The Metropolitan Football Stadium District Funding may be used for a variety of youth activities programs. One category the Douglas County Youth Initiative and Douglas County Youth Commission are exploring is Prevention/Mentoring. Proposals submitted that fit into this category can be found below.
Project Name: Advocates for Children CASA Kids Needs
Funding Amount Requested: $25,000.00
Funding Awarded: $25,000
Response to Application Questions
1. Describe the agency/organization applying for this funding.
Advocates for Children CASA was established in 1985, serving children who had been abused and neglected and court involvement. Since then we have grown substantially adding programs to help provide prevention support and reduce recidivism rates.
2. Describe the need for this funding. What is the problem/opportunity this program/project would address?
According to the national library of medicine “There is consistent evidence that prosocial involvement has positive developmental impacts.” Funding provided to CASA will ensure children have a CASA/Mentor or funds for activities.
3. What are the goals of the project? How many Douglas County youth will be impacted and what specific impacts or benefits will they receive?
Last year our program served 540 children who are residents of Douglas County. We anticipate increasing this reach. They will have either a dedicated adult taking them on outings or access to funds to participate in extracurricular activities.
4. How would this effort promote access to programs and activities for youth who are underserved in the Douglas County community?
We will provide funding to those who may not have the ability to otherwise engage in prosocial activities because of lack of resources and funding. Currently over 30% of the families we serve in Douglas County qualify for public assistance.
5. How will the effort be promoted to Douglas County youth?
We work with 21 youth serving agencies in Douglas County, Department of Human Services, the Douglas County Courts and Douglas County School District. All of these partners currently provide referrals to our agency for services and resources.
6. How will this project be sustainable and continue to support Douglas County youth after this one-time funding source? What are the plans for the program long term?
Our organization has been in existence for 38 years. We are constantly applying for grants, soliciting donations from individuals and hosting fundraising events to help provide these resources to our children.
Project Name: Youth Mentoring Program
Funding Amount Requested: $60,000.00
Funding Awarded: $60,000
Response to Application Questions
1. Describe the agency/organization applying for this funding.
Denver Area Youth for Christ started in 1944 to meet the needs of youth in the community, focusing on relationship building in schools, juvenile detention centers, as well as growing young leaders within their own communities.
2. Describe the need for this funding. What is the problem/opportunity this program/project would address?
Hopelessness, suicide, anxiety and depression are prevalent among young people. The more trusted relationships a young person possesses the better their resiliency, mental health and well-being. We want to increase those positive outcomes for youth.
3. What are the goals of the project? How many Douglas County youth will be impacted and what specific impacts or benefits will they receive?
Our top priorities are to connect youth to mentors that will help them achieve their goals, provide mental health resources and support and introduce them to a Christ-centered community. Last year we served over 835 young people spanning 6 schools.
4. How would this effort promote access to programs and activities for youth who are underserved in the Douglas County community?
Additional funding allows us to provide rides to events, scholarships to trips, one to one appointments for young people to meet with their mentor, small group activities, teen parenting classes, and free meals for our young people who attend events.
5. How will the effort be promoted to Douglas County youth?
We host breakfasts for all students at 6 different schools in Douglas County. This is where we meet and invite students to attend after-school clubs and fun activities. We are also on resource lists for teen parents as well as system involved youth.
6. How will this project be sustainable and continue to support Douglas County youth after this one-time funding source? What are the plans for the program long term?
We have been serving young people in Douglas County for over 60 years with the help of generous donors and partners. We plan to continue to come alongside and resource young people in our community and hope to expand our efforts to more schools.
Project Name: HardBeauty Hope Youth resilience programming
Funding Amount Requested: $59,568.00
Funding Awarded: $59,568
Response to Application Questions
1. Describe the agency/organization applying for this funding.
HardBeauty Foundation (HBF) is a 501C3 nonprofit organization that provides peer life and recovery coaching services, recovery support services, and pro-social community activities to youth, men, and women ages 14 and up in Douglas County, Colorado.
2. Describe the need for this funding. What is the problem/opportunity this program/project would address?
Grant funding will provide programs dedicated to youths ages 14-24 on the topics of emotional regulation, resiliency, boundaries, life-skills, and personal development. HBF employs 6 certified youth coaches and plans to promote 1 to run this program.
3. What are the goals of the project? How many Douglas County youth will be impacted and what specific impacts or benefits will they receive?
Goals include increasing resiliency in area youths, reducing stigma/shame around family history or personal traumas, creating environment for post traumatic growth, facilitate learning/peer connection through shared experiences. 100 youth served.
4. How would this effort promote access to programs and activities for youth who are underserved in the Douglas County community?
HBF plans to connect with area schools such as DC Oakes, DCHS, Castle View, eDCSD, and into Parker/Highlands Ranch to offer free access to our coaching cohorts, to provide resources and education to young adults in need, and to their parents.
5. How will the effort be promoted to Douglas County youth?
In person, at schools and in areas youth gather via flyers, marketing, t-shirts, social media though targeted advertisement, by connecting with administrators and counseling offices at area high schools to promote these free peer education groups.
6. How will this project be sustainable and continue to support Douglas County youth after this one-time funding source? What are the plans for the program long term?
HBF plans to do youth fundraising, art show fundraiser, and other targeted fundraising to ensure we continue to provide resources to DougCo youth. HBF will continue to apply for funding through regional grant funding, as well as utilizing BHA funding.
Project Name: Middle School Prevention Assemblies in Colorado
Funding Amount Requested: $81,000.00
Funding Awarded: $81,000
Response to Application Questions
1. Describe the agency/organization applying for this funding.
Johnny’s Ambassadors educates teens and parents through school assemblies and parent nights about the dangers of today’s high-THC marijuana on adolescent brain development, psychosis, and suicide. https://johnnysambassadors.org/speaking
2. Describe the need for this funding. What is the problem/opportunity this program/project would address?
Colorado youth use marijuana at higher rates than most states. Because it’s legal and normalized, youth perception of harm is low. Kids start vaping THC and using edibles in middle school, so we need to educate them before they get to high school..
3. What are the goals of the project? How many Douglas County youth will be impacted and what specific impacts or benefits will they receive?
Decrease the intent to use marijuana through one-hour assemblies to the entire student body of every middle school in Douglas County (we have already done most high schools). There are 27 middle schools with a total enrollment of 24,000 students.
4. How would this effort promote access to programs and activities for youth who are underserved in the Douglas County community?
Johnny’s Ambassadors offers primary universal marijuana prevention programs, so every youth in every middle school will receive the same education. Suicide is the #1 cause of death in ages 15-18 in CO, and the #1 substance found in toxicology is THC.
5. How will the effort be promoted to Douglas County youth?
The school assemblies will be scheduled with the middle school administration and counseling office. A letter will go out to parents to give them an opportunity to opt their child out of the assembly (this doesn’t happen often).
6. How will this project be sustainable and continue to support Douglas County youth after this one-time funding source? What are the plans for the program long term?
After the assemblies, the teachers receive worksheets and videos to reinforce the principles in the classroom. After the initial pre/post survey before and after the assembly, a third survey of the students six months later ensures sustainability.
