LIVE UNITED 2010 Celebrates Successes, Collaborations and the Philanthropic Spirit of Our Community.

Read the full story here.

A project of the Boulder County Human Services Strategic Plan

Due March 31, 2010

Boulder County agencies are eligible to apply if an agency representative attended at least 3 of the 5 Program Design and Evaluation trainings offered by OMNI in 2009.

Please contact Amy Rosenblum at arosenblum@unitedwayfoothills.org or 303-444-4013 ext 110 with any questions or to request the application.

Foothills United Way 2009:

A year of successes, and challenges

December 18, 2009 - As we near the end of 2009, we wanted to share with our partners and supporters some of the successes and challenges that Foothills United Way (FHUW) and the programs we support or collaborate with have seen in the past year.  Among the 2009 successes:

• • The 16th annual Day of Caring had a record-setting year, with 1,013 volunteers donating about 4,000 hours worth of work to local nonprofits and other organizations. The dollar value of those volunteer hours was just over $82,000.
• • FHUW implemented the new Technical Assistance Program, in partnership with the Boulder County Board of Commissioners. The Program is designed to increase organizational capacity of Boulder County nonprofit agencies, leverage the assets of funding resources in Boulder County, and coordinate the system for health and human service agencies to include creating a consistent format for gathering data and evaluating programs.
• • The Personal Investment Enterprise (PIE) program, a collaboration between FHUW and Boulder County Community Action Programs, enrolled 25 new families and individuals this year. PIE uses Individual Development Accounts to help low income individuals save for a home, post secondary education, or the capitalization of a small business. To date, 76 enrollees have completed the program.
• • Imagination Library, with continued support from local Rotary Clubs, Zonta, the Optimist Club and individual donors, served 176 new children. Since 2004, the local Imagination Library program has delivered 33,055 new books to 877 children.
• • FHUW continued its partnership in the Boulder County Human Services Strategic Plan. FHUW is now using a new measurement tool that tracks program outcomes and makes real-time data available to the community.
• • Despite the current economy, FHUW was able to maintain its level of support for health and human service programs in the Boulder and Broomfield Counties. This could not have been accomplished without the extra effort and generosity of many individuals and companies.

We are very pleased with these successes and grateful to the supporters and partners who have helped bring these positive changes about. But we realize that there are still many challenges that our community faces every day. Among those:

• • Compared to 2008, the number of families receiving food stamps in 2009 increased by 39%. Children receiving food stamps increased by 48%. The number of families receiving Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) funds increased by 38%.
• • The January 27, 2009 Homeless Survey indicated that over 1 in 5 homeless are children.
• • In the past six weeks, there have been an additional 3,000 Medicaid applications, and caseloads are up by 20%.
• • Overall, basic needs organizations have seen a 30-40% increase in demand for services over last year.

Foothills United Way continues to seek new ways to partner in our community to leverage resources for the greatest impact. We also encourage everyone to get involved in some way - to LIVE UNITED - through giving, advocating or volunteering. 

Thank you for your support in 2009, and if you'd still like to give back in some way, there is still time.  Contact FHUW at 303-444-4013 or info@unitedwayfoothills.org to find out how you can help.

August 14, 2009 - Lafayette, CO - Foothills United Way's message of "Live United" rang loud and clear today in Boulder and Broomfield Counties, as a record number of volunteers turned out for the 16th annual Day of Caring.

Day of Caring has grown into one of the area's largest one-day volunteer efforts. But today set a new high as approximately 1013 volunteers turned, donating about 4,000 hours worth of work to local nonprofits and other organizations. The dollar value of those volunteers hours is just over $82,000.

"It amazes me that on this day in 1998 we had 125 volunteers go out and complete projects and now, 11 years later, we have more than 10 times that amount," said Barbara Pingrey, President and CEO of Foothills United Way. "Working with such a large group of focused, dedicated volunteers is humbling. By each one reaching out a hand and a heart, our entire community has been influenced."

The volunteers represented 31 local business and organizations, including Amgen, Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., CableLabs, Covidien, The Daily Camera, Faegre & Benson LLP, IBM, InfoPrint Solutions Company, Inovonics, Level 3 Communications, Lexmark, Lockheed Martin, Nordstrom, Roche Colorado Corporation and many more. Together, they completed 72 projects benefitting 40 local organizations.

