About

To Inspire,

To Educate,

To Empower.


Vision

Montbello is a premier, relationship driven community that takes pride in its beauty and values education, safety, diversity and inclusiveness. Montbello 2020 strives to give the community a voice and empowers to create a better future for all.


Mission

  • Enhance the quality of life in our neighborhood.
  • Encourage everyone to be a participant in community wide education and outreach.
  • Work together with residents, businesses and local government to improve the beauty and safety for all.
  • Bridge communication with outside sources to the community.

For all residents living in the Montbello neighborhood, it is up to us homeowners, tenants and business owners to help build a foundation of respect, unity, leadership, and equality. This will ensure the sustainable health of our community in partnership with our children, elders, families and business owners. As a community, we need to keep our neighborhood safe, beautiful and educated about the vast diversity of resources available.

Montbello 2020 is a Registered Neighborhood Organization 501(c)(3).


COVID-19 Work

In partnership with Montbello Walks, Montbello 20/20 is providing home delivery of supplemental food items to Seniors that live in Montbello on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays, from 9:00 - 11:00 am and 3:00 - 5:00 pm, including masks and gloves. Contact Pam Jiner, Co-chair of Montbello 2020 and Director of the MontbelloWalks Program, at 720-620-5735 for more information.


Census Work

Because Montbello is one of the hard-to-count communities in Denver, Montbello 20/20 applied and is one of the recipients of the Denver 2020 Census Outreach Grant in early 2020. This Grant allows Montbello20/20 to coordinate and improve efforts for the community to participate in filling out the 2020 Census.


Beautification Work

Denver's District 11 Councilwoman Stacie Gilmore's office was able to secure the Denver Arts and Venues P.S. You're Here Grant to bring more art to the community. We partnered with Councilwoman Gilmore's office, Montbello Organizing Committee, Montbello Walks and local artist Thomas "Detour" Evans to beautify an area of the more than eight miles of cement storm drainage canals that are in the community. Detour's artistic canal art, located at Andrews Drive and Peoria Street and titled "Home Sweet Montbello," won a Mayor's Design Award in 2019.


Events Hosted

Montbello 20/20 hosts the following yearly events for the community:

  • Annual Montbello 20/20 Wellness Fair - Hosted by Montbello 20/20 and partners such as Be Well Initiative, this annual event provides free school supplies, book bags, suits for men, prizes, food, vendors, entertainment, and has a health fair that provides screenings for residents, such as blood pressure, HIV screenings, dental services, youth and Senior services, violence prevention, and healthy food preparation.


  • Silverman Park Pop-Up Traffic Calming Demonstration - Hosted by Montbello 20/20, Montbello Walks, WalkDenver and Councilwoman Stacie Gilmore, this event at Silverman Park consisted of Denver's Vision Zero “pop-up" demonstration to encourage drivers to slow down, improve pedestrian and bicycle connectivity, and make the intersection at Andrews Drive & Tulsa Court a safer and more pleasant place to access the park. Snacks and great conversation with Councilwoman Gilmore and the WalkDenver team were provided to the community to learn more about traffic safety efforts in Denver.


Meetings

Montbello 20/20 meetings are held on the first Thursday of every other month from 6:00 - 7:00 pm at the Montbello Recreation Center (15555 E 53rd Ave., Denver, CO 80239).


What is Montbello Walks?

"Just step outside your door and take those first steps. You will meet your neighbors, you will get fresh air, and you are creating the possibilities for stronger community and new connections. Join us!" ~ Montbello resident, Girl Trek Organizer of the Year and Walk2Connect Leader, Pam Jiner.

Montbello Walks is a community walking initiative and a part of Montbello 20/20. We encourage our community members to join us for walks, lead walks, and invite people to move with our community. Everyone is welcome to walk, roll and stroll with Montbello Walks!

We want as many people as possible in the Montbello community to be walking and connecting on a daily basis. Our initiative hosts walking events that are inviting, fun, meaningful, and educational. We will connect Montbello residents, youth, local businesses, elders, and more with one another and their surroundings. Montbello Walk walking events range in length and span a variety of paces, abilities, and conditions.

Want to join us? Text BELLOWALK to 33222 to receive weekly or monthly text updates and consider following us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for walking updates.

Working with Seniors: SeniorSteppers Program

Montbello Walks also meets at Village Place Park on Wednesdays at 10:30 am to engage Seniors in physical activity. Known as the SeniorSteppers program, this health and wellness program is available to anyone 60 years old and over, and is designed to improve the physical, mental and emotional health of our elders through walking, hiking, gentle exercise and eating healthy. The SeniorSteppers program provides fresh fruits and vegetables weekly, as well as attempts to meet some emotional needs of our elders. Once summer gets here, the meeting schedule changes to allow travel to other parks and trips to see Colorado’s most beautiful sites.

Our program is FREE to participants and we rely on cash donations, grants and in-kind donations to fund and equip our elders for all.


History of Montbello

The Montbello community was established in the mid-1960s and is located in the far northeast section of Denver, Colorado. Historically, Montbello was known for its diversity and community pride. Most recently, it has struggled to address poor performing schools, integration of immigrants, increased crime and gang activity, decline of property values, and record foreclosure rates for homes. There have been many different community organizations that have attempted to engage and bring the community together, with mixed results. Today, Montbello is home to approximately 28,500 people and 8,170 households. Demographics suggest that it is still one of Denver’s most diverse communities. In the late 1990’s, Montbello outpaced other northeast Denver communities, including Stapleton, Gateway, and Green Valley Ranch in revitalization.

At the turn of the century, Montbello was growing as one of the city’s most stable communities. As new residents discovered the peacefulness of this bedroom community, new investment arrived in the form of two new retail centers: One anchored by Albertson’s grocery store and another one with a remodeled Safeway grocery store. At the same time, developers revitalized a blighted retail and restaurant strip along Peoria Street. In addition, new housing stock was being added to an already attractive and appreciating housing inventory. Due to the sharp population increase, the community struggled to address infrastructure needs that are essential to sustainable growth.

The early part of the new century saw the Stapleton and Green Valley Ranch communities explode with a housing boom that attracted many families from the Montbello community. As families moved into the surrounding communities, the demographics of Montbello dramatically increased to a majority of residents who were immigrants. Over 65 percent of new births in Montbello are born to Latino families.

From 2000-2005, predatory lending and a multitude of community issues brought with it a steady decline in property values and community appearance. Montbello led the metro region in foreclosures between 2003 and 2006 with 977 foreclosures. In education, all nine public schools rated “low” in 2005 on the Colorado State standardized test. Crime has risen consistently for over five years and gang related crimes have increased in various segments of the community. Over 72 percent of the children in Montbello qualify and/or receive free or reduced lunch within the public school system.

Today, Montbello is at a crossroads. There are many indicators that point to the decline and neglect of the community. At the same time, it is a community with tremendous assets in both attractive housing stock and the close proximity to the downtown business district and Denver International Airport. The community must look internally to foster a more optimistic and progressive civic, social, cultural and economic future.

In 1991, the City of Denver facilitated a community plan stakeholder process that resulted in the Montbello plan. That plan called for guidelines and values around the continued development of the Montbello community. Many current residents of Montbello are not aware of the existence of this plan. The potential of the Montbello community and its residents is great. In order to cultivate a grass-roots ownership to turn the community around, Councilman Michael B. Hancock announced a partnership with the Foundation for the Next Frontier to initiate a comprehensive strategic planning process for the Montbello community in February 2007. He made a plea for extensive community leadership of the process. In addition, during the announcement Councilman Hancock introduced two distinguished Montbello residents as co-chairs of the process: The honorable Chris Martinez, Chairman, RTD Board of Directors and Rev. Dr. James Fouther, Senior Pastor, United Church of Montbello.

The Foundation for the Next Frontier, in partnership with Councilman Hancock, representing the Montbello community, issued a request for proposal seeking project management and professional facilitation services to direct the strategic planning process. In the summer of 2007, the National Civic League was awarded the contract to design, manage, and facilitate the process, which was named Montbello 20/20. The National Civic League (NCL), founded in 1894, is America's original advocate for community democracy. It is a non-profit, non-partisan, membership organization dedicated to strengthening citizen democracy by transforming democratic institutions. NCL fosters innovative community building and political reform, assists local governments, and recognizes collaborative community achievement. NCL accomplishes its mission through technical assistance, training, publishing, research, and the All-America City Awards, America's original and most prestigious community recognition program.

The Montbello 20/20 process began with a coordinating committee that was appointed by Councilman Hancock and was followed by a six-month stakeholder process in the Summer/Fall of 2008. Montbello 20/20 is a comprehensive stakeholder-driven, community based strategic planning process designed to create a blueprint for the revitalization of the Montbello community.

Montbello is an emerging and newly defined community with steady residential and commercial development in Stapleton to the west and Parkfield, Green Valley Ranch and DIA communities to the east. Montbello is the hub of the northeast Denver corridor and as a community must redefine itself and work together to implement the Montbello 20/20 plan for reaching its desired vision.


If you would like more information and to see more events, contact us or visit our Facebook page: Facebook.com/Montbello2020.