For Lou DellaCava, President of LJD Enterprises, Inc., the Community Foundation’s TRENDS Report is an invaluable tool for making informed decisions that address community needs.
For Lou DellaCava, President of LJD Enterprises, Inc., the Community Foundation’s TRENDS Report is an invaluable tool for making informed decisions that address community needs.
“I’ve seen the work of the foundation over decades,” says the Boulder developer and TRENDS sponsor who’s also served on the board of Boulder Community Health. “TRENDS provides a way to read and feel our community’s needs, and understand the shifts and changes in measurable demographics.”
“The TRENDS Report reveals the complexities and nuances of our community, as well as the underlying attitudes and philosophies that are both socially and politically relevant,” continues DellaCava. “For example, if you’re a politician and you don’t recognize the groups who are going to be the majority of the voting population in the next 20 to 30 years, you’re missing something.
“Resources like TRENDS help us understand the impact of the old guard that’s retiring, and that the attitudes of the old guard are different from working populations today and tomorrow.”
Proof positive, DellaCava points to the Boulder hospital’s move from North Boulder to Foothills. “Based on research and information from sources like TRENDS, we sold the aged facility and designed the new one to more efficiently meet the changing needs of our community members,” he says. “We can’t look ahead to providing healthcare and services without really understanding the populations we aim to serve.”
DellaCava says he often refers to data from the TRENDS Report, specifically pointing out the so-called Silver Tsunami. “The needs of our aging population aren’t going to be addressed politically – it’s up to the nonprofit and financial communities to step in and ask, ‘How do we recognize and accommodate these folks, instead of edging them out and denying them?’ Everything from the kinds of housing they need to the services they require.”
Having grown up in the Bronx, DellaCava also understands close-up the concerns and challenges of minority communities. “TRENDS shows changes in minority populations and reveals the barriers of economically underprivileged families. The key is to recognize the problems, and get the attention of those who can make a difference.
“TRENDS gives community leaders and everyone who lives here a handle on what’s happening in Boulder County – how it’s moving, how it’s changing, and how we can work together to improve lives.”
