December Peak News
Your Incredible Impact
We are constantly amazed and inspired by the generosity of our community, and there is no day more powerful than Colorado Gives Day.
This year, 808 individuals contributed to Urban Peak for an incredible total of $283,007.40, the most we’ve ever raised for Colorado Gives Day! Every single donor helped us achieve this remarkable amount. Every single dollar donated throughout the year allows Urban Peak to provide shelter, housing, individualized case management and more, transforming the lives of the brave and resilient youth who walk through our doors.
You are #TheSpark that ignites the potential in youth to exit homelessness and create self-determined, fulfilled lives. Thank you for making this year another incredible one!
Heidi and Victor Bolden have a jolly good time making their gingerbread house. 📸 Evan Semón Photography
Holiday Fun with the Denver Broncos!
Let’s go Broncos!! In December, players from the Denver Broncos positively made our youths’ month when they stopped by The Spot for some hot cocoa, gingerbread house decorating and good conversation. It was great to be able to hang out with players like Russell Wilson, Brett Rypien, Lloyd Cushenberry and more just to have some uncomplicated fun for a few hours. One youth, Heidi, was positively starstruck every time a new player showed up! She was definitely not the only one, just the most visible. 😂
Itzel and Russell Wilson pose with their gingerbread creation.
Things started out relatively tame, but by the end of the evening the gingerbread house decorating had turned into a fierce contest between teams of players and youth. Heidi and Victor Bolden made a mad dash to finish in time, but ultimately it was Itzel and Russell Wilson who came out on top with their meticulously crafted masterpiece.
We are so grateful for our partnership with the Broncos and to the players for taking time out of their intense and busy schedules to #BeTheSpark and have some holiday fun with our youth. Go Broncos!
'Tis the Season for Cozy Eats
Urban Peak is ushering in the coming cold season with the second installment of our community cookbook: Cozy Edition! This second version encompasses recipes that will help keep you cozy and warm in the cold weather, with plentiful soup, cheese and bread. Pick your favorite recipe and channel your Urban Peak spirit this winter while cooking these recipes submitted with love by our youth and staff!
Perhaps the next edition will be Spring-focused? Stay tuned to find out and have a cozy holiday!
Peak Spotlight
Urban Peak was thrilled to welcome volunteers from Xcel Energy to The Spot this month for their 4th annual holiday party with us.
Our youth and staff look forward to Xcel’s holiday party every year because they always go all out!
This year, we started the day with a full makeover of the Drop-In Center to get in the holiday spirit. Youth like Heidi and Trinity, among others, were eager to join in with our staff and volunteers to help decorate and turn The Spot into a holiday space of their own design.
Once setup was taken care of, youth enjoyed delicious hot cocoa at the cocoa station and some decorated cookies, ornaments, stockings and hats, letting their creativity shine. Some of our youth were all about the cookies (and the frosting, the sprinkles… anything with sugar, basically) while others went the more artsy route and crafted their own ornaments.
It was wonderful to see so many returning faces from Xcel this year as it speaks to both the strong ties between our organizations and, more importantly, the depth of care that Xcel’s staff feel for our mission and our youth. They come in multiple times a year, meet our youth where they’re at and build lasting relationships with folks who do not have many trusted adults in their lives. Thank you, Xcel, and happy holidays!
Partner Highlight
As we head into the last few weeks of 2022, we want to express our gratitude and appreciation for all of Urban Peak’s generous donors, volunteers and meal partners who worked with us to ensure the holiday season would be comforting and memorable for the youth we serve.
Board member Nigel Daniels, Mayor Michael Hancock and Senator John Hickenlooper serving lunch at The Spot.
Over the week of Thanksgiving, we received donations of turkey, stuffing and plenty of tasty sides from generous donors and partners including Shamrock Foods, the Wellshire Presbyterian Church and Ms. Bettys Grandson. We also received a visit from Mayor Michael Hancock and Senator John Hickenlooper who served lunch at The Spot the day before Thanksgiving!
For December, our preferred meal partners Steuben’s and Birdcall are providing our youth with access to hot and delicious meals around the holidays. Steuben’s supplied the food at the Xcel holiday party and Birdcall donated sandwiches for Urban Peak’s holiday parties taking place this week! Our partners at Ben & Jerry’s will also be donating ice cream for the parties. 😋
It's wonderful to receive such consistent and strong support from our partners across Denver and beyond. Of course, we could not be more grateful to our individual supporters, their families and the community at large as well. With your overwhelming support, we have ALL December meal shifts covered! Thank you to everyone for being the spark and making it possible for our youth to have a safe and happy holiday!
It’s Not Too Late!
If you didn’t have a chance to support Urban Peak for Colorado Gives Day, it’s not too late! Join hundreds of friends of Urban Peak, including our partners at BOK Financial who generously made a spot on our behalf that runs on CBS4, and support youth experiencing homelessness in our community by making a gift before the end of the year. All gifts are tax deductible and gifts of $250 or more qualify for an enterprise zone tax credit of 25%.
YOU are the spark!
Youth Spotlight
Troy is a kind-hearted young man with an infectious personality. When Troy arrived at the shelter, he was a bit of a wallflower.
As time passed, though, he grew more comfortable and revealed his bright and boisterous personality. Troy prides himself on the values that he gained from being raised on a farm and will often share stories about farm life. At breakfast, if the eggs aren’t free range; they’re not the eggs for Troy!
Troy is very crafty and often constructs inventions out of random items that he finds. He is a protector and will frequently advocate for himself and his peers. He is currently working on achieving full-time employment, gaining housing either through Urban Peak or possibly with his closest friends, and hopes to go to school for engineering in the near future. You’ve got it, Troy!
