Gilpin girls fulfill goal to serve the community
by Patty Unruh
Soup’s on!
Members of the Gilpin High School girls’ basketball team dished out a hearty variety of chili and soup to our area first responders on December 8 in the school cafeteria. The tasty meal was the team’s way to connect with local firefighters, law enforcement, and ambulance personnel and to say a big “THANK YOU!” for their service to Gilpin County.
The student athletes extended their invitation to members of the Gilpin County Sheriff’s Office, Gilpin Ambulance Authority, Black Hawk Police Department, Black Hawk Fire Department, Timberline Fire Protection District, and Colorado State Highway Patrol.
Participating team members that noon included Samantha Smith, Alicia Johnson, Victoria Brandon, Lena Warren, Aspen Nadeau, Trystin Swan, Katelyn Armstrong, Cicely Lepro, Jessica Wilhelm, Nicole Adams, and Joyce Jewell.
The responders entered the cafeteria to the cheery strains of Christmas music and large pots of steaming goodness. Moms and their daughters had put together chicken tortilla chili, beef and bean chili, taco chili, chicken noodle soup, spicy Italian sausage soup, chicken lemon orzo, and broccoli cheese soup. A tempting table of desserts followed up the main course: brownies, Christmas tree cookies, gingerbread men, and a luscious cake with white, red, and green frosting.
As an extra-special touch, the young ladies chorused “Happy Birthday!” to three of the responders with December birthdays. Keith Enney, Mark Fellers, and Dale Sternlicht, all of Gilpin Ambulance, were serenaded as their fellow responders gave them a good-natured ribbing.
This was the second year that the team had done this service project. Jenny Lepro, mother of senior varsity player Cicely Lepro, had come up with the idea for the lunch last year. Lepro works for the City of Golden Police Department, which puts on a thank-you meal for their responders, and she thought it would be appropriate for Gilpin’s responders to be appreciated also.
While the responders warmed up with the chili, the girls cooled down from that morning’s basketball practice. The previous evening, they had defeated West Grand here at home, and the next day were visiting Clear Creek for another game. The girls assured that the win against West Grand had given them momentum for their battle with Clear Creek, and they would be up for the challenge. They were looking forward to their own lunch after they had tended to their guests.
The lady athletes will continue to serve others during winter vacation, when they will instruct children in basketball skills at a hoops camp.
Girls’ head coach Jeff Schuessler, along with team member Katelyn Armstrong, whose dad is employed with the Gilpin County Sheriff’s Office, spoke of the team’s goals.
“We want to do a community service project every year,” they related. “Our academic goal is to get a 3.5 grade point average as a team. Athletically, we are going for a winning record. We also want to have one upset, where we are not expected to win but we do, like last night’s victory against West Grand. And, we want to win one playoff game.”
The Lady Eagles speak of their goals before each game and are well on their way to fulfilling them, with the game upset and the community service lunch already accomplished.
The meal meant a lot to those responders. Law enforcement personnel seemed especially appreciative, noting that relations between police and the public seem so strained these days. Joseph Nguyen, an officer-in-training with the Black Hawk Police Department, felt it was important for the police to be part of the community. “The relationship with the students, and the community support, means a lot to our officers,” he said.
Officer Craig Metcalfe of BHPD remarked, “This is great. It’s nice to see the partnership with people in the community. It’s good to see these young women respecting law enforcement from a young age.”
“It’s a huge opportunity to be out in the community,” noted Gilpin Ambulance’s Keith Enney. “Gilpin Ambulance is a great place to work!”
GAA Captain Mark Feller added, “I’ve been here for 18 years. Gilpin County has been good to me!”
The men agreed that the food was good, and the girls had done a great job. The team sent everyone off with a brightly wrapped goodie bag, and the banner stretched across the cafeteria wall said it all. “Thank you for your service!”