GIMME SHELTER OR GIMME LIGHT

Wednesday, June 26, 2024

I don't know about you, but I am being bombarded by political news which blares at me from every electronic source, and I am overwhelmed. TV ads, radio ads, internet pop-ups and shrill news broadcasts that are more about speculation, half-baked reporting and questionable polls than real, well-researched news. I thought the answer was shelter.

However, I found that seeking shelter was very isolating. I am not a happy hermit. Looking to recharge myself, over a week's period of time, I was introduced to three charities — all new to me and all quite different. All of these charities involve people engaged in the kind of beneficial work that is not only rewarding but also inspiring.

RThe first was the ACE Foundation. It was founded a number of years ago by my neighbor and friend Alex Cranberg. In its current form it provides scholarships for private school to kids from low-income families. The program is able to fund 1/3 of the tuition costs of private schools. The schools (of which there are over 30 in Colorado) match the ACE contribution and the remaining cost is borne by the parents. In 2022 ACE enrolled over 3000 kids, and by 2023 that number rose to over 6000. While some believe that this kind of programming marginalizes public schools and is contributing to minority segregation, ACE's record indicates that 100 percent of the students graduate high school in four years and a high percentage go on to graduate from college. These are kids who might not have had the chance to further their education and might not have had the opportunity to break the low-income cycle.

The second nonprofit was the Denver Dream Center, which focuses primarily on homeless youth. Located on a city block in downtown Denver at 22nd and Curtis, it provides educational and athletic programs, a food pantry and a closet for clothing. All of the center's activities come from private donations, and the staff is all volunteers. When I attended their luncheon, I was surprised to see a number of Denver Police officers there to lend their support.

The third is conducted by Kyle Clark on KUSA TV, the local NBC affiliate, called "A Word of Thanks by NEXT." Each week he presents a local charity or non-profit which is performing a community service not otherwise provided. The week I watched focused on Mobile Laundry a nonprofit which has a couple of trucks that have washing machines and dryers which are driven to various neighborhoods for people to do their laundry. The laundry service is of course free. The demand for the trucks is overwhelming and they were looking to get more trucks. Kyle has raised tens of thousands of dollars in a relatively short period of time.

The source of information on what follows is a nonprofit called Independent Sector. It is a private company studying nonprofits and charities. IS reports that in 2022 there were 23,148 nonprofits and charities in Colorado. That number includes private charities, private and public foundations and other 501 c 3 organization. There are 190,000 people employed by these organizations. In 2022 Colorado organizations collected $3.4B and distributed $8,348,000, or 2.89% of Colorado household income. Colorado ranks in the middle of the states for monies distributed. For your information Utah is the most charitable, Arizona the least charitable.

While seeking shelter from political bombardment, I stumbled into the light generated by people doing good deeds for their communities. I would like to join those souls positively contributing to society so I am now looking to see what I can contribute via labor or in-kind contributions, and still maintain my law practice.

Eleanor Roosevelt said, "It is better to light one candle than to curse the darkness." It is too easy to slouch into a funky shelter compared to searching out the light. Won't you join me?