The volunteers completed a variety of much-needed projects, many of which otherwise would not get done. This year's projects included:

 • painting and landscaping at Boulder Day Nursery
• packing and delivering "blizzard bags" and other food items to clients of Longmont Meals on Wheels
• making repairs and improvements to buildings, fences and camping platforms at the Boy Scouts' Camp Patiya west of Boulder.
• painting, playground improvements and parking lot maintenance at the Ed & Ruth YMCA in Longmont
• rebuilding a sandbox for the playground at Bal Swan Children's Center in Broomfield
• landscaping, maintenance and repair work and sorting/organizing food donations at Sister Carmen Community Center in Lafayette

The projects were followed by a picnic for the volunteers at Boulder's Gateway Park Fun Center. In addition to celebrating the volunteer spirit of our community, the Day of Caring Picnic served as the official kickoff of Foothills United Way's 2009 Community Support Campaign. Donations made during the annual campaign each year provide the bulk of funding for United Way's partner programs in the community.

Gold level sponsors for Day of Caring 2009 are: Blue Mountain Arts/SPS Studios, Covidien, Faegre & Benson LLP, IBM, InfoPrint Solutions Company, Pasta Jay's and Roche Colorado. Bronze Sponsor: Lexmark International. Other sponsor: Longmont United Hospital.

Christopher Gunlikson, Partner, Holland & Hart. Mr. Gunlikson is a transactional attorney with a practice emphasizing in commercial real estate, corporate and tax matters, and banking and finance. His practice also includes extensive work in entity formation, partnership law, tax planning, contracts, technology agreements, and business sale and acquisition transactions.

Malcolm Fleming, City Manager, Louisville, CO. Mr. Fleming has served as Louisville's City Manager since August 2007. His previous government experience includes serving as Chief Administrative Officer in Bellingham, WA; County Administrator in Kitsap County, WA; Deputy County Manager of Bernalillo County, NM; Township Manager of Rostraver, PA; and Senior Program Analyst in the California Legislative Analyst's Office.

Shana Johnson, Department Director, Boulder Community Hospital's Community Medical Center in Lafayette. Ms. Johnson has been with Boulder Community hospital since 1990, and has been in the medical field since 1978. Ms. Johnson has also volunteered on nursing/medical aid missions in Mexico, Tajikistan, and Nepal.

Edith M. Ortega, Director-Government Relations, CenturyTel, Inc. -In addition to her current position with CenturyTel, Inc., Ms. Ortega is a member of Action 22, Club 20 and Progressive 15, all rural economic development organizations in Colorado. She is currently serving as a member of CO Governor's Innovation Council, participating in the rural broadband working group. Ms. Ortega also has extensive experience in the nonprofit community in Boulder County.

Foothills United Way Board members are elected to three-years terms, and may serve up to six years consecutively.

Foothills United Way would also like to thank outgoing board members Mike Noesen of Guaranty Bank and Trust Company and Jill Kenney for their outstanding years of service. Mr. Noesen and and Ms. Kenney each served six years on the FHUW Board.

Boulder County Public Health reports that as of May 7th, 2009 at 8:00am, there have been two confirmed cases of H1N1 flu (a.k.a. Swine flu) in Boulder County.  Neither of the cases have required hospitalization, and both individuals are recovering.

There are several places to get H1N1 Flu information and resources.   You can visit Boulder County Public Heath for links to information and updates from Boulder County and the state.  You can also download an H1N1 flu FAQ document, and an information sheet detailing how organizations can prepare themselves for flu outbreaks or other crisis situations.

FHUW has received an updated news release regarding the availability of aid from the State's LEAP (Low-income Energy Assistance Program). 

LEAP BENEFITS STILL AVAILABLE FOR COLORADANS STRUGGLING TO PAY HOME HEATING COSTS

DENVER - April 2009 ­- Freezing temperatures and early April snowstorms are making it hard to believe it is spring in Colorado. Thankfully, Colorado residents struggling during these winter-like conditions still have time to apply for help. The Low-income Energy Assistance Program (LEAP) offers monetary assistance to help pay home heating bills and is accepting applications until April 30, 2009.

