VENDOR MEMORIAL A TRIBUTE TO VICTOR BOWIE BY BRIAN AUGUSTINE AND BELINDA BOWIE Recently, the Denver VOICE community lost one of its treasured members, Vendor # 107 Victor Bowie. The following is a tribute VOICE Vendor Brian Augustine wrote for Victor, followed by thoughts Belinda Bowie shared on Victor and his love for the Denver VOICE. FROM BRIAN AUGUSTINE Victor Bowie’s greatest joy was vending the Denver VOICE. He was always excited when the newest issue came out. He was also a big supporter of his fellow vendors. He was happy whenever a vendor had a story, drawing, or photo published in the issue because they were putting themselves out there. If a vendor needed papers and didn’t have the money to purchase them, Victor lent them the cash. He told me once he never worried about being paid back because he knew they wouldn’t ask for another loan until they’d repaid the debt. It wasn’t about a borrower feeling guilty about asking for another loan, but rather, a sense of obligation to Victor and his generosity. Victor was a friend to everyone he met, and his death leaves a hole in our world that no one else can ever fill. Thank you, God, for loaning him to us. FROM BELINDA BOWIE “Victor could have become a paralegal, he was so smart. When he came into my life, I was facing possible jail time for PHOTO COURTESY OF THE DENVER VOICE The Denver VOICE family extends its condolences to Belinda, Makiya, and all of the others who loved him and whose lives he touched. ■ something, but he stepped in on my behalf. He went up to that courthouse and told the judge, ‘I’ll help her out. I’ll take responsibility. You don’t have to worry about her. I’ll get her on the right track.’” Shortly after that, Belinda learned about the Denver VOICE. “In 2008, I became a vendor. Uncle Jerome (Cotton) told me about the VOICE and showed me how to vend, and then, I showed Victor how to vend. Then, we showed Uncle Johnny (John Alexander).” For the first four years, Victor and Belinda were just good friends, but after a brief stay in Mississippi, the two went to Georgia, and that’s when they started dating. “After Georgia, we went to Kansas, where I met Victor’s daughter Makiya along with Victor’s brothers and sisters. After that, when we moved back to Denver. Makiya wanted to come with us, so it was Victor, his little girl, me, and my two girls living together, and that year (2012), we got married.” Describing the things that gave Victor joy, Belinda explained, “He LOVED vending the paper! Victor vended the paper every day. When we went to Kansas, he talked about starting a street paper because he loved vending so much. He also loved his daughter, and he loved me.” 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-deductible. 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. We ask subscribers to support our program with a 12-month pledge to give $10 a month, or a one-time donation of $120. Subscriptions help us cover our costs AND provide an amazing opportunity to those who need it most. Go to denvervoice.org/subscriptions for more information. @denverVOICE 2 ADVERTISE Our readership is loyal, well-educated, and socially concerned. Readers view purchasing the paper as a way to immediately help a person who is poor or homeless while supporting long-term solutions to end poverty. If you are interested in placing an ad or sponsoring a section of the paper, please contact us about rates at ads@denvervoice.org. November 2022 DENVER VOICE 3
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