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Good cause can help you get in good shape

Volunteers put heart and muscle into it

By Debra Melani, Special to the Rocky

Published June 16, 2008 at 6 p.m.

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Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado volunteer Gary Nelson, of Littleton, walks down Mount Evans' Tanglewood trail after helping to repair it.

Photo by Brian Lehmann / The Rocky

Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado volunteer Gary Nelson, of Littleton, walks down Mount Evans' Tanglewood trail after helping to repair it.

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Yeah, you know you should exercise. Fitness magazines and newspapers cite study after study screaming the fact.

And you know you should volunteer. It's good for the soul to pitch in and help those in need or clean up our polluted world.

But where's the time? Between the hectic job and the kids who need to be rushed to lessons and games, how can those full hands stop to lend help or lift a dumbbell?

Try combining the two. You can join the 60 million Americans who volunteered last year and follow expert fitness advice to get moving through a number of volunteer opportunities in the metro area.

Restore a hiking trail. Walk a dog. Lead an exercise group for overweight children. Mow a senior citizen's lawn.

Without volunteers, many of Colorado's disabled people would never learn to canoe or rock-climb. Inner-city teens would never experience a mountain-bike trek or a backpacking trip in the Colorado high country.

Here we profile three Denver-area folks who volunteer to move. All three say their workouts do much more than add to their exercise routines.

Colorful Colorado

For accountant Cheryl Harmel, fitting in workout time is harder than interpreting tax law. And crunching numbers, she'll assure you, doesn't do a thing for abdominal muscles. So when the Highlands Ranch mom schedules valued time for volunteer work, exercise factors into her decision.

"That's definitely part of it - to stay active - because I spend so much time sitting in front of a computer," said Harmel, 44, who has helped with an average of four projects a year for the past 10 years with Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado.

"I use almost every muscle in my body," said Harmel, whose most recent project involved restoration of the Roxborough State Parks Fountain Trail near Littleton. Harmel dug, hiked and hauled dirt constantly for three hours.

And that was an "easy" project, she said.

VOC has something for everyone, with projects labeled the same as ski runs, from kid-friendly greens to challenging double- blacks. "Those are the really fun projects," Harmel said of the double-blacks, which often include backpacking, camping and working at high elevation for a few days.

A serious hiker and nature lover, Harmel finds volunteering outdoors to be physically and mentally uplifting. "I feel much better after a VOC project than I do after being on the StairMaster at the gym for an hour."

Her volunteer work has taken her to beautiful locations she never would have seen, she says. And she does it because of her love of Colorado. "It's awesome to go back to places that I'd worked on years ago and see trees I planted and trails I built."

* To volunteer: Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado, 600 S. Marion Parkway, Denver, 303-715-1010, voc.org

Children's health

Bill Lajoie exercises almost every day, but his Saturday workouts are his favorite. It doesn't matter whether it's dodge ball, basketball or some other high-energy game - he always has fun, and he always gets exercise, the Littleton accountant says.

But the best part about it? He's helping a child.

Lajoie, 59, volunteers at Children's Hospital of Denver for a program called SHAPEDOWN. Working with a wellness program for overweight kids makes him feel good, he says.

"It really gets you all pumped up. By the time you leave, you feel like you're on a bit of a high from the exercise and the interaction with the kids and their parents."

The nationally recognized program for children and teens includes weekly education, counseling and exercise sessions designed by exercise physiologists. There's an emphasis on family involvement, and most parents exercise with their kids, something the children seem to love, organizers say.

Volunteers (usually one to two per 10 kids, grouped by age) help lead the groups, and they have one chief requirement: Make it fun.

Kids in Lajoie's recent group favor a game called Nerf-ball Elimination. In it, participants whip foam balls at one another. When people get hit, they perform a quick exercise (10 jumping jacks, five push-ups). The kids really have fun hitting their parents, Lajoie said.

"I get a kick out of it," he said of working with the kids. And he likes getting exercise himself. "When you do what I do (accounting), you have to be active. It's just great being able to run around for an hour."

* To volunteer: The Children's Hospital Heart Institute, SHAPEDOWN Clinic, 13123 E. 16th Ave., Aurora, 720-777-2935, thechildrenshospital.org

Gardening beauty

Christina Ross first realized her thumb was green in 1967. A newlywed in Fort Collins, she began volunteering for a children's garden in town. So years later, when she moved to Denver and launched a search for a volunteer job, there was no doubt: It had to involve dirt, bulbs and fresh air.

She's been a fixture at the Denver Botanic Gardens since, giving back to the community while doing what she loves. And she'll tell you: It's helped keep the 65-year-old Denver resident sane and fit.

"Gardening to me is one of the most relaxing things I can do - it's my stress-reliever," said Ross, a retired nurse. "I like the feel of the dirt, the smell of the flowers."

A few minutes in a garden can erase an entire bad day, she said.

And it does help her to stay in shape, she said. "It's all exercise. You're bending, . . . you're using your arm muscles when you're clipping. You move pots here and there. And you walk a lot."

