I was in the Book Bar on Tennyson Street the other day. When I need inspiration I often browse in book stores. Ideas pop in my head as I move through the store and look at the shelves. I walked through the fiction stacks and noticed greeting cards displayed on a door to my right and a sign above that read “This is Not an Exit.” It seemed kind of absurd and made me laugh. Of course it was not an exit. But I realized it was just the inspiration I needed to write this blog.
For almost two years Bucket List Community Café has been bringing you the news, events and culture of North Denver on Facebook and our website. We have tried raising money for it every which way, though community support and grants and foundations, through asks and in collaboration with small businesses. So far, we have been unable to make it sustainable. But this is not an exit. It’s just a time to pause and reflect.
You may have noticed we’re trying new things at Bucket List Community Cafe. That’s because we’re regrouping and reinventing. It’s part of our evolution. Bucket List Community Café is working harder to see how to meet the needs of our community. As we lead up to the second birthday of Bucket List Community Café on August 26, 2021, you’ll see us try more new things. We’d also like to invite you to help us.
We have a survey coming out, and our friends at Stretch Lab in LoHi will make it worth your while to take it with their generous offer of a drawing for three free 25 minute stretches plus grip socks. We’re starting to “collab” with others in the community for mutual benefit. We are eagerly awaiting the outcome of research from CU Denver’s capstone strategic marketing class, that has been using Bucket List Community Café as a case study this summer.
If you have enjoyed what we’re doing over the last couple years, now would be a really good time to let us know. Fill out the survey when it comes. Tell us what you’ve enjoyed and what we should do differently. Suggest ways to better engage the diverse neighborhoods of North Denver. Bucket List Community Café leans towards social justice and we have done a lot of coverage on homelessness and food insecurity in our neighborhoods. How can we better shine a light on issues?
One way you could really help us is by telling us about yourself and your interests. Share your email with us so we can add you to our database. Subscribe on our website or on your mobile. You need to go to the bottom of the site to put in your information. You can also find a yellow button on the upper right should you want to donate. We had always hoped to make this community supported and we welcome fresh ideas as we move in new directions.
As I’ve said, this is not an exit. It’s an opportunity for us to get to know each other better. It’s an opportunity for you to help us create an experience that better suits your needs. What do you want to see? What would it take for you to support it? What would it take for you to engage? It is our privilege to provide you this community site and we’re excited to be changing things up so it continues to be the aspirational online community gathering place we envision.
