Project Descriptions

Congregation Survey

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Advocacy Committee for Women’s Concerns
Client: Advocacy Committee for Women’s Concerns, Presbyterian Church (USA)

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Presbyterian Women Enablers
Client: Presbyterian Women
Content Area: Leadership, Organizational Development
Timeframe: 2003-2006
Project Scope: National
Primary Tasks: Research, Facilitation

This three-year, multi-stage program evaluation, funded by Presbyterian Women, a national arm of the Presbyterian Church (USA), aims at increasing support for leadership and opportunities for service by restructuring the organizational resources from the local congregations to national levels. Beginning with phone interviews to uncover "best practices," the evaluation also included discussion groups around the country and a mailed survey. As a result of the evaluation, the program committee recommended a complete overhaul of the program.

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Elderly Abuse Prevention
Client: National Adult Protective Services Association 
Content Area: Elder Care, Organizational Development
Timeframe: 2003-2005
Project Scope: National
Primary Tasks: Evaluation, Training & Technical Assistance
Collaborators: National Center on Elder Abuse

This project involves a training, program evaluation and library of training resources for the National Adult Protective Services Association. This professional association is undertaking the formation of a national training institute, for which REFT provides research on best practices, leads workshops, develops evaluation of core competencies for the training program. REFT will undertake a needs assessment, review the existent training curricula, work with content experts to develop new curricula, and provide technical assistance for individual agency's training and evaluation efforts.

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Denver Faith Networks
Client: Annie E. Casey Foundation
Content Area: Community Development
Timeframe: 2003
Project Scope: Local: Denver, Colorado 
Primary Tasks: Research, Facilitation
Collaborators: Denver Clergy Committee

The Denver Faith Networks project was a descriptive evaluation designed to discover what faith networks exist in the Denver Metro area and what they are doing to serve the community. The project involved training culturally competent interviewers, interviewing faith leaders, facilitating discussion groups among network members, processing and analyzing the resulting qualitative data, and creating a final report. A managing committee of inter-faith leaders provided guidance to the project. 

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Children and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
Client: Individual
Content Area: Mental Health
Timeframe: 2003
Project Scope: International: Kuwait
Primary Tasks: Technical Assistance

REFT provided statistical consulting in the planning stages of a study investigating the prevalence of ADHD in a kindergarten population in Kuwait. The study used Conners' Parents Rating Scale-Revised (short version) and Conners' Teachers Rating Scale-Revised (short version) to investigate prevalence of ADHD and the subscales of the Conners' Scale (the Inattention Subscale) and to study other patterns in the data, including gender differences and parent vs. teacher ratings of the same child. 

Detecting Latent Tuberculosis and POE Technologies
Client: Denver Health Hospital
Content Area: Healthcare, Technology
Timeframe: 2003
Project Scope: State: Colorado
Primary Tasks: Evaluation, Facilitation

REFT worked with Denver Health to evaluate two computerized records systems: the lifetime clinical record (LCR) for patients at risk for latent tuberculosis infections, and the Provider Order Entry (POE) drub-lab alert technology for Diabetes II. REFT designed both a discussion group protocol and a web-based survey for health providers. REFT conducted discussion groups and analyzed the resulting data. An independent report reflecting discussion and survey data analysis was incorporated in Denver Health's report to AHRQ. 

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Oral Health Improvement Initiative
Client: Caring for Colorado Foundation
Content Area: Oral Health
Timeframe: 2003-2007
Project Scope: State: Colorado
Primary Tasks: Evaluation, Training & Technical Assistance

REFT is conducting a five-year, cumulative evaluation for the Caring for Colorado Foundation. As part of the Oral Health Initiative, the foundation annually funds new oral health programs aimed at providing preventive education to increase the oral health of underserved populations throughout Colorado. Training grantees in standardized data collection and data management, information analysis and interpretation, and use and presentation of findings are tasks inherent to this project.

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Miles for Smiles
Client: Kids in Need of Dentistry
Content Area: Oral Health
Timeframe: 2002-2004
Project Scope: State: Colorado
Primary Tasks: Evaluation, Facilitation
Collaborators: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

The Miles for Smiles project was a multi-year process and outcome evaluation for a program that provides mobile oral healthcare services to underserved populations throughout rural Colorado. For this project, REFT modified an inherited Access database for data input and analysis of oral healthcare information. The data were gathered in English and Spanish. The project also entailed face-to-face and telephone interviews with community educators and other leaders and technical assistance for program management. 

