December Peak News
Check out our website!
We’re thrilled to announce that Urban Peak has rolled out a brand new website, in collaboration with Firewatch Studio. Check it out and let us know what you think!
Unite to Fight for Good
Support can come from all kinds of places, and a recent donation from Eli Bates is an excellent reminder of that. Eli chose to fundraise for Urban Peak as part of Unite to Fight, a “competition of both physical performance and a passion for making a difference,” hosted by Off the Ropes in conjunction with The Corner Boxing Club in Boulder, Colorado. Unite to Fight is an annual charity boxing match where every participant chooses a different non-profit to support.
Without any kind of background in boxing prior to his match, Eli, aka “The Aging Bull,” bravely decided to put himself through months of conditioning and training before stepping into the ring on November 20th. By the end of the night, Eli had raised an incredible $2,833 to support Urban Peak’s youth!
We’re so grateful to have supporters like Eli who are willing to, quite literally, put their necks on the line for our youth. The message he posted to accompany his fighter profile says it all. “The youth are not someone else’s problem; they are part of us, part of our team, and very literally our future.”
Peak Spotlight
U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet recently visited Urban Peak’s Shelter to serve lunch (generously provided by Leven Deli Co.,) alongside Christina Carlson, our CEO. Afterward he held a candid round-table discussion with Urban Peak youth about challenges they’ve faced and their experiences with homelessness. They also talked about their time at Urban Peak and their aspirations for the future. As a former superintendent of Denver's public schools, Bennet was especially keen to hear more about youths' schooling and work experiences and the resources Urban Peak has connected them with.
Senator Bennet in conversation with youth during the round-table discussion at Urban Peak's Shelter.
Giselle, Donnie, Israel and Isaiah were likewise eager to speak their minds about their personal experiences on the streets. Isaiah in particular had much to say about his work at an auto shop and his technical education, while Israel brought up the challenges of getting the vital documents he needs to join the military, a barrier many of our youth face. It was a great opportunity to voice their honest thoughts in a comfortable setting to someone whose only goal was to listen, and we're so grateful to Sen. Bennet for meeting our youth where they are.
Partner Highlight
The holiday season is a good time to give back, and that’s exactly what our awesome partners did last month at Fierce45, a local fitness studio that offers high-intensity and low-impact reformer pilates classes.
Throughout the month of November, Fierce45 hosted a “gratitude challenge” to support our programs, sending us all the proceeds from participants who attended 12 classes between the 1st and the 30th.
Fierce45's fitness studio in RiNo.
Additionally, their classes on Thanksgiving Day were entirely donation-based, and all those donations went toward supporting our mission to ignite the potential in youth to exit homelessness and lead self-determined, fulfilled lives. They raised over $3,000 for Urban Peak!
Huge thanks to everyone in the Fierce45 family for using their physical fitness journeys to spread the good around, and we hope to get our workout on in a class soon! Interested in getting involved with Urban Peak? Email us for more information!
'Tis the Season for a Party
Earlier this month, volunteers from Xcel Energy came to celebrate the holiday season with youth and staff at the Drop-In Center (DIC) for the third year in a row!
Xcel and Urban Peak staff spent the first part of the morning festively decorating the DIC’s main room, and they did such a great job that one youth remarked, “It’s like Santa threw up in here,” (which we can only hope is a good thing). Once the halls were fully decked and the hip-hop Christmas tunes were blasting, youth got to enjoy making their own fancy hot chocolate, as well as stocking and ornament decorations at several different stations. It was a fun time for everyone and we’re so grateful for Xcel’s continuously amazing support of Urban Peak’s youth.
We’re not done though! Every Urban Peak program, from housing to the Shelter to the DIC, will be hosting their own holiday parties in the coming weeks, and we can’t wait to party like it’s the end of the year with our Urban Peak families.
Youth Spotlight
Jazzamine is a caring friend with a sharp mind and a knack for cutting right to the heart of the matter, whatever it may be. Since arriving at Urban Peak’s Shelter, she has found community, safety and support.
Jazzamine is actively working to secure her own apartment and find a job, and some of you may remember her from a recent voicemail asking for Colorado Gives Day donations.
We're so grateful for her help supporting Urban Peak!
