Project provides Teller County’s only community center, a welcoming place for families to congregate and build a lasting network of support.
— President and CEO, Jodi Mijares
WOODLAND PARK, COLORADO, UNITED STATES, May 23, 2022 /EINPresswire.com/ — Community Partnership Family Resource Center recently relocated from Divide to the Gold Hill Shopping Center in Woodland Park. Once there they promptly began remodeling work on the building and expanding their community presence starting with a new slogan – Supported Families BUILD Strong Communities.
If that isn’t enough to work on at one time, President and CEO, Jodi Mijares and her team have begun conducting a capital campaign that will open for public donations on June 1, 2022, and conclude on December 31, 2022. They will also celebrate Community Partnership’s 30th anniversary this year. “There is no better way to commemorate this milestone than to finally have our own facility to share with Teller County families,” said Mijares.
When asked why a new community center with an expanded focus, Mijares explained that “social isolation is a major risk factor for families and children in rural communities, and Community Partnership (CP) strives to mitigate these risks by creating opportunities for building community engagement in Teller County.”
“CP already serves any family in Teller County, and this will not change. Our new visibility and additional space will increase participation in our programs and services. We estimate that we now have the current space and staffing to increase the numbers of individuals served from 1,000/year to at least 1,200/year, a 20% increase. Now that CP has space to host collaborative groups and meetings, we anticipate that our partnerships with other providers in the community will grow and develop as a result,” said Mijares.
This project will provide Teller County’s only community center, a welcoming place for all families to congregate and build a lasting network of support and sense of community. “CP is half-way to the goal of funding the project thanks in part to the early support of the El Pomar Foundation, Newmont Mining Company and Park State Bank & Trust,” said Mijares. “Our largest contribution to the project so far has been from the CP Board of Directors. Together they have contributed over $100,000 to the project! The entire project cost is $1,235,000 and we have already raised $620,000 toward that.”
Another factor in CP’s favor with the capital campaign is that the agency has recently been approved as an Enterprise Zone participant. In addition to receiving regular tax deductions when contributing to a non-profit organization, donors who contribute to an approved Enterprise Zone project receive an additional tax CREDIT of 25%. “For example, for a donation of $10,000 to CP’s capital campaign, the after-tax cost of the donation would only be $3,537 after tax deductions and the additional $2,500 tax credit. We hope that this opportunity for our donors will encourage increased financial support for this community project,” said Mijares.
The remodel budget for the CP community center is $340,000 of the total $1,235,000 project cost. (The other $895,000 was for purchase of the new building.) “So far we have spent about $75,000 on the remodel,” said Mijares. “The most exciting improvement to the building so far is the exterior,” she said. “With its new paint color, everyone is calling it “the big green building in the middle of town.” This new visibility is so beneficial for CP! People are really beginning to connect our agency with the programs and services we offer throughout the community. We have also replaced all of the HVAC units in the building and got the elevator operating again. Currently, we are in the process of remodeling the lower level and it is so exciting to see our new spaces taking shape!”
The new CP community center will be accessible to the Teller County community at large with a calendar of activities going on in the building every month, that any family in the community can participate in. Use of the building will be focused on families and children, so partner agencies who want to use the space for their own programs will need to fit this mission of serving families and children.
“There will also be a Parent Café providing coffee, free Wi-Fi, and a space to congregate, all free of charge for parents and caregivers in our community. Parents in rural communities can often feel isolated, so CP wants to be a place for them to connect and build social networks. Our new center will also have a Learning Kitchen, where families can take cooking and nutrition classes together. We will have a large conference room, where agencies who naturally collaborate to serve families and children can meet in person. Group programming like parenting workshops, GED classes, adult exercise classes, and playgroups will take place in the classrooms and the multipurpose room. Other agencies who provide programming for families and children can reserve these spaces as well,” Mijares concluded.
CP is fortunate that moving from Divide into Woodland Park has not affected their ability to meet the needs of the community. “Even though staff have moved into their offices in the building, all of the community and program spaces are still being remodeled, but thanks to partners including Woodland Park and Cripple Creek-Victor School Districts, The Resource Exchange, Teller County Department of Human Services, Woodland Park Community Church, Mountain View United Methodist Church, Pikes Peak Community Club, and Cripple Creek Library who continue to generously share their spaces, CP programs and services have experienced little disruption due to the relocation and remodel. We look forward to opening the entire building later this year. There has been a lot of community interest in what we are creating, and we expect it to be very busy!” said Mijares.
“We want residents to understand that this center is beneficial to the entire community, not just to the families participating in programs here. When parents are supported and children are thriving, our entire community is stronger. This center and its services are a valuable asset to the whole community, and a non-profit agency is taking the lead to create it, but we need everyone’s help. It’s a big project.”
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Michael Perini
Perini & Associates
+1 719-651-5943
email us here
Lifestyle - Reality Syndicate Viewers originally published at Lifestyle - Reality Syndicate Viewers