Colorado Gives Day Happy Hour: Tuesday, December 4, 2012

COLORADO GIVES DAY: Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Cottonwood Institute is rallying downtown businesses and supporters for happy hour to “give where they live…and work” for Colorado Gives Day, Tuesday, December 4th from 4:30pm – 6:00pm at Wynkoop Brewing Company, Upstairs Bar.

We are encouraging folks to take off work a little early on Colorado Gives Day to make a donation to support the Cottonwood Institute, while networking with other downtown businesses and enjoying a much deserved happy hour drink.

Donations will help support our programs to connect underserved kids to the outdoors and empower them to tackle local issues in the community.

Companies that donate $500 or more will be listed as a sponsor for our Colorado Gives Day happy hour and we will help leverage media exposure generated that day.

Schedule your donation to support the Cottonwood Institute for Colorado Gives Day today by Clicking Here and join us for a fun happy hour at Wynkoop on Colorado Gives Day!

To RSVP for the happy hour, Email Us.

Colorado Gives Day is amazing because it is a great initiative to increase philanthropy in Colorado through online giving. For 24 hours, people will have an opportunity to give where they live. 100% of your donation to the Cottonwood Institute on Colorado Gives Day will support our organization because Community First Foundation and FirstBank have absorbed the credit card fees. As an added bonus, the FirstBank Incentive Fund was established to help increase the value of every dollar donated on Colorado Gives Day! For more information about Colorado Gives Day, Click Here.

SPONSORS:

Throwdown, Bags, and Bagpipes

No, we are not talking about the sequel to Braveheart, but the 2012 Throwdown started to the thundering sound of bagpipes and drums as participants put their game faces on and prepared for battle, er, competition. With team names like “Maized and Confused,” “Nacho Mamma,” and “This Ain’t Our First Throwdown,” we knew we were all in for an action packed day.

Thanks to Stoney’s Bar and Grill, Wynkoop Brewing Company, and Oskar Blues, competitors were able to refuel and stay “hydrated” as the intense Colorado sun beat down on everyone. Rumor has it, one team has a sweet new sweatband tan now!

The day rolled on and the competition became stiff as Corn Dawgs, Children of the Cornhole, and Bags of Glory battled it out. But in the end Corn Dawgs were victorious and clutched the ultimate prize: bragging rights! They also won some sweet trophies from AOR, Inc., tents from REI, and Scorzies, while Children of the Cornhole won backpacks from Mountainsmith, concert tickets to the Fox Theatre, and Rockies Tickets thanks to Root Sports.

We raised over $4,000 to help support our programs with STRIVE Prep this fall, which will serve low-income, Latino(a) public school students in Denver. We want to give a quick shout out to our generous sponsors and supporters that helped make this event possible, so check out and support the following folks: AOR, Inc., EMI Sportswear, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Excell Fund Brokerage, Fox Theatre, Hero Kit, Mountainsmith, Oskar Blues, OtterBox, REI, Root Sports, Scorzie, Stoney’s Bar and Grill, and Wynkoop Brewing Company.

To check out a slideshow of the action, Click Here.

It Was A Good Day For A Throwdown

The 2nd Annual Cornhole Throwdown to benefit the Cottonwood Institute wrapped up last Saturday and we are happy to report that it was a success! 30 teams and over 70 spectators battled it out to show their support for the Cottonwood Institute. Despite a minor injury from Board Member Marley Steele-Inama, who developed a minor “cornhole strain” during the event, we were able to raise over $2,700 to help low-income students at West Denver Prep sleep under the stars for the first time in their lives this school year.

The competition was stiff, the sun was shining, and there was a slight breeze out of the Northeast, but in the end, Brian Wass and Aaron Rich from team Boiler Brewers emerged victorious. They earned the honor of displaying the prestigious 2011 Cornhole Throwdown trophy on their desks at work, in addition to sweet backpacks from REI and some serious bragging rights. Paul Keeney and Mike Atkins from team Park Hill Players took a close second and the coveted VIP Hanson tickets at the Fox Theater – Mmm Bop!

If you weren’t able to make it this year, you can still make a huge difference by making a tax-deductible donation by Clicking Here.

To relive the magic of the 2011 Throwdown, check out these stunning photos from the event by Clicking Here.

A special thanks goes our to our friends and sponsors for helping make this such a fun event, including: AOR, Chipotle, Denver Zoo, Fox Theater, REI, Scorzie, Two Knobby Tires, and Wynkoop Brewing Company.

2011 Base Camp Bash A Smashing Success

The final donations are still trickling in, but we are ready to declare the 2011 Base Camp Bash a smashing success.

