Colorado Latino Age Wave, a project of the Latino Community Foundation of Colorado, has named Mary Young, outreach specialist and travel trainer at Via, as one of three fellows who will be advocates and leaders for improving the economic health and well-being of the Latino older adult population in the metro Denver area.
The Colorado Latino Age Wave initiative was developed in response to national research that projected a rising “wave” of Latinos entering la tercera edad (third stage of life) with numbers rising 224 percent by the year 2030.
Young’s fellowship will focus on adapting On the Move!, a collaborative program of the Denver Regional Mobility and Access Council (DRMAC) and Via that teaches people to become self-sufficient bus riders, to better serve Latino seniors.
“I’ve been using public transit since I was a child. My mother never learned to drive, and we used the local bus system to get around,” Young said. “Public transportation is an excellent resource for Latino older adults, if they can learn how to easily and confidently use it. My goal is develop a travel training program that can be easily replicated by nonprofit organization serving Latino seniors.”
In addition to naming the fellows, the Colorado Latino Age Wave also announced grant awards totaling $50,000 to 10 nonprofit organizations in metro Denver. The grants will be used by community organizations to help assess their readiness and capacity to develop programs that serve the interest of the Latino aging population and highlight the contributions and assets of this emerging population in the Denver metro area.
Colorado Latino Age Wave is a project of the Latino Community Foundation of Colorado (LCFC), which is an initiative of Rose Community Foundation launched in partnership with Hispanics in Philanthropy, The Jay and Rose Phillips Family Foundation, Western Union Foundation and individual LCFC Founders to be a resource in the community and a catalyst for positive change.
