Leadership Fort Collins 2014 Class Projects

The 2014 Leadership Fort Collins participants are working furiously on their projects and you are invited to help out. Read on to learn about the exciting projects for the class and consider getting involved!

Fight the Freeze 2014!

Gear Collection on March 29 at Various Locations

Leadership Fort Collins is again partnering with Homeless Gear and the Coloradoan to help Fight the Freeze. We were impressed with the project and impact from the 2013 class and wanted to keep it going. This is a one day event to gather new or used gear to stock the supply of Homeless Gear’s warehouse. Fight the Freeze 2014 is on March 29 from 11am-3pm. We are accepting donations at the following locations:

March 29 – Sports Authority (Old Town and Harmony), Jax (North College), Safeway (E. Harmony), Kmart, REI, Ace Hardware Downtown, Outpost Sunsport, Christy Sports, Fort Collins Brewery, High Hops Brewery (Windsor)

March 24-March 28 – Coloradoan, Estes Park Gazette

We could use your assistance! You can support our project in the following ways:

1. Volunteer to staff one of our 11 locations! We are looking for volunteer support on Saturday, March 29th from 10:45am-3pm. Stay the whole time or come for a two hour shift (10:45-1:00 or 12:45-3:00). We are asking that you staff a drop-off location by helping us collect donated items and share a little about Homeless Gear’s needs. If you are interested, please contact Jenny Maeda at [email protected]. Include your email address, cell phone number, location and time preference.

2. Donate! Collect donations of coats, hats, gloves, scarfs, blankets, sleeping bags, etc. and deliver them to a drop off location on March 29th or at the Coloradoan/Estes Park Gazette from March 24-March 28 during business hours.

3. Help spread the word!

AND… as a little carrot to dangle in front of you, there will be a thank-you event for volunteers that day from 3pm – 5pm at The Fort Collins Brewery. Thrivent Financial and Clint Jasperson will be sponsoring this, and appetizers and drinks will be provided.

We are on a short timeframe, so PELASE let us know as soon as possible if you can help us staff a location! We’ll do our best to return the favor to you with your projects. Thank you for helping us to ensure Fight the Freeze 2014 is a success.

Firefighters Community Compassion Fund

Beer Dinner on April 23 at Moot House

Hello LFC Alumni! The Tigers of LFC Class 13-14 are very proud to be working with Poudre Fire Authority to establish a new non-profit which will allow firefighters to assist the community in additional ways. This new non-profit is named “Firefighters Community Compassion Fund” and is a fund which allows firefighters to assist the citizens with those day to day needs; whether it be additional groceries, diapers, smoke detectors, car seats, or other necessities, firefighters will no longer have to reach into their own pockets to make sure the citizens’ needs are met, they will now have funds available on their truck/engine for this purpose.

The Tigers are hosting a launch event for Firefighters Community Compassion Fund on Wednesday, April 23 at 6:00pm at the Moot House. Tickets are $60 each and the evening will include 6 O’Dell’s beers hand selected to pair perfectly with 5 courses of food, a silent auction with a couple unique experiences to fit the theme and other amazing items, and I’m sure some very inspirational messages from our hometown heroes!

You can help out with this project by buying tickets(www.fccfbeerdinner.eventbrite.com), donating awesome silent auction items (even smaller items can be paired with other items to make for a really great auction item!, contact Jamie Martin at [email protected]), or by spreading the news of this very worthy event (like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/firefightercommunitycompassionfund).

Thank you all for your support, it makes a world of difference!

Mental Health Awareness Conversation

Beer and Conversation on April 24 at Horse & Dragon

We’d like to invite you to join us to learn a bit more about mental health, illness, and wellness in Larimer County while we enjoy just being together. In Leadership Fort Collins this year some of us have been shocked by the prevalence of mental illness and the problems it causes for individuals, families, and our community, while others of us have intimate traumatic experience with this problem (some of which you’ll hear more about if you come along to this).

It’s something that affects all of us and we’d like to open a discussion — and enjoy each others’ company, too! Please feel free to bring friends and family along. The “speaker” part of the evening will be brief; the bonding/time together is our focus.

Date: Thursday, April 24, 6-8 p.m.

Horse & Dragon Brewing Company

124 Racquette Drive, Fort Collins

There will be a story or two from our own Leadership Fort Collins team, some information about both the problems and resources available to us in Larimer County, and some great community time with beverages and nibbles (and hopefully a little local live bluegrass music to tap our toes to!).

Electric Vehicle Test Drives and More!

Test Drives on April 26 at Whole Foods Parking Lot

Test-drive an electric vehicle (EV) to support northern Colorado as a national leader for creating a replicable, scalable EV deployment model.

When: April 26

Time: 11 – 2

Where: Whole Foods Parking Lot

Grapes Versus Grains Benefit Dinner

Dinner on May 1 at Austin’s on Harmony

After a one-time great experience with International Telementor Program (ITP), the kids at Fort Collins High School have been asking to do it again! ITP is a local non-profit organization that facilitates mentoring relationships between professional adults and students worldwide. They focus on matching professionals who have ‘real world’ STEM projects with students in K-12. These students work on STEM projects and collaborate closely with their mentors in order to solve local problems. This experience helps them develop crucial skills in order to pursue their interests successfully and operate at their full potential. The cost for each student to be a part of this mentoring program is $200 though and Fort Collins High School needs help funding this program in order for their students to participate.

Help us reach our goal of funding 10 students by joining us for an evening of good food and good drink! Proceeds will go directly to fund a class of Fort Collins High School students to participate in the International Telementor Program to work with the City of Fort Collins on a local issue.

When: Thursday, May 1, 6-8:30pm
Where: Austin’s on Harmony
What: Four course meal paired with different wine and beer selections. Attendees will have the chance to interact with the chef and wine and beer reps as well as vote on which rep created the best pairing!

RSVP Details: Tickets are $65 per person. Seating is very limited so email Emily at [email protected] to reserve your seat today!

Event Sponsors: South Fort Collins Business Association and Austin’s on Harmony. Proceeds to Benefit the LFC FoCo STEM Youth Initiative Project.

Contact Ann at [email protected] if you have any questions and watch for alumni opportunities this summer!

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