Supporting Our Center
The Friends of Gilpin County Community Center (FGCCC) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation and Colorado Charitable Corporation made up of citizens of Gilpin County, Colorado. Our role is to support the Gilpin County Community Center and its vital position in the life of our mountain community through the following initiatives:
- Research and community feedback.
- Sustainable funding through grants.
- Long-Term funding projects such as mill levies, bond issues, or special districts.
Parks and Recreation Info
For the latest information on community center programs, rates, hours, etc:
Come to the Spooky Stroll and Moongazing Madness Party!
On Saturday, October 23rd, the Gilpin County Community Center is having a Hallowe’en party and FGCC will be offering Moongazing that night!
Festivities begin at 5 p.m. with a Hallowe’en “stroll” through a “spooky” forest, games in the barn, dancing and music, hot chocolate, cider, and much more! Open to all ages, and be sure to come in your favorite costume!
At 8:30 p.m. or so, we will begin a star party and moongazing, out near the bleachers. If the weather is bad for the star- and moongazing, we will have a talk about stargazing and hand out star charts for home skywatching.
We are pleased to work with sponsors at United Power to bring face-painting, treats, and the star party for all attendees! Hope to see you there!
Your Opinion Matters!
Many thanks to all the Gilpinites who participated in our recent survey. We have tabulated the results of the survey and submitted a report to Center Director Gabrielle Chisholm. Winners of the survey have been notified by email.
It was a Great Star Party!
FGCCC held a star party at the Community Center on the evening of September 4, 2021. About 40 eager stargazers showed up and we hosted more than a half dozen telescopes from folks around Gilpin, including FGCCC Webmaster and Community Center martial arts instructor Steve Schwettman. We even had a couple from Denver bring up their impressive telescope, and another Gilpinite set up a laptop to show images coming in from their telescope in real time. A few folks from Coal Creek Canyon skywatchers also came up to stargaze.
The evening started out a bit cloudy, as people were setting up their equipment. But, it cleared up, and the clouds were almost completely gone by 9 p.m., when the skies were quite dark. We started out with a star talk by FGCCC President Carolyn Collins Petersen, followed by a Q&A while we were waiting for dark skies.
The party officially ended at 10 p.m. There are plans for another stargazing event, possibly in mid-October. We’ll announce that here when the date and other details are finalized. Thanks to all who attended!
FGCCC and the County Fair
Friends of Gilpin County Community Center was proud to be a co-organizer of this year’s Gilpin County “Old Fashioned Fair”. It took place on July 24, 2021 and many Gilpinites came out to salute Cody and Shelby, watch the gymkhana, take part in mutton-busting, visit with all the booth vendors and community organizations, and have a good time.
We especially liked meeting so many of you at our fair table, and thank the generous donors who contributed to our “Heart of the Community Fund.” We are currently planning our fall fundraising activities to benefit programs and users of the Community Center, so stay tuned here for more news.
We are especially grateful to United Power for helping to fund a kid’s obstacle course at the fair. We also planned a star party for the night of the fair, but that was canceled due to weather. We will be rescheduling that event soon.
Heart of the Community Fund
Friends of Gilpin County Community Center always welcomes donations to help support our work. One of our projects is the “Heart of the Community” fund to help in a variety of ways to expand access to the community center for all Gilpinites. It can be used to help cover such expenses as day use fees, classes, or sports leagues. We will announce more information about this fund later this summer.
Keep Up With Us!
FGCCC is also planning other activities in support of our community center. If you want to keep up with the latest news, you’re welcome to subscribe to our E-newsletter! It comes out about once a month, delivered straight to your email inbox.
Senior Recreational Access at the Community Center
FGCCC has been working behind the scenes to help our senior Gilpinites get affordable access to the center. Retired senior Gilpinites with access to Medicare and secondary insurance plans often have, as part of their plans, access to such programs as Silver Sneakers, RenewFit, and Silver & Fit. When our Community Center reopened, director Gabrielle Chisholm and her staff contacted those programs to get our center included in their systems.
Members of our group also contacted each of these programs on their own to support the request to add our center. We are now pleased to announce that Silver Sneakers, RenewFit and Silver & Fit are available! For information about how to use those benefits, seniors are urged to contact the Center at 303-582-1453.
Community Center Resources
Hours
- Monday | Wednesday:
8 am to 8 pm - Tuesday | Thursday:
After School Youth Programs Only - Friday:
8 am to 6 pm - Saturday:
9 am to 4 pm - Closed Sunday
Location
Intersection of Golden Gate Canyon & Norton Drive
FGCCC Goals
- Support and Promote Community Center Services
- Provide Input to Improve Community Center Services
- Strengthen the Financial Position of the Community Center
- Research & Inform the Community and Decision Makers on Issues, Options and Opportunities
You Can Help
It takes a community working together to keep our community center vital and meeting the needs of all residents. FGCCC is a volunteer organization. We can use your skills, time and effort:
- Keep informed. Sign up for the FGCCC e-news, and bookmark this webpage for updates.
- Join one of the 7 “interest groups” to receive information, volunteer when needed, and provide your input and ideas.
- Volunteer to help with grant writing, sponsor solicitation, and research into long term financing options
- Donate to FGCCC. Buy and wear a logo shirt, hat, or other active wear. Or send in a donation via PayPal.
- Spread the Word. Tell your neighbors about Community Center facilities, services and events.
- Smile to Help Us Grow! Are you an Amazon shopper? Add us as an AmazonSmile choice! Every purchase you make sends some money our way, at NO additional cost to you! Simply go to https://smile.amazon.com/ and follow the directions to add us. Just search for “Friends of Gilpin County Community Center” in the Amazon Charity List, click on our name to select us, and everybody wins!
Contact Us for information on joining FGCCC, volunteering, or other questions.
FGCCC Sponsors and Supporters
United Power is providing gracious financial support for the fair and our stargazing event.