HOCKEY 4 HOPE: Aspen Hope Center.

Shhhhhhhhh, Aspen has a suicide problem. 

Actually we should be shouting about Aspen's suicide problem from the top of Ajax.  Too many good people around here have taken their own lives...right here in our mountain paradise.  Pitkin County has a suicide rate 3 times the national average.  It's a troubling situation but ASPEN HOPE CENTER is there to help.  Aspen Hope Center was established to provide a beacon of hope to those in emotional crises.  They provide comprehensive care and are trying to remove the stigma attached to mental health issues. 

Click 4 pix.  HOCKEY 4 HOPE 2014

Saturday, March 1...Aspen Hope Center hosts the 4th annual Hockey for Hope fundraising event. Hockey for Hope is the "battle of first responders" pitting The Aspen Police vs Snowmass Fire in a winner take all hockey match. Last year's set-to was vigorously contested...click 4 pix. Hockey 4 Hope 2013.

Come early at 5 pm...and join me...AspenSpin...on the ice for open skating. Yeah, I'm a hockey player...and I'll check you into the boards...hard... if you're even thinking about offing yourself. Suicide is a community problem and Aspen Hope Center is a tremendous resource for our community. So come support them. Root for the cops or the fire-fighters...they are your friends.  But most of all support Hockey for Hope and the Aspen Hope Center.

RIP Stewy. Stewart Oksenhorn (1963-2014)

Childhood friends. The Boys from Jersey loved Stewy.Aspen lost a friend...and a good man.

Stewart Oksenhorn was one of the first people I met in Aspen.  We had a real world connection through a mutual friend, someone who he had grown up with in New Jersey.   Stewart was one of the nicest, purest, most gentle and most authentic people I've met in Aspen.  He obviously loved music, film, theatre and all the arts.  And I know he loved his daughter, Olivia more than anything, because he told me that.

My thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends.

Stewart worked his a$$ off for The Aspen Times.  The sheer volume of his writing was utterly impressive. The quality and the passion of his narratives spoke for themselves. 

Stewy was a great cat and a mellow cruiser. He always seemed so happy.  Stewy was kind of quiet and unassuming....but you could see the wheels turning behind his smiling eyes.  Obviously there was a lot going on up top.  We often ended up together shooting pix in the front row at Belly Up or in the photo pit at Jazz Aspen.  Stewy had the 411 on every band coming to Aspen and he was always willing to share that info.

I wish I would have been there with him on that fateful morning, so sunny and clear.  I would have grabbed him by the pony tail and held him back.  I would have given him a great big bear hug and squeezed him so tight.  I would have stood up there on that bridge and hashed it out with him.  I would have picked up that gnarly looking leather back pack of his and handed it to him and said "c'mon Stewy, let's go jam".  I would not have taken no for an answer.

I can't imagine what prompted Stewart.  What was going on inside his head?   Beyond the sorrow and grief and compassion for his family and friends, I have many unanswered questions.  Why?   What pushed Stewy to make his final decision?  Aspen has a suicide rate that is 3 times the national average. Why is that?   Why can't we, Aspen, as a town figure out a better way to help people in need?  I have no idea why Stewy was hurting so badly inside.  Why he was wired to take action.  But I do know that people around here loved him and will miss him greatly, especially his daughter.   His family and friends back East loved him passionately too.  

To me,  Stewy's choice is a tragedy that defies explanation. I can't get it out of my head.  I wish I could go back in time and help my brother out.  But I can't.  I'm only left with good memories about Stewy, a kind and gentle soul.  

Condolences to his friends and family.

Rest In Peace, Stewart Oksenhorn. 

Hockey 4 Hope to Benefit Aspen Hope Center

Image: Morris Design, Inc. click 4 pix.It was a "battle of the first responders" at the 3rd annual Hockey for Hope to Benefit The Aspen Hope Center.  The Snowmass Firefighters prevailed over The Aspen Police 5-4 in a tightly contested game. 

