Have you ever moved into a new neighborhood, or even a new state and had a hard time connecting with people or meeting new friends? It’s never an easy task and sometimes difficult to put yourself out there. Thankfully being a part of Candelas opens up so many opportunities!
This community is incredibly active online. Through Facebook and NextDoor you can always see the upcoming events and be up to date on what is going on through the neighborhood. One plus to an active community is the chance to meet new people. There are groups for moms to meet with their young kids, wine groups and so many more, but what if you don’t have kids? What if you do have kids but they’ve grown and moved out? Sometimes once that happens then you lose that connection you had with all of the other parents that you used to see every day in the pickup line or on those long soccer weekends. Especially in this world of more people working from home, that personal connection has been hard to come by.
This is exactly how some of your neighbors, Liz Lenox and Deb Coaty were feeling. Liz had been promoted and moved from New York to Colorado and found Candelas. She moved in and “loved the proximity to the mountains and all of the walking trails” but was new to the area and didn’t have anyone to experience these things with. Deb is not new to Colorado. She and her husband have been here for over 30 years and raised their kids here, but were very new to the Arvada area. Once their kids moved out and they were ready to downsize, Candelas was the perfect location for them. It makes for an easy commute for them to Golden and Evergreen and provides a great place to settle down and stay for a while.
Both Deb and Liz loved the neighborhood, but couldn’t find people in their same shoes. It seemed like a lot of young couples and families, which is great! Just not the stage in life that they were in any more. They didn’t have the sports schedules to follow, or the play dates and birthday parties to meet everyone and were looking for a way to get involved in other ways. Deb had the idea to post in one of the many Candelas Facebook groups to try and meet maybe one other person that she could connect with that had a lot in common with her, which is when she met Liz. Liz stated “Deb voiced the question on Facebook that I’ve been wanting to ask.” They met for coffee and clicked right away. After talking, they decided to create a space where others in their same shoes could have a place to meet people and create friendships, which brought the Empty Nesters.
The Empty Nesters started small, with just a couple of people, and is now a group of about 40 women who either don’t have kids or who have kids that are grown and moved out that are looking to meet more people. Deb stated that “it’s not that we don’t like kids, I have four. It’s just that we are in a different place in our lives and it’s nice to be with others that I can relate to.” Whether you’re looking for a small group of people to have coffee with or a big group to do activities, the Empty Nesters of Candelas are open to it all! During the Christmas season they had a get together to do a gift exchange and be together during the holiday season. They are also looking to do some cooking classes, wine tasting and possibly even a snow shoeing adventure for anyone interested.
After the Empty Nesters group started to grow, Deb and Liz really started to find that sense of community that they were searching for, and realized there were so many other people in the neighborhood that were feeling the same way. They are always open to adding more women to their circle and in fact, encourage it if you’re ever feeling like you need a strong group of individuals to connect with. Feel free to request to join their group “Empty Nesters” on Facebook and let the fun begin!
Although the Empty Nesters is geared towards women with kids who have “fled the nest” there are so many opportunities just like this one throughout the neighborhood. Don’t see one you’re particularly interested in? Start your own! You never know what may come of it.