We asked some of the local leaders what they do to build and strengthen their family relationships.
TODD HENDREKS
PARKER TOWN COUNCILMEMBER
"Being a family of four, with one a full-blown teenager and one mere months away, trying to spend quality family time together can be challenging. With school functions, sporting events, and other activities, we attend together as much as possible, which is great since family dinners are almost non-existent given the prior items. Having said that, we make it a point to have a dedicated family dinner a few times a week. Organizing a board game event can sometimes be difficult but much fun is had when we do. As they get older they must learn to drive which is a great opportunity for forced one-on-one time with a child! We also try to do a few family vacations every year. Ultimately, spending time together becomes increasingly difficult as children age and become more independent and active, so treasure those moments when you can."
LAURA HEFTA
PARKER TOWN COUNCILMEMBER
"Mark and I married in our forties and are blessed to have our sons, Jon and Martin. Our faith and our family are the foundation of our lives. We are very active in our church and local community as a family and show our sons the value of community service through volunteering. To strengthen our family bonds, we regularly enjoying hiking, skiing, museums, special events, the zoo, our local parks, and swimming with our sons. Most every weekend we have a fun family outing planned, even if it is just a family nature walk or bike ride. We also have a large extended family in Colorado and regularly have family gatherings to celebrate birthdays and holidays. We are very fortunate that Douglas County, Colorado, is a very family friendly county and provides so many activities for everyone."
DESIREE LAFLEUR
CASTLE ROCK TOWN COUNCILMEMBER
"As residents of downtown Castle Rock’s historic Craig and Gould neighborhood, we really enjoy walking into town together. Whether it’s a short walk to a concert at Festival Park, a longer stroll to the museum, or a winter carriage ride. It’s the simple things that bond us and create memories. And our fur baby Mia is always up for the adventures! We love pointing out the historic buildings to our son Wyatt and the conversations that ensue. Even campaigning was a family endeavor!
We also love visiting Red Hawk Ridge Golf Course, where my husband William is the assistant superintendent. The breathtaking views, beautiful wildlife and camaraderie are all things that we not only enjoy together, but feel so blessed to be a part of.
It’s all that we hoped for and more!"
CHERYL POAGE
PARKER TOWN COUNCILMEMBER
"This is the fiftieth year that my family has lived in Parker and it has been a wonderful place to raise a family that has stayed together. When asking my children why they think we have stayed so close, their answers were immediate: lots of love, laughter, respect and a desire to be together. Additionally, we try to have weekly Sunday dinner together, share lots of joint events, and a few joint vacations. I am so fortunate to have such a strong and well- educated family to share my life with. We have watched Parker grow from an agricultural community where we had more horses than people and have had to work hard together at times to reach for solutions for many issues in the community. There were no recreational facilities, trails, roads; even water was an issue. My family as a whole worked to improve these concerns, which have all helped to make Parker what it is today!"
CARYN JOHNSON
CASTLE ROCK TOWN COUNCILMEMBER
"We enjoy the outdoors, traveling, and reading together. While our children were growing up we took many trips together to explore our National Parks, Monuments, and scenic areas with our pop- up trailer in tow. As we drove to these sites we enjoyed listening to audiobooks. We’ve been fortunate to travel abroad together to explore Singapore, Poland, Australia, and other European countries as well. Oh, and we can’t forget about the many trips to theme parks. Our family enjoyed reading the Harry Potter series and J.R.R. Tolkien trilogy together. We’re so thankful for all the time we’ve had hiking, exploring, traveling, and reading together. Our two children are grown and out of the house now. They both still live in Colorado. We often get together to share a meal and/or a hike together."