A coalition of local nonprofits has joined forces to support each other and raise community awareness of how each organization makes Broomfield a better place to live.
Caring for Broomfield Together is a collaboration between Broomfield FISH, Bal Swan Children’s Center, FRIENDS of Broomfield, Broomfield Council on the Arts & Humanities, CASA of Adams & Broomfield Counties and A Precious Child to highlight each group’s work to serve the community.
The groups began the effort in 2019 to raise awareness for Colorado Gives Day, a statewide end-of-year giving campaign for Colorado nonprofit organizations.
Colorado Gives Day is one of the largest fundraisers of the year for many nonprofits, including Broomfield FISH, said spokesperson Maggie Sava.
“We want to create some unified efforts to bring awareness to that day,” Sava said. “And really take a day that might be a competition between nonprofits to get donors and figure out how we can make it collaborative and celebratory.”
Community-focused nonprofits have seen a sharp increase in need amid the pandemic, Sava said, and in FISH’s case, that need has not dissipated to pre-pandemic levels.
Staff from each of the Caring for Broomfield Together nonprofits gathered at FISH this week for a volunteer day. The coalition is taking turns volunteering at each of their organizations to gain a better understanding of how they all serve the community, Sava said.
Some volunteers sorted donated food into different categories to be stored and shelved in FISH’s grocery store-like food pantry, while others portioned out wholesale bags of flour and sugar into family-sized portions.
Debbie Kunz, executive director of Bal Swan Children’s Center, scooped bread flour into zip-top bags alongside Courtney Wickberg, chief communications officer at A Precious Child.
“Every nonprofit serves a niche, and building awareness that together we’re serving the whole community is a really important message,” Kunz said. “We support each other, we support our community.”
“We collaborate all year around and we’re stronger together,” Wickberg added. “This highlights not just our individual great work, but that when we come together it’s more powerful. We’re all trying to better Broomfield.”
Caring for Broomfield Together will also host a “dine-out” at a local restaurant this winter to celebrate Colorado Gives Day, which is Dec. 6. Details of the event will be announced in the coming months.
