Ongoing Programs include:
- CCH Scholarships for High School Seniors and Continuing Scholarships
- CCH K-12 STEM Mini-grants to support sponsored youth projects
- CCH Education Grants for Non-traditional students and students seeking trade school certificates
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 monthly on Monday following Sunday Science
- Sunday Brunch and Discussion Group bi-monthly on the third Sunday
- Stammtisch on the first (Buena Vista) and fourth (Salida) Thursdays
- CCH Book Club, bi-monthly on the fourth Monday of the month
Annual CCH events include:
- Darwin Day Celebration in conjunction with February Sunday Science
- CCH Summer Picnic in July
- Human Light Celebration in December
- Highway 291 cleanup spring and fall
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 at A Church, 419 D Street, Salida. There is no admission charge, but we do welcome donations to help cover the cost of refreshments, speaker gift cards, and the occasional speaker’s travel stipend.
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. Each month we purchase new items from local merchants with donated funds.
For dates and times, please call the Community Center at 719-539-3351.
Sunday Brunch and Discussion Group
CCH members and their guests meet at 10am on the third Sunday of every other 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 the discussion leader and perhaps some suggested reading.
CCH Scholarship Program
Watch for the Colorado Humanist Scholarship application announcement this fall.
The Central Colorado Humanists (CCH) awards several scholarships each spring to high school seniors planning to attend accredited four-year colleges and community colleges the following fall. Applicants must be graduating from Buena Vista High School, Salida High School, Cotopaxi High School, or completing non-traditional or home-school programs. 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. Online applications will be available late December via a link on this website. The deadline to receive applications is March 31, 2026.
Last spring the Humanists awarded six $1500 and two $2000 scholarships to eligible students for the 2025-2026 school year. 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 are announced at the respective high school’s awards assembly in May.
CCH K-12 STEM Mini-grant Projects
Building on past financial support for specific STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) projects conducted through Salida Boys and Girls Club and Longfellow Elementary School, we have created an outreach program to promote further collaboration with these and other local organizations that provide programs to enhance student interest in STEM activities and studies. Our goal is not only to promote these programs with financial support, but to also encourage our members to step up and volunteer their own time and expertise to our area youth.
CCH Non-traditional Student Education Grants
Responding to a growing need in our community to provide opportunities for non-traditional students (adults wishing to return to school for advanced training or certifications and high school seniors planning to attend trade schools), CCH is creating a new committee to address these concerns. Patterned after our successful scholarship committee, we hope to formalize a procedure to attract candidates for this program and to encourage donor support and create exciting fund-raising events to bring this project to fruition.
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
2025
- The Naked Neanderthal by Ludovic Silk
- The Lighteaters by Zoe Schlanger
- The Serviceberry by Robin Wall Kimmerer
2024
- Freethinkers: a history of American Secularism by Susan Jacoby
- Veritas by Ariel Sabar
- Humanly Possible by Sarah Bakewell
2023
- Repairing Jefferson’s America by Clay Jenkinson
- Unweaving the Rainbow: Science, Delusions and the Appetite for Wonder by
- Richard Dawkins
- Being Good: A Short Intro to Ethics by Simon Blackburn
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. Many CCH members are active in local organizations and serve on local boards and commissions, giving their time and efforts to innumerable non-profit groups in the area.