Elevations Foundation chose Cottonwood Institute as one of their 2021-2022 Community Grantees! This grant will enable Cottonwood to continue to strengthen Community Adventure Program (CAP), our core educational program. CAP is a class offered during the school day for academic credit in middle and high schools across the Front Range, including in Boulder, Lafayette, Aurora,… Read more »
Giving Tuesday and Colorado Gives Day are coming up quickly! Your support during these local and international giving days can help Cottonwood Institute unlock a $20,000 match from three generous families. When you set up a Seedling Monthly Giving Donation at any level by December 31, 2021, you will help unlock a $20,000 match to… Read more »
Local Denver artist Mike Wilson did something extraordinary. He painted watercolors of 53 of the highest peaks in Colorado, known as “14ers” for their height of over 14,000 feet above sea level – and donated the entire collection to Cottonwood Institute. Our online 14ers Artwork Store is now open so that outdoor enthusiasts in Colorado… Read more »
As Cottonwood Institute (CI) wraps up its 17th year of operation, I wanted to take a moment to reflect about the challenges and successes of this past year. We are now highly skilled at being flexible, designing creative back up to the back up plans, and are ready to tackle any challenges and opportunities… Read more »
Denver artist Mike Wilson, who has painted magnificent watercolors of the highest peaks in Colorado, has joined forces with Cottonwood Institute, an award-winning 501(c)3 educational non-profit organization based in Denver, in an effort to break down barriers to get more underrepresented kids outdoors and inspire them to be leaders for the environment. Wilson’s and Cottonwood’s… Read more »
Written by CI Cap Instructor Carly Winner My students from the Aurora Expeditionary Learning Academy (AXL) CAP Class ventured to Cherry Creek State Park on September 10th to brave the heat and enjoy the fresh air. Our first adventure of the school year focused on team building activities, exploring, and enjoying our time outdoors. In preparation for… Read more »
Written by CI CAP Instructor Chelsea Tossing “Hoot, hoot!” I hollered across the field at Chautauqua Park to gather my students. “Ca-CAWWW” my students yelled back at me in their best bird impressions. On September 10th, the New Vista High School crew headed out to the Enchanted Mesa trailhead for our first walking field day… Read more »
The CI Move-A-Thon was a magnificent celebration of movement and a ceremony to honor CI’s triumphant work. We are happy to report that we raised just over $44,000 to support our students and programs, which we couldn’t have achieved without the generous and amazing We Ride 4 community! To kick off the evening, Curriculum Manager,… Read more »
What was your favorite part of the trip? What will you always remember? You’ll get different answers to these questions depending on who you ask. Last week, Cottonwood’s Changemakers spent three days in the San Luis Valley exploring Great Sand Dunes National Park, Zapata Falls, and Earth Knack. As the culmination to a yearlong… Read more »
Every year we gather our whole CI community for our annual Base Camp Bash—a night of celebration and stories, fun and fundraising. The theme of this year’s Base Camp Bash was “Changemakers,” but who exactly is a Changemaker? We couldn’t have said it better than Kevin Cano, Lafayette Stewardship Intern and winner of this year’s… Read more »
