Mountain Resource Center Services

Mountain Resource Center is a community-based nonprofit organization that provides an array of services that include the following.

Articulate, educated and motivated, Annika was in the midst of a difficult transition when she sought help from Mountain Resource Center this summer. Having just moved to Bailey with her husband and infant daughter, she didn’t know where to turn for local resources.  The 30-year-old with a bachelor’s degree in French and political science wanted to find employment, so her husband, just out of the Army, could spend more time bonding with their daughter. They were living on family property but had few other resources.

When Annika saw a flyer for the Mountain Resource Center in the Bailey Library, she became relieved and excited. “Oh, yay, resources,” she thought, and immediately called for an appointment.

“I felt welcomed from the moment I came to the Mountain Resource Center, from the front desk to the rest of the staff.  I really like the motto ‘Neighbors Helping Neighbors,” Annika says. “And I got hooked into an awesome set of resources.”

Karen helped Annika navigate through the health care system, so her family had no gap in insurance coverage.  And Heather served as her career counselor. 

“Heather worked hard to get me prepared for job interviews; we did a mock phone interview, revamped my resume; and talked about how to negotiate with a potential  employer after getting a job offer,” Annika says. In addition, she took Excel computer classes and was able to get some help with the family’s immediate need for food and diapers.

“One of the things that most impressed me was that the staff bent over backward to get onsite childcare for me so I could attend the classes,” Annika says. “I was grateful they understood the complicated needs of families.”

The result – in October Annika was offered a job as a parent educator at the Family and Intercultural Resource Center in Silverthorne. She and her family have relocated to Leadville for the job.

“Mountain Resource Center is a great resource for people in transition periods.  My generation is overeducated and underemployed. The economy is recovering, but it’s still touch and go for people my age,” Annika says.  “We have student debt that we can’t get paid off. And people with an education still need some extra help in career development.”

“I was able to take advantage of a number of programs. I highly recommend the Mountain Resource Center to anyone in transition,” she says.