by Alexandria Barrett

Washington Park holds a special place in the heart of Mile High United Way because of all the great people and organizations in the area.

MENTOR LESLIE P. AND RAVEN AT A GAME DAY sponsored by Metro Denver Partners. Photo courtesy Metro Denver Partners.

The neighborhood has invited Mile High United Way (MHUW) into its family for Thanksgiving every year for the last 39 years for the annual Turkey Trot run/walk. MHUW takes the money it raises through this event and invests it back into the community, and to some organizations right in Washington Park. 

As the first United Way in the country, Mile High United Way began 125 years ago when Frances Wisebart Jacobs and five religious leaders came together to create an organization to improve the Denver community – it has been doing so ever since.

Today Mile High United Way lives by the mission of uniting people, ideas and resources to advance the common good, focusing on three key initiative areas: School Readiness, Youth Success and Adult Self-Sufficiency. MHUW believes all children should enter kindergarten ready to learn and be able to read at grade level or beyond by the third grade; all students should graduate high school ready for college or to transition into advanced training and the workforce; all individuals and families should be afforded the opportunity to move toward economic self-sufficiency.

One organization that has partnered with MHUW to help prepare kids for school is the Washington Street Community Center (WSCC), 809 S. Washington St. WSCC has been a touchstone of support for 45 years by serving families and citizens of all ages. “We strive for quality programs with affordable rates, as well as volunteer opportunities, classes, meetings, health initiatives, education, community meals and more,” noted Martha Horstman-Evans, WSCC children’s program director. Mile High United Way helps fund the WSCC preschool, ages 2 to 5. Horstman-Evans said, “Mile High United Way understands that our children’s first teachers are most important and that our young children in this country deserve the very best.  Education for teachers, reasonable costs, and a smooth transition into kindergarten are all possible through the support of Mile High United Way.”

Metro Denver Partners is another organization in the area that has joined with MHUW. Metro Denver Partners (MDP) matches kids between the ages of 8-17 with mentors. They define a mentor as a caring adult who acts as an advocate, role model and friend. “While the influence of one relationship between an adult and kid may seem small, the way in which that youth then interacts with their peers, teachers and families changes,” said Mary Burdick, MDP executive director. “The youth grow significantly in their self-esteem, decision making skills and school experience simply from having a caring adult in their lives.

“Mile High United Way’s financial support has considerably forwarded our mission in the community,” Burdick said.  Jada, a 10th grader at Thomas Jefferson High School, has been matched through MDP since just before her twelfth birthday. Since being matched, she has had her eyes opened to opportunities the world has to offer, especially outdoor activities. She appreciates that her mentor treats her as a friend more than as a child. Over the course of their match, Jada’s self-confidence and ability to deal with peer pressure have increased, and she has also grown in her hobbies of reading and writing. In the last year, she was a peer leader in the Adolescent Females group, maintained 94 percent attendance and no unexcused absences. Metro Denver Partners has helped over 16,000 kids like Jada since 1968.

In addition to matching kids with mentors, MDP holds an annual food drive. “Last year marked our 22nd food drive, which would not be possible without our neighbors in the West Washington Park area,” Burdick said. Each year MDP distributes bags to the doorsteps of homes near its office at 701 S. Logan St. Each bag includes a note about MDP’s mission and asks for a donation of nonperishable items for its food baskets, distributed the weekend before Thanksgiving. “The support from our neighbors is heartwarming each year; the families these donated items go to are grateful to be able to provide a dinner on Thanksgiving and have some staples for their pantries,” Burdick said. In the last three years alone, this food drive provided food boxes to over 200 families.

Mile High United Way brings its mission to life through funding, collaboration and leadership. The organization provides direct funding to 112 nonprofits in the Denver metropolitan area working directly every day to improve our community. In addition, MHUW pioneers and leads its own programs like the 2-1-1 information and referral service, Individual Development Accounts, Bridging the Gap and Pathways Scholarship Program. 

Learn more about Mile High United Way, its partners, and history of service to our community – and how you can give, advocate and volunteer: UnitedWayDenver.org or 303-433-8383.