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Crawford Family Resource Center
Client: The Colorado Trust
Content Area: Immigrants, Family Support
Timeframe: 2002-2003
Project Scope: Local: Denver, Colorado
Primary Tasks: Evaluation, Training & Technical Assistance
Collaborators: Spring Institute for Intercultural Learning; 
Children and Families Foundation

Crawford Family Resource Center offers a variety of services such as family advocacy counseling, emergency assistance, ESL classes, and child care to low-income, multicultural families living in the city of Aurora, Colorado. Technical assistance provided to the Center by REFT included logic model training; assessment of program structures and evaluation capabilities, development of measurable goals and objectives; consolidation and standardization of intake forms; training on evaluation processes in English and Spanish for program staff and family representatives using center services; instrument design, guidelines and tools for outcome evaluation; data analysis, report writing and feedback; and database reconstruction. 

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Clergywomen's Experience in Ministry
Client: Presbyterian Church (USA)
Content Area: Policy Development
Timeframe: 2002
Project Scope: National
Primary Tasks: Research, Expert Witness

For the the Advocacy Committee for Women's Concerns,  REFT conducted an analysis of a survey of 1,404 Presbyterian Church (USA) clergywomen and analyzed  past research findings in order to propose policies to address their challenges. Besides developing databases for the quantitative and qualitative analyses, the REFT executive director provided expert testimony to national delegates addressing the policy proposals. The report was published as "Clergywomen's Experience in Ministry: Reality and Challenges."

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Region VIII Social Marketing Project to Reduce Unintended Pregnancy
Client: Planned Parenthood Association of Utah
Content Area: Healthcare, Ethnic Disparities
Timeframe: 2001-2003
Project Scope: State: Utah
Primary Tasks: Research, Training & Technical Assistance

REFT was involved in a multi-year assessment of how to reduce unwanted pregnancies in Latino and Anglo groups for family planning programs in the state of Utah. Aside from research-based interview instrument development, REFT undertook the interviewer training, data input, quantitative and qualitative analyses, and reporting with recommendations. Data was collected in English and Spanish. Dr. DuBow presented results at the Rocky Mountain Public Health Conference in September 2004.

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Impacts of Racial and Ethnic Disparities on Health Care and Access
Client: Denver Health Hospital
Content Area: Healthcare, Ethnic Disparities
Timeframe: 2001-2002
Project Scope: States of Colorado and New York
Primary Tasks: Evaluation
Collaborators: New York Presbyterian Hospital System

REFT conducted a multi-state comparative process and outcomes assessment of strategies being used to mitigate potential racial and ethnic disparities in healthcare provision for Diabetes II patients by hospital systems in Colorado and New York. Denver Health and the New York Presbyterian Hospital system collected Diabetes II patient outcomes data on-site. 

REFT provided overall program consultation, assessments, and collected program data through telephone and face-to-face interviews with healthcare providers and program officers at multiple hospitals and clinics. REFT consulted on the assessment of the programs in order to mitigate potential disparities in the two systems. This work involved instrument design, telephone and in-depth interviews with physicians, nurses, health educators, other program staff and program officers at both healthcare systems, including multiple hospitals in New York. 

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Anti-Racism Structures
Client: Presbyterian Women (PW), Presbyterian Church (USA)
Content Area: Race/Ethnicity; Organizational Development
Timeframe: 2001-2002
Project Scope: National
Primary Tasks: Research, Facilitation
Collaborators: Research Services, Presbyterian Church (USA)

For this project, REFT led a structural review of Presbyterian women's programs from an anti-racism perspective. REFT facilitated discussion among national Presbyterian women leaders to identify ways that the organizational processes, resources, and structures of Presbyterian Women contributed to creating racist biases and behaviors among the members. REFT then facilitated the design of ways to identify and document the presence of racism, and developed a leadership survey and a telephone interview protocol used to explore Presbyterian Women's leaders' experience with multi-ethnic persons. Policy recommendations were developed and adopted at the Triennium National Meeting in 2003.

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Supporting Immigrant and Refugee Families Initiative
Client: The Colorado Trust Foundation
Content Area: Immigration, Family Support
Timeframe: 2001-2002
Project Scope: State: Colorado
Primary Tasks: Research, Training & Technical Assistance
Collaborators: Latin American Research and Service Agency, 
Spring Institute for Intercultural Learning

The Colorado Trust Foundation developed this initiative to support 23 non-profit agencies assisting immigrants and refugees with mental health and acculturation issues. REFT developed a feasibility study researching the potential for developing an outcomes assessment for programs serving these populations. After reviewing secondary research studies, REFT interviewed and conducted qualitative analysis of the experiences of nine immigrant and refugees groups in Colorado, including Vietnamese, Hmong, Mexican, Mayan, Guatemalan, Ethiopian, Russian, Bosnian, Korean, and Arabic-speaking monolingual persons. 

To ensure cultural competency, an advisory group of former refugees and immigrants consulted with the evaluation team. This project involved hiring and supervising culturally and linguistically competent interviewers for the nine groups; designing, translating and back-translating the interview instruments and the results of the interviews; participating in a planning team overseeing the developments of the initiative; conducting logic model and cultural competency workshops; participating in a statewide conference on immigrant and refugee issues; analyzing both the qualitative and quantitative data collected; and providing detailed, regular reports for multiple audiences. 

Dr. Lodwick presented a paper at the American Evaluation Association on "Challenges of Multicultural Evaluation with Immigrant and Refugee Families." Ms. Mitchell presented a paper at the Society for Applied Sociology, "Are We Prepared When the World Comes to Us? Applied Sociology with Immigrant and Refugee Issues."

The REFT Institute director was invited to present a program evaluation model used with immigrants and refugees, along with The Colorado Trust and one of its grantees, at a Roundtable sponsored by the California Endowment and Social Policy Research Associates. Though originally several examples of multicultural evaluations were going to be presented, REFT's model was chosen exclusively because it was "the most complete." (2003).

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Violence Preparedness Guidebook
Client: Mental Health Association of Colorado
Content Area: Mental Health
Timeframe: 2001
Project Scope: Local: Jefferson County, Colorado
Primary Tasks: Research, Evaluation
Collaborators: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

Based on its evaluation of the victim service response to the shootings at Columbine High School, REFT was asked to contribute to a publication on victims' assistance to a publication, "Violence Preparedness Guidebook: Responding to and Preparing for School Violence." This guidebook includes recommendations for multi-disciplinary service providers, victim advocates, mental health counselors, and faith leaders for handling the immediate, intermediate, and long-term needs of traumatized communities.

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The Millennium Scan
Client: The Colorado Trust Foundation
Content Area: Healthcare
Timeframe: 2000
Project Scope: State: Colorado
Primary Tasks: Research, Facilitation
Collaborators: Dr. Julie Carnahan

The Colorado Trust Foundation conducted a needs assessment of Colorado citizens to determine their health needs. In order for this grant-making organization to better decipher the best allocation of its funds, The New Millennium Scan was developed, with special attention paid to seniors, youth and persons of color. 

The REFT Institute designed a charette process to stimulate discussions in six communities statewide. REFT collaborated with representatives of groups that historically have not had a strong voice in determining community priorities, asking them to sift through multiple health issues to determine priorities. REFT also reviewed past studies to uncover health issues not brought up by the charette participants, which included availability of housing, tobacco use, alcohol abuse, lack of emergency support services, and suicide. Where the literature overlapped with the community voices, these issues became priorities in REFT's recommendations. 

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Analysis of Freezer Functioning
Client: Safeway Inc.
Content Area: Technology
Timeframe: 2000
Project Scope: State of Colorado
Primary Tasks: Statistical Analysis

REFT analyzed random samples of ice cream weights from  freezers to determine whether or not the weights deviated from the targeted range. Through statistical analysis, REFT determined that a freezer was not performing optimally. Among the recommendations, REFT suggested random samples be drawn from all Safeway freezers at regular intervals in order to monitor their performance. The information was then used to determine freezer-replacement needs.

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New Energy Technology Design
Client: Summit Blue Ventures
Content Area: Electrical Energy Technology
Timeframe: 2000
Project Scope: State: Colorado
Primary Tasks: Research, Training
Collaborators: Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI)

REFT provided observational training to engineers. REFT and engineers then conducted participant observations in 12 office, retail and manufacturing facilities, observing the use of energy within that environment. REFT also designed the interview protocol that the team used to interview building managers, operators, facilities managers, upper-level management, and engineers. The purpose of the observations and interviews was to identify unarticulated energy needs, speculate upon product ideas, and develop broad, creative solutions. Finally, REFT participated in developing new product and service concepts. These concepts were presented to EPRI representatives for selecting the product concepts and quantifying the market potential.

Commendations were given by Summit Blue Ventures for the outstanding richness and relevance of REFT's electrical energy technology design assistance.

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Victim Service Response to Columbine Shootings
Client: Victim Services Department, Jefferson County Sheriff's Office
Content Area: Mental Health; Crisis Response
Timeframe: 1999-2001
Project Scope: Local: Jefferson County, Colorado
Primary Tasks: Research, Evaluation
Collaborators: Dr. Julie Carnahan

Following the shootings at Columbine High School, REFT was invited to assess the work of the Victim Services Department of the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office. REFT designed a family survey and database, interviewed families, and tracked families' use and satisfaction with various services, including those provided by victim advocates, mental health counselors, schools, and faith communities. REFT also developed interview protocols that were used in talking to the Victim Service Advocates -- both professional and volunteer. 