With the amount of weeding, pruning, planting and raking that needs to be done, volunteers at the gardens are crucial. Non-green thumbs can find lots of opportunities as well. Last year, 1,100 volunteers logged 60,000 hours.

Through her work, Ross shares her joy of gardening and natural beauty with the community while getting exercise.

"And it's an exercise I like doing," she said. "I know I should still go to the gym, but it's more fun outside."

* To volunteer: Denver Botanic Gardens, 1005 York St., Denver, 720-865-3565, botanicgardens.org/content/ volunteer

Other volunteer opportunities

Most organizations were found on volunteermatch.org for the Denver area. Find opportunities using your ZIP code on that site, or call organizations similar to these in your area.

Nature

COLORADO FOURTEENERS INITIATIVE

* WHERE: 607 10th St., Suite 306, Golden

* CONTACT: 303-278-7650, 14ers.org

* WHAT: Help preserve Colorado's crown jewels - its 14,000-foot peaks. Having completed impact studies on all 54 of the state's highest peaks, CFI heads restoration projects on them.

WILDLANDS RESTORATION VOLUNTEERS

* WHERE: 2515 E. Sterling Circle, Suite 201, Boulder

* CONTACT: 303-543-1411, wlrv.org

* WHAT: Help restore trails and areas along the northern Colorado Front Range. Projects can be single-day, weekends or longer.

DENVER PARKS AND RECREATION

* WHERE: 4800 W. Kenyon Ave.

* CONTACT: 303-806-9083, denvergov.org/ dprvolunteers

* WHAT: Help maintain Denver's parks and trails through painting, weeding, planting and gardening.

Special-needs/ disadvantaged children

DENVER PARKS AND RECREATION, SPECIAL NEEDS PROGRAM

* WHERE: 1849 Emerson St.

* CONTACT: 720-865-0820, denvergov.org/recreation

* WHAT: Help with programs such as adaptive water skiing, hand/bicycling and Special Olympics Sports, or teach a class such as Pilates.

NATIONAL SPORTS CENTER FOR THE DISABLED

* WHERE: P.O. Box 1290, Winter Park

* CONTACT: 303-316-1546, nscd.org

* WHAT: Help those with a disability to ski, snowboard and snowshoe.

TRIPS FOR KIDS DENVER

* WHERE: 5712 W. Asbury Place, Unit A-202, Lakewood

* CONTACT: 303-919-4259, tripsforkidsdenver.org

* WHAT: Ride with disadvantaged urban youths on mountain-bike trips.

BIG CITY MOUNTAINEERS

* WHERE: 1667 Vine St., Denver

* CONTACT: 303-271-9200, ext. 409, bigcity mountaineers.org

* WHAT: Guide disadvantaged urban youths on summer backpacking trips.

BIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS OF COLORADO INC.

* WHERE: 2420 W. 26th Ave., Suite 450-D, Denver

* CONTACT: 303-433-6002, bbbscolo.org

* WHAT: Be a "sports buddy" to a child in need of a mentor.

Animals

Contact your local animal shelter/humane society for info on exercising animals.

P.A.W.S. COLORADO

* WHERE: 19452 E. Brunswick Drive, Aurora

* CONTACT: 303-693-1587, pawscolorado.org

FREEDOM SERVICE DOGS INC.

* WHERE: 2000 W. Union Ave., Englewood

* CONTACT: 303-922-6231, freedomservicedogs.org

DUMB FRIENDS LEAGUE

* WHERE: 2080 S. Quebec St., Denver; 4556 N. Castleton Court, Castle Rock

* CONTACT: 303-751-5772, ext. 1933, ddfl.org

ADAMS COUNTY ANIMAL SHELTER/ADOPTION CENTER

* WHERE: 10705 Fulton St., Brighton

* CONTACT: 303-853-0303, co.adams.co.us (click on "Animal Shelter")

Garden/yard work

Contact your local government or senior center.

SENIORS' RESOURCE CENTER

* WHERE: 3227 Chase St., Denver

* CONTACT: 303-235-6941

THE SENIOR HUB INC., RESPITE CARE PROGRAM

* WHERE: 2360 W. 90th Ave., Federal Heights

* CONTACT: 303-426-4408

CITY OF WESTMINSTER (ADOPT A FLOWER BED)

* WHERE: 4800 W. 92nd Ave.

* CONTACT: 303-430-2400, ext. 2159

Comments

  • August 5, 2008

    4 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    liquidhooger writes:

    Wanted to point out that there is another trail build/repair group which is active all along the Continental Divide - from Mexico to Canada. It is the Continental Divide Trail Alliance (CDTA).

    I just completed a weeklong volunteer event (Jul 29-1 Aug) in Rocky Mountain National Park. 8 volunteers worked side-by-side with a National Park trail building crew to improve the trail by building steps at 12300' elevation. We camped at 11800' and hiked a mile and 500' elevation every day to the work site. What an experience and a priviledge! The Park Service crew was phenomenal and extremely dedicated. It was a blast working with them and a welcome reprieve from the urban hubbub many of us have come to accept.

    Pictures are available.

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