Dear DPS Supporters,
The Denver Public Schools Foundation has had an exciting few months! With the school year now over, it is a time of reflection. I am so grateful for the continued support of our dedicated staff, Board of Directors, and community members. Without all of you, it would be impossible to reach our vision of Every Child Succeeds.
I was welcomed into this role in April with a spectacular evening where we had almost 1,000 attendees at the Achieve Gala 2016 and raised over $900,000 in support of DPS! I felt the energy in the ballroom that night and the support of all who attended was inspiring. We are so lucky to have such dedicated champions of Denver students. I look forward to seeing you next year at the Achieve Gala 2017, on April 27, where we’ll be celebrating 25 years of supporting Denver Public Schools.
Just last month, I joined over 200 DPS colleagues and friends in running a race in the Colfax Marathon. We exceeded our fundraising goal and raised over $18,000 for DPS students and schools! We received many generous gifts from school partners last month as well. A big thank you to Noble Energy and the Denver Broncos for their generous Red Zone gift which will help all students and schools! We also made major strides in advancing our efforts to get students prepared for life after high school thanks to a generous donation from Lockheed Martin partnered with Project Lead The Way.
We’ve gotten a chance to see the tremendous impact in classrooms that received funding from our A to Z Fund grants. It is such a joy to see a student’s eyes light up as he is learning about engineering and gravity through a fun program like LEGO Engineering Club. Our Power Lunch volunteer program just ended and we are so thankful for the impact the reading buddy volunteers made on our first and second grade students. Thanks to the help of these volunteers, students in those classrooms have become more confident readers.
Looking back reminds me of how much we have achieved this school year. I would like to take the opportunity to once again thank the staff for all of their hard work. Looking forward, I am excited as 2017 marks a very special year for the DPS Foundation; a year where we celebrate 25 years of supporting DPS students and schools. I am proud of all that the foundation and Denver Public Schools have accomplished in the last 25 years and am constantly reminded of the many more needs yet to be met.
I wish all of you a healthy and engaging summer as we continue to work fiercely to bridge the gap in funding for public education.
Today and always for OUR kids,
Verónica Figoli
President & CEO
Denver Public Schools Foundation