Walking into the West Colfax Avenue office of Kayla Rael Garcia, the first thing you notice is its spartan-like nature. Everything—those few things that you would expect—is perfectly in its place. It is not overstuffed with plaques, awards and kitsch, but simply the nuts and bolts of what she needs to operate.

Photo courtesy: Girls Inc. of Denver

The office is a picture of total efficiency. It’s a reflection of this warm and affable, ready-to-launch sky-rocketing executive. It’s just the way she wants it and a mirror image of the way she operates as CEO of Girls, Inc., of Denver.  

Should politicians get to decide which girls can play sports or what medical care families can choose for their children?

In a new The Denver Post op-ed, our President & CEO Renee Ferrufino explains why Propositions 134 and 135 should concern all Colorado women, not just those directly targeted by the measures. And why we should be focusing on the challenges women say matter most, like making ends meet.

Colorado's budget constraints increasingly restrict the state's options and its future. This piece by our Director of Government Affairs Joshua Mantell cuts through the rhetoric you might have heard and gives you a clear picture of the state of Colorado's budget. It explains how federal and cash funds can distort the scale of budget growth. It shows how state investments haven't kept pace with growth of the economy. And it shows why Colorado needs a broader fiscal response.  

How You Can Help Get People Freed From Detention

Many thanks to Belle Zars of Mountain View Friends Meeting, Greg Mortimer of the Colorado Immigrant Justice Fund, and Brittany Hurley of the Amistad Law Firm for a powerful and informative presentation on how they are helping some people get freed from detention and how you and your congregation/organization can be an important part of that process.

What is the process for getting people freed?

Many detainees qualify to be freed from detention on bond. However, our current administration is making that as difficult as possible -- indeed, getting out on bond, while it is a right belonging to many, is virtually impossible without legal representation.

That's where the Colorado Immigrant Justice Fund (https://www.coloradoimmigrantjusticefund.org) comes in.  CIJF works with skilled, dedicated immigration attorneys who are willing to work for well-below-market fees to help free people from detention.  CIJF pairs qualified detainees with attorneys who represent the detainee (free of any cost to the detainee) to get the detainee out of detention on bond; all legal fees are paid by CJIF.  The attorneys put together the extensive information needed to support an application for getting freed on bond; they also represent the detainee at the bond hearing and at any appeals or other legal actions (such as a habeus corpus petition) that might be necessary to ensure that the detainee is freed. You can learn more about CJIF and their great work in providing the legal representation needed to get people out of detention in this presentation:  https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/17GiBXf2rQHCu5-Ron2SN3z42dpbsSfGad3iS_jyCvek/edit?slide=id.g40a26f0d85f_0_293#slide=id.g40a26f0d85f_0_293

If approved by voters this November, Amendment 87 would generate an estimated $2.7 billion annually for K–12 education, health care, and early childhood care and education by replacing Colorado’s current flat income tax with a graduated structure.

For Colorado’s nonprofit sector, this matters. Nonprofits are being asked to meet growing community needs while navigating reductions in public funding and increased demand for services. After careful consideration, CNA supports Amendment 87 as an opportunity to strengthen investment in critical public services, support stronger state and nonprofit partnerships, and help sustain the services Colorado communities rely on.

We recognize that changes to Colorado’s tax structure involve important tradeoffs and will affect taxpayers differently. We encourage Coloradans to learn more about the measure ahead of the November election.

Read the Full Statement

Our CEO Kayla spent a week in San Diego meeting the people behind our fastest-growing market in person, and came back with a lot to be excited about.

She welcomed two new team members on the ground: Emma Burns, our new bilingual Outreach Coordinator, and Crystal Hilsley, our newest board member (more on her below!). Together, they visited four of our San Diego operators, including Healthy Day Partners, Heaven's Windows, I Love to Glean, and Porchlight Community Services, each doing the work of turning donated produce into meals in their own way.

The trip closed with an evening at Healthy Day Partners' Encinitas headquarters, bringing together gardeners, operators, funders, and staff to celebrate the season.

The highlight? Pam MacCallum was honored as Fresh Food Connect's #1 contributing gardener in the entire country, having donated 1,500+ pounds of homegrown produce to Healthy Day Partners over the past few years.

Growth like this doesn't happen without the community behind it, so a heartfelt thank you to everyone who made the trip possible, especially Bill Hornung of the Harry Chapin Foundation and our partners at Hunter Industries.

After nearly two years away and more than five years since we first imagined what this campus could become, Project Worthmore has officially returned home to The Roots!

The Roots allows us to expand the way we serve our community. Our newly reimagined food market provides a grocery store–style experience where clients can browse fresh produce and culturally familiar foods with greater choice and dignity. Later this year, we will open a medical clinic, expanding access to primary care and helping remove barriers that too often prevent families from receiving the healthcare they need

We are thrilled to report that tax fairness will be on the November ballot! The Colorado Secretary of State informed us earlier this week that we had collected 130,938 valid signatures, exceeding the required threshold both statewide and in each of Colorado's 35 Senate districts. The graduated income tax is on the ballot! That means Colorado voters will decide whether they want to cut state income taxes for 97 percent of Coloradans and raise them on those making more than $500,000 a year. The graduated income tax measure would bring in $2 billion annually that will be used for child care, healthcare, and K-12 education. Members of the Protect Colorado's Future coalition, which has backed the measure, are ebullient and energized for the next two months of campaigning.