Poverty and health
I'm a program officer for the Colorado Health Foundation, which provides grant funding for health programs with a focus on low-income communities and communities of color.
I'm assigned to southwestern Colorado, and my job is to know as much as possible about the region — we want to know the locals, the officials, everyone.
Historically, the foundation funded grants strictly in terms of health, but now we're working on social factors. How do we increase access to housing? All of that affects health. If you don't have a house to live in, you're probably not able to worry about whether you're eating enough fruits and vegetables.
We blame people for their poverty, or we expect their families to help, but so many families don't have that safety net. It's easy to look at someone in poverty and not understand the systemic influences that put them where they are today.
'The personality of a jet engine'
My daughter is 3, and she has personality of jet engine. I've never been a patient person, but she has forced me to learn patience.
My son is 1 year old, and from him I learned it doesn't matter what your genetics are, everyone is their own person.
I'd like to apologize right now to every parent I ever judged in a restaurant. Until you have your own, you just have no idea what it's like. Having kids has humbled me.
Delightfully uncontrolled
I grew up in Oklahoma, moved to Washington, D.C. after college, and even lived in Taiwan for a year. No place ever really felt like home until I settled on East Colfax in Denver, where I lived for 10 years.
East Colfax is uncontrolled in a way that's delightful. My husband and I had so much fun. There were so many cool places to check out and so many great people to meet.
As much as I loved it, there's crime. I grew up in Oklahoma, riding my bike around. I couldn't send my daughter to play among the needles and condoms in the alleys.
Having kids means life is no longer about what you want, but what's best for them. I became the classic American case of moving to the suburbs when you have kids.
I said I would never do it, but we drove through Littleton, and I said I think I like this place. Next thing I knew we were buying a house here.
I was the number one fan of East Colfax, but now I'm the number one fan of downtown Littleton.
If you have suggestions for My Name Is, please contact David Gilbert at dgilbert@coloradocommunitymedia.com.