Local Resources

AARP Foundation Tax-Aide, the nation’s largest, free tax assistance and preparation program, and its dedicated corps of volunteers will help thousands of older, low- and middle-income Colorado State residents get help in filing their tax forms.

Important Information to help navigate the new health care law

Do you have professional level skills that you’d like to share with a nonprofit agency but don’t know how to begin or would like to find a new opportunity? If the answer is YES, please join us! Dozens of nonprofits will be in attendance for you to talk to directly to find:

With open enrollment under the Affordable Care Act beginning October 1, 2013, scammers are out in full force trying to take advantage of consumer confusion. So it’s important to arm yourself with the knowledge to recognize, refuse and report these scams.

Colorado is a state filled with pet lovers. According to Forbes Magazine, Colorado Springs ranks in the Top 20 communities of pet owners and a walk through any Colorado Farmer’s Market provides plenty of anecdotal confirmation! Another bit of interesting trivia, according to a pet calculator provided by the American Veterinarian Medicine Association there are approximately 1.3 million pets in Colorado. When one looks at this data under the lens of a recently released AARP Foundation report that found 8.8 million Americans 50 and older are at risk of hunger, including 4.9 million 50- to 59-year-olds, one can see a correlation between a pet owner’s food insecurity and issues with attaining their pet supplies.

Greetings,

It is hard to believe that just a few weeks ago we were facing the worst flooding this state has ever seen. The state office reacted quickly, establishing contact with FEMA to see what we could do to support their efforts and inform our membership of relief services to those impacted and volunteer opportunities for those who want to assist. AARP also made a generous donation of $25,000.00 to the Red Cross to help with flood relief efforts. Although time has passed, clean up activities from an event like this takes a great deal of time, and the uncertainty can cause physical and emotional duress. There are some resources still at your disposal about which we wanted to make sure you were aware: Here are some groups highlighted by the Denver Post which are assisting flood victims:

Have you ever had a great idea for a business but lacked the knowledge of how to write the business plan, the mentorship to get you going, or the money to actually LAUNCH a business? Or, do have a business currently which would really benefit from a small additional financial commitment and a strategy to give you a springboard to that next level of success? If you have faced either of these situations you deserve congratulations on two fronts! First, you are a budding entrepreneur, and second, there is an organization that might be able to fulfill your burgeoning dreams, the Rocky Mountain Microfinance Institute. The Denver-based Rocky Mountain MicroFinance Institute, RMMFI, offers a Business Launch Boot Camps for prospective business owners on a sliding fee scale. In 12 weeks you’ll receive the information, the support, and the access to resources you need to propel your business to greater success. Entrepreneurs in the Boot Camp may be eligible for a loan up to $2,500 to start or enhance their businesses. RMMFI has graduated 7 classes of the Boot Camp, helped to launch 55 businesses, and disbursed over $65,000 in loans to individuals who otherwise would go without access to the necessary business capital.

In collaboration with AARP, the Denver Center Theatre Company is offering specially priced tickets to a variety of select shows at just $31.50. The wide-ranging and diverse selections include a Pulitzer Prize-winning drama, Karen Zacarías’ adaptation of Helen Thorpe’s book Just Like Us, Marcus Gardley’s adaptation of Homer’s epic poem, black odyssey, Shakespeare’s tragic masterpiece and an adaptation of a Marx Brother’s script. Tickets may be purchased by visiting www.denvercenter.org/aarp, by phone at 303.446.4829or at Denver Center Ticket Services in the lobby of the Helen Bonfils Theatre Complex, Mon – Sat from 10am to 6pm.

Many scams could be avoided if consumers took two simple steps before acting: to ask and check. Questions are empowering, and many scammers will shut down once you start asking them. However, it’s a good idea to not only ask questions, but to do your homework on their answers. Here are three examples of how to ask and check to help prevent financial exploitation: