Gilpinite creates discount program

Aims to bring community together

Lynn Volkens

06/05/2008 - Volunteerism comes in many forms and one Gilpinite is freely spending her time developing a program that will add to her community in a double whammy. Karen Gibson is organizing a program aimed to boost local business revenues and save money for Gilpin School teachers and staff.

  The main idea is to promote local businesses and community servants, said Gibson. After moving to the county a couple of years ago, she observed that many goods and services can be obtained right here in Gilpin. Wanting to encourage the use of what’s here, rather than heading down the hill, Gibson drew upon experience in a program she’d helped develop in Fairplay, Colorado. In a nutshell: merchants offer a discount (whatever amount they choose) to a group of people who serve the community, in this case school employees. Gibson, who said she is mostly housebound because she is legally blind, had first considered Gilpin County employees as the targeted discount group. However, she learned that county employees are not allowed to accept such “gifts,” and turned then to the school, emulating the Fairplay program. Gilpin’s PTA is backing her, providing mail supplies for her to formalize agreements with businesses in the county and local municipalities. Based on ads in local newspapers and the phone book, she has been calling local merchants and bringing them on board. So far, 20 have signed up to participate. They will be issued signs or certificates identifying them to school employees (who will also receive a list of the participating merhants). The employees must show their Gilpin School Employee ID to obtain the discount. Once she’s got this program perfected, Gibson hopes to expand it to neighboring schools and possibly to other employee groups. She said the program is a way to honor and thank the people who serve the community, a way to thank local merchants and professionals by keeping business here, and a way to tie the community together.

  Businesses now signed up for the program are offering discounts to Gilpin School employees for car repair, car sales, towing, storage facilities, firewood/logging, plumbing, remodeling, roofing, cleaning, printing, estate handling, photography, chiropractic, fitness, veterinary, pet grooming, and retail purchases. The list will be available online, said Gibson, and it will be updated as more businesses sign up. Those interested in participating should contact Gibson at tagman40@msn.com. She also welcomes ideas and comments about the program and is happy to provide more information (303-805-1898) to anyone who asks.