HOCKEY 4 HOPE click 4 pix.

Hockey is a sport that brings people together and often times is a very emotional.  That's why its appropriate that the Aspen Ice Garden hosts a benefit for The Aspen Hope Center.  Established in June of 2010 by the Aspen Valley Foundation, the Aspen Hope Center offers 24/7 free access to licensed mental health professionals for info, referrals and crisis intervention. 

Aspen is a paradise.  Few realize that Pitkin County has a suicide rate that is 3 times the National average and twice that of the State of Colorado average. Colorado consistently has one of the highest suicide rates in the Country.  Form your own conclusions.   The Aspen Hope Center hopes to improve those unfortunate statistics.  Aspen Hope Center helps educate and integrate people who are in need.  YOU ARE NOT ALONE. 

CALL 24/7: ASPEN HELP CENTER.  970.925.5858

Hockey for Hope was good clean fun. Open skating at the Ice Garden, a silent auction, food and drinks and of course the big rivalry game.  The Firefighters and the Cops have a friendly competition in general...but it was clear that both teams wanted bragging rights on the ice.  It was a great game for a great cause. 

Click 4 pix.  HOCKEY 4 HOPE.

The Snowmass Firefighter ready for action. Hockey 4 Hope. Click 4 pix.The Aspen Police: Hockey 4 Hope for Aspen Hope Center. Click 4 pix.Hockey chicks at Hockey 4 Hope for the Aspen Hope Center. Click 4 Pix.The Brain Trust at Aspen Hope Center. 970-925-5858. Clcik 4 pix.

Sandy, Renee & the Kids at Hockey 4 Hope. Aspen Hope Center. Click 4 pix. 

Hyper-Local in Aspen

Aspen is a small mountain town at the end of the road, but it's unlike any ski town in America. In addtion to a semi-thriving tourism business  Aspen also has the 3 C's; Community, Camaraderie and Culture.  Aspen maintains a tightly knit, highly nuanced social fabric unlike most resort towns.  This allows the Locals and the Tourists to coexist in harmony (mostly).  Hollywood has it's TMZ (Thirty Mile Zone)...but Aspen has THE TBR...The Three Block Radius. 

Last night AspenSpin pulled a Quad in the TBR,  4 events all within the three block radius.  Niiiiice.

Get the Girls Out Day on Ajax for SheJumps.org.SHEJUMPS.org had their first ever "Get the Girls Out Day" on Aspen Mountain as well several other ski hills throughout the U.S.  SHEJUMPS.org  strives to increase female participation in out door activities by building a supportive community. 

ASPEN YOGA SOCIETY  hosted their first-ever Yoga Rave last night.  An awesome DJ, a big room and plenty of stretching and dancing.  ASPEN YOGA SOCIETY uses yoga as a tool to discover and maximize human potential.

HOCKEY 4 HOPE.  The Aspen Police vs. The Mother Puckers in an ice-hockey tilt to support THE ASPEN HOPE CENTER.  The 2nd annual grudge match raised money and awareness for The Aspen Hopeline (970-925-5858) a 24 hour mental support phone-line.  Click 4 pix: Hockey 4 Hope.

SPELL WHAT?   The first ever full contact spelling bee featuring Aspen Celebs in support of THE ASPEN YOUTH CENTER (AYC).  For 20 years AYC has provided a safe place for thousands of Roaring Fork Valley kids to be a kid.  It's place to connect, learn and grow.   Spell What? was a highly contested, highly public spell off and raised BIG bucks for AYC. Click 4 pix: Spell What?

Yoga Rave with the Aspen Yoga Society. click 4 pix.Inside the huddle with The Mother Puckers at Hockey 4 Hope. click 4 pix.Aspen Ski co. CEO Mike Kaplan and Aspen Mayor, Mick Ireland on the hot seat at Spell What? for the Aspen Youth Center. click for pix.