Denver Seniors Give $60,000 for Children Jan. 15, 2004 - Today in Denver, a group of older Metro Denver residents invested $60,000 in the future. Hope for Generations, a giving circle for local seniors, gave its first grants ever to nonprofits serving the community's youngest children. Bright Beginnings, Invest in Kids, and KIND (Kids In Need of Dentistry) each received $20,000 matching grants to help them improve the lives and futures of children from birth through age five. | | About Hope for Generations When Denver resident Jerry Conover started receiving his Social Security checks, he realized he did not need that income for day-to-day living and established Hope for Generations, a fund of The Denver Foundation. Hope for Generations is a fund through which older Metro Denver residents are working together to make a difference in the lives of young children. Contributions from donors are pooled and given to organizations serving children in their earliest years. Research shows that children who receive appropriate help in the critical growth period between ages 0 - 6 dramatically improve their chances of success-socially, emotionally, and intellectually. |
Hope for Generations, a fund of The Denver Foundation, is a group of thirty older residents of Metro Denver who have contributed amounts from $25 to $12,000 to the giving circle. The group's auspicious Board of Directors includes former governor Richard Lamm, former Colorado Republican Party chairman Don Bain, educators Lena Archuleta and Sandra Shreve, Phyllis Coors, Lee Palmer Everding, Harry Lewis, John McLagan, and the group's founder, Denver attorney Jerry Conover. "We wanted to help our community's youngest children," says Conover. "Research shows that every dollar invested in their care and education yields impressive returns over time." The selected groups provide a range of services to young children and their families. Invest in Kids provides a highly-successful nurse home visiting program, through which nurses go regularly to the homes of first-time mothers, beginning in pregnancy, to help them learn how to take care of their babies. Bright Beginnings offers the Warm Welcome program, through which volunteers meet with young families to help them with newborn care and early language development. KIND provides high quality dental care to children who "fall through the cracks" because they aren't eligible for public assistance, and their parents can't afford dental care. Conover, who has 15 grandchildren of his own, said starting Hope for Generations has changed his life and he is looking forward to providing opportunities for the next generation. "This is our generation's way of paying forward. Together, we can make a difference for kids." He and his fellow Board members encourage others to join them by contributing to Hope for Generations. Anyone can donate to the fund at anytime. Donors may choose to give cash or other assets; Jerry and some of the other members of the circle are designating portions of their Social Security payments to Hope for Generations. Donors receive an immediate tax deduction, the opportunity to help young children, and the ability to help determine which organizations receive funding. To donate to Hope for Generations, interested donors can visit the web site at www.denverfoundation.org <http://www.denverfoundation.org> or call Sarah Harrison, Vice President of Advancement at The Denver Foundation, 303.300.1790 ext. 134. About The Denver Foundation
Established in 1925, The Denver Foundation is a community foundation dedicated to improving life in Metro Denver through philanthropy, leadership, and strengthening the community. In 2002, The Denver Foundation awarded $18 million to community organizations, most of which serve residents of the seven-county Metro Denver area. |
