A letter from board secretary A. Joseph Rosica.
Dear Friends,
Though our board members share similar goals like striving to ease the effects of poverty and ensuring our local children are kindergarten ready, part of what makes our board unique is that our approaches, our personalities, and our communities are all different. We may all carry an equal commitment to ethics and developing the next generation of leaders, but each one of us also brings distinctive life experience and point of view to the work we do. We also bring varying ideas for how to continue the legacy left by William G. McGowan. We have all been shaped by our backgrounds, the professions we’ve pursued, and the individuals who helped us grow. It is these details that, when brought together, make our board strong and productive.
Personally, I’ve been able to channel my almost 15 years of experience as the communications director of Presidential Classroom, a civic education nonprofit program for high school students, into my work with the Fund. As it was a small organization, I had to wear many hats; I did everything from taking the photos for our first website to managing media relations during turbulent times. Nonprofits are always working with limited funds and often limited personnel, and I had a chance to feel this firsthand. I know how hard the people doing these jobs are working, how long the hours are, and how much energy our grantees are putting in to keep things running smoothly.
In this issue of our newsletter, we’re featuring The Delores Project, an organization the Fund has been supporting for many years. Though most nonprofits struggled during early COVID, The Delores Project saw the need for services like theirs grow and made a commitment to grow alongside it. They knew they could help improve the lives of people experiencing homelessness and, in much the same way we do, put their efforts behind building sustainable futures for the people they help. One night of assistance wasn’t enough; they wanted to support their struggling neighbors build lives they could be proud of.
Our board members look at the outcomes presented by potential grantee organizations and try to find ones that not only align with our values, but also the rare few that also make a great difference within their community. I am so lucky that there are many here in Denver and Eagle County, including The Delores Project, SOS, Warren Village, and BrightHouse at Bright Future Foundation. All fall proudly within Bill McGowan’s legacy of building hope through opportunity; I would encourage all potential grantees to learn about Bill’s legacy and consider what he built when they apply.
Bill McGowan’s generosity has helped so many, and it’s also allowed me to keep a foot in the nonprofit world, even as my work has taken me away from it. I have been a part of this foundation, in one way or another, since its inception, and I’ve been able to see new generations bring new conversations to the table. I’m proud of what we have done already, but I’m even more excited to see what we can accomplish next.
Sincerely,
