Day: March 21, 2019

February 2019 – The Share the Plate offering was for Homeward Alliance’s Outreach Program. Homeward Alliance was started in 2008 as Homeless Gear in Ken Johns’ garage. Then over the years it morphed!

“Homeward Alliance operates a continuum of programs and initiatives, ranging from critical survival gear, to employment services, to homelessness prevention. We are not only an alliance of services, but also an alliance of volunteers, donors, agency partners and other community stakeholders. We envision a community in which homelessness is rare, short-lived and non-recurring.”

This month Foothills donated $3879.72 to help Homeward Alliance’s Street Outreach Program: “Three nights per week (cold months) and two nights per week (warm months), we send volunteers and staff onto the streets of Fort Collins to engage directly with people experiencing homelessness. We distribute supplies, share resource information, build relationships and help connect people to other services in the community.”

OF SPECIAL NOTE: Last year we collected money for another branch of Homeward Alliance, One Village One Family. As of today, our work for OVOF has generated the following statistics:

Families supported and housed since June 2015 = 13 (3 in 2019)

Two Villages are ready to go. NEWSFLASH: both new villages are now assigned families – launched!

Total children housed = 43 (6 in 2019)

Total adults housed = 17; includes one multigenerational family (60% of children are from minority groups (Latino/Hispanic, Black, Other)

Kudos to Gretchen for bringing us this program and for enlisting Anne Fisher in a Leadership role – Anne has taken it and run with it! Thank you, Anne

Learn more: www.homewardalliance.org

Katie Watkins

Katie believes the best things in life are the result of collaboration and diverse perspectives coming together to produce something greater than any individual could. She is passionate about systems, efficiency and collaboration for better community outcomes. She loves dreaming up the big picture and drafting the roadmap to make it happen. She has a background in operations, fundraising, communications and program development, as well as over a decade of nonprofit management experience in Northern Colorado.

Her greatest joy in life comes from her family. Her husband, Steven, a principal at Wellington Middle School, and daughters Emmaline and Esmae are the lights of her life. Together they love mountains, music and all kinds of food. She is passionate about women supporting other women in all stages of life and especially through the critical moments that make or break us. She believes that one of the most important things in life is to be kind.

Being outdoors makes her soul come alive. It always roots her in gratitude and is one of the reasons she loves living in Fort Collins.

January 2019 – The Share the Plate offering was for La Cocina, a program of The Family Center/La Familia.

“The program offers free-of-charge mental health services to monolingual Spanish-speaking families living in Larimer County. There are times in life when we all need extra care and support.

“La Cocina, or ‘The Kitchen’ in English, is named after the warmest, most inviting, and most nourishing place in our home. Our program offers a safe space for adults, children and families to come together for key Spanish-language therapy services, including recovery from trauma, forensic assessments for immigrants in detention, individual and/or family therapy, parents coaching, structured therapy groups for parents and adolescents, directive and non-directive play therapy to promote safe and healthy childhood development, and Charlas (talks) that sustain community well-being.”

Foothills Unitarian Church donated $8500 from a combination of the January offerings and a special appeal at the annual auction in November.

For more information, visit their website.

Katie Watkins

Katie believes the best things in life are the result of collaboration and diverse perspectives coming together to produce something greater than any individual could. She is passionate about systems, efficiency and collaboration for better community outcomes. She loves dreaming up the big picture and drafting the roadmap to make it happen. She has a background in operations, fundraising, communications and program development, as well as over a decade of nonprofit management experience in Northern Colorado.

Her greatest joy in life comes from her family. Her husband, Steven, a principal at Wellington Middle School, and daughters Emmaline and Esmae are the lights of her life. Together they love mountains, music and all kinds of food. She is passionate about women supporting other women in all stages of life and especially through the critical moments that make or break us. She believes that one of the most important things in life is to be kind.

Being outdoors makes her soul come alive. It always roots her in gratitude and is one of the reasons she loves living in Fort Collins.