Dear Community:
A Quarterly Report on Impact
Winter 2024
Dear Community,
We would like to take the time to express our gratitude for the generous support from the Denver Public Schools Foundation. Oakland Elementary School was so fortunate to receive funding from multiple DPS Foundation initiatives, including the A to Z Fund, Educators Take Flight, and New Arrivals Fund. All of these funds have had a profound impact on our school community. Our teachers have benefited from professional development opportunities, enhancing their instructional skills and fostering innovative learning strategies. Students have gained access to educational resources and experiential learning experiences, sparking curiosity and creativity. Additionally, the funding has enabled us to launch initiatives promoting equity, inclusivity and social-emotional growth, ensuring a supportive environment for all students. Overall, the DPS Foundation’s investment has elevated teacher confidence, student engagement and academic achievement. Thank you so much for your support of our students!
– Monica Gonzalez Reyes, Literary Interventionist/Senior Team Lead at Oakland Elementary School and Gabriela Quiroga-Beck, Principal at Oakland Elementary School
Initiatives
Community Hubs
“I think we are touching generations that we might not even meet. We are educating parents, we are breaking those historical cycles within the community, and they are going to have better jobs and be better educated. Maybe we won’t see the full impact now but in generations to come, their life might be different for good.” – Hubs Staff Member
Educators Take Flight
Thanks to the generous support from DPS Foundation’s official airline, United Airlines, our Educators Take Flight program provides the opportunity for Denver Public Schools educators to travel by air to enhance their perspectives and learn from experts in their field so they can improve outcomes for students.
Here are some highlights of the impact of our Educators Take Flight program for this calendar year:
- Six total review cycles in 2024 (January, March, May, July, September, & November)
- 85,788 miles traveled roundtrip to 15 different states
- 39 vouchers booked, totaling $57,525 in voucher credits
Let's Get Reel: The DPS Foundation Impact
The DPS Foundation’s A to Z Fund has given more than $2.95 million to schools since its inception in 2006! DPS educators have used this money in creative and fun ways over the years, including support for a variety of projects and programs, musical instruments, field trips, and so much more.
Hear about the impact of DPS Foundation’s A to Z Fund at Hamilton Middle School with music teacher, Priscilla Shaw, and DPS Foundation Board Member, Alanna McKiernan during this iteration of DPS Foundation’s Let’s Get REEL video series!
Events
Insider's Event
The Denver Public Schools Foundation hosted a virtual event to get an Insider’s Look at Afterschool Programs at DPS and explore the afterschool support for both students and families. The DPS Foundation supports afterschool programs to help provide a safe and academically supportive space for DPS students, where they can have fun and have the opportunity to engage in enriching educational activities.
Educator Housing
The partnership between DPS Foundation, GrandPeaks and AvalonBay has given me an incredible year of teaching and a stress free living situation. With the rising cost of living in Denver, I am forever grateful for the financial stresses they took off my plate, and I am a better teacher every day because of it!
DPS Foundation is thrilled to announce a partnership with Grand Peaks Property Management Company, which will be providing free housing at Skyline at Highlands for 10 DPS classroom teachers! Additionally, DPS Foundation has announced a second partnership with AvalonBay Communities (pictured above), which will be providing free housing at Avalon Governor’s Park for up to five DPS classroom teachers!
This partnership is a great example of what happens when creative philanthropy comes together to support our community. Our hope is that others will be inspired by Grand Peaks’ and AvalonBay’s generosity to also find unique solutions to support public schools, educators and students and to bring this idea to new heights.
Partner Highlight
"The now functional and vibrant library learning space at Ashley Elementary School was designed to encourage excitement about education and expand the school’s resources and footprint for educational programming. In addition to the transformed library, the Broncos Foundation is proud to support ongoing intensive reading education efforts through Reading Partners Colorado as well as book ownership and personal libraries for each student. This triumvirate approach to support literacy at Ashley through increased access to books, additional educational supports, and a transformed library space will provide students and educators with the necessary resources for a successful and inspirational academic environment."
Ashley Elementary hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony in late October for their newly refurbished school library, made possible by the generous support of the Denver Broncos Foundation and their partnership with Heart of America! The updated space will be a valuable resource for enhancing the school’s Reading Partners program, hosting meetings, and providing students with a fantastic new area to enjoy books, activities, and learning.
The celebration also included a Scholastic Book Fair, sponsored by the Denver Broncos Foundation, allowing every student to select three books to take home at no cost, in addition to a donation of books for the school.
A special thank you to DPS Foundation Board Member, Allie Engelken, for her continued support of DPS students and educators!
DPS Foundation in the Community
DPS Foundation team members have been busy spending time in the Denver community, including school visits to present awards to educators who recently received grants from our A to Z Fund initiative (top left photo). We also participated in the Godsman Elementary School’s Trunk or Treat event in October. Many thanks to DPS Foundation Board Members, Joe Fortna and Dan Galemba (bottom left photo) for joining us to hand out candy to the treat-or-treaters!
DPS Foundation President & CEO, Sara Hazel, participated as a panel speaker in the Building Fundraising Relationships session at the Connecting Colorado 2024 event with the Colorado Nonprofit Association, along with other DPS Foundation staff in attendance (bottom right photo). Our team members also joined the Association of Fundraising Professionals – Colorado Chapter for National Philanthropy Day last month to celebrate many outstanding honorees (top right photo). We were especially excited to spend the day celebrating former DPS Foundation Board Member and past Chair Jeanne Saunders and her husband Dick Saunders, who were honored as this year’s Outstanding Philanthropists!
