Handing Out Hope for the Holidays

Just a handful of the organizations building a better Boulder County

By Matt Maenpaa

The holiday season has become synonymous with a season of giving, but that can go beyond presents under a tree or stockings stuffed by the fireplace. Still, with more than 2,000 registered nonprofits in the Boulder County area, the spirit of charitable giving can be a daunting thing to consider. We at Boulder Magazine have chosen just a handful of those organizations whose work deserves to be noticed and wishlists fulfilled.

Community Cycles

In 2005, a Boulder high school student started a bike recycling program that would eventually incorporate to become Community Cycles, a nonprofit bike shop with a focus on community education, workshops, bike repair and more.

“Community Cycles has a vision for Boulder,” says program manager Sandee Cirian. “What if cycling was everyone’s top choice to get around? If choosing to ride instead of drive wasn’t a revolutionary act, but just what we do? We’d spend less time boxed in, and more time living out. We’d nod to our neighbors as we pass. We’d move with our community, instead of just through it.”

That’s the impetus for the organization and its ongoing work to make high-quality cycling equipment accessible to everyone in the community. Building on that with education, workshops and programs to help riders of every age and experience level find growth and community. They reinforce all of that with advocacy and research to make Boulder a safer and more cycle-friendly city.

“Everyone deserves to experience the freedom, joy and connection that comes from cycling,” Cirian says. “So, we’re dedicated to overcoming the barriers that prevent people from riding.”

This holiday season, Cirian hopes that community members can find some way to contribute to their goals. Volunteers are always needed, she says, particularly in areas of community advocacy and skilled bike mechanics. For those looking to make more physical donations, Community Cycles welcomes all things bike-related.

“Your old and unwanted bikes will be refurbished and put back where they belong,” Cirian says. “On the road with someone in need of a bike.”

Community Cycles takes in all bikes and parts, using and refurbishing what they can and recycling the rest to keep them out of landfills. A large portion of those bikes also get donated in the organization’s annual Kid’s Holiday Bike Giveaway, where more than 350 bikes are given away to low-income children each December.

Community Cycles Statistics:

• 2,493 bikes donated

• 969 bikes sold

• 1,683 bikes recycled

• 3,640 pounds of tires recycled

• 1,527 volunteer hours

• 1,589 member hours

• 5,481 workshop hours

The Spark

Seeking to inspire, educate and empower the creative community through Boulder County, The Spark was initially founded to fill the need for more collaborative and performing arts spaces in the area. Their location serves both as a venue for public use and a space for their working theater company.

“We had seen and heard from so many local Boulder artists that there was a lack of space to do their work,” says The Spark co-founder Dillon Kenyon.

In addition, Kenyon explains, they wanted to create a unique theater company that incorporated both youth and adults.

“We saw a lack of a ‘bridge’ between youth theater companies and the professionals in the Front Range,” she says. “We created a company that filled that gap. It has since become much more than a ‘bridge,’ but an experience that is completely unique to the state.”

The Spark is home to a 10,000-square-foot space that incorporates performance venues, rehearsal and event space that is safe, accessible and affordable for everyone in the community. This allows them to host and collaborate with dozens upon dozens of other arts organizations in the community, hopefully mitigating the funding issues that plague arts communities around the country.

From the inspiration and incorporation in 2018, The Spark is now a venue for more than a half-dozen full-scale theater productions each year. Inspiring others, The Spark also hosts events from Boulder Performing Arts Company, CU Department of Music, Samba Colorado, Maputo Mensah African Drumming, Boulder Burlesque and more.

For those looking to support The Spark, Kenyon says volunteers are always needed and welcome. 

“We have community work days where folks can help us prepare for upcoming events,” she says. “We offer free tickets to folks who want to volunteer for front-of-the-house jobs at our shows and community members are always welcome to join the organization as a performer!”

For those more inclined toward monetary donations, Kenyon says that The Spark is in the process of fundraising for an outdoor sign and marquee to highlight the myriad of performances and events in the space.

“We want everyone who uses our space to be seen, and having this outside signage is key.”

The Spark Statistics:

• Performances: 5-8 per year

• Cast: 15-30 performers of all ages

• Attendees: 2,700 people in 2022

• Employees: 3 dedicated humans

Longmont Humane Society

For many people, their furry and four-legged companions are fundamental parts of their family, but just as many of those animals wind up abandoned or on their own. Humane Societies around the country are vital to keeping our animal friends cared for, and Boulder County is fortunate to have two. 

“Our official mission statement is: caring, serving and educating to improve the lives of companion animals,” says Emmy Delis, community outreach manager at the Longmont Humane Society, or LHS.

“I would say that we are working hard to combat the misconception that we are just a ‘pound’ that’s a depressing place to send pets to,” Delis adds. “I see hope everywhere at LHS, from our caring and talented staff to our staunchly supportive foster family network, pets have excellent help and encouragement in finding their forever homes when they come to us.”

