VENDOR PROFILE my natural tardiness VOICE Vendor Profi le: LARMARQUES SMITH BY LARMARQUES SMITH, DENVER VOICE VENDOR THE PAST TWO YEARS HAVE BEEN THE LONGEST I care to remember. With a worldwide pandemic in effect, it can be hard to recollect notable events of the past two years — like the fact that I LARMARQUES SMITH. CREDIT: SARAH FORD accomplished one of my lifelong dreams: becoming a barista and working in a coffee shop. In the midst of the pandemic, I landed a job working with the Denver VOICE in partnership with a coffee bar in Uptown to give vendors an employment opportunity for those who have been out of the workforce for a minute. The discussions about the partnership started around the time the City of Denver decided to do something about the homeless population during the pandemic. Some of those staying at shelters that had been shut down because of the pandemic were moved to the Western Stock Show Complex to accommodate the social distancing mandate. Despite the shutdown, I began working and started to feel like a regular member of society (whatever that means). It was difficult at first to get into the groove of having a job while staying at the Western Stock Show Complex. No alarm clock, no early morning showers before work, etcetera, coupled with (it’s a flaw I try to combat every day - LOL) made it difficult for me to make it on time to the coffee shop. I managed to pull it together, and with the help of another community organization, Reciprocity, I was able to secure a bike, which ultimately saved my job. It was the week before Independence Day when a good friend of mine and I decided to look into a program that took people who — for whatever reason — were more susceptible to contract COVID-19. The location was a hotel, where everyone was COVID-free in a very controlled environment, provided we take a test and the results were negative. Because my friend and I both are immunocompromised, we thought the test was a good idea and signed up for it just in time for the upcoming holiday. I moved into the hotel later that day after taking the test and worked the coffee shop on the Fourth of July weekend. On Monday morning, my phone wouldn’t stop ringing. Trying to be a responsible employee, I was reluctant to answer. Turns out it was the nurse from the Western Stock Show Complex calling to inform me that I had tested positive for COVID-19. She told me that I needed to stay put, and someone would be there shortly to take me to another quarantine site. Scary! I had to inform my boss as well as fellow employees that I was positive for COVID-19 and would not be at work for a couple of weeks. The most frightening part of this is that I had no signs or symptoms of the virus. I was sent away to another hotel that was designated as a quarantine site for active COVID cases and was told I had to stay on-site at all times. I mean. I couldn’t even go to 7-Eleven, which was right next door. No visitors were allowed at the hotel, and no one was allowed in anyone else’s room at any time for any reason. This lasted about 10 days. During my quarantine, the only symptom I can recall was extreme fatigue which, was odd for me. For being immunocompromised, my immune system was and continues to be in good shape. I’ve been undetectable for several years, and I stay extremely active, but this time, I really felt so tired. One good thing out of my stay at “Chateau COVID Quarantine” is that I got to reconnect with a friend I’d lost contact with over the previous year. He learned he had contracted COVID after being left for dead in a hotel room by his friends. After about 10 days, I received notice that I would be discharged in the next day or two. Relieved I would be able to get back to work, see my friends, and get back to a somewhat normal existence. In the meantime, the coffee shop was shut down for a week and had to be cleaned. All the employees had to take a COVID-19 test, and they had to negative before they could come back to work, myself included. After taking another COVID test, I was able to return to work. I was also able to move back to the hotel for the high-risk group for contracting Coronavirus. Shortly after my quarantine, I made an appointment with my infectious disease doctor, who also happens to be my primary care physician. She wanted to be sure I was well and stayed healthy after surviving Coronavirus. Throughout the past year, working with my medical caseworker, my doctor was able to secure a Section 8 Housing Voucher in an effort to keep me healthy by way of a stable living environment. I can’t say it would have been possible for me to have found safe and stable housing without the coronavirus; Although I still have concerns about the long-lasting effects COVID may have, I’m happy to be housed and healthy. I’m also very thankful for all of the community organizations and partners that made it possible. ■ HOW TO HELP The money we take in from vendors helps us cover a portion of our printing costs, but we depend largely on donations from individuals, businesses, and foundations to help us pay our rent and keep the lights on. 1 4 GET THE WORD OUT We rely on grassroots marketing to get the word out about what we do. Talk to people about our organization and share us with your network. Support us on DONATE Donations to the Denver VOICE are tax-deductable. Go to denvervoice.org to give a one-time or recurring donation. You can also mail a check to: Denver VOICE | P.O. Box 193 | Denver, CO 80201 3 VOLUNTEER We need volunteers to help with everything from newspaper distribution to event planning and management. Contact program@denvervoice.org for volunteering information. 5 SUBSCRIBE If you are unable to regularly purchase a newspaper from our vendors, please consider a subscription. 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