In addition, REFT conducted interviews with a variety of key community leaders, including consultants, and developed a time-analysis of the immediate, intermediate, and long-term responses to the tragedy. Finally, REFT conducted participant observation of some of the key activities developed to support the healing of the victims of the Columbine High School shootings. REFT presented an evaluation report with recommendations to Jefferson County Sheriff's Office.

This evaluation led to working with the Mental Health Association of Colorado to develop a guide for such crises. The Violence Preparedness Guidebook: Responding to and Preparing for School Violence was published in 2003.

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Social Marketing Campaign to Reduce Unintended Pregnancies
Client: US Department of Health and Human Services
Content Area: Healthcare; Social Marketing
Timeframe: 1999-2001
Project Scope: National: Region VIII
Primary Tasks: Research, Facilitation, Evaluation
Collaborators: JSI Training Institute, Planned Parenthood Association of Utah

The REFT Institute developed and conducted a process and impact evaluation to provide regional state coordinators feedback as they developed a social marketing program to reduce unintended pregnancies in a six-state region, including Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Montana, North and South Dakota. This evaluation examined how a social marketing program helped change behavior and practices of frontline service agencies and other community partners.

REFT designed, conducted, and analyzed interviews and surveys with state leaders and training workshop participants.

Workshop trainers received a brief report and recommendations for improvement shortly after each workshop, leading to ongoing improvement in the workshop and increased participant satisfaction. A key component of the social marketing program was relationship- building between organizations in order to coordinate efforts and present a unified message to the larger community. Many leaders reported positive community partnerships and changed agency practices as a result of this outreach effort. 

For this social marketing effort, REFT was told by collaborators that its conclusions and recommendations were far more useful than those of other social marketing experts they had worked with.

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Financial Projection for Building Purchase
Client: Alpine Valley School
Content Area: Education, Organizational Development
Timeframe: 1999-2000
Project Scope: Local: Metro Denver
Primary Tasks: Research, Technical Assistance
Collaborators: University of Colorado, Denver; University of Denver

Michael Crone created a five-year financial projection to inform a school’s building purchase decision prior to joining REFT. This projection entailed multiple variables, including current financial statement, staff payment schedule, student fees payment schedule, inflation, budget, etc. This projection was integral in Alpine Valley School’s planning and in securing funding for the purchase of the building.

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Collaborative Leadership Challenge
Client: Lundy Foundation
Content Area: Leadership, Organizational and Community Development
Timeframe: 1998-2001
Project Scope: State: Colorado
Primary Tasks: Evaluation, Facilitation
Collaborators: Dr. Allan Wallis; Dr. Carl Larson

The Collaborative Leadership Challenge focused on improving the leadership skills of Colorado's Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender (GBLT) community. The established and emerging leaders represented diverse sectors, sexual orientation, ethnicities and age. In co-leading the evaluation team, REFT contributed to designing a multidisciplinary curriculum on collaborative leadership principles and skill development, especially in the areas of negotiation, facilitation and conflict resolution. 

REFT also designed the evaluation process, instrument development, conducted surveys and interviews of leaders and community members and assessed individual leadership characteristics. Ongoing observation as well as participant evaluations provided the basis for REFT's ongoing feedback to workshop trainers. REFT provided time-series analysis for participants and baseline plus post-assessment of leadership characteristics changes. REFT wrote reports with recommendations, and provided ongoing feedback and leadership performance measures.

The excellence of the initiative was recognized by being selected as a case study for a book highlighting national examples of collaborative leadership: "Building Leadership Capacity in a Socially Emerging Community," by Allan Wallis in The Collaborative Leadership Fieldbook: A Guide for Citizens and Civic Leaders by David D. Chrislip. Jossey-Bass: A Wiley Company. 2002. pp. 230-245.

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Wonderful Outdoor World
Client: Bureau of Land Management, US Department of Interior
Content Area: Urban Children and Youth Services, Outdoor Education
Timeframe: 1998-2000
Project Scope: Local: Denver and Aurora, Colorado
Primary Tasks: Evaluation
Collaborators: Graduate students from an evaluation course taught by Dr. Lodwick

When the Denver Wonderful Outdoor World (WOW) was established by the Bureau of Land Management in cooperation with organizations such as East Denver YMCA, the City of Aurora and Denver Parks and Recreation, their goal was to create an outdoor experience for underprivileged youth by teaching general outdoor skills, sparking curiosity, creating a respect for the outdoors and increasing knowledge of public land use. REFT Institute developed and conducted pre- and post-camping interviews with children, and telephone interviews with parents to assess attitude and knowledge changes in the children. Hosts and counselors were interviewed face-to-face. The report that followed included recommendations on improving the children's urban camping experiences as well as expanding public awareness of the program. 

