The Colorado Trust, a foundation dedicated to creating fair and equal opportunities for Coloradans to lead healthy lives, announced it has made $25,000 in grants to benefit five nonprofit organizations working to advance the health and well-being of citizens and communities in southwestern Colorado. The trust made the grants after meeting with nonprofit organizations at Rural Philanthropy Days in June in Pagosa Springs.
Rural Philanthropy Days (RPD) connects funders with nonprofit organizations and government officials that serve rural Colorado. This biannual three-day event was created in 1991 by the Community Resource Center (CRC) and the Anschutz Family Foundation to strengthen nonprofit-funder relations and to address critical needs in rural communities across Colorado. June's event in Pagosa brought together representatives from Archuleta, Dolores, La Plata, Montezuma and San Juan counties.
"Having grown up in rural Colorado, I understand the important role that nonprofit organizations play in improving community health and well-being," said Ned Calonge, president and CEO of the trust. "RPD allows us to connect with nonprofits and residents in rural communities so that we can advance opportunities for all Coloradans to be healthy."
Grants of $5,000 were awarded to each of the following organizations:
.La Plata Family Centers Coalition: creating partnerships to strengthen families and improve community health. The coalition creates programs and access to resources to address issues identified by community members, including lack of access to medical care, lack of fresh food and poverty. The coalition will use the funding for a resource-mapping project to identify environmental and health resources needed to improve the health of Pine River Valley residents.
.Shining Mountain Diabetes Program: providing diabetes treatment, diabetes prevention and healthy lifestyle education for Native Americans living on or near the Southern Ute Indian Reservation. The Shining Mountain diabetes program provides and coordinates diabetes prevention activities for the Southern Ute tribe. Funds will be used to conduct an oral history with tribal elders to learn more about how the disease affects their population, and about healthy native foods. They will use the learnings to educate tribal youth and add more native foods to their community garden.
.TARA Historical Society at Navajo Lake: providing programs and services for the rural communities of Tiffany, Allison, Rosa and Arboles. The TARA Historical Society oversees the community center, a hub of activity serving children with its playground, hosting community meetings and events, and providing activities for seniors and disabled residents. The building is two stories high, without an elevator. Funds will be used to make the lower level handicap-accessible by modifying doors to accommodate wheelchair entry, installing additional handicap railings and signage and creating more handicapped parking spaces.
.Archuleta County Veteran Services Office: providing assistance to veterans and their family members with Veterans Affairs benefits. Veterans are especially prone to mental health issues. The nearest clinics providing mental health services to Archuleta County veterans are over an hour away. Funding will help provide veterans and their family members with local, timely and consistent mental health counseling.
.Hospice of Montezuma: providing support for people with terminal illnesses. In addition to providing care to terminally ill patients, Hospice of Montezuma offers mental health services in an isolated region of the state with high suicide rates. The organization will use the funds to continue providing support groups and suicide prevention education and awareness to Montezuma and Dolores county residents.
Since 2010, the trust has provided more than $260,000 in grants to rural Colorado nonprofit organizations through RPD. The Colorado Trust is a health foundation dedicated to achieving health equity. For more information, visit www.coloradotrust.org.