LEAP provides cash assistance to help families and individuals pay winter home heating costs. The program pays the highest benefits to those with the highest heating bills and lowest incomes by family size. Applicant income cannot exceed 185 percent of the federal poverty index, which equals a maximum income of $3,269.00 per month before taxes for a household of four people. The anticipated average LEAP benefit for 2008-2009 is approximately $430.00 per family.

As of March 24, LEAP has helped more than 94,000 Colorado households. Even though this figure is up 12 percent from the same time last year, there are still thousands eligible for the program who have yet to apply.

"Although winter may be winding down, layoffs and foreclosures are way up. We know that more families each day find themselves in the position where heating assistance can help," said Colorado LEAP director Todd Jorgensen. "Those eligible for the program need to know that if they apply before April 30, they will receive assistance."

Completed LEAP applications can be faxed, mailed or delivered to the appropriate county office. Potential program applicants can apply several ways:

· Call 1-866-HEAT-HELP (1-866-432-8435) to have an application mailed to your home.
· Visit any county department of social/human services across the State.

To locate your county¹s office, visit the program¹s Web site at http://www.cdhs.state.co.us/leap/index.htm
· Download and print an application from http://www.cdhs.state.co.us/leap.

To find out if you qualify for LEAP, call toll-free 1-866-HEAT-HELP (1-866-432-8435). Applications for LEAP are accepted anytime between November 1 and April 30 of each year. For more information about LEAP, please call 1-866-HEAT-HELP (1-866-432-8435) or visit www.cdhs.state.co.us/leap/index.htm to view the most current program application requirements.

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Foothills United Way's annual Best of the Best Awards recognize companies, organizations and individuals in our community for exceptional leadership, enthusiasm and philanthropic spirit during the annual community support campaign.

The 2008 Best of the Best winners are:

Best Overall Campaign: InfoPrint Solutions Company

Best Campaign Manager: Tom Tribbey, Nordstrom - Flatiron Crossing

Best Campaign Ambassador: Arcelia Molina, Roche Colorado

Best Campaign Committee: Covidien

Best National Campaign: Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp.

United Way thanks all of the award recipients for their leadership, vision, and commitment to creating lasting change in Boulder and Broomfield counties.

December 22, 2008 - Lafayette, CO - Foothills United Way's fifth annual Socks and Mittens Drive was another tremendous success, collecting more than 2,900 cold weather clothing items. The drive, which began November 3 , provided much-needed items that are being distributed to local organizations to help children and adults in need in our community.

This year's drive collected 2392 pairs of socks and mittens, 470 hats and scarves and 75 other assorted clothing items, for a total count of 2,937 items.

Visit the Socks and Mittens page here.

23 local companies and organizations took part this year, inviting their employees and members to donate items. Participants included 7th Day Adventist Church, Agilent Technologies, Brittany Ridge Women's Club, Centennial Lending, FirstBank Longmont, Fischer Chevrolet, Foothills United Way, GE Analytical, Gold Systems, IBM, InfoPrint Solutions Company, Level 3 Communications, Longmont Chamber of Commerce, Longmont Dairy, Medtronic, Micro Motion, nSpire Health, Polycom, St. Vrain Valley Credit Union, Starbucks, Taggart & Associates, and Stephanie Bingham of Whiterock Building, LLC.

In addition, Point 6 out of Steamboat Springs donated 102 pairs of their special merino wool socks to the drive.

The Colorado Nonprofit Association has released two new reports on charitable giving in Colorado. 

The 2008 edition of The State of Giving: A Profile of Individual Giving is the second in a series of statewide studies of philanthropic giving by Coloradoans. Click the image to access the full report, or click here for the Key Findings document.

Generous Colorado: Why Donors Give is the first-ever statewide study of Coloradoans attitudes toward giving, and what factors drive philanthropy in the state.  Click the image to access the full report, or click here for the Key Findings document.

The Foothills United Way Blog brings you the latest news and commentary about Foothills United Way.  You can also discuss the local happenings, events, and news.

Current hot topic:  Vote Yes on Worthy Cause 1B

Connect to the Blog here.

