It was five years ago today that the Edgewater and Jefferson communities lost one of its Saints, Gina Hartley. Regina Maureen Hartley was born February 20, 1963. She attended local Edgewater schools and graduated from Jefferson High School as a Saint in 1981. She then attended University of Denver, graduated with an Elementary Education degree and started her career as a school teacher. In the mid-2010s, Gina owned Edgewater Coffee Company, which served as a hub for the community. Edgewater Coffee Company was located in the space which is currently occupied by Griffin Coffee on 25th Avenue between Ames and Sheridan. Gina hired local students from Jefferson and saw her business as a community hub. She served much more than coffee as she listened to people’s stories and connected them with local resources and people. Local art from school children and aspiring artists filled the walls. The stage in Edgewater Coffee hosted many local musicians and launched the career of Tomara Conrad.
Edgewater Collective started the Hartley Scholarship with Gina’s family to continue her legacy of education and investing in the community. Our hope is to raise $5,000 this April that will go toward college scholarships for this year’s Jefferson graduates. We’ve already raised over $48,000 to benefit Jefferson graduates since 2017.
Click here to read more and donate.
Here’s a glimpse of Gina Hartley and her joy at the Edgewater Coffee Company.
Joel has been a resident of Edgewater, Colorado with his family since 2012. He is the Executive Director of local education nonprofit Edgewater Collective and Editor of the Edgewater Echo.
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