A Precious Child
A Precious Child provides children in need with opportunities and resources to empower them to achieve their full potential. A Precious Child is more than a Resource Center; it is a one-stop shop for families in crisis to receive the goods, opportunities and resources they need, including clinical case management. These additional resources provide more than a bandage of services; they provide the foundation families require to become empowered to achieve their full potential, for children to grow up to be a secure, self-reliant, contributing member of their community. Since 2008, A Precious Child has aided more than 341,000 children throughout the Denver Metro eight-county area, helping families begin the path to becoming self-sustaining and end multigenerational poverty.
“With multiple children attending school, it has lifted a lot of stress off my shoulders. This program has prepared my children and has motivated them to get ready for school. Hands down, this program makes people feel encouraged that school is not a burden but an opportunity. This is a gift in so many more ways than just logistical (even though that is significant as well)! We are so grateful for all your effort for our family and our community.”
Cobbled Streets
Cobbled Streets provides life-changing experiences, opportunities and relationships for children in foster care. The organization’s vision is to inspire a more compassionate, trauma-informed foster care experience and eliminate the pipeline from foster care to homelessness. Funds will be used to directly support the involvement of foster youth in things like sports teams, art programs, camps and much more.
“We work to give youth in foster care a childhood the way it ought to be. One filled with life-changing experiences, opportunities, relationships and joy! Thanks to the generosity of the Get Grounded Foundation we can expand our services to more than 200 children and teens in Colorado. Our programs give youth in foster care the opportunity to explore their passions, have hope for the future and to thrive.”
Denver Children’s Advocacy Center
Denver Children’s Advocacy Center (DCAC) was founded in 1995 after over 300 professionals in Denver came together to report that child victims of sexual abuse and domestic violence were “falling through the cracks” in a system that was supposed to help them. They work to prevent child abuse, strengthen families and restore childhood through integrated, research-based programming. DCAC serves children ages 0-17 in Denver, Adams, Arapahoe and Jefferson Counties with a special focus on serving monolingual Spanish-speaking children. It serves a diverse population of clients, of which 95% are estimated to be low-income.
“DCAC is excited to receive funding from the Get Grounded Foundation to create therapeutic outdoor spaces for the children and families we serve. These areas will provide a space for clients to relax as they wait for services and will be used for direct mental health counseling. This outdoor expansion makes a great addition to our campus by adding outdoor spaces which will provide more calming environments where children and families can engage in therapy.”
Denver Inner City Parish
The Denver Inner City Parish (DICP) loves and supports individuals and families in our community, empowering them to break the cycle of poverty. The word parish means “community” and the DICP is committed to community. DICP serves the communities of the Denver metro area. The new Greens-N-Grains Community Nutrition Program will expand DICP’s existing hunger relief and nutrition education programming. DICP will distribute food and provide nutrition education at school and community events using its mobile food truck platform.
“Support from the Get Grounded Foundation will allow Greens-N-Grains the needed capacity to distribute over 20,000 healthy meals to children in the Greater Denver area.”
Developmental FX
Developmental FX works to transform the lives of children and families affected by neurodevelopmental disorders so they can live to their fullest potential. The mission of Developmental FX is to prepare children with developmental differences for a bright future of engaged belonging by equipping them, their families, therapists and teachers via innovative programs. Funds will support the expansion of the Wraparound Initiative serving children who are impacted by learning and developmental disabilities, as well as support their families through clinical therapy, support programs, training, and outreach to others in their ecosystem.
“These are challenging times for all of us, but youth who are at the intersection of developmental disabilities, mental health issues, and economic insecurity have been impacted at a much higher level than children who do not face these barriers in their daily lives. We appreciate that The Get Grounded Foundation is recognizing the need to support these vulnerable children by renewing its partnership with Developmental FX for a second year. This grant will enable us to provide enhanced, individualized support to young people with developmental and mental health challenges and help them build capacity, overcome obstacles, and thrive.”
Fill the Void: Amp the Cause to End Hunger
Fill the Void’s mission is to relieve all insecurities surrounding children’s access to food by filling the gaps that currently exist in our community. In partnership with Denver Public Schools and Aurora Public Schools, Fill the Void provides $250 grocery gift cards to the most vulnerable and negatively impacted Title 1 school families suffering from hunger and food insecurity due to poverty, economic turmoil, job loss, housing insecurity, the impacts of the pandemic and immigration barriers. Funds will be used to expand Fill the Void’s program to help more children in need.
“We are immensely grateful for the generosity of the Get Grounded Foundation to provide funds to Fill the Void: Amp the Cause to End Hunger. This grant means that 10 families will be able to provide food and resources to their children. After a recent distribution, a family reached out to say thank you: ‘her fridge was nearly empty the day that she received the grocery card, and she was able to fill it that same day because of Fill the Void: Amp the Cause to End Hunger. It was life changing.’ Thanks to the Get Grounded Foundation, families have the dignity to go to the grocery store and purchase whatever they need; they are able to fill their fridges.”
