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CREW Denver Community Outreach Committee

Community Outreach Committee for 2010

Co-Chairpersons
Tonya Schloemer - E*TRADE FINANCIAL (Contact)

Lisa Kissler - Catamount Constructors Inc. (Contact)

CREW Denver Director of Community Affairs
Angela Feddersen Heinze - RNL Architecture (Contact)

Members
Sumaya Vanderhorst

Keely Downs

Dawn MacKinnon
Andrea Ackerman
Tetyana Hinkson

Terri Rithner

Nicole Gorham

Meaghan Turner

Dorothy Fatovic

Marie Kline

Robin Kupka

Betsy's Cupboard/Gathering Place - January through March, 2010

During the months of January through March of 2010, the Community Outreach Committee will be accepting donations at CREW events to stock Betsy’s Cupboard at the Gathering Place.

Please save up your unused bottles of shampoo and other toiletries listed below for the CREW Denver toiletries drive to benefit the Gathering Place Betsy’s Cupboard

Personal Supplies

Deodorant*

Lotion*

Toothbrushes and toothpaste*

Tampons/Pads*

Shampoo and Conditioner*

Razors *

Hair Care Products

Denture - Polygrip/Efferdent*

Cosmetics for all skin colors

Clothing

New Socks* and Underwear* for Women and Children

Other

Tissues/Kleenex

Toilet paper*

Pedialyte*

* indicates high-need items

Donations will be accepted at the January, February, and March luncheons and breakfasts, as well as at the following two locations:

Downtown – the office of Franke Greenhouse List & Lippitt, LLP – Granite Building, Second Floor, 1228 Fifteenth Street, Denver, Colorado 80202

South –Antoine Du Chez Salon at Park Meadows- 9619 A East County Line Road Englewood, CO 80112

For more information on the Community Outreach Committee’s effort to stock Betsy’s Cupboard at the Gathering Place, please contact Keely Downs Contact or visit the Gathering Place website on www.the-gatheringplace.org.

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WOW (Work Options for Women) hosts its 6th Annual Women Cook! Dining for a Difference on Monday, May 3, 2010. Join women chefs from some of Denver's most notable restaurants for an evening of food, wine, and music. During the walk-around dinner each chef will serve signature small plates while guests meet and speak directly with them - possibly learning secret culinary techniques or obtaining coveted recipes. The evening includes a silent auction and short program.

CREW Denver volunteers are needed for the Women Cook event to assist with hospitality and the silent auction. The CREW Denver Community Outreach Committee is looking for (12) volunteers on Monday, May 3, 2010 at 5:00pm. If you are interested in volunteering with CREW Denver please contact Tonya Schloemer.

To make reservations, please go to Blacktiecolorado.com and use the code noted on the save-the-date card below. For corporate sponsorship information, contact Dan Mondragon at 720-944-1920 or dan@workoptions.org.

Women’s Bean Project Sale a Success

The Community Outreach Committee thanks all CREW members who purchased bean gifts from the Women’s Bean Project holiday gift sale. The event, held in conjunction with the CREW holiday breakfast on December 15, was held at the Ritz Carlton in Denver. The Community Outreach committee sold $775 worth of bean products on behalf of the project.

“It was definitely a success (from a sales perspective) and also a success because we were able to tell such a great group of women about the Bean Project,” said the Director of Development & Marketing for Women's Bean Project Diana Lachiondo, who spoke at the breakfast.

For those who missed the holiday event, Women’s Bean Project gifts are available for purchase year round on their website: www.womensbeanproject.com. Each gift, including delicious food items and jewelry, is homemade by a women working toward self-sufficiency.

Future 2010 Projects:

Quarter 2 – April-June 2010

Work Options for Women - (10) volunteers needed for the Annual Denver top chef’s dinner fundraising event on May 3, 2010. (Set up, silent auction and clean up).

Quarter 3 – July-September 2010

Colorado Cares Day on July 31, 2010 – (CREW Denver working with Project Angel Heart).
Project Angel Heart – Saturday, July 31, 2010 – (4) volunteers needed for prep/cooking 8am-12noon and (6) volunteers needed for food deliveries to receiving homes 1-3pm.

Quarter 4 – October-December 2010

Habitat for Humanity Women Build. Fall build - exact date TBD. Volunteers needed.
Women’s Bean Project (2010 Holiday fundraiser).

2009 Projects

CREW DENVER RACE FOR THE CURE TEAM RAISES $2,985.00

On October 4, 2009, the Komen Denver Race for the Cure celebrated its seventeenth year and welcomed a crowd of over 60,000 participants. The CREW Denver team for the 2009 Komen Denver Race for the Cure, organized by the Community Outreach Committee, made our presence known with our matching CREW Denver hats as well as signs donated by Sign-a-Rama. The CREW team was comprised of Kristin Bronson, Jeremy Bronson, Madeline Bronson, Ryan Bronson, Keely Downs, Dorothy Fatovic, Tetyana Hinkson, Erika Kissler, Lisa Kissler, Maureen Phifer, Tonya Schloemer, Jennifer Stenman, Meaghan Turner, and Kim Bowers. On the race day, CREW Denver members enjoyed an inspirational Sunday morning of walking together to support breast cancer research. The CREW Denver team raised $2,985.00. The Denver Metropolitan Affiliate of Susan G Komen will use the money raised for its three core activities - education, fundraising and grant making. These activities are used to carry out the promise of the National organization — “to save lives, empower people, ensure quality care for all and energize science to find the cures.”

