WEEK OF FEBRUARY 27, 2025
VOLUME 23 | ISSUE 52
FREE
Dougco Schools expand career education with bond funding BY MCKENNA HARFORD MHARFORD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Chair of the Rock of Hope Campaign Melissa Sanchez, AdventHealth Castle Rock CEO Michelle Fuentes, Chair of the Foundation Impact Team Marcy Blair and Douglas County Commissioner Kevin Van Winkle celebrate the county’s $1 million donation to AdventHealth Castle Rock’s Rock of Hope Campaign to COURTESY OF DEREK KOPP fund a cancer center in Castle Rock.
AdventHealth cancer center coming to Castle Rock County donates $1M to drive that helps hospital toward goal BY MCKENNA HARFORD MHARFORD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Thanks in part to a recent $1 million donation from Douglas County, AdventHealth is on track to open its cancer center in Castle Rock and begin treating patients by the end of this year. The Douglas County Commissioners approved a $1 million grant to the Rock of Hope Campaign, which is raising $14 million to fund the first cancer treatment center in the county. With the commissioners’ grant, the Rock of Hope Campaign has raised more than $10 million towards its
goal. Michelle Fuentes, the CEO of AdventHealth Castle Rock, said the organization is honored to receive the support from the commissioners and the community. “I’ve never seen an entire project get funded through philanthropy, so, to me, that is a giant indicator of the trust that this community has in this hospital, their trust in the quality of care that we deliver and that we will be good stewards with their resources,” Fuentes said. The commissioners’ grant also triggered a $1 million match from Castle Rock residents Lisa and Randy Schrader, who had previously donated an additional $5 million to the cancer center. Douglas County Commissioner Kevin Van Winkle said the commissioners’ support AdventHealth’s efforts to make the
VOICES: 10 | LIFE: 14 | CALENDAR: 17 | PUZZLES: 19
county a healthier place and bring needed services to the community. “Anything we can do to make Douglas County happier and healthier, especially during such a trying and essential time as cancer treatment, we want to be a partner in that,” Van Winkle said. “We want to be a friend to those families. We want those services close to home.” With the county’s grant, the cancer center is investing in cutting-edge technology in radiation therapy called Vision RT, which is a technology that links a patient’s unique biometric signature with their personalized treatment plan. This ensures patients only receive the radiation they are prescribed. AdventHealth Castle Rock will be one of three hospitals in the country with this tech SEE CANCER CENTER, P8
With the voter approval of a $490 million bond, Douglas County School District is expanding its career and technical education programming to meet the growing demand from students. The November 2024 bond dedicates $32.8 million to investing in career and technical education (CTE) in the school district. District officials shared the plans for adding opportunities for students at the Feb. 11 school board meeting. Many of the additional classes will be offered at the Legacy Campus in Lone Tree, which is the central location for the district’s CTE programs. Upcoming opportunities at Legacy include classes on electric vehicle and automotive technology, advanced manufacturing, construction and electrical work. Outside of the Legacy Campus, the district will also offer cosmetology at Douglas County High School in Castle Rock and automotive technology at Highlands Ranch High School, expanding two popular class options to new schools. Student participation in the district’s career and technical education programming has significantly increased from last year. This year, approximately 25,500 students are enrolled in the district’s 75 CTE programs. “Whether their next step is college, the military, vocational training or directly entering the workforce, we aim to serve as a student launchpad,” Rex Corr, principal of the Legacy Campus, said. SEE FUNDING, P8
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