The care that LHS provides extends to animals from out of state, Delis explains. Because there is no time limit on care for the animals, high-kill shelters often transfer unadopted pets to Longmont when they need space. Additionally, LHS boasts the only cat behavior team in Colorado, helping hundreds of cats per year that would typically be considered too wild for adoption find their new homes.

In addition to constant needs like pet supplies and food for their furry charges, LHS has a steady need for help from animal-loving community members. This includes the vital foster program that helps get our furry friends adapted to life outside the shelter, as well as important things like taking dogs for walks once or twice a week.

“Volunteering an hour a week to walk dogs is a huge help too,” Delis says. “We strive to give each dog three walks per day, to get all the sniffs, fresh air and treats for good behavior.”

Longmont Humane Society Statistics:

• Sheltered animals: 3,736 

• New adoptions: 2,017 

• Spay/neuter procedures: 3,488 

• Average cost per animal: $565

• Pets reunited: 573 

• Volunteer hours: 20,485 

Veterans Community Project - Longmont

It is no secret that those who have chosen to serve in the military don’t always have the easiest transition to civilian life. Fortunately, there are organizations like Veterans Community Project, or VCP, to serve those who have served us—regardless of discharge status or type of service.

Originally founded in Kansas City, Missouri, VCP expanded its reach to Longmont in 2020, first with an office space and outreach center near downtown, and then breaking ground on a planned 26-home Veterans Village in western Longmont. VCP hopes to not only address the gaps in care for those veterans who struggle with homelessness and addiction but also those whose discharge prohibits them from care by Veterans Affairs.

Ash Wallis, VCP’s director of veteran support and herself an Army veteran, started with the organization as a case manager but has seen the struggles herself.

“As a veteran who was very close to needing VCP’s service myself, it’s an honor to work with an organization that goes above and beyond to say ‘yes’ to at least one need of every veteran who walks through our doors, even it’s just being able to provide a cup of coffee and a referral to a local food bank,” Wallis explains.

The crown jewel of VCP’s work in Longmont is the Veteran Village, a collection of tiny homes built with a veteran’s needs in mind, including sound-dampened walls and a community center for ready access to services. Though the initial funding would have been more than enough to complete the project based on projections in 2019, Wallis says, rising inflation post-COVID impacts the project and supply chain issues have put a halt to the build-out. Still, the organization perseveres in its mission.

“Knowing the impact we’ve had on veterans’ lives in our community and being able to provide such direct support during the most stressful times in their lives makes me excited to come to work every day,” Wallis says. “I can’t wait to see what we’ll be able to do for our Veterans in the coming years.”

Veterans Community Project - Longmont Statistics:

• Over 300 Veterans served

• 85 veterans housed with VCP support

• 4 homes completed in VCP Village

• 22 homes left to complete

• $1 million in capital needed to complete the Veteran Village

I Have a Dream Foundation of Boulder County

In 1981, in Harlem, philanthropist Eugene Lang founded the original I Have a Dream Foundation, or IHDF, mentoring students from elementary to high school and providing scholarships to encourage those youth to pursue higher education.

In 1990, dismayed by a 35% graduation rate in low-income youth in Boulder County, local philanthropists established IHDF in Boulder, modeling their organization off the work of Lang and the national nonprofit. In that time, the Boulder County nonprofit has served more than 1,000 local Dreamers and expanded its local reach to provide community support, mental health aid and a more nuanced approach to post-secondary education for the youth and families of Boulder County.

“The model is to build a relationship with the student for as long as a student is in school and enrolling in a post-secondary pathway,” says IHDF executive director Dr. Perla Delgado. “We build this strong relationship with the students and their families; we do home visits. Our strength and our sweet spot is during that out-of-school space, providing social, educational and emotional support.” 

Since its formation more than 30 years ago, IHDF has bridged partnerships with organizations like Longmont Youth Center and Boulder Housing Partners to identify youth that would benefit from that extra support, Delgado explains. 

“That’s really evolved our mission. When it started, it was focused on getting them to graduate high school,” Delgado says. “Now we are expanding that beyond four-year colleges, helping our scholars thrive with two-year and certificate programs. Our goal has always been to align that post-secondary program with the strengths and passions of each of the Dreamer Scholars, in addition to awarding them with a $10,000 scholarship.”

The relationships with local tech companies have only bolstered opportunities at IHDF, including computer labs and a brand-new youth robotics team, ensuring that the Dreamer Scholars have access to STEAM-focused programming they might otherwise miss out on.

The biggest volunteer needs IHDF has, Delgado says, are for more adult learning partners and mentors to step up and work with the Dreamers. Delgado also hopes that community artists can come in, not just to mentor the youth, but to help give IHDF’s offices more personality.

I Have a Dream Foundation of Boulder County statistics:

• 100% of youth IHDF served are experiencing income inequality upon entering the program

• 91% of participants self-identify as Persons of Color, with 85% identifying as Latin(a/o/e)

• Participants range from age 6 to 25

• 95% graduation rate for Dreamer Scholars

• 91.9% of youth reported having an adult in Dreamers they can trust

• 93.5% of youth reported having an adult outside of Dreamers they can trust