Another single woman — “Just me and my dog,” she said — needed milk, eggs and fresh fruit. She left with a smile on her face, having also picked up a bouquet of fresh flowers.

Welcome to The Action Center on West 14th Avenue in Lakewood.

Since 1968, the center has provided basic life necessities, referrals, and guidance to individuals and families experiencing hardship. The mission of The Action Center, which receives funding from The Denver Post Community Foundation’s Season to Share program, is to provide clients with a range of services to meet their current needs and help them become self-sufficient, with a sense of hope and dignity.

Several services are provided, including a clothing market. But for many, the most pressing need is food. The Action Center is not a so-called soup kitchen. It is a grocery pantry that provides staples for those in need. The shoppers sign up for the program and are then paired with volunteer “personal shoppers” who lead them through the aisles and help them find the foods they need.

On this breezy and unusually warm December day, the lines are not long. That’s not usually the case.

“Normally, we have people lined up out the doors,” said Allison Taggart, director of programs. “We are trying so hard to meet the needs of these people. The Action Center is so grateful for the people who have donated their time, their money, their goods and services. This is all about giving.”

According to Laurie Walowitz, the chief impact officer, the grocery serves about  200 households a day. Last year, more than 61,000 households visited the food pantry.

“Lately, we have seen need go up substantially,” Walowitz said. “In November, we had an extra 100 households a day because of everything happening with the federal government cutbacks to SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). We are so grateful to the community for all of their giving in the wake of that. And we are so grateful to our volunteers.”

The Action Center has 40 employees, 20 of whom work directly with the community. The center also uses about 80 volunteers a day.

Volunteers like Mary Ann Rothenburger, who has given her time at the center for 50 years. She currently works in the clothing market.

Volunteers like Lee Ann Lubkeman, who has lived in the Denver area for 50 years. She’s a personal shopper.

“I had a friend who volunteered here, and she really enjoyed it,” Lubkeman said. “I’m retired, and I didn’t want to just stay home and watch TV. I wanted to help people. It is very rewarding. You truly are helping people.”

People such as the Miller family. The Millers came to The Action Center with a plan to secure their future and improve their lives.

John and Ashley had been working alternating shifts to save money on child care while they worked to save for moving into a better neighborhood with their sons, Jack and Tristan, according to The Action Center’s website. However, the high costs of a first month’s rent and security deposit were hindering them from reaching this goal.

The center provided the Millers with meal supplies, clothing and school supplies, allowing them to move into their new apartment before the school year began.

The Action Center receives donations from a variety of sources, including the Food Bank of the Rockies, as well as food rescue programs that recover surplus fresh food from grocery stores, farmers’ markets, and wholesalers that would otherwise go to waste. The fresh food is then delivered to no-cost grocery programs.

“When a grocery store has food that is good, but not good enough to be on the shelves anymore, rather than throw food away, food rescue donates the food,” Walowitz explained. “Most of the food is perishable, so we have our volunteers go through all of that food and make sure it’s OK. One ding on an apple is fine, but you don’t want an apple full of dings. That’s not fine.”

Food that doesn’t make the cut goes into The Action Center’s compost bin.

During the holiday season, The Action Center becomes even more important to families.

“We have people come into our grocery to meet some of their needs for the holidays,” Taggart said. “So many of them come here to see what we have before they go to a retail grocery store. We can help make it a special season.”

The center welcomes food, clothing and monetary donations.

The Action Center

Address: 8755 W 14th Ave., Lakewood, CO. 80215

In operation since: 1968

Number of employees: 40

Number of volunteers: 80 per day, five days a week.

Number of clients served: More than 61,000 household visits per year.

The VOA teams saw more people needing food, reeling from hard times, and suffering in spirit due to “relational poverty” that can make challenges feel insurmountable, VOA chief executive David Schunk said.

“We might be the most connected generation ever due to the internet. But we are also the loneliest. Relational isolation – when you do not have a family to go to – is a big factor. There are mental health and depression issues that arise.”

In metro Denver, the number of people lacking a house or apartment increased from 9,997 in 2024 to 10,774 in 2025, according to a Denver point-in-time based on annual count data. A U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in 2024 estimated 18,715 people were living without shelter in Colorado, up 30% over 2023, compared with an 18% increase nationwide.

More of the people seeking help at VOA facilities “are just regular people who were living paycheck to paycheck. They lost their job, and they didn’t have enough money,”  VOA vice president Faustine Curry said. “They had to choose: Do I pay rent? Or do I buy food? Many made the decision to eat instead of pay rent,” Curry said.

A  faith-based organization, VOA was founded in 1896 by Maud Booth and her husband, Ballington, who established VOA’s westernmost mission at the time in Denver at 2877 Lawrence St., promising soup, work, and a safe place to sleep. VOA welcomes anybody in need — older adults, children, families, and military veterans. It relies on 430 employees, 1,300 volunteers, and an annual budget of about $50 million to run its network of facilities, where more than 106,000 people this past year found food, shelter, counseling and other help.

In May, VOA opened a model facility in Denver at 4855 W. Colfax Ave., the Theodora Family Hotel, after renovating the 1960s-era former Aristocrat motel using $17.7 million in city funds. The five-story Theodora with 60 rooms has been full since it opened, VOA officials said. It provides shelter at no cost for 160 people in families. Each is assigned a case manager.

A target timeline gives residents 90 days. The average stay this year was 92 days — as long as family members showed progress toward goals set with their case manager.  The residents typically congregate for shared meals. Children are enrolled in a nearby school. A staff of 30 includes the caseworkers, who get to know the families personally, and at least two employees at the hotel 24/7.

The place holds a small courtyard — an outdoor space that allows sunlight.

“It gives residents the freedom to just be. There are trees, plants, some astroturf and squishy material under the playgrounds,” Curry said. “Greenspace, being with nature, being outside, being in the sunshine, is a huge part of being able to move forward and continue with life. Nature’s impacts are huge. Being outside just helps people.”

VOA officials are planning to expand their network of facilities around Colorado. A metro Denver site has been selected for one new facility. VOA officials declined to identify that site. VOA will enlarge its facility in Durango. And officials are working on new affordable housing projects in Grand Junction and Fort Collins.

The network depends on donations and support from communities.

“The pressures keep getting greater and greater,” Schunk said. “At some point, it will max out our generous community.”

Volunteers of America Colorado

Address: 2660 Larimer St., Denver, CO 80205

Number of employees: 430

Number of volunteers: 1,300

Founded: 1896

Number of clients served in 2024: more than 106,000

Annual budget: $50 million

“Every time I cough hard, my throat hurts,” she said. “I think I got sick because I was in school and I didn’t put my jacket fully on.”

Like she had many times before, Courtney’s mom, Clara Susana Lozano, brought her daughter to one of the Kids First clinics, which offer care to anyone younger than 21, regardless of their insurance status.

, a nonprofit based in Commerce City, operates nine clinics in Adams County. Seven of them are inside schools.

Courtney is one of thousands of kids who receive pediatric, behavioral and some dental care each year from Kids First Health Care, which receives funding from The Denver Post Community Foundation’s Season to Share program. Each of the clinics also has a behavioral health practitioner available for mental health care.

“We’re a place where people know they can receive care,” said Dr. Amanda Jichlinski, the organization’s sole physician. “There are other clinics around, but … they are really at capacity.”

Many private practice pediatricians don’t accept Medicaid, or they have a limit on the number of Medicaid patients they will treat. Kids First doesn’t have such limitations; more than half of its patients are