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In the last blog - Change Makers, Camp to Belong was highlighted along with some other organizations.  The Founder and President Emeritus of CTB, Lynn Price, participated in our 50 for Colorado leadership program in 2008.  This weekend, Camp to Belong was featured nationally in Parade's Sunday (July 31, 2010) magazine.  Even though they have received a lot of national exposure, Camp to Belong and many other non-profit organizations still need donations and volunteers.  Please do whatever you can to help out organizations that you feel strongly about.  Thank you. 

Here's an excerpt from Sunday's article written by Christine Wicker:

"...Among the over 600,000 kids in foster care in the U.S., 70% are separated from at least one sibling. Camp To Belong's aim is to create the kind of memories for foster siblings that those in intact families take for granted. Around 3500 children have attended the camps--currently in eight locations from Maine to Washington--and Price believes their week-long experiences start ripples that keep spreading.

Take former campers Jessica C., 19, and her brother, Allen, 23, who are now both counselors. As children, the two were placed in the same home, but one day when Jessica was at school, Allen was moved out. "My brother was ripped from me," she says. "First my parents were gone, and then my brother." Camp To Belong was their lifeline to each other.

The camps are staffed almost entirely by volunteers. Fifteen years ago, counselor Patrick Harden, a youth pastor from Long Beach, Calif., was a social worker when his boss sent him to the camp to help. With a caseload of 85 children, Harden viewed himself as an administrator of the law--h e never really thought about his clients' relationships with their siblings. But at camp, he saw how the kids perceived social workers. In a rush. Rarely listening. Cold.

After he got home, he and his wife adopted a brother-sister pair of foster kids. Since then, Harden has volunteered at over 20 sessions of Camp To Belong..."

For the full article, please click here. 

On July 9, 2010, the 50 for Colorado leadership program met for the Entrepreneurship session held at CU Boulder. One of the great trends in entrepreneurship is being a change maker and therefore making a positive impact in this world. Two of our speakers focused on this subject. 

Heidi Ganahl, (photo above) CEO and Founder aka "Top Dog" of Camp Bow Wow, created The Bow Wow Buddies Foundation in 2003 (three years after starting the CBW franchise). The mission of the Bow Wow Buddies Foundation is to promote the health and welfare of dogs worldwide by focusing on finding foster and lifetime homes for unwanted dogs, promoting humane education and treatment, and investing in research and treatment for dogs devastated by illness and disease.

Lynn Price, Founder and President Emeritus of Camp To Belong, has also gone through many challenges. At the age of 8, Lynn learned that she had a biological sister, Andi, living on the other side of town! From her experiences, Lynn founded Camp To Belong and is an active volunteer for CTB in an effort to give brothers and sisters an opportunity to create childhood memories. Staffed by volunteer counselors across the country, Camp To Belong never charges a foster child to attend camp. 

In addition to our two speakers, we have three participants in 50 who work for non-profits. Karen Snow works for CBR YouthConnect, Jules Kelty works for the Colorado AIDS Project, and Allison Carey works for Project C.U.R.E. 

CBR YouthConnect (CBRYC) is a national residential treatment facility that provides accredited mental health services and education to at-risk boys, ages 10 to 21, from across the United States. CBRYC's mission is to achieve excellence in providing troubled youth with the means to become hopeful and productive citizens. CBRYC has a 97% success rate in helping troubled boys return to their home communities and become productive citizens. Over 550 boys have been to the ranch.

Colorado AIDS Project's (CAP) mission is to prevent HIV infection and improve lives affected by HIV and AIDS. CAP is a 27 year-old community based organization that helps those living with HIV/AIDS, and those at risk, to make healthy choices for a self sufficient, enhanced quality of life. CAP provides innovative, individualized services to those most in need, educates high risk populations, and advocates for social and health care equity. Over the last quarter century, Colorado AIDS Project has served 75 percent of the men, women, and children who have lived with HIV/AIDS in Colorado.

PROJECT C.U.R.E. (Commission on Urgent Relief & Equipment) was founded in 1987 to help meet the need for medical supplies, equipment, and services around the world. PROJECT C.U.R.E. builds sustainable healthcare infrastructure by providing the medical supplies and equipment that medical personnel need to deliver healthcare to their communities. Since its inception, PROJECT C.U.R.E. has delivered medical relief to needy people in more than 120 countries. 

For more details on any of these organizations and how you can help, please click on the organizations' name to be taken to their website.  To learn about the 50 for Colorado  program or to nominate someone for the 2011 class, please click here.  

I can't believe it is already August.  It was just last month that Heidi Ganahl, Founder & CEO of Camp Bow Wow came in and spoke to the 50 for Colorado leadership group.  The day's focus was on Entrepreneurship. 

Heidi opened the first Camp Bow Wow in 2000 in Denver and began franchising it in 2003 (over 200 franchises to date in the US and Canada).  Heidi is an amazing speaker and is a great supporter of CU-Boulder.  To put it in perspective of how much she supports us...she spoke to our group while she was just shy of 9 months pregnant. 

If you haven't heard Heidi speak, I strongly encourage you to do so.  She will be the keynote speaker at the Denver Business Journal's event "Outstanding Women in Business-2009" on August 27.  I hope to see you there.

Also during our Entrepreneurship Day, Marley Hodgson of Mad Greens (great paninis & salads- Don Quixote is my favorite) spoke about Building an Honest Business and utilizing locally-owned businesses as much as possible.  John Georgis of Banjo Billy (not your average bus tour-yee haw!) spoke about how he was in the right place at the right time.  Lynn Price, founder of Camp to Belong, talked about her personal story of not knowing her sibling growing up and founded an organization for people who are in a similar situation.  The common theme was how they all started their own businesses and the obstacles they overcame.  All are fabulous speakers. 

Later that day seven participants of the 50 program were on a panel discussion and talked about the positives and negatives of having your own business.  Industries included financial, insurance, consulting, accounting, human resources, promotional advertising, and auction/public relation services.  The panel was moderated by a 50 participant who works at the Small Business Development Center. 

Additional speakers for the Entrepreneurship session included Paul Jerde of the Deming Center for Entrepreneurship, Greg Berry of Nuance Intelligence, and Courtney Price of VentureQuest.  It was an enlightening day and gave a lot of people food for thought of what kind of business they would create. 

So...what kind of business would you start up? 

-- Heather Owens, Program Coordinator