April.  They need people to help set up, tear down, and serve as course marshals.  Contact the Civic Foundation to help with that!

The City depends on volunteers to serve on their boards and commissions.

Community Sustainability Advisory Board
Downtown Development Authority
Economic Development Commission (EdComm)
Fire Pension Board
Golden Urban Renewal Authority (GURA)
Historic Preservation Board
Local Liquor Licensing Authority
Parks and Recreation Advisory Board
Planning Commission
Public Art Commission

Each of these groups are made up of citizens who have agreed to serve for a fixed term of years.  They study particular issues and provide advice to the City Council.  Potential board members are interviewed once a year.  The application to apply for board positions is posted on the city website.

The Citizens Budget Advisory Commitee (CBAC) is a group of volunteers who review the City’s budget and financial decisions.  This group is not council-appointed.  To become a voting member, a citizen or business owner needs to attend 5 of the past 9 meetings.

The Golden Police Department depends on the non-profit Victim Outreach Information (VOI) to provide victim services. VOI is seeking volunteers to work directly with crime victims, offering support and access to resources during a critical stage of trauma. Volunteer Victim Advocates are called out by law enforcement on evenings and weekends to respond on scene, to ensure victims’ rights are upheld and needs are met. Contact: Victim Outreach Information @ 303-202-2196 or email: victimoutreachinfo@gmail.com.

The Golden Fire Department recruits year-round for a training course that occurs once a year.  See their recruitment video.

Leadership Golden

Golden offers a unique opportunity to learn about involvement in the community.  Leadership Golden is a tuition-free class, held annually for the past twenty years.  Applications to participate are accepted during the summer, and the class starts in August.  Participants attend an evening session about once a month for nine months.  Dinner is provided.  Each session has a different focus, such as history, the arts, city and county government, the schools, and volunteering in the community.  It’s a wonderful way to get to know your options, and to learn more, meet people, and have fun while you’re doing it.  There are similar Leadership programs throughout the country (in fact, Jefferson County has one), but as far as we know, this one is unique in being free to the participants.  The Civic Foundation, Coors, and the Chamber provided generous seed money to get the program started, but Leadership Golden is now self-supporting, by selling a limited edition Christmas ornament every year.  To learn more about the Leadership Golden program, see their web site.