About Us
The Power of Place
Over the last several years, Lifespan Local has been deeply listening to resident community leaders and neighbors in Southwest Denver about what would make the Westwood neighborhood stronger and more resilient. The answer that they kept hearing was that “we need a place.”
Guided by the community-driven process that Dr. Lydia Prado undertook at Dahlia Campus for Health & Well-Being, Lifespan Local has replicated the framework of deep community listening in Southwest Denver to ensure that what is built in Westwood is truly aligned with what the community has advocated for.
In February of 2021, Lifespan Local purchased the Redeemer Lutheran Church in Southwest Denver one block south of Alameda Avenue on Irving Street. The renovation of Westwood Redeemer is underway and Lifespan Local is very excited to welcome the community to the center sometime in 2023.
Westwood Redeemer
Southwest Denver’s Front Porch
On front porches in various communities across this country, people feel comfortable spending time together, listening and learning, and building relationships of trust. When institutions desire to build partnerships with historically-marginalized groups, conversations can be most meaningfully invited on a welcoming “front porch.” This is what Lifespan Local envisions for Westwood Redeemer.
Over the course of the last several years, Lifespan Local has had thousands of conversations with community leaders about what would make Westwood Redeemer most impactful, these are the themes, wishes, and areas of focus that have emerged from the Southwest Denver community. And these will be the drivers of what is created at Westwood Redeemer.
A History of Community-Driven Work
Dr. Lydia Prado, Executive Director
Before starting Lifespan Local, Dr. Prado spent 17 years with the Mental Health Center of Denver as the Vice President of Child & Family Services. She is the project visionary behind the Mental Health Center of Denver’s Dahlia Campus for Health & Well-Being, an innovative community center in Northeast Park Hill that promotes well-being across the lifespan. The campus features an inclusive preschool, a full service dental clinic for children, a one acre urban farm, 5,400 sq ft aquaponics greenhouse, horticultural therapy spaces, community gardens, teaching kitchen, community room, gymnasium and a full array of mental health services for all ages.
About Dahlia Campus for Health & Well-Being
Located in Denver’s Northwest Park Hill, Dahlia Campus for Health & Well-Being provides a wholistic approach to well-being that supports mind, body and community. This campus is an open space for community members to connect with each other, learn new skills and find the help they need.