Because of our generous supporters, we were able to raise just shy of $44,000 to help support our 2011 programs to connect diverse youth to the outdoors. This represents close to a 110% increase from what we raised from the Bash in 2010!

The money we raised this year will help support our high priority projects in 2011, including our partnerships with West Denver Prep, Community Adventure Program, Earth Task Force, and Operation: Military Kids.

If you weren’t able to attend, you missed a phenomenal party. Gallery 1261 set the perfect scene for a fun evening out on the town and the energy was kicked up a notch with rockin’ tunes from the Tommy Shreve Trio.

Fierce cravings were satisfied by Snooze, including breakfast burritos, grill cheese and tomato soup dip for dunking. But the pièce de résistance was the smores pancakes they brought out for dessert – yum!

Intense thirst was quenched by cold beer from Denver’s own Wynkoop Brewing Company and wine from Mondo Vino. And we can’t forget our new friends at Leopold Brothers who shared samples of their impeccable Colorado spirits.

If you weren’t able to attend the Bash this year or if you want to relive the evening, check out the slide show from the event by Clicking Here.

We could not have pulled this event off without support from 5280 Magazine, Exclusive Resorts,  CoBiz Financial, The Kenneth King Foundation, the Derby Financial Group, CASI, Mile Hi Specialty Foods, Scout Cleaning and Maintenance, St. Charles Capital, Whitewave Foods, and all of our patron level donors.

Till next year!

Top 5 Reasons To Come To The 2011 Base Camp Bash

We are a few days away from the sixth annual Base Camp Bash on Saturday, April 30th, 2011 to benefit the Cottonwood Institute and everyone is buzzing with excitement! If you don’t have your tickets yet, here are the Top 5 Reasons to come to the 2011 Base Camp Bash:

5. Amazing food from Snooze!

4. Colorado beer from Wynkoop Brewing Company, wine from Mondo Vino, and spirits from Leopold Bros.

3. An adventurous silent auction with fabulous trips, concert and event tickets, restaurant gift certificates and more. And don’t forget the pre-bidding has started, so to learn more Click Here.

2. A chance to network with the movers and shakers of Denver/Boulder.

1. Let’s not forget that we’re doing all of this to help connect kids to the outdoors!

Buy Your Tickets Today: We can only sell 200 tickets and when they are gone, they are gone, so don’t miss out! Get your tickets today by Clicking Here.

We are so grateful for our sponsors, including: 5280 Magazine, Exclusive Resorts, Snooze, CoBiz Financial, The Kenneth King Foundation, CASI, Mile Hi Specialty Foods, Scout Cleaning and Maintenance, St. Charles Capital, Whitewave Foods, and all of our patron level donors!

Base Camp Bash Debrief

Despite the spring blizzard of 2009, approximately 80 die hard Cottonwood Institute fans strapped on their snow shoes and winter gear to attend the Cottonwood Institute’s 4th Annual Base Camp Bash fundraising event at the Wynkoop Brewing Company in Denver. The Earth Day Ale was flowing as everyone got down to business bidding on their favorite silent auction items.

Dave Kagan, from Grand Rapids, MI, attended the event with his son Jeff Kagan, a Boulder resident, Environmental Educator, Cottonwood Institute Instructor, and one mean guitar player. Dave thoroughly enjoyed the night and was a lucky winner of a Cottonwood Institute vest and gift certificate to the Mountain Sun Restaurant and Brewery. Dave had only good things to say about the Bash: “I was very impressed with the people and organization of the event. It was very well put together, educational and laid back. I learned a lot from the slide show presentation about the mission of the Cottonwood Institute and where it is going. There was a nice feeling about the whole event, and I felt a real warmth from Ford and everyone who attended. We had a really good time and enjoyed the whole evening.”

Robbie Knight, from 99.5FM The Mountain helped Emcee the event and really helped make this a fabulous evening. She plugged the silent auction items and really helped highlight the purpose of the Base Camp Bash: to raise money to underwrite the Community Adventure Program in public schools in the Boulder/Denver area and to fund the Jason F. Griffith Scholarship Fund for our 2009 Summer Courses.

After tallying the donations, we ended up just $3,000 short of our fundraising goal. Unfortunately, many people who had planned to attend, could not make it through the blizzard to Denver where the event was held. In the week following the Bash, two anonymous donors stepped up to the plate to offer matching gift challenges up to $3,000 to help us reach our final goal. If you were unable to attend the Bash it not too late to contribute! You can still make a donation by clicking the link to DONATE NOW, or by simply head down to the Wynkoop Brewing Company before the end of April to enjoy a tasty pint of Earth Day Ale.

To check out a slide show of the 2009 Base Camp Bash: Click Here.