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Have a favorite Summit County nonprofit? Tuesday is the last chance to donate for Colorado Gives Day

Fafay Grestan, an employee with the Family & Intercultural Resource Center, carries food supplies that will be used for a drive-thru food bank on May 19, 2020. The center is just one of the many Summit County nonprofits raising funds via Colorado Gives Day.
Jason Connolly/Summit Daily News archive

Last week, people from around the country were encouraged to give back during the nationwide Giving Tuesday event. However, if folks want to invest locally, Tuesday, Dec. 6, is Colorado Gives Day, and it brings another chance for the community to donate to Summit County’s nonprofits and organizations.

The event actually began on Nov. 1 to increase the season of giving. For about a month, an entire website has been dedicated to collecting monetary donations for local causes. Tuesday is the last day that there will be an extra incentive toward donations. 

“It’s a really great source if you are interested in supporting your community and all the organizations that helped make it operate and run,” said Liz Campbell, the development director for the Summit Community Care Clinic. “This is a good way to do it.”



According to the Colorado Gives website, if a nonprofit receives 10% of the total money raised for Colorado Gives Day, that nonprofit will also receive 10% of the total incentive fund, which has reached about $1.4 million. 

The Summit Foundation Executive Director Jeanne Bistranin said they’ve been working hard to get word out about the event because of its importance to local nonprofits. 



“I think we all know that nonprofits would not exist — they just simply couldn’t exist — without that generous community support,” Bistranin said. “By people giving at whatever level they’re able to give, they’re able to make an impact in literally every area of our community, because those nonprofits provide critical services.”

Along with raising money for larger organizations like the Family & Intercultural Resource Center, which provides various services like food and housing assistance, Bistranin said the event helps raise money for smaller organizations who don’t have a dedicated fundraiser in their roster.

“It kind of helps to equal the playing field for the nonprofits of all sizes,” Bistranin said. 

Liz Campbell, the development director for the Summit Community Care Clinic, said Colorado Gives Day also provides much-needed publicity. She said more and more people find the clinic through the website each year.

“It’s just a great way to learn about nonprofits as well as support your favorite ones,” Campbell said. 

Campbell also explained that each nonprofit represented on the website has been certified and checked to ensure they are in good standing, so folks can rest assured their money will go to a worthy cause. The Summit Community Care Clinic, for example, is a nonprofit in Frisco that provides assistance for those in need by helping to curb the cost of health services and high-deductible insurance plans.

“When you do have to spend money and kind of want to make sure you’re spending it in the most affordable place, but still getting the highest-quality care, that’s the Care Clinic,” Campbell said.

Campbell said she recently met a brother and sister at a health fair. Through conversation, Campbell found out the brother had recently been diagnosed with cancer, but wouldn’t go to the doctor because he didn’t have insurance. 

“That’s not OK,” Campbell said. “People shouldn’t be afraid to access services.” 

Even in situations less dire, Campbell said it’s important to have a reliable resource that will meet health and monetary needs.

“The money that people donate to us helps us provide services to people who cannot necessarily afford them,” Campbell said. 

Bistranin added that donations from Colorado Gives Day seem to increase with every year. Last year, she said the monthlong event collected a total of over $700,000 for multiple different nonprofits in the Summit community. She said things are looking good so far. 

To submit a donation to your nonprofit of choice, visit ColoradoGives.org and filter according to location by typing in “Summit County.” Nonprofits can be chosen and moved to a shopping cart and people can donate like online shopping.

“I think that’s another benefit of Colorado Gives — it gives you an opportunity to easily support several different nonprofits in our community and at the same time, just makes it really simple,” Bistranin said.


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