Dear Community,
A Quarterly Report on Impact
JUNE 2024
Dear Community,
A Quarterly Report on Impact
SUMMER 2024
Dear Community,
I’m Jazmine Simon, a recent graduate from Contemporary Learning Academy (CLA). During my time as a DPS student, I was grateful for the many opportunities provided to me, many of which are thanks to DPS Foundation support.
As a younger student, I attended DPS Shakespeare Festival and really found my voice during that time. During my younger high school years, my family and I were also supported by FACE Centers, where we were given financial support and resources during hard times. They helped us pay our electric bills, and provided hygiene and food when my mom fell ill. More recently, I am a volunteer in these same centers, which is a pretty fulfilling full circle moment for me. I can give back to the people who helped me the most.
I also took part in a video that was filmed for the Achieve Gala this year where I shared my background and plans for the future. I want to be a lawyer and advocate for minorities who are disadvantaged by the judicial system. It hits home for me because I’m a young Black woman and surrounded by Black men and women and I don’t want my kids to have the fear I and the rest of my family does. Getting to see that video on the big screen, where more than 900 gala attendees got to hear my story was so powerful — and the evening was really fun too and I got to meet so many different people. It was a once in a lifetime experience.
I also participated in the DPS Foundation Student Grantmaking Committee where we help allocate funds to different student projects. It meant a lot to be a part of this and was a great learning experience too! The DPS Foundation gave me a grant to help me further my education in other ways, like driving school, which my family would not have been able to afford. Fast forward to today, I am a proud graduate of DPS and the newest intern at DPS Foundation! I support the development team by serving as an ambassador at events including speaking engagements, resource fairs, and sporting events. I’m proud to represent the DPS Foundation because they have been integral to the continuation of my education. DPS and DPS Foundation have done a great job of working together to understand the intersectionality of students, they have the right school for whatever students are seeking, and they even help with higher education. They make sure we are ready, and I can’t wait to do my part to help them.
Thanks for making this possible with your continued support! You are making a big difference for students today and tomorrow–and you have made a big difference for me!
Sincerely, Jazmine Simon
achieve gala 2024
DPS Foundation’s Achieve Gala took place on April 11, 2024 where we celebrated An Ode to Our Future. Thank you to all of our sponsors, including Presenting Sponsor, Chevron for making this night possible. Together we raised more than $815,000 in support of DPS students and Schools! This money will also ensure their wellbeing is supported and that DPS educators and families have the resources they need to succeed as well. Nights like our Achieve Gala bring our community together to celebrate our students and their many talents, and make our community better.
The evening was led by two student emcees Jaci, a junior at Manual High School and Charlotte, a senior at East High School. Victor, the evening’s keynote speaker and senior at North High School, shared his experience as a DPS student and the impact his educators and community support has had on his journey. Thanks to our donors, the funds raised at the gala allow the DPS Foundation to continue supporting students like Charlotte, Jaci, Tyjuan, and Victor, through initiatives such as our A to Z Fund, Student Grantmaking Program, and more.
Watch the Gala Recap Video
A to z Fund
DPS Foundation’s A to Z Fund helps ensure educators aren’t spending money out of their own pockets to provide additional (and critical!) resources and experiences for their students. Recently fourth and fifth grade students from Montclair School of Academics and Enrichment were able to make jewelry thanks to a grant. This does much more than provide a new art and learning opportunity.
Their teacher shared, “The financial support of the DPS Foundation allowed me to provide highly engaging new materials for my students to use and take home. I had far fewer behavior problems when every student was engaged in making something special which they designed.”
A student shared in the excitement stating, “I loved making a brass necklace and I still wear it every day!”
student Grantmaking Committee
In the first round of Student Grantmaking, the committee of six students from four high schools worked to help determine where the funds should be directed. With this valuable student feedback DPS Foundation awarded more than $13,000 to students and groups for either individual grants or student-led grants. This initial grant was made possible thanks to DPS Foundation board member Rebecca Grant Zarret and her husband Scott Zarret. A couple examples of what the funds will support include:
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- Cruz Rivera from West High School; $3,000 to remove barriers and increase participation in the DPS Department of Technology Services student internship/apprenticeship program
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- Sara Marquez from North High School; $730 to start their Northstar Ambassador Program, which is a program that provides new-to-country students with student ambassadors who have bilingual and community-building skills
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community Hubs
DPS Community Hubs are an initiative that DPS Foundation helps fund, thanks to community support. Community Hubs are the one-stop hub that connects families and our community with free services to increase their economic self-sufficiency and academic success. These hubs have played a critical role in welcoming new arrival students and their families to the Denver community during the 2023-24 school year.
