Mission Statement:
The mission of Neighborhood Action Group (NAG) is to develop awareness, involvement, and a sense of community for the purpose of making Adams County School District Fifty a safer place to live. We do this by bringing neighbors together to share concerns, to support parents and families with information, communication, programs and gatherings.
Roger and Shirley Gudenkauf have a legacy of giving back to their community, a dedication which traces to the first days of their marriage in eastern Kansas. From the beginning, they have been active in their church since faith is and always will be an important part of their lives. In addition, for over 30 years, Roger (with Shirley’s support) has volunteered his time and energy by coaching multiple youth sports teams, achieving success in softball, baseball, and soccer in Missouri, Kansas and Colorado.
In 1993, this commitment increased significantly with the formation of the Neighborhood Action Group (NAG). Founded by Roger and Shirley and focused primarily in southwestern Adams County (Colorado), NAG came about as the immediate result of a serious crime in their neighborhood. They saw this as a call to action to speak out in support of the idea that it is the community’s duty to create a safe environment for its citizens.
Aligned to a great degree with Adams County School District 50 (from which each of the seven Gudenkauf children graduated), NAG is entirely focused on helping everyone – kids as well as adults – who may be at risk. NAG’s goal is to make this close-knit community a safer and more positive and productive place for everyone. Its slogan is Unity Through Responsible Individual Action. Its mission is simple:
“To develop awareness, involvement, responsibility, and a sense of community for the purpose of making Adams County School District 50 a safer place to live. We do this by bringing neighbors together to share concerns, to support parents and families with information, to provide communication, and to develop and promote programs and gatherings.”
Over the years, NAG has also worked hand-in-hand with community leaders and civic entities, including the Adams County Sheriff’s Office, the City of Westminster and the Hyland Hills Recreation District. These and other valued partners have been instrumental in NAG’s success. As a result, NAG has grown to be synonymous with “action” as it has devised, sponsored, presented or encouraged many activities in the community. Among these are the following programs:
4Word Momentum (4WM), Connecting the Dots and Breaking Down the Walls are intense anti-bullying programs that help students connet to each other. Through a series of activities, stories, interactions and expectations, they provide students with new perspectives on what school life can look like while simultaneously promoting ways for students to communicate with each other outside of their normal routine. Every year we send:
Parenting Program: NAG created and conducts a 4-week course to teach valuable ‘life’ skills to parents within the community. There are over 40 different personal development categories covered, all of which are key to building strong family ties. NAG also conducts Las Madres and Los Padres, each a 12-week program taught in both English and Spanish. These two programs also focus on parenting, with particular emphasis on how to get more actively involved in youth activities.
Link and WEB: These two ‘welcoming and mentoring’ programs are aimed at new District 50 middle and high school students, respectively. The key word is getting ‘everybody’ involved and a part of the school.
Catholic Heart Work Camp: We bring in youth groups from all over the United States to fix up over 100 homes a year in our neighborhood. They do anything from building wheel chair ramps, patios, replacing flooring, painting houses inside and out, washing windows, cleaning gutters and much more.
The premise of all our programs is designed around the 40 developmental assets!
The mission of Neighborhood Action Group (NAG) is to develop awareness, involvement, and a sense of community for the purpose of making Adams County School District Fifty a safer place to live. We do this by bringing neighbors together to share concerns, to support parents and families with information, communication, programs and gatherings.
Roger and Shirley Gudenkauf have a legacy of giving back to their community, a dedication which traces to the first days of their marriage in eastern Kansas. From the beginning, they have been active in their church since faith is and always will be an important part of their lives. In addition, for over 30 years, Roger (with Shirley’s support) has volunteered his time and energy by coaching multiple youth sports teams, achieving success in softball, baseball, and soccer in Missouri, Kansas and Colorado.
In 1993, this commitment increased significantly with the formation of the Neighborhood Action Group (NAG). Founded by Roger and Shirley and focused primarily in southwestern Adams County (Colorado), NAG came about as the immediate result of a serious crime in their neighborhood. They saw this as a call to action to speak out in support of the idea that it is the community’s duty to create a safe environment for its citizens.
Aligned to a great degree with Adams County School District 50 (from which each of the seven Gudenkauf children graduated), NAG is entirely focused on helping everyone – kids as well as adults – who may be at risk. NAG’s goal is to make this close-knit community a safer and more positive and productive place for everyone. Its slogan is Unity Through Responsible Individual Action. Its mission is simple:
“To develop awareness, involvement, responsibility, and a sense of community for the purpose of making Adams County School District 50 a safer place to live. We do this by bringing neighbors together to share concerns, to support parents and families with information, to provide communication, and to develop and promote programs and gatherings.”
Over the years, NAG has also worked hand-in-hand with community leaders and civic entities, including the Adams County Sheriff’s Office, the City of Westminster and the Hyland Hills Recreation District. These and other valued partners have been instrumental in NAG’s success. As a result, NAG has grown to be synonymous with “action” as it has devised, sponsored, presented or encouraged many activities in the community. Among these are the following programs:
4Word Momentum (4WM), Connecting the Dots and Breaking Down the Walls are intense anti-bullying programs that help students connet to each other. Through a series of activities, stories, interactions and expectations, they provide students with new perspectives on what school life can look like while simultaneously promoting ways for students to communicate with each other outside of their normal routine. Every year we send:
- 1000 students from three middle schools to 4WM
- 400 4th and 5th graders from three Elementary Schools through Connecting the Dots
- 600 students from Westminster High School to Breaking Down the Walls
Parenting Program: NAG created and conducts a 4-week course to teach valuable ‘life’ skills to parents within the community. There are over 40 different personal development categories covered, all of which are key to building strong family ties. NAG also conducts Las Madres and Los Padres, each a 12-week program taught in both English and Spanish. These two programs also focus on parenting, with particular emphasis on how to get more actively involved in youth activities.
Link and WEB: These two ‘welcoming and mentoring’ programs are aimed at new District 50 middle and high school students, respectively. The key word is getting ‘everybody’ involved and a part of the school.
Catholic Heart Work Camp: We bring in youth groups from all over the United States to fix up over 100 homes a year in our neighborhood. They do anything from building wheel chair ramps, patios, replacing flooring, painting houses inside and out, washing windows, cleaning gutters and much more.
The premise of all our programs is designed around the 40 developmental assets!
