Colorado Gives Day is tomorrow, December 6th - marking the seventh edition of the push to expand and increase charitable giving in Colorado, supported in large part by the Community First Foundation and dozens of other philanthropic groups.
Photo via ColoradoGives.org
Colorado is home to thousands of nonprofit organizations that contribute enormously to the communities they represent and serve. No matter what issue you care most about - health, education, living wages, immigration, housing, gender equity, racial justice, civil rights, and equality in all its forms - there is a group in our state doing valuable and important work.
They all are deserving of your support, perhaps this year more than most. So give a little bit, or a lot. But please just give.
Below is a list of organizations that I have worked with, donated to, volunteered at, or otherwise support, that would be worthy of your contribution. This is by no means a complete and comprehensive list of organizations, but the array of choices can be overwhelming. So these are just some of the many exceptional community, policy, advocacy, and service organizations that do meaningful and difficult work in our state on every day.
Health and Wellness:
Colorado Consumer Health Initiative, Colorado Coalition for the Medically Underserved, Center for African American Health, Healthier Colorado, and Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains.
Economy, Jobs, Wages, Tax & Budget:
Colorado Fiscal Institute, CoPIRG, FRESC Good Jobs Strong Communities, and Colorado Center on Law and Policy.
Education and Children:
Scholars Unlimited, Colorado Children's Campaign, Tennyson Center for Children, Rocky Mountain Children's Law Center, and Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Denver.
Civil Rights, LGBT Rights, and Immigration Rights:
One Colorado, Together Colorado, Colorado African Organization, Colorado Organization for Latina Opportunity and Reproductive Rights, and Colorado ACLU.
Environment and Recreation:
Conservation Colorado, Girls on the Run of the Rockies, Colorado Fourteeners Initiative, and Big City Mountaineers.
Human Services, Homelessness, Safety, and Food Access:
The Delores Project, St. Francis Center, Denver Rescue Mission, Urban Peak, Colorado Coalition Against Sexual Assault, Hunger Free Colorado, and Re:Vision.
And last but not least:
For the past year, I've had the privilege of serving on the board for BikesTogether, which is Denver's nonprofit community bike shop that provides access to bikes and bike education for thousands of kids and adults who otherwise wouldn't have it. We've seen a ton of growth this year, with an expansion to a second location and the addition of mobile services, and look forward to growing our programs and impact in the years to come. Biking can mean a lot of different things to different people - access to transportation, ability to get to a job, health and wellness, or just the simple untethered freedom of being on two wheels.
You can visit www.coloradogives.org for a more complete list of all giving options. You can schedule your donations and also search by neighborhood, cause, or other keywords or issues.
Thank you for your support.