2009 Past Projects

2nd Annual CREW DENVER WOMEN BUILD - HABITAT FOR HUMANITY PROJECT

CREW DENVER PARTICIPATES IN THE 2009 COLORADO CARES DAY PROGRAM AS A ADOPT -A- DAY SPONSOR FOR HABITAT FOR HUMANITY "WOMEN BUILD"

Governor Bill Ritter's Commission on community service held the 11th Annual Colorado Cares Day on Saturday July 25, 2009. As Colorado celebrates its statehood, fellow Colorado residents give back to communities across the state by planning, sponsoring or participating in service projects. CREW Denver participated in the 2009 Colorado Cares Day Program donating and volunteering for Habitat for Humanity.

On Saturday, July 25, 2009, CREW Denver members Karen Samuels Jones, Rachel Vavra, Tetyana Hinkson, Bethany Johnson, Andrea Ackerman, Keely Downs, Lisa Kissler, Alissa Schultz-Campbell and Tonya Schloemer volunteered for the 19th Habitat for Humanity Women Build home. Construction on the Denver, Colorado Women Build home began in May will be finished by end of July 2009.

The Women Build program has been a tradition for Habitat for Humanity since 1995. During Habitat Women Build, the home is planned and built under the leadership of women. The CREW Denver Community Outreach Committees successfully reached our goals as the Women Build Adopt-a-Day Sponsor and brought a group of volunteers to work on a Denver Habitat for Humanity home. CREW Denver donated $2500.00 for the construction materials used on the Women Build house and participated in the physical construction of the exterior landscaping, interior punch list items on the kitchen cabinets, interior doors, painting and blind installations.

2009 Women Build Family - Rodolfo Reyes and his daughter currently live in his mother's house in Denver with his siblings. Rodolfo works at Metco Landscape Inc. and is a Colorado native. He has always aspired to purchase his own home in Denver and today his dream has come true. Rodolfo's Habitat home will be only two doors down from his sister's home. Rodolfo is extremely grateful to Habitat for helping him achieve the dream of home ownership and adds, "I am proud to be able to work on my home and I thank God for this blessing."

Habitat for Humanity Denver was founded by volunteers in 1979, has built over 370 homes in the Denver metro area, housing over 1,500 people. The homes are top-rated energy efficient homes and easy to maintain. Worldwide, Habitat for Humanity has more than 2,300 local affiliates, state support organizations and national organizations in nearly 90 countries. Completing a home somewhere in the world every 10 minutes, Habitat builds nearly 26,000 homes per year around the world. The full sponsorship amount to build a Women Build home is $85,000. Habitat for Humanity has invited CREW Denver back in 2010 to help build another one of their Women Build projects in Denver and be an Adopt-A-Day Sponsor!

The Delores Project - Shelter For Homeless Women

CREW DENVER PARTICIPATES IN THE 2009 COLORADO CARES DAY PROGRAM AS A ADOPT -A- DAY SPONSOR FOR THE DELORES PROJECT

On Saturday, July 25, 2009, CREW Denver members Dorothy Fatovic, Anna Goodrich and Dawn MacKinnon volunteered at The Delores Project. The Delores Project provides safe, comfortable overnight shelter and services to unaccompanied adult women who are homeless and have limited resources. The model of service is one of hospitality, respect, and regard for the dignity of each guest. The Delores Project is named for Delores Big Boy, a Lakota woman who frequently lived on the streets of Denver. Her situation was complicated by health, developmental and substance abuse issues, as well as physical and sexual violence. Although Delores sought aid from various Denver agencies, sadly, she fell through the cracks in the system. Delores died while living on the streets June 8, 1999. In forming the shelter in 2000, the founding members chose to honor her memory with the goal that the shelter would continue the commitment to ensure safe shelter for every woman and support those in transition.

In 2008, The Delores Project served 453 adult unaccompanied women, which is 82% of the total number of individual women counted as homeless in 2007, and with the help of volunteers, the shelter served over 16,800 meals. The Delores Project has provided over 18,000 shelter nights to homeless women who would otherwise be at risk of harm on the streets.

The CREW Denver volunteers performed many tasks for the shelter, including, landscape cleanup and maintenance projects, shelter cleaning services, kitchen and meal preparation assignments and serving the lunch meal. The volunteers also had the unique experience of visiting with various shelter guests during lunch. The staff and guests were extremely grateful for our services and enjoyed the interaction. We also learned about various other volunteer opportunities at the shelter, which can accommodate a variety of schedules.

CREW Denver Clothing Drive for DenverWorks
The CREW Denver Community Outreach Committee organized a clothing drive for DenverWorks during the months of February and March 2009. DenverWorks provides job readiness and training for low-income and unemployed individuals in the Denver community, especially people with barriers to employment in the Denver Metro area. Due to the generosity of the CREW members, Toma West Management, Essex Financial and Snell & Wilmer LLP, all who made available their buildings as drop-off locations, the Community Outreach Committee successfully collected business and business casual attire and accessories for people rejoining or joining the workforce. DenverWorks is extraordinarily appreciative of all items donated and indicated that the need has never been greater. The Community Outreach Committee would like to thank everyone that participated and showed their support for this successful event. Your participation is by no means a "hand out", but is most certainly a "hand up".

2008 Past Projects

Click Here to read about 2008's Race for the Cure. (PDF)