The Heart of the Community Fund is one of the ways we at Friends of the Gilpin County Community Center help out folks in Gilpin County. It was established a few years ago to give financial aid to people who needed a little extra funding to use the Community Center and participate in Parks & Recreation activities.
Most of the time, this means we help pay activity fees or give a punch card to someone to come in and exercise. Occasionally, we’ve helped with camp fees for kids or daycare access. Whatever the need is, we seriously consider each request for help as it relates to using the Parks & Recreation facilities.
Sometimes we get a request for something outside that mandate, and that’s when we turn to other sources of help in the county. One of those is Ermel’s Emporium in Central City. It’s also run by a hardworking group of volunteers who process donations of things for sale, and then use the money to help people in need. I’ve often referred people who need something like rent help or groceries.
Another source is Canyon Cares, which provides short-term aid to people with urgent needs. Likewise, I’ve referred people to them for needs beyond what we can offer. In addition, the county has a Human Services Department that can handle applications for benefits, child care assistance, emergency assistance, and more.