Monthly CCH events include:
- Sunday Science on the first Sunday of each month
- CCH Personal Hygiene project on the first Wednesday of the month
- CCH Board Meeting on the first Thursday following the fourth of the month
- Sunday Brunch and Discussion Group on the third Sunday (pre-COVID-19)
- Stammtisch on the first and fourth Thursdays
- CCH Book Club, bi-monthly on the second Monday of the month
Annual CCH events include:
- Darwin Day Celebration – (February)
- CCH Summer Picnic – (July)
- HumanLight Celebration – (December)
- Highway 291 Cleanup – (more often if needed)
Sunday Science
Come join us as we feature our own CCH members and friends in a variety of science-oriented talks and discussions. We cover topics in all areas of science, hard and soft, from psychology to climate change, plant ecology to NASA space missions. It is also a great opportunity to meet your fellow Humanists, make new friends, and learn about new ideas. All are welcome!
Sunday Science meets on the first Sunday of the month, from 10 am to noon. We normally meet in the Salida Rotary Scout Hut at 210 E Sackett Ave (at Riverside Park) in Salida. There is no admission charge, but we do welcome donations to help cover the cost of coffee, tea, juice, and the facility.
CCH is now recording these presentations. The videos are uploaded to our website for viewing. Copies are available to check out if you would like to hear a presentation again or would like to view one you may have missed. You may also borrow one to use with science classes, youth groups or other meetings. If you are interested, let us know via the Contact Us page of this site, and we’ll make arrangements. You must sign an acknowledgement that you will not duplicate the video, as it usually contains copyrighted material.
Personal Hygiene Products Project at the Salida Community Center
CCH manages and supplies our monthly Personal Hygiene Products Project. On the first Wednesday of each month, we distribute personal hygiene items such as soap, shampoo, deodorant, and safety razors to those who come to the Community Center to receive their supplemental food boxes. Throughout the month we collect unused personal hygiene items from our traveling members and also purchase new items with donated funds.
For more information, please call the Community Center at 719-539-3351.
Sunday Brunch and Discussion Group
Pre-COVID-19, CCH members and their guests met at 10am on the third Sunday of the month to discuss a topic of local or national interest to humanists. The meeting takes the form of a potluck brunch at a member’s home.
The discussion topic and location is announced in advance to our membership, along with sample discussion questions to consider before the meeting if they wish. We hope to resume Sunday Brunch following the end of the Pandemic. Stay tuned.
CCH School Collaboration Project
This link has been disabled. Thank you to everyone who submitted information. Your information is available to local middle school and high school counselors as this project develops.
CCH Scholarship Program
Colorado Humanist Scholarship Applications are now being accepted.
The Central Colorado Humanists (CCH) is pleased to announce its sponsorship of several scholarships to be awarded in the spring of 2023. The scholarships will be awarded to high school applicants planning to attend four-year colleges, community colleges, and trade schools. Applicants must be high school seniors at Buena Vista High School, Salida High School, Cotopaxi High School, and students in non-traditional programs or home-schooled students who plan to attend an accredited college, community college or trade school full-time next fall. CCH scholarship recipients are eligible for and encouraged to apply to CCH for an additional scholarship after the completion of their first semester to help them meet college expenses for their second year. Applications are now being accepted. The deadline to receive applications is March 31, 2023.
Last spring the Humanists awarded six scholarships of $1500 to high school seniors and three $1500 scholarships to previous recipients following the successful completion of their first college semester. Specific instructions for completing and submitting applications can be found on the “Scholarships” tab of this website.
Scholarship candidates should have a 3.0 GPA and have exhibited some form of community service during their high school career. Evaluations will be based in part on the quality of an essay (limited to 750 words) to be submitted by each applicant. Scholarship recipients will be announced at the respective high school’s awards assembly in May.
Stammtisch
Say ‘Hello’ to old friends and meet new ones over good food, drink, and conversation. On the first and fourth Thursday of each month, in Buena Vista and Salida respectively, members and friends of the Central Colorado Humanists gather for an ‘agenda-free’ time of nourishing relationships.
From Wikipedia: A Stammtisch (German: “regulars’ table”) is an informal group meeting held on a regular basis, and also the usually large, often round table around which the group meets. A Stammtisch is not a structured meeting, but rather a friendly get-together.
CCH Book Club!
Join us bi-monthly in a lively discussion of a book of relevance to the Humanist Community.
CCH Book Club Books
2019
- The Righteous Mind by Jonathan Haidt
- Buddha’s Brain by Rick Hanson
- Finding Purpose in a Godless World by Ralph Lewis
- 10% Happier by Dan Harris
- Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport
- Letter to a Christian Nation by Sam Harris
2020
- The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided on Politics and Religion by Jonathan Haight
- The Little Book of Atheist Spirituality by Andre Comte-Sponville
- The Universe in a Single Atom by the D. Lama
- How be become an anti-racist by Ibram X Kendi
- White Too Long by Robert P Jones
2021
- Learning from the Germans by Susan Neiman
- Doing Good Better: How Effective Altruism can help you make a Difference William MacAskill
- Escaping Down the Rabbit Hole by Mick West
- The World Without Us Alan Weismann
Community Service
Members of our organization are encouraged to reach out to the community at large, and to volunteer time and financial assistance to events and activities which promote Humanist ideals of rationality, compassion, and service in the Chaffee County area.
As an organization, CCH has:
- Sponsored Summer Internships for high school graduates
- Become ‘Community Partners‘ with the Ark Valley High Rollers
- Partnered with the Central Colorado Conservancy to benefit area wildlife
- Sent holiday packages to Humanist service-men and -women overseas
- Brought nationally known speakers to the Salida area
- Participated in community efforts on behalf of the homeless
- Kept a section of local highway cleaned of litter
- Co-sponsored local appearances by the Colorado Symphony Orchestra
More importantly, CCH members are active in local organizations and serve on local boards and commissions, giving their time and efforts to groups such as:
- A Little Help
- Alliance Against Domestic Abuse
- Ark Valley Humane Society
- Ark Valley Shroomers
- Arkansas Basin Roundtable
- Avery Parson Elementary School tutors
- Boys & Girls Club of Chaffee County
- Central Colorado Conservancy
- Chaffee County Council on the Arts
- Chaffee County Habitat for Humanity
- Chaffee County Mentors
- Chaffee County South Search and Rescue
- Collegiate Peaks Forum
- Fast Forward to Literacy
- Friends of the SteamPlant
- Full Circle Restorative Justice
- GARNA
- Heart of Colorado FiberArts Guild
- Monarch Quilters
- Notables Women’s Chorus
- Salida Aspen Concerts
- Salida City Council
- Salida Community Garden
- Salida Fiber Festival
- Salida School District
- Salida Tree Board
- Symphonic Salida
- Upper Arkansas Water Conservancy District
- You’ve Got Male Men’s Chorus