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Comparative Cost Analysis of Rural and Urban HIV/AIDS Services
Client: Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment
Content Area: HIV/AIDS, cost analysis
Timeframe: 1998-1999
Project Scope: State: Colorado
Primary Tasks: Research, Evaluation
Collaborators: University of Colorado, Denver

This project involved a comparative cost analysis of providing case management services to HIV/AIDS patients in rural and urban areas. REFT designed the interview protocols and conducted face-to-face interviews with case managers and directors in rural and urban agencies. Besides standardizing the measures of case management services, in collaboration with a group of case managers, the interviews also identified the expenditures for the same services. The analysis compared the costs of providing equivalent services to rural and to urban HIV/AIDS patients. 


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Social Witness Policy: Healthcare
Client: Advisory Committee for Social Witness Policy, Presbyterian Church (USA)
Content Area: Healthcare policy
Timeframe: 1997-1999
Project Scope: National
Primary Tasks: Research, Facilitation

Dora Lodwick provided interim coordinator services for the national social policy development committee of the Presbyterian Church (USA).  She managed a staff and budget, produced resources to support the work of elected committee members, and responded to national requests for information.  She participated with the staff of the National Ministry Division representing the Advisory Committee.

In collaboration with a Healthcare/Managed Care Monitoring team, REFT designed a policy analysis instrument to examine healthcare policy statements of the Presbyterian Church (USA) from 1998 to 1997. REFT facilitated analyses of the activities of national entities responsible for implementing the health policies, designed a congregational survey to identify healthcare activities in a random sample of Presbyterian congregations, analyzed the results of 547 responses to determine the impact of the healthcare policies, and drafted the final report with policy recommendations. Dr. Lodwick served as expert witness when national decision-makers met to debate the policy recommendations.

This analysis led to the publication of Health-Care Policies and Activities: A Monitoring Report. Louisville, KY: Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), the Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy 1999. Additionally, Sandra N. Martin and Dora G. Lodwick wrote the accompanying Study Guide for the Monitoring Report on the Presbyterian Church (USA)'s Health-care Policies and Activities and the Current Sociopolitical Context for Health Care with Recommendations.

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Volunteers for Rural Seniors Initiative
Client: The Colorado Trust Foundation
Content Area: Elder Care, Rural
Timeframe: 1996-2000
Project Scope: State: Colorado
Primary Tasks: Research, Evaluation
Collaborators: University of Colorado, Denver

The Colorado Trust Foundation, in its Volunteers for Rural Seniors Initiative (VRSI), sought to increase or expand the number of programs using volunteers to serve the needs of rural seniors and keep them in their homes longer. Process, outcome, and impact evaluations were conducted. The evaluation involved developing instruments, data gathering, and analyzing longitudinal information that examined changes in grant-receiving programs compared to non-grant recipients. Criteria such as recruiting youth as volunteers and the use of an inter-generational framework were emphasized.

This project resulted in a publication: The Volunteers for Rural Seniors Initiative: Leveraging Community Resources to Meet the Needs of Seniors. Dora G. Lodwick and Allan Wallis. In Promoting Health at the Community Level. Easterling, Douglas V., Kaia M.Gallagher, Dora G. Lodwick, eds., Sage Publications: 2003. pp.121-150.

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Coordinated Needs Assessment Plan: HIV Prevention and Care Services for Colorado
Client: Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment: Division of Disease Control and Environmental Epidemiology, and the Mayor's Office of HIV Resources Coordination
Content Area: HIV/AIDS
Timeframe: 1996-1998
Project Scope: State: Colorado
Primary Tasks: Research, Evaluation, Facilitation
Collaborator: University of Colorado, Denver

In conjunction with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, REFT Institute created a Coordinated Needs Assessment Plan: HIV Prevention and Care Services for Colorado. This project examined the entire system in Colorado and helped redesign and integrate prevention and care services, which had formerly been separate. 

The analysis revealed discrepancies of infection and service provision among people of color and between genders. REFT also assessed related issues, such as outreach activities, case management, dental care, drug reimbursement, emergency assistance transportation, housing and financial assistance, and health insurance coverage through analysis of epidemiological data, design and implementation of surveys, and ethnographic interviews. 

