At the start of the year, many were predicting: “2024 is going to be bad.”
As we watch the devastation of the wars in Europe and the Middle East – and as we head into a charged presidential election year – I’m hearing more and more people express their fears that the discourse and discontent will just get worse.
A few months into 2024, we now know the Republican and Democratic nominees for president, and the campaigning – and attacks—are about to ramp up.
People are taking note of this vitriol at local and national levels.
“Making an investment in the long-term future of this community through an endowment gift is an expression of tremendous optimism and hope. It says that we believe that this is a community worth investing in because the future of this place is a hopeful one.”
Locally, we’ve been reading about the “vitriol” at the state capitol, causing House Speaker Julie McCluskie to make an impassioned plea for civility.
According to a recent Pew Research poll, “An overwhelming majority of Americans (79%) express a negative sentiment when asked to describe politics in the United States these days.”
Some in the poll used words like “divisive,” “messy,” and “dumpster fire.”
I understand why so many are discouraged, but I don’t think it has to be that way. I think we can make it better. I think we must make it better. But how?
Part of the solution lies in the inherent optimism of philanthropy and the work of a community foundation, a nonprofit built to support the lives of those in a certain geographic area – for us at The Denver Foundation this means the people who call Metro Denver home.
Philanthropy by its very nature is optimistic; it is giving to a community or a cause you believe in with the hope and belief that by doing so you will have a meaningful impact and improve lives.
At its core, endowment is also about optimism. Making an investment in the long-term future of this community through an endowment gift is an expression of tremendous optimism and hope. It says that we believe that this is a community worth investing in because the future of this place is a hopeful one.
And it is.
As a community foundation, our strength comes from being embedded in the community – living, working, and listening here, and giving locally.
This is the role – and the power – of a community foundation. We are your community foundation.
I am also inspired by the philanthropists who support our Denver community – people giving their time to issues they care about, or connecting their networks to nonprofits they support, or giving their financial resources.
The philanthropists in our community believe this. And those on the front line who are feeding, sheltering, and educating those in our community who are most in need believe this, too.
Yes, we will face challenges in 2024. And we are also optimistic about the power of our community to overcome these challenges. We believe in our collective ability to be a positive force in our community. We are doing that already.
At the end of last year, we partnered with Mayor Mike Johnston to host the All In Mile High Fund, a fund to support temporary housing resources and wraparound services for those experiencing unsheltered homelessness in our city.
That fund will support nonprofits like Bayaud Enterprises, which oversees two sites that provide housing resources and temporary staffing assistance to other agencies at additional locations.
Because their mission is centered on employment options, they have been able to increase staffing and provide new career opportunities for people who have experienced homelessness. This will have a profound impact on those the city is serving.
Lola and Rob Salazar do all those things and their love of family, education, and community shines through their philanthropic giving. For more than a decade, they have supported The Denver Foundation along with making hundreds of grants to deserving nonprofit organizations with the goal of making the world a better place.
Lola is a passionate volunteer and they have actively engaged their children and grandchildren in their philanthropy. They exemplify a dedication and service to this community and embody what it means to experience the joy of giving.
Their giving gives me optimism.
To quote Ted Lasso, “I believe in belief.” Do you?