Bucket List Community Cafe Podcast

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.

Gary Shapiro: The Podcast

After 39 years with 9News, Gary Shapiro retired on December 9. That’s a lot of 9s. He had a unique vantage point to the biggest stories that happened in Colorado over four decades. Gary sat down with Bucket List Community Cafe’s podcast to talk about the stories he’s covered, his thoughts on life after television, and reflections on the incredible changes we’ve seen in broadcasting both locally and nationally.

Marcus Weaver: Praise and Pickles

For most, Thanksgiving is a time for family, food, and reflection. The holiday reminds us to think about what they are thankful for. This November, the Bucket List Community Café podcast talks to Marcus Weaver about life lessons, gratitude, helping others, and pickles!
Marcus grew up in the inner city of St. Louis and was raised by his mother and an abusive father figure. He moved around a lot and got in trouble but despite that in 2008, Marcus graduated from radiology school at the top of his class. Then he got in a chase with police and derailed. 

Banned Books Week: A Conversation with Dan Danbom of Printed Page Bookshop

September 18th through the 24th is Banned Books Week. It’s an annual celebration of the freedom to read and Bucket List Community Cafe sits down with Dan Danbom of the Printed Page Bookshop on South Broadway for our third podcast.
His store is a treasure trove of banned books, first editions and rare titles. For readers, just walking in it evokes memories.

Bernadette Pflug August Podcast

Paul Baca’s Card Collection July Podcast