Communications Team Blog : 7.3.24
Neighborhood Spotlight: West Colfax
On the June 1st Work Day in the West Colfax neighborhood, volunteers got to assist with a special project at the community garden at Cheltenham Elementary. While from an outside perspective it seemed like a normal volunteer opportunity, the workers were helping preserve the artwork and memory of Drew McLaughlin, an artist from the neighborhood who passed away in March.
Garden caretaker and longtime West Colfax resident Jennifer is ensuring that Drew and his work are not forgotten.
“He was really into community, he stuck up for his neighbors…and believed in the good of the many, not the good of the few,. ”
Drew painted murals on the benches in the community garden as a volunteer shortly before he passed away, and with the help of sanding, new paint, and lacquer done by ECM volunteers, the artwork on the benches is being preserved.
Jennifer remembers Drew as a good gardener who loved all things communal. She recalled one time when the water access was turned off and he advocated for it to be restored, worried about everyone’s plants. Another way Drew was able to share his love of gardening and community was through the distribution of seeds from his own garden. Many seeds from Drew's holistic flower garden were donated to Denver Urban Gardens for distribution to Denver gardeners, a tradition that will continue for the foreseeable future.
The Cheltenham community garden gives residents in the neighborhood an opportunity to get their hands dirty in a shared space. Jennifer tapped into the generosity modeled by Drew and shared some of her Egyptian walking onions with the volunteers while showing off everyone’s gardens. In the future when the gardeners, students and West Colfax residents pass by the benches they will be able to admire the work of “neighborhood hippie” Drew McLaughlin.