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Colorado Gives Day 2024 is Tuesday, Dec. 10. Since 2010, Coloradans have come together on Colorado Gives Day to support the nonprofits that make a difference in their lives. Colorado Gives Day has raised more than $469 million for nonprofits across the state since it began.
Colorado Public Radio is proud to be part of the Colorado nonprofit community, and we're in good company! In honor of Colorado Gives Day, we're highlighting six Colorado nonprofit organizations doing great work around the state.
Read more and listen to profiles about each organization below. And if you're interested, head to the Colorado Gives Day website to donate.
Catamount Institute
Catamount Institute programs connect youth with nature through meaningful outdoor experiences. Children learn that they have the powerful ability to protect and nurture the natural world within their neighborhood and community. Established in 1997, Catamount Institute's goal is to equip the next generation of citizens to solve real-world problems. It is these young leaders that will be tomorrow's stewards of the earth. Half of local elementary-age students spend three hours per day interfacing with technology. Catamount Institute believes nature can be an antidote to the stresses and social/emotional disconnection caused by this sedentary lifestyle.
Dancing Spirit
Dancing Spirit provides a community arts center in Ignacio, Colorado that enhances creativity and fellowship, promotes the education, appreciation and enjoyment of the arts, and celebrates the cultural heritage of the diverse populations of the area. Dancing Spirit started as a cooperative and gallery for artists and community activists in 2010. After achieving 501(c)(3) status in 2014, it spearheaded the repurposing of a closed elementary school into the ELHI Community Center, now a hub for community development efforts rooted in art and education.
Deserving Dental
Since 2019, Deserving Dental has traveled across Colorado with the purpose of bringing equitable oral healthcare to individuals living in homeless shelters and other community agencies. By setting up pop-up clinics inside these locations, Deserving Dental eliminates common barriers to services such as transportation and mobility issues. Poor dental care is linked to many negative physical outcomes including heart attacks, strokes, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s Disease. Poor oral health is a barrier to employment and housing for individuals experiencing homelessness. Deserving Dental seeks to improve health outcomes (and brighten smiles!) by offering portable dental clinics that are run by loving, trauma-informed staff.
The Pro Bono Project of Mesa County
Established in 1986, Pro Bono Project of Mesa County is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to providing free legal advocacy and representation to victims of domestic violence and low-income residents of Mesa County. The Pro Bono Project helps residents achieve economic self-sufficiency and family stability through providing high quality legal advice, educational outreach and representation through volunteer attorneys. It can also provide direct legal assistance for victims of assault, sexual assault, child abuse, crimes against at-risk person and stalking.
The Refuge
The Refuge is a hub for healing community, social action, and creative collaboration serving the north Denver area since 2006. Cornerstone to its work is the Refuge Cafe, a place for presence, hospitality and connection to resources for people experiencing homelessness and without social safety nets. The Refuge also offers additional programs for people to connect in community, develop skills, learn, catalyze community change and grow, including the Broomfield Cares Mobile Outreach Team, Single Moms Unite, Refuge Rainbow, Refuge Kids, Refuge Recovery and more.
Valley Housing Fund
The Valley Housing Fund (VHF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2010 by Gunnison Valley residents in response to a growing concern about home affordability. VHF funds affordable, quality housing solutions, advocates and inspires support for housing, fosters collaboration between the private and public sectors, and serves as a community leader to proactively shape the future of housing in the region.