The Coordinated Needs Assessment Plan was recognized by the Department of Health and Human Services and has been identified as a national model for HIV/AIDS services.

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Empowerment Evaluation and Social Capital Development
Client: The Charles Stewart Mott Foundation
Content Area: Race/Ethnicity, Economic Development, Community Development
Timeframe: 1996-1998
Project Scope: State: Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi
Primary Tasks: Facilitation, Training & Technical Assistance
Collaborators: National Civic League; University of Colorado, Denver; Dr. Kimberly Richards; Dr. Robert Putnam

Together with the National Civic League, REFT facilitated the collaboration of three African American communities in Louisiana, Florida, and Mississippi. The three communities had in common poverty, racism, and rapid social change. Through this project, these communities came together to learn from each other as they also learned about empowerment evaluation. Three evaluators worked in pairs with the different communities and with all three when they came together. 

The training team developed a seven-step evaluation primer that was used in the empowerment workshops. They worked with the communities to develop brief surveys, observation forms, strategic planning tools, and other materials that each community needed for their work. Participants worked in-between the four workshops to gather the information required for the next steps of their plans. These experiences, a review of the literature and conversations between the communities and Dr. Robert Putnam contributed to the further development of the concept of "Social Capital." 

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Applied Social Research and Evaluation Program
Client: University of Denver: Sociology Department
Content Area: Program Development, Education
Timeframe: 1996-1997
Project Scope: Local: Denver, Colorado
Primary Tasks: Facilitation, Training & Technical Assistance

Dora Lodwick conducted a needs assessment, national program reviews, facilitated faculty discussions, and developed a report providing the rationale for developing a master's degree in Applied Social Research and Evaluation with the University of Denver's Sociology Department. She obtained the University's approval for the program and developed a marketing strategy. She began the program's implementation as its interim director.

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Youth Crime Prevention and Intervention Program, Family Learning Center
Client: Colorado State Department of Justice
Content Area: Youth, Education, Crime Prevention, Program Development
Timeframe: 1996-1997
Project Scope: Local: Boulder County, Colorado
Primary Tasks: Evaluation, Facilitation, Training
Collaborators: University of Colorado, Boulder; Boulder Police Department

Alexandra Mitchell conducted a two-year process and outcomes evaluation for the Family Learning Center's K-12 after-school, summer, and teen programs. These programs are aimed at delinquency prevention, facilitating life-long learning, and promoting self-sufficiency for economically disadvantaged and culturally diverse children and families. Ms. Mitchell also trained teachers and volunteers, developed and coordinated program activities, and facilitated partnerships with the University of Colorado, the Boulder Police Department, Parks and Recreation, the Boulder Valley School District, Boulder Family Resources Schools, and City of Boulder Youth Services, among others. 

The Family Learning Center's Summer Youth Program was recognized by the Colorado Coalition of Community Policing, and the Colorado State Department of Justice as a model youth crime and violence prevention program in 1997.

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Needs Assessment for the Denver Eligible Metro Area
Client: Denver EMA HIV Resources Planning Council,
Content Area: HIV/AIDS
Timeframe: 1996
Project Scope: Local: Denver Metropolitan Area, Colorado
Primary Tasks: Research
Collaborators: Katherine Lineberger

Dora Lodwick and Katherine Lineberger conducted a needs assessment for HIV/AIDS services and analyzed epidemiological data for Denver metropolitan area residents to determine the priorities of HIV/AIDS services.

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Needs Assessment for the Denver Eligible Metro Area
Client: Denver EMA HIV Resources Planning Council, and the Mayor's Office of HIV Resources Coordination
Content Area: HIV/AIDS
Timeframe: 1995
Project Scope: Local: Denver Metropolitan Area, Colorado 
Primary Tasks: Research
Collaborators: National Civic League, Margaret Lake

Dora Lodwick, Allan Wallis, and Margaret Lake conducted a needs assessment and epidemiological analysis of HIV/AIDS to determine priority service delivery for Denver metropolitan area residents. This project included conducting focus groups and interviews with Latino injection drug users.

After conducting focus groups with Hispanic/Latino injecting drug users, REFT was told by the director of the Mayor's HIV/AIDS office that REFT had gotten much more out of the focus group with this segment of the population than anyone prior.

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Evaluation of Ryan White Funding in the Denver Metro Area
Client: Denver EMA HIV Resources Planning Council, and the Mayor's Office of HIV Resources Coordination
Content Area: HIV/AIDS, Program Development
Timeframe: 1995
Project Scope: Local: Denver Metropolitan Area, Colorado
Primary Tasks: Research, Evaluation
Collaborators: Katherine Lineberger, National Civic League

Dora Lodwick, Allan Wallis, and Katherine Lineberger conducted an evaluation of Ryan White funded HIV/AIDS services provided to Denver metropolitan area residents through designing, implementing and analyzing a service provider survey. 

