By Mark Smiley
Capitol Hill United Neighborhoods (CHUN) has played a vital role in shaping neighborhoods by providing a unified voice to the City of Denver and Colorado state governments since 1969. Those who are not familiar with this organization need look no further than the trees that are planted along 13th and 14th Avenue. CHUN was instrumental IN having those planted.
To commemorate 50 years in the community, CHUN will host a fundraising event at Denver Botanic Gardens to celebrate its half century. The 50th Anniversary Celebration and Wine Tasting is open to the public and its members and residents of the Capitol Hill community on Wednesday, September 18, 2019, 5:30-9 p.m.
In addition to an evening with Denver leaders and neighborhood advocates, the event will feature a wine tasting, light hors d’oeuvres from local restaurants, and a silent auction, showcasing goods and services from local businesses. CHUN is seeking help from local businesses to sponsor the event WITH silent auction donations, underwriting support, and other in-kind goods or services.
Fifty years ago, CHUN was founded to take on the most pressing issues facing Denver and its neighborhoods. Since then, the organization has evolved into one of the Mile High City’s largest registered neighborhood organizations (RNO) dedicated to strengthening and elevating the voices of residents and neighbors.
The Board is comprised of members of 10 different RNOs, including Congress Park, Cherry Creek North, Country Club, Cheesman Park and Uptown. The boundaries of CHUN are 22nd Avenue to 1st Avenue, and Colorado Blvd. to Broadway.
“I’ve served on a lot of boards,” said Bruce Caughey, CHUN Board Member. “There is more commitment to this board than almost any board I’ve ever been on in terms of participation and expressing opinions. It’s really a great opportunity if you want to get involved in your neighborhood and make a difference. That’s what CHUN represents.”
This board is rolling up its sleeves to come up with a plan for the Tears-McFarlane House, a 120-year-old mansion that was gifted to CHUN by the City of Denver a few years ago. The building requires some restoration and ongoing upkeep,” said Travis Leiker, President, Board of Delegates for Capitol Hill United Neighborhoods, Inc. “We tapped the experts in this work to help us revitalize this property. We’ve done focus groups, surveys on the park, and engaged the community to help us reconceptualize and visualize what can be done with this space. We just released the results of that research which indicates that most people want this to remain a community gathering space but with additional amenities. The next phase of this will be how we revamp this property to both fuel CHUN’s operations as a community group, but also activate portions of the property for the betterment of the community.”
CHUN advocates for smart zoning and land use, innovative transportation systems, the protection of historic landmarks, promoting community safety and championing city beautification. As Denver moves further into the 21st century, this organization is committed to being collaborative and solution oriented, by building strong relationships with community stakeholders and serving as a go-to resource for Denver citizens.
Membership to CHUN is $75/year per household, $180/year per business, and $30/year for individuals. For a list of benefits, visit www.chundenver.org/membership. For more information on the 50th Anniversary event visit www.chundenver.org/chun50.