Food for Thought
Food for Thought Denver is a local, 100% volunteer organization that packs food for children at Title 1 schools in the Denver area every Friday during the school year so kids don’t go hungry over the weekend. Each week, individuals, students and corporate volunteers gather to fill PowerSacks, which contain enough non-perishable food items to feed a family of four for the weekend. Food for Thought’s vision is to ultimately live in a community where weekend hunger is no longer a roadblock in a child’s path to success. Funds will be used to purchase food for Food for Thought’s PowerSacks program, allowing the organization to increase its reach.
“We feed hungry kids. Period. We have no staff. We have no overhead. But what we do have is a lot of damn love for these kids. We currently supply weekend food bags to 72 schools during the school year for students who qualify for federal free and reduced lunch programs. These students come from families with an average income of $29K or less. It is funds from all our donors, including the Get Grounded Foundation, that make it possible to ensure that when that school bell rings on Friday at 3 p.m. these kids will go home knowing they have a bag of food to help feed their family over the weekend. That makes my day a little brighter.”
Friends of Slavens School
Friends of Slavens School (FOSS) funds student education at Slavens K-8 in Denver for programs that are no longer receive adequate funding through the public education system, such as STEM instruction and state of the art STEM lab, dance, art, music, foreign language and athletics.
“We are honored that your team selected FOSS as a recipient of this grant opportunity. This grant allows our school to incorporate more yoga into the dance curriculum that our non-profit organization supports. The COVID-19 pandemic (and the disruption to students’ learning environment) placed additional stress on students, including Slavens’ students. FOSS believes that students will benefit from yoga instruction now more than ever before.”
Hunger Free Colorado
Hunger Free Colorado, a statewide nonprofit organization, connects people to food resources to meet existing needs and drives policy, systems and social change to end hunger. We envision a day when every Coloradan has equitable access to the nutritious food needed to thrive and reach their full potential.
“Hunger Free Colorado is thrilled to partner with the Get Grounded Foundation in our work to reduce childhood hunger. Our Promotora Child Nutrition Initiative now has more resources to reach additional Latino communities with linguistically and culturally appropriate messages that will promote student participation in healthy school meal programs.”
Illuminate Colorado
Illuminate Colorado strengthens families, organizations, and communities to prevent child maltreatment and it serves as the state affiliate of five national organizations, including Prevent Child Abuse America, the National Alliance for Drug Endangered Children, the National Organization for Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders, Darkness to Light, and Circle of Parents. This grant will be used to support the implementation and growth of Bloom Yoga, a trauma-informed family yoga program, to broader audiences across the Denver Metro Area.
“In every conversation these days, whether personally or professionally, we find people feeling overwhelmed and stressed. Bloom Yoga offers unique trauma-informed yoga sessions that help promote family functioning and resilience, nurturing and attachment, as well as social and emotional development. When we have these skills needed to regulate our reactions in the moment, we can heal from trauma and build brighter childhoods.”
PlatteForum
At PlatteForum, youth and professional artists collaborate on long-term, intensive projects, where they explore a wide array of social issues together and take creative risks in a safe and inclusive environment. In the process, youth participants develop academic, professional, social/emotional, leadership and personal skills that stay with them forever. Funds will be used to support expansion of PlatteForum’s collaborative project serving low-income youth, in partnership with Colfax Community Network.
“Thank you so much for the amazing experience! The kids all learned so much, and it is so lovely to see how excited they were to display their artwork. We would look forward to our continued collaboration!” ~ Colfax Community Network staff member on partnership with PlatteForum
SOAR
SOAR (Seeing Our Adolescents Rise) helps adolescents rise above life’s challenges and conquer difficult roadblocks, so they become strong and successful members of our community. SOAR includes community mentorship, counseling, educational support, and tutoring or educational services to adolescents with interactive and fun-based workshops, shadowing programs, one-on-one and group counseling, life skills education, and college preparation using life experiences and community engagement activities as a resourceful aid.
“We are excited to have the financial support to expand the therapeutic adventure activities that we offer such as horseback riding, archery, kayaking and hiking. We’re looking to provide new opportunities for our youth, as we’ve seen firsthand how adventure activities allows them to let their guards down and stimulates positive self-esteem, resilience, social development, and increases their overall self-worth.”
The Urban Farm (TUF)
As a working farm and education center, TUF serves as an outdoor classroom, a living laboratory, and an exhibit all in one. TUF hosts over 100 animals including horses, goats, poultry, and sheep, as well as a riding arena, community garden, aquaponic greenhouse, Freight Farm, and .75 acre vegetable farm. Funds from the Get Grounded Foundation will help establish a new year-round equine assisted therapy program with the goal of breaking the cycle of child abuse and trauma by providing youth a safe environment to heal and equipping them with the physical, emotional, and spiritual skills to lead healthy, productive lives.
Youth Seen
Youth Seen fosters and empowers the social and emotional well-being of LGBTQI youth and their families in all communities. Youth Seen provides services around decolonized mental health and well-being, case management, peer to peer support services, JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion) trainings and Camp YS. Within the mental health and well-being services Youth Seen is making it increasingly accessible to the community by offering affordable therapy and providing small classes that promote healing such as yoga, energy work and movement. Youth Seen specifically seeks to co-create models of support that are organized by, with, and for QTBIPoC and LGBTQ community to explore, redefine, and practice both individual and collective healing.