The Health Resources and Services Administration distributed the Evaluation of Ryan White Funding in the Denver Metropolitan Area: Final Report nationally as a model.

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Private School Development
Client: High Prairie School
Content Area: Education, Organizational Development, Program Management
Timeframe: 1994-1995
Project Scope: Local: Laramie, Wyoming
Primary Tasks: Research, Technical Assistance

Prior to joining REFT, Michael Crone spearheaded the effort to establish a new private school in Laramie, Wyoming. Mr. Crone helped establish and manage a new non-profit corporation, including the establishment of the bylaws and organizational structure as well as locating an appropriate site to house the school. He was engaged in marketing activities, such as the development and distribution of promotional materials, interviews with local media, and conducting meetings for interested parents.

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Genetic Structure of Marmot Coat Color
Client: University of Wyoming
Content Area: Environment
Timeframe: 1994-1995
Project Scope: Local: Teton Mountains and Jackson Hole, Wyoming
Primary Tasks: Research
Collaborators: Grand Teton National Park

Prior to joining REFT, Michael Crone developed a statistical technique to determine the genetic structure of traits in wild animals when the father of the offspring is not known.  He applied this technique to the study of coat color in yellow-bellied marmots. He was able to determine the theoretical probability of distribution of coat color in marmot litters based on the coat color of the mother, a presumed genetic structure, and a comparison with observed frequencies. This adaptation of common techniques for determining a trait's genetic structure when both parents are known allows observation in the wild to replace captive breeding experiments. 

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Issues of Public Science Literacy and Fernald's Publics
Client: US Department of Energy, Public Science Literacy Program
Content Area: Community Development, Environment
Timeframe: 1993
Project Scope: Local: Cincinnati, Ohio
Primary Tasks: Research, Facilitation
Collaborators: Miami University of Ohio

On behalf of the Public Science Literacy Program of the US Department of Energy, Dora Lodwick and Bradford Simcock conducted a study of the Westinghouse Environmental Management Company of Ohio, Inc. The study's main focus was determining the level of community awareness and understanding of related scientific issues and environmental impacts of the uranium-enrichment production plant. Drs. Lodwick and Simcock designed and conducted a literature review, community survey, and participant observations of community meetings.

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Public Knowledge and Perceptions about the Oxford Life Squad
Client: City of Oxford
Content Area: Health, Community Development
Timeframe: 1993
Project Scope: Local: Oxford, Ohio
Primary Tasks: Research, Evaluation, Facilitation
Collaborators: Members of an Applied Sociology research course at Miami University of Ohio; Life Squad of the City of Oxford

Dora Lodwick guided student design and evaluation implementation.  Subsequently, Dr. Lodwick provided expert witness to the City Council. The findings led to an expansion of the Life Squad support system.

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Rocky Flats, Colorado: A Case Study
Client: Nevada Waste Project Office
Content Area: Environment, Community Development
Timeframe: 1991
Project Scope: State: Nevada
Primary Tasks: Research

Dora Lodwick prepared a longitudinal case study report on the Colorado Rocky Flats nuclear weapons manufacturing facility for the Yucca Mountain Socioeconomic Project, based in Las Vegas, Nevada. This study considered diverse community perspectives on the clean up of radioactive material and its transportation out of state.

Based on Rocky Flats, Colorado: A Case Study, Dr. Lodwick gave a presentation for the Society of Applied Sociology in Annapolis, Maryland in 1991 titled, "Forty Years of Community Interactions with Rocky Flats" and published the results in Research in Social Problems and Public Policy.

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Options for Elders Evaluation
Client: Ohio Network on Aging
Content Area: Elder Care
Timeframe: 1990-1991
Project Scope: State: Ohio
Primary Tasks: Evaluation
Collaborators: Ohio Department of Aging, Scripps Gerontology Center, Miami University of Ohio

For this project, Dora Lodwick designed the outcomes evaluation of Ohio's "Options for Elders" program. Dr. Lodwick also provided consultation to the Ohio Network on Aging during this time period.

In 1992, Dora Lodwick presented a workshop for the American Sociological Association, sponsored by a Scripps Gerontology grant, called "Conduction Focus Groups for Marketing and Social Research." 