You can also keep up with Foothills United Way through our YouTube page, and you can connect to us on Facebook.

August 15, 2008 - Lafayette, CO - The rain soaked everything in sight, but it couldn't dampen the spirits or giving attitudes of hundreds of local volunteers today. Foothills United Way's Day of Caring, long-known as one of the largest one day volunteer effort in Boulder and Broomfield Counties, recorded its biggest event ever - despite the weather.

Approximately 940 volunteers turned out to do volunteer projects, donating more than 3,700 hours and more than $73,000 worth of work to local nonprofits and other organizations. All are records for Day of Caring.

"What an amazing group of people! Today really puts into action our Live United theme," said Barbara Pingrey, President and CEO of Foothills United Way. "Together, we can do much more than any one of us alone and the efforts of hundreds of volunteers have certainly shown that. Countless lives have been influenced today, and that will have an enormous ripple effect throughout our communities."

Those hundreds of volunteers represent several local business and organizations, including Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Broomfield Sports and Entertainment (Broomfield Events Center), CableLabs, Covidien, IBM, Level 3 Communications, Lexmark, Lockheed Martin, and many more. Together, they completed approximately 87 projects benefitting 47 local organizations.

This year's Day of Caring projects included:

• --rebuilding an outdoor mounting area at Colorado Therapeutic Riding Center
  --packing and delivering "blizzard bags" and other food items to clients of Longmont Meals on Wheels and Meals on Wheels of Boulder
  --painting the gymnasium at the YMCA of Boulder Valley
  --sorting and organizing food donations at Sister Carmen Community Center in Lafayette
  --salvaging and recycling old water valves at Midway Park in Broomfield.

The projects were followed by a picnic for the volunteers at Boulder's Gateway Park Fun Center. In addition to celebrating the volunteer spirit of our community, the Day of Caring Picnic served as the official kickoff of Foothills United Way's 2008 Community Support Campaign. Donations made during the annual campaign each year provide the bulk of funding for critical needs addressed by United Way's partner programs in the community.

Gold level event sponsors for Day of Caring 2008 are: Covidien, Faegre & Benson LLP, IBM, InfoPrint Solutions Company, Premier Members Federal Credit Union, Pasta Jay's and Roche Colorado. Silver Sponsor: Longmont United Hospital. Bronze Sponsor: Lexmark International.

February 6, 2008 – Boulder, CO – Foothills United Way (FHUW) honored its volunteers, donors and corporate and community partners at its annual meeting, held today at The Boulder Broker Inn.     

The annual meeting celebrated the organization’s successes of 2007.  Among the highlights: 

• Foothills United Way was named Business of the Year by the Lafayette Chamber of Commerce.
• Working in partnership with the an action group formed following the most recent Youth risk Behaviors Study, FHUW began the process of creating a parent education series that will be taken into the workplace for parents to look at issues around youth risk behaviors.
• As a collaborator with Boulder County Aging Services and its Community Leaders Council, FHUW and 211 Colorado began working to improve access to services for seniors as part of the Aging Services Strategic Plan.
• Foothills United Way and United Ways across the state came together to form the Birth-to-Five Alliance to engage Colorado United Ways and business leaders in policy regarding early childcare and early education.
• The fourth annual Socks and Mittens Drive brought in a record 3100 items that were distributed to 12 partner agencies, assuring children and adults alike warm dry clothing during the cold winter months.
• The Foothills United Way Foundation, a supporting organization of FHUW, distributed $100,000 in grants in 2007 to help support such things as establishing a Latina Outreach Project at Blue Sky Bridge, launching a new class of Dreamers at the I Have a Dream Foundation of Boulder County, increasing the number of slots for low-income children in Longmont Headstart and investing in the capital campaigns at Intercambio de Comunidades and Project YES. Since its inception in 2000, the Foundation has invested $568,000 in the community from the earnings on its endowment.  

The meeting featured the addition of four new members to the FHUW Board of Directors.  Those elected to posts were:

• Jon Kottke, attorney-at-law and Partner, Kottke & Brantz
• Carol Lathrop, former co-owner, Rental Center of Louisville and member, Boulder County Business Hall of Fame
• Victoria Marschner, Certified Public Accountant