Bucket List Community Cafe Podcast

Podcast: Helping Migrant Families

Over 30,000 migrants from Venezuela and other Central American countries have made the grueling journey to Denver in the past year and thousands are here to stay.  Denver Public Schools (DPS) has had more than 2000 new students enroll. 
“What I always focus on as a community organizer, is making sure that there are very few barriers to entry, creating a very inclusive environment for folks to help,” President of the Tre-Vista PTA Mariah Kamei said. “You know, some folks, maybe all they can give right now is money. Some folks might not have any money and they can give time, right?”
Kamei has “adopted” three of these families and has been helping them with jobs and housing but beyond that Kamei has been building relationships with the family she has welcomed into her life. 
To hear more about Denver’s migrant crisis and how you can help, listen to our Mimi Herrick interview Mariah Kamei in this month’s Bucket List Community Cafe podcast.

PODCAST: What’s Next for Anne Trujillo?

After almost 40 years of storytelling for Denver’s channel 7, Anne Trujillo is retiring–or as she calls it reinventing.  Already her fans and community are missing her.Trujillo has received a multitude of thanks and well wishes in her last week on air. Her social media comments are flooded with love and support. Trujillo grew up in Colorado, and didn’t know she wanted to be a journalist until her first internship with the press and communications team for a member of congress. After that she went all in, leaving the University of Colorado a semester early to pursue her dream and take  a job in ScottsBluff, Nebraska. Trujillo was one of two journalists in the newsroom and figured out pretty quickly what she was good at and what she wasn’t. 

Podcast: Rep. Brianna Titone

This month on the Bucket List Community cafe podcast, our Mimi Herrick speaks to Rep. Brianna Titone about her journey, working in the state legislature and trans activism.
Titone was elected in 2019 to Colorado House District 27 in Arvada and became the first openly transgender person in the state legislature. But entering politics was not originally in Titone’s plans. In fact, she was a geological consultant before getting elected. Titone decided to run for HD-27 because a member of the Colorado Democratic Party asked her to. 

Podcast: Randle Loeb on Homelessness in Denver

This month on Bucket List Community Café’s Podcast homeless activist Randle Loeb discusses Mayor Mike Johnston’s plans to end homelessness in Denver. Loeb has been advocating for ways to help the unhoused in Denver for most of his adult life. Loeb was unhoused for six years, and in 2001, he attempted to die by suicide. After this attempt, Loeb became a prominent activist for the unhoused and has represented our community working to find solutions.

History Colorado Showcases John Fielder

John Fielder stands as Colorado’s most influential landscape and nature photographer, with his career spanning over the last four decades. Fielder has captured breathtaking and unique scenic views from all over the state. On July 22, the History Colorado Center proudly unveiled its latest exhibit, “REVEALED: John Fielder’s Favorite Place.”
This month on the Bucket List Community Cafe podcast, we sat down with Luke Perkins, History Colorado’s manager of communications and public relations, to gain insight into what sets John Fielder apart from the rest, and what Denverites can learn from his photos.

Chantal Furaha - Rwanda Genocide Survivor Shares Her Story

During the devastating Rwanda genocide of 1994, members of the Hutu ethnic majority in Rwanda unleashed slaughtered the Tutsi minority. Over 100 days, the violence claimed the lives of up to 800,000 people and an additional 2 million individuals were forced to flee their homeland. Among the survivors was Chantal Furaha, who now calls Denver home. Chantal Furaha’s journey began in Rwanda, where she was born and raised alongside her family, consisting of her mother, father, and 9 siblings. She was just 13 years old when hostility escalated. As tension grew closer to Chantal and her family, they decided to separate hoping that it would increase their chances of survival.
 

The Lockwood Family Travels

This month on Bucket List Community Cafe’s podcast, the Lockwood family had travel on their bucket list so they stopped dreaming about it and actually turned it into a lifestyle. A semi-nomadic lifestyle! In 2020, when Covid changed everything, Phil and Erin Lockwood of Northeast Denver found themselves rooted and restless in their home. They wanted to explore and have a more enriching education for their three children. Anticipating impending lockdowns the Lockwood’s and their kids made a bold decision to relocate to their second home in Coronado Island, California.

Podcast: Drag’s Laura Menorah aka Josh Miller

Josh Miller’s passion for politics was ignited during his upbringing in the suburbs of Denver. The events surrounding 9/11 and the subsequent wars overseas deeply impacted him during his high school years. Josh attended Cherry Creek High School and the conservative nature of the suburbs made him feel he could not be his authentic self, further fueling his drive to make a difference with LGBTQ+ rights.

Podcast: Vera Idam

Over the last months we’ve seen refugees flooding into Denver on their way to a better life. In this month’s podcast, to celebrate Black History Month, we speak to activist and publisher, Vera Idam. In 2010 she came with her family to Denver from Nigeria seeking a better education for her three children. What her family experienced was culture shock, a system that makes it challenging to assimilate, and difficulties that dampen the spirits of immigrants and force them to slow down in their efforts to settle.

Podcast: Mental Wellness in 2023

As we turn the calendar to a new year some people make resolutions. In 2023, Renata Hill of Moodfuel News suggests a year long practice of mental wellness where people prioritize mental health as much as they prioritize their physical health. Renata has struggled with mental illness herself and that informs her journalism and she provides valuable resources to those who struggle both publicly and privately. We spoke to her on our podcast.