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Community Studies and Service Program, San Francisco School Volunteers
Client: Mary Crocker Trust; Walter and Elise Haas Fund; Koret Foundation; Stuart Foundations
Content Area: Youth Service, Education, Program Development
Timeframe: 1989-1990
Project Scope: Local: San Francisco, California
Primary Tasks: Evaluation, Facilitation, Training & Technical Assistance
Collaborators: San Francisco Unified School District; Organizational Data; University of California, Berkeley

Prior to joining REFT, Alexandra Mitchell led program development and evaluation efforts for the Community Studies and Service Program, a pilot project run by the non-profit organization San Francisco School Volunteers in conjunction with the San Francisco Public School District. Over a three-year period, Ms. Mitchell oversaw a program and outcomes evaluation, using both quantitative and qualitative methodology, tracking students' community service activities and academic performance. Ms. Mitchell was also responsible for developing curriculum, training teachers, facilitating collaboration among over 150 individuals and organizations, and producing promotional materials.

The Community Studies and Service Program was a model program, which was not only instituted in the San Francisco School District, but was replicated across the state. The program received a Thousand Points of Light Award from the White House Office of National Service, and the Golden Bell Award from the California Department of Education.

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Colorado Siting of the Superconducting, Super Collider (SSC)
Client: Colorado State Project Office
Content Area: Community Development, Environment, Technology
Timeframe: 1984-1988
Project Scope: State: Colorado
Primary Tasks: Research, Facilitation
Collaborators: University of Denver, University of Colorado at Denver and at Boulder, Colorado Advanced Technology Institute

As a consultant to the Social Impacts Group of the Colorado SSC Project Office, Drs. Lodwick, Penelope Canan, Bernard Jones, and Alan Wallis developed a social impact analysis for the siting of the Superconducting Super Collider (SSC). This work entailed community leader and physicist interviews, facilitation, and provision of recommendations to the SSC siting team. Drs. Lodwick and Canan conducted multi-method research in five communities with the Colorado Advanced Technology Institute. In addition, Drs. Lodwick, Canan and Youn Hee Lee presented "Sociological Study of High Energy Physics" in the proceedings of the annual meeting of the Division of Particles and Fields, American Physical Society.

Dr. Lodwick was a member of Colorado's Site Certification Committee for the Superconducting Super Collider (SSC) for final approval of a proposal submitted to the Department of Energy in 1987. In addition, as a member of the Governor's SSC Site Criteria Task Force, Dr. Lodwick conducted research, advised the State, and served as a resource to legislators and community groups about the SSC from 1984-1988.

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Christianity and African Women in the Twentieth Century
Client: African Society of Social Sciences: Geneva, Switzerland
Content Area: Community Development, Faith
Timeframe: 1984-1985
Project Scope: International: Africa, Europe, USA
Primary Tasks: Research, Training

Dora Lodwick conducted a meta-analysis of studies examining impacts of Christianity on women's roles in African countries south of the Sahara. She was invited to participate in proceedings of the Workshop on Africa and Social Change sponsored by the African Society of Social Sciences in Geneva, Switzerland in 1984. She was a discussant on "The Role of Women and African Development" at the African Development Conference in Denver, Colorado; and again presented on the topic of "Social Change in Africa: The Impact of Christianity on Women" at the Association of Sociology of Religion meeting in Washington, D.C. in 1985. 

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Impact Analysis of Organization of Cocoa Producers
Client: Organization of American States
Content Area: Community Development, Environment
Timeframe: 1980-1982
Project Scope: International: Brazil
Primary Tasks: Research, Evaluation
Collaborators: Jefferson Ranjel, Interamerican Institute for Cooperation in Agriculture IICA)

This impact analysis studied the social impacts of changing technology in the Brazilian cocoa region. For the Interamerican Institute for Cooperation in Agriculture, of the Organization of American States, Dr. Lodwick assessed impacts of changing agricultural technologies and a technical assistance institution (CEPLAC) on Brazilian cocoa producers using secondary analysis and ethnographic interviews in Portuguese. This was published (in translation) in CEPLAC/25th Year: Development and Participation" by Jefferson Rangel, ed. Brasilia: Organization of American States, 1982. 

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Bean and Cowpea Collaborative Research Support Program (Title XII)
Client:  Michigan State University
Content Area: Community Development, Environment, Technology
Timeframe: 1979
Project Scope: International: Latin America and USA
Primary Tasks: Research, Evaluation
Collaborators: University of Wisconsin, Cornell University

In 1979, Dora Lodwick assessed the interests and capabilities of 24 Latin American agricultural research institutions to collaborate with US universities in beans and cowpea research. With a small team of agronomists and development experts, she interviewed researchers and administrators and facilitated negotiations in English, Spanish and Portuguese.