Community Happenings
Steamboat Little Givers

We have some ideas of projects, but we are also putting this into the hands of the kids. During our once a month meetings they will have the opportunity to discuss ideas for the next month’s projects. These project will be geared for kids ages 4-11, but please don’t let this limit you. We would love photos of your completed projects and your kids actively participating! If you are ok with us sharing your kids photos, please email them to Steph@duskygrousecoffee.com
September Projects
Week 1: You’re my cup of tea! Come by DGC & pick up an envelope in which holds a blank card & a tea bag. Have your kids write a letter to someone they care about & send along the love!
Week 2: You’re dog-gone amazing! We’re making homemade dog treats for Routt County Humane Society! Join us on Sunday, September 25th at 4pm for a biscuit-making party!
Week 3: Crayon Donations! Bring gently used crayons (those ones that you get as gifts or from restaurants) tot DGC & we’ll donate them to a local school.
Week 4:Dream big! Create a dream board with your kids & their friends. Use magazine cut outs, pictures, photos; anything you can attach to a poster board! Put it somewhere your kiddo will see or bring it by DGC & we’ll display them in our conference room!
MAY PROJECTS
July Projects
- Neighborhood clean up. This can be as simple as picking up trash when you’re walking to the mailbox or organizing a cleanup day in your neighborhood.
- Send seeds to a friend or family member. We will have wildflower & veggie seed packets available for pick up at Dusky Grouse!
- Plant a tree! Reach out in person or by phone/email if you need inspiration, resources, or if you have a tree connection!
- We will be hosting a bike wash & lemonade stand on our side patio (right off the Core Trail) on Saturday, July 30th to benefit Lift Up! Reach out if your family would be interested in sign waving (directing Core Trail riders to our stand) or bike washing! Free coffee & lemonade will be provided!
MAY PROJECTS
- Pick up three pieces of trash every time you go to a park or on a walk.
- Write a “thank you” card to a restaurant worker.
- Kindness week! Do one act of kindness every day this week! Ideas: Do a chore that you don’t usually do, help wash a car, bake cookies for a friend, call your grandma or grandpa to say hi, draw a picture for a parent, etc. The possibilities are endless!
- Shoe drive at DGC! We are collecting new & gently used shoes at Dusky Grouse Coffee & will be donating them to the organization Funds2Orgs (https://funds2orgs.com). We will be collecting shoes until the end of July!
MAY PROJECTS
- Teach something you’re good at to a friend or sibling.
- Share plants or flowers with someone you love (pick up a baby flower at Dusky Grouse Coffee!)
- Introduce yourself to a new neighbor or one that you don’t know yet!
- Make a card for a retirement community near you.
APRIL PROJECTS
- Earth Day trail clean up: Meet up with us as a group on April 9th at DGC to clean up Fetcher Pond or organize a clean up in your neighborhood
- Write a letter to a “super hero” in your life. Why are they amazing? What are their talents? For example, my sister is my super hero because she is always there for me and makes me laugh. Her super power is “kindness”.
- Decorate bandanas for dogs looking for homes at Humane Society. We will have bandanas for pick up at the shop for this one!
- Bring chalk to your favorite paved trail or park and draw pictures or write positive messages to brighten peoples day.
MARCH PROJECTS
- Hope: Read, Discuss or create drawings or pictures of what Hope means to you
- Positivity Rocks: Find some rocks, paint them and write positive messages or words on them. Place them around town for strangers to find.
- Write a thank you card to a police officer or tell one “thank you” if you see one.
- Go through your old books and donate to Lift- Up, the library or host a book exchange with friends.
FEBRUARY PROJECTS
- Draw or paint a valentines day card for someone who may be lonely or who is really important to you
- Thank you card to a teacher or someone at your school. In addition to teachers, think about your favorite librarian, office administrator, custodian or anyone else your child feels is important to them. The idea here is to have your child hand the card to them, so they understand the impact they’re having. And let’s be honest, the art of the thank you card is a lost one! Let’s keep it alive!
- Healthy foods to be donated to Lift Up. You can go through your own pantry and have the kids put together a box or you can go to the store with a small list. We’ve also talked about donating snacks for LIft Up’s Rocket packs for kids in school. More details to come!
- Read a book and/or discuss what diversity and/or race means to your kids. The library has a wonderful selection of kid-friendly books about MLK, black history month and diversity that we highly recommend!
CALL TO ACTION: Because of some not-so-kid friendly headlines flying around about war and Eastern Europe, we thought it would be a great idea to talk to our kids about “Hope”. Ask your kid what HOPE means to them, record it, and send it Steph@duskygrousecoffee.com (or IG/FB dm). We will be putting together a little collection of small kids simplifying the world’s big issues. With this we hope to all gain some refreshing perspective and maybe learn a thing or two from our kids. This should be short and candid, 10-30 seconds, no rehearsal needed!
JANUARY PROJECTS
- Create a Giving Bank and choose a non profit you’d like to raise money for throughout the year. Participating Local Non-Profits We will donate our funds together on Yampa Valley Gives Day (December 2022), but if you’d like to raise money for a non-profit outside of our county, please feel free to do so! Pick something that’s important to your kid and your family.
- Donate to the Boulder Fire (Marshall Fire) Relief efforts. DONATE
- Write a thank you card or give a gift to a firefighter. You can make one for the Boulder Fire or local fire department. Drop off all cards/gifts at Dusky Grouse and we’ll deliver them all together at the end of the month.
- Make a bird feeder, faerie/critter home
Recurring Gatherings

CHOW: Culinary Hospitality Outreach Wellness
“CHOW’s mission is to support wellness within the hospitality industry and to improve the lives of our community through shared stories, skills, & resources.”
- Meets every Tuesday from 2-3pm upstairs at Dusky Grouse Coffee
Running Group
Come run with us! We celebrate conversation & connection over speed & distance. Join us & make some new memories with new people! Make the morning even better by treating yourself or a friend to a coffee or a recovery smoothie!
- Meets every Monday at 7:45 outside Dusky Grouse. Bring your running kicks, water, and any other gear that will set you up for a good time!
Queer Coffee Hour
Chat, laugh, commiserate, & unite with local members of the queer community. All ages & identities encouraged to join!
- Meets on the last Sunday of every month from 11-12pm
Dusky Grouse Mental Health Book Club
Our mental health book club is aimed to create space for honest discussion about our mental health and each of our journeys in finding our way in the world. This is an AUTHENTIC and proactive approach to mental health in our community- meaning we are not therapists or psychiatrists. We are all humans living in an ever changing world that challenges our perceptions of self worth, happiness and the truth. Through this group, we hope to lift each other up, learn about ourselves and our community and thrive together. These sessions are all FREE, open to everyone and do not require any kind of RSVP.
The Human Herd: Awakening your Natural Leadership by Beth Anstandig
“Humans have lived in ‘herds’ for thousands of years—communities, big or small, that have provided us a safe haven for sharing resources & leaning on each other for support & fellowship. Even in these highly technological times when self-sufficiency is the norm, we still long to be connected. It’s how we truly thrive.
When we stray from our herd & stop practicing the basic elements of community-building & trust-growing, our groups & relationships suffer.
Through meaningful experiences & intentional conversation, we can reclaim & revive this simple but essential part of our human story.”
Meeting Dates:
- July 31tst—11-12pm: discussion about the concept of the book
- August 14th—11-12pm: first third
- August 28th—11-12pm: middle third
- September 11th—11-12pm: final third
Past Readings
Think Like a Monk by Jay Shetty
The aim of Think Like a Monk is to help individuals apply a monk mindset to their lives. Think Like a Monk shows you how to clear the roadblocks to your potential by overcoming negative thoughts, accessing stillness, and creating true purpose. It can be challenging to apply the lessons of monks to busy lives. In this 3 part series, we’ll discuss the book in its three sections: Let Go, Grow and Give. We will also be doing some functional mushroom sampling at each of our meetings! Again, this is a FREE event and all are welcome.
March 27th, 11-12pm
April 9th, 11-12pm
April 24th, 11-12pm
May 15th, 11-12pm
This is Your Brain on Food by Uma Naidoo
We are partnering with Natural Grocers to discuss the book, This is Your Brain on Food by Uma Naidoo.
In this 4 part series we’ll explore ways we can support our mental health in a proactive and intentional way.
We will be providing small samples of food or drinks that support the ideas of the reading as well.
This is a FREE SERIES!