The Donna Hultin Excellence Award was created by the Rotary Club of Denver in 2008 to honor Donna’s 28 years of dedicated service to Denver Kids, Inc. and her service to Rotary. The annual $500 cash award recognizes one high achieving graduating high school senior who is part of the Denver Kids mentoring program and is college bound. Qualifications include demonstrated academic achievement, excellence in attendance, community service, leadership ability and a positive attitude. For the past 12 years the award was funded annually by the Rotary Club of Denver and for the last two years, this award was matched by a Denver Rotarian and the Hultin Family for a total scholarship of $1,000.

Donna’s husband, Wally Hultin, recently approached the Denver Rotary Club Foundation to create an Endowment to ensure that funding for the award continues in Donna’s name.  Wally offered an initial donation to begin funding the Endowment plus a formula to match contributions from donors. Rotarian Mary Penny then organized a fund raising effort to gather the donations in order to make the Endowment a reality.  Today the Endowment funding is $30,350. Thanks to the vision of Wally Hultin, his generous donation and the generosity of the donors, The Donna Hultin Excellence Award Endowment will now last in perpetuity to fund the annual cash award and recognize future generations of Denver Kids graduates for this prestigious honor.

Help Denver Kids, Inc. win $166,000!
Denver Kids is a finalist in the 2020 Chick-fil-A True Inspiration Awards and the Opus Foundation’s Gerry Rauenhorst Building Community Award!

2020 Chick-fil-A True Inspiration Awards
Help us win $100,000 by voting between September 9 and 30!

      Vote for Denver Kids, Inc. in the West Region at:
www.chick-fil-afoundation.org/vote-for-true-inspiration-awards

      You can also vote by using the Chick-fil-A app:

• Download the Chick-fil-A app on your smartphone
• Create an account
• Open the app and click “Rewards” at the bottom of the screen
• Click “News” at the top of the next screen and tap “Vote Now”
• Select the “West Region” and cast your vote for Denver Kids!

Opus Foundation’s Gerry Rauenhorst Building Community Award
Help us win $66,000 by voting between September 24 and October 4!

      Vote for Denver Kids, Inc. at:
      www.opus-group.com/Company/Giving/Building-Community-Award

Learn more about Denver Kids at https://denverkidsinc.org/

Denver Kids is a jewel in Rotary’s community programs.  Rotary Club 31 of Denver helped found Denver Kids after World War II to help at-risk youth in third through 12th grade graduate from high school.  Club 31 Rotarians continue to serve on the organization’s Board of Directors and help fund operations that include twenty full-time counselors.  Rotarians also recruit volunteer mentors who work one-on-one with students from third grade through high school, provide YRYLA and RYLA scholarships and offer numerous educational, career, and recreational activities.

Last year, Denver Kids served more than 900 students in 160 schools who participate for an average of seven years.  The children are recommended by school counselors and may qualify for free reduced lunches and in addition to family, social, educational, and behavioral health challenges.  This combination of strikes belies the 83 percent graduate rate Denver Kids achieve compared with the 65 percent rate of DPS students.  These successful outcomes are a hallmark of Denver Kids.

In 2018, following a training for their counselors in Social and Emotional Learning (SEL), Denver Kids’ administrators sought a curriculum they could use with students and families.  After a review of programs, they selected BrainWise, unaware that the curriculum had been developed by DMHR Rotarian Pat Gorman Barry.  Neither did they know that BrainWise was being taught in Denver, Jefferson County, Weld County, and Aurora public schools, as well as in Rotary projects at Eagleton Elementary and CEC.

This connection opened an opportunity to seek a District Grant that would cover the training expenses.  In addition, the project would make a wider range of Rotarians aware of mentoring opportunities with Denver Kids.  Denver Mile High Rotary members Tom Cella and Diane Messamore stepped up to be co-champions of the District Grant with Club 31, Denver SouthEast and Castle Pines Rotary as partners.  The grant was approved and Denver Kids’ counselors and administrators were trained in BrainWise in January, 2019.

The recent merger of Denver Kids and Denver Urban Scholars will provide additional opportunities for DPS students to learn SEL and the executive function skills needed to make positive life choices and decisions – with Rotarians and other volunteers serving as mentors.

Denver Kids, Inc. are looking for a few more active supporters to run for Team Denver Kids in the Kaiser Permanente Colfax Marathon.  Learn more below and sign up today!

Kaiser Permanente Colfax Marathon | May 18 & 19

When you run or walk in the Kaiser Permanente Colfax Marathon for Team Denver Kids, you help pave the pathway to graduation and new possibilities for Denver Public Schools students experiencing the challenges of higher risk environments. Since 2008, runners have raised more than $230K to support our students and programs. Let’s keep the momentum going! If you’re ready to race, register below. Then, when prompted, select Denver Kids as your Charity Partner, and choose from a handful of races, including:

Saturday, May 18

• 5K: walking, stroller and dog-friendly

Sunday, May 19

• • Full marathon

• • Half marathon

• • • Urban 10-miler
  • Marathon relay

Once you register, we’ll set up your fundraising page, provide fundraising tools, and be available to answer any questions. After you cross the finish line, stop by the Denver Kids tent in the Charity Partner Village for some of post-race fun!

RUN FOR TEAM DENVER KIDS!

Questions about the Colfax Marathon? Contact Kelsey Grayson at kelsey_grayson@dpsk12.org or 720-423-3571.