Teamwork Recognized by Colorado State University Cooperative Extension Award

Partnerships for Community Safety, a Cooperative Extension program focused on creating safe communities for children and families, was recognized Thursday, Nov. 15, with the Colorado State University Cooperative Extension Team Award.

Through partnerships with local law enforcement agencies, Colorado State faculty and community representatives, the program built positive relationships between communities and law enforcement agencies while making communities safer.

Twelve Colorado communities and 250 citizens have participated in the program since 1999. Through the program, schools, youth, non-profit organizations, local governments, emergency teams, religious communities, senior citizens, civic organizations, mental health facilities, public health facilities, social services, hospitals and other organizations joined to address community concerns ranging from a lack of activities for youth to speeding motorists along main thoroughfares.

"Partnerships for Community Safety embodies what Cooperative Extension does best -bring expertise and people together to solve problems," said Milan Rewerts, Colorado State Cooperative Extension director. "I’m pleased to recognize this group of individuals who accomplished so much as a team together to build relationships within communities. The teams and relationships established in the 12 Colorado communities impacted by Partnerships for Community Safety will serve those areas for years to come."

Partnerships for Community Safety helped individuals, communities, neighborhoods and law enforcement organizations overcome language barriers, cultural differences and public safety issues. Cooperative Extension provided training and facilitators who built community collaboration to solve local issues. For example, the program identified cultural differences in Silverthorne and the complications they caused between law enforcement and new Hispanic residents. The group trained law enforcement officers to improve their cultural understanding of these residents and also to help the new residents better understand community laws and norms.

Cooperative Extension professionals who are members of the Partnerships for Community Safety team are Jacque Miller, project coordinator (campus); Nancy Banman, Cooperative Extension specialist in Colorado State’s Department of Social Work (campus); Luann Boyer, Morgan County Cooperative Extension agent; Karen Brock, Baca County Cooperative Extension agent; Laurel Kubin, Larimer County Cooperative Extension director; Donna Liess, Weld County Cooperative Extension agent; Tim Macklin, Baca County Cooperative Extension director; Brian McAleer, Summit County Cooperative Extension director; John Ming, Bent County Cooperative Extension director; Nori Pearce, Garfield County Cooperative Extension agent; and Glenda Wentworth, Eagle County Cooperative Extension agent.

Other members of the team are Jackie Conner, retired Cooperative Extension agent in Adams County; Wendy Douglass, Cooperative Extension marketing and evaluation specialist (campus); Beryl Jacobson, retired Cooperative Extension agent in Douglas County; Rick Holman, former director of the Colorado Regional Community Policing Institute; Gale Loeffler, Arapahoe County Cooperative Extension director; Jan Miller-Heyl, Cooperative Extension youth prevention specialist; Barbara Martin-Worley, Denver County Cooperative Extension director; William Nobles, Archuleta County Cooperative Extension director; JoAnn Powell, Cooperative Extension Front Range regional director; Robert Salzer, La Plata County Cooperative Extension director; and Jim Smith, Weld County Cooperative Extension director.

Additional team members are Frank Sobolik, Pueblo County Cooperative Extension director; Z. G. Standing Bear, former faculty member in Colorado State’s sociology department; Katherine Kohnen, Cooperative Extension youth assets and 4-H specialist (campus); Paul Eller, Montrose Police Department community resource officer; Sgt. Tac McCleary, Larimer County Sheriff Department; Pete Gazlay, former director of Quantum Performance, Inc, of Fort Collins; Cindy Rau, Vail Police Department officer; Gerald Rivera, Rocky Mountain Health Promotion Center prevention specialist; and Alan Swartz, Park County Cooperative Extension director.

Carla Farrand, who is coordinator of Lake County Build a Generation, is also a team member.

The Team Award is given annually to recognize a Cooperative Extension program developed and implemented by a team of Cooperative Extension professionals.