As of May 2024, the Community Hubs have 600 families currently taking ESL (English as a second language classes) and 47 GED graduates. The hubs have connected over 80 DPS parents to jobs in the community (some within the district and some at external agencies). A big thank you to Western Union Foundation for their support of the GED in Spanish class! The Community Hubs staff is also planning to further expand their services by opening a food market at the southwest location in the coming months.
- The hubs have supported more than 3,000 individuals this year
- Funding has supported two of the four Clayton Play & Learn programs. Across the four classes, there were 44 participants this year. Thank you to the Buell Foundation for making this important opportunity possible for our families!
- The Village at CLA: Approximately 250 individuals have been supported by The Village this past year. This could include wraparound supports that meet students where they are on their educational and career journeys by connecting them with mental health counseling, mentoring, post-secondary counseling, housing, food and clothing support, as well as work opportunities and General Educational Development (GED) programming
New Arrivals, Student and Family Fund
The DPS Foundation’s New Arrivals, Student & Family Fund works to ensure new DPS families are supported as they enter the Denver community so that new to country students have the resources they need to become leaders and societal contributors.
DPS President & CEO Sara Hazel shared, “It was a goal of ours to get these funds sent directly to schools as quickly as possible so that we could support these critical needs immediately. These funds have proven to be crucial for nurturing the academic growth and well-being of our Denver Public Schools students and their families, especially those who are new to the community.”
Since launching the New Arrivals, Student & Family Fund, DPS Foundation awarded nearly $455,000 directly to schools. These funds have supported things like:
- Grants to DPS schools for much needed resources and supplies
- Multilingual Education Department, which has been supporting the schools and students with testing, resource allocation, and immediate needs
- 1,100 literacy bags for students at three DPS schools for their students in K-3rd grade to help increase reading & literacy comprehension
- Denver Health Mobile Health Units, which are supporting well-care checks, vaccines, and health support for new arrival students at Community Hubs on a weekly basis
The New Arrivals Grant has benefitted many families in our community. Our school has been able to purchase items to meet specific needs. One family shared that the clothing and shoes they received have given them dignity and pride. This mother shared that her children feel more confident in their new clothes and shoes that fit them correctly as she has worried about meeting the needs of her growing children. Others also shared that the laundry detergent and other cleaning products have made such a difference in them being able to maintain a clean and healthy home for their families.
$1 Million fund
The $1 Million Fund was made possible by an accumulation of community support–whether donors gave $10, $100 or $10,000–every dollar counted to make big things happen for our schools.
As we wrap up the $1 Million Fund that was launched in 2020-2021, we wanted to share one of the many stories of success. At Monarch Montessori, support was used to grow a Spanish-English dual language track for grades 1 through 3, bridging the achievement gap for Latino students in Far Northeast Denver. Hear from a DPS parent on what support from the fund meant for their child.
The New Arrival Grant has benefitted many families in our community. Our school has been able to purchase items to meet specific needs. One family shared that the clothing and shoes they received have given them dignity and pride. This mother shared that her children feel more confident in their new clothes and shoes that fit them correctly as she has worried about meeting the needs of her growing children. Others also shared that the laundry detergent and other cleaning products have made such a difference in them being able to maintain a clean and healthy home for their families.
Thank you to the collective support of the community for making this possible! With the trust of our generous donors, DPS Foundation ensures donations to support the area of greatest need make a true impact for students, educators and families. Donor and DPS Foundation board member Vanecia Kerr shares, “Supporting DPS Foundation not only ensures students have the materials they need to succeed in the classroom but it also provides other benefits as well. Your support ensures students have access to social emotional learning and life skills, which is critical to a well-rounded education and ultimately success throughout life.”
Impact By The Numbers
DPS Foundation in the Community
DPS Foundation team members have continued spending time out in the Denver community as the 2023-24 school year wraps up, including school visits to present awards to educators who recently received grants from our A to Z Fund initiative. The team also helped build bikes for students with Wish for Wheels and put together amenity kits with our Educators take flight partner, United Airlines. DPS Foundation staff also attended recent community events, including Spanish GED Graduation, DPS Student Voice and Leadership Challenge 5280 and the Emily Griffith Foundation’s Women in Trades event, and more!
