Each year, the Leadership Foundation connects teams of Impact Denver (ID) participants with community organizations that need those engaged leaders to take on a project. Their work helps those organizations make a bigger impact.
But the ID teams pay it forward in more ways than one. The Fall 2019 ID participants selected one of its projects to receive a $3,000 contribution from the Leadership Foundation based off the projects’ outcomes. The class of 74 participated in 10 projects overall. This past month, the class selected The Empowerment Program, which provides education, employment assistance, health, housing referrals and support services for women who are in disadvantaged positions due to incarceration, poverty, homelessness, HIV/AIDS infection and/or involvement in the criminal justice system. The program’s ultimate goal is to reduce rates of recidivism.
“Our experience with the ID team was amazing,” said Empowerment Program Executive Director Julie Kiehl. “I was blown away at the level of engagement and dedication of each of the members. Their diverse backgrounds made for such a strong and dynamic team."
The ID project team, aka Team Snack Attack, is Hannah Ensler-Rivel, TeRay Esquibel, Max McCloskey, Morgan Montgomery, Madison Stinnett, Emily Wasserman andChase Winder along with their ID coach Hayley Parco. The team was originally tasked with developing a robust data collection and analysis program so The Empowerment Program can better measure success. Through research and working with The Empowerment Program team, that plan shifted. The ID team realized that everyone who walks through the door is coming from a different place with different needs and instead facilitated a mapping session to better understand a participant’s journey.
“We had to take a step back and see how the participants were interacting with The Empowerment Program. If we understood from the participant’s perspective then we could better understand their benefits,” Esquibel said. “It’s the idea of seeking to serve and not solve. If we’re trying to make an impact, start with the people.”
The team created a framework for evaluating whether a participant was successful and Empowerment’s efficacy. Check out the video below to learn more about their project work:
“I can’t even tell you how excited we were to receive the $3,000 contribution,” Kiehl said. “It really seemed like the cherry on top.”
The project connected ID participants to the issues in Metro Denver that they had been learning about during the six-month program.
“Empowerment was a microcosm of many of the issues facing Denver as a whole – mental health, housing, education. Working with Empowerment was an incredible look into how these issues are affecting people daily,” Wasserman said. “I hope they will be able to use the mapping session and resulting report to better track how participants are using their resources and measure success.”ID teams also partnered with A Little Help, Adaptive Sports USA, Building Bridges, Chanda Center for Health, Denver Public Schools Career Connect, Forward Steps, Maria Droste Counseling Center, Rocky Mountain MicroFinance Institute and Washington Street Community Center.
Do you know an organization that could benefit from the work of an Impact Denver team? Applications are open for project proposals for the spring 2020 class. Submit a proposal by Tuesday, Dec. 31.
