Four nonprofit organizations serving Montezuma and Dolores recently received grants from Colorado Springs-based El Pomar Foundation. The organizations were recommended for funding by El Pomar's Southwest Regional Council, a local advisory board representing five counties in southwestern Colorado. The Council recommends up to $200,000 in grants to the trustees of El Pomar Foundation annually.
Many of the Council's recommendations focused on organizations that support and serve at-risk youth in the community. The following Montezuma and Dolores County organizations received grants:
Four Corners Child Advocacy Center - ($5,000)
Montezuma-Cortez District RE-1 (in support of an anti-bullying program at Cortez Middle School) - ($5,000)
Onward! A Legacy Foundation - ($20,000)
The Pinion Project - ($10,000)
Additional recipients from the Southwest Region include:
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southwest Colorado, Durango ($60,000)
Boys and Girls Club of La Plata County, Durango ($20,000)
Durango Foundation for Educational Excellence (in support of Durango High School's El Diablo School Newspaper), Durango ($5,000)
La Plata Youth Services, Durango ($15,000)
Trails 2000, Durango ($5,000)
Community United Methodist Church (in support of the Pagosa Springs Nurturing Center), ($5,000)
Power House Ministries (in support of the Pagosa Springs Youth Center), ($15,000)
United Way of Southwest Colorado, (in support of the Pagosa Outreach Connection) ($5,000)
Silverton Youth Center, Silverton ($5,000)
San Juan Board of Cooperative Educational Services (in support of a region-wide Check and Connect program), Cortez ($10,000)
El Pomar Foundation, based in Colorado Springs, is one of the oldest and largest private foundations in the Rocky Mountain West. El Pomar contributes approximately $20 million annually through grants and Community StewardshipPrograms to support Colorado nonprofit organizations involved in health, human services, education, arts and humanities, and civic and community initiatives. Spencer and Julie Penrose founded El Pomar in 1937.
The Southwest Regional Council is an El Pomar advisory board of local leaders representing Archuleta, Dolores, La Plata, Montezuma and San Juan Counties. The Council provides local insight and grant recommendations to trustees of El Pomar Foundation. Since its inception in 2003, the Council has recommended grantstotaling $1,092,000. Council members include: Dean Brookie, President, Brookie Architecture and Planning (Durango); Lori Cooper, Director, Montezuma County Public Health (Cortez); Mary Jo Coulehan, Executive Director, Pagosa Springs Chamber of Commerce (Pagosa Springs); Susan Lander, Interim Executive Director, Durango Area Tourism Office (Durango); Chuck McAfee, President of the Board of Directors, San Juan Citizens Alliance (Cortez); and Ellen Roberts, Colorado State Senate (Durango).