Inspiring Reasons To Support The Cottonwood Institute By December 31st, 2009

With only 2 days left in 2009, I want to encourage you to make a tax-deductible donation to the Cottonwood Institute by Thursday, December 31, 2009 because your donations will help us continue to make experiences like this possible:

• Our students created amazing projects that benefited their schools, their community, and the environment like this Community Gardening Project with P.S.1 Charter School in Denver, CO.
• We awarded over $10,000 in scholarships for students to attend once in a lifetime experiences like our Endangered Wolves and Animal Tracking Project this summer.
• Through a unique collaboration with Front Range Earth Force and Gilpin E-8 Elementary School in Denver, our World Water Monitoring Day Project on the South Platte River in downtown Denver was a success.
• New projects like this Organic Gardening Project are opening doors for new collaborations with local schools and community organizations in 2010.

HELP US REACH OUR END OF THE YEAR GOAL:

We are so close to reaching our end of the year goal and thanks to your support, the summit is within reach. A donation at any level will be a huge help toward meeting our goal!

Your donation will help us offer inspiring programs that get students off the couch, into the outdoors, and challenge them to create Action Projects to improve their schools, the community, and the environment so we can continue “changing the world, one adventure at a time!”

Tax-deductible donations can be made safely and securely online by Clicking Here or by sending a check made payable to Cottonwood Institute to: PO Box 7067, Denver, CO 80207. Please make sure checks are dated before the end of the year!

If you have already donated in 2009, thank you so much for your support! You have helped us make a tremendous impact in the lives of our students. You can still help us by Forwarding This Email To A friend! and encouraging them to join you in supporting our work.

Thank you so much for all of your support!

Ford Church, Founder and Executive Director
Cottonwood Institute
303.447.1076

Organic Gardening Project Inspires New Partners for 2010

As we wrap up 2009, we are in high gear to hit the ground running in 2010 by kicking off a brand new course called the Organic Gardening Project.

During this project, we will camp out under the stars for 2 nights and 3 days at a local organic farm near Boulder, CO. In the mornings we will explore our new surroundings, practice nature awareness activities, and practice essential camping and wilderness survival skills to connect to the land and to learn how to comfortably and competently explore the outdoors. We will also practice leadership and team building skills, explore diverse leadership styles, and learn more about the life and legacy of Cesar Chavez.

In the afternoons, we will learn about sustainable agriculture, organic farming, and we will complete a series of environmental service-learning projects to practice these skills and to give back to the land. We will end the course with a final celebration by cooking a local, organic meal for our organic farm hosts to practice some of the core values of Cesar Chavez, including: respect for the environment, service to others, and celebrating the community.

Finally, in exchange for their service work, students will receive seeds to plant their own organic garden at their home or at their organization to help feed and nourish their family or their community. The Cottonwood Institute will continue to be a resource for students after their course to help them implement their gardening projects.

To implement this project, we are excited to partner with I Have A Dream Foundation serving low-income, at-risk youth in Boulder County, Urban Peak serving homeless youth in Denver, Inner City Outings serving inner city youth in Denver, Colorado Youth At Risk serving at-risk youth in Denver, Front Range Earth Force and Peace Jam serving diverse youth leaders in the Colorado Front Range.

A special thanks goes out to the Community Foundation Serving Boulder County and their Youth Leadership Development grant as well as all of the individual donors that are making these projects possible. To support this project, please consider making a tax-deductible donation today by Clicking Here!

Holiday Cheer Party - Help Save 40,000 Disposable Cups!

We are teaming up with our friends at Fluid Coffee Bar for our Third Annual Holiday Cheer Party on Thursday, December 17 from 7pm - 9 pm. Join us for warm beverages, holiday treats, and live music! Spread the good word and bring your friends.  This event is free and open to the public as we are using it to as an opportunity to pack Fluid Coffee Bar to help with their goal to save 40,000 coffee cups this year, so don’t forget to bring your own mug or to order your drink to stay.

This is a big deal, not just because it has a positive impact on the environment, community and businesses but because it is a giant step in demonstrating how collaboration and creativity between the Cottonwood Institute, Fluid Coffee Bar and the local community can lead to positive change.

Drop by Fluid on either of the days listed below and you can say that you were involved in changing the world, one adventure at a time.  Remembering your cell phone on the way out the door is a challenge, but remembering your coffee cup is an adventure!

1) December 12th and 13th - “A Weekend Without” disposable cups.   Bring your mug or use our mug. No disposable cups will be available. Really.  (10% of weekend sales will be donated to community partners.)

2) December 14th -19th – Share the Fluid Experience.  Bring a friend to Fluid and order Coffee for two (French Press) or Tea for two (Tea Press) in a reusable mug and receive a free drink on your fluid card for your next visit.

3) December 17th, 7pm-9pm - Cottonwood Institute’s Annual Holiday Cheer Party. Bring your own mug.

4) December  30th and 31st - Lets make this happen!  Bring your mug or use our mug.  No disposable cups will be available. Really.

As of November 23rd, Fluid Coffee Bar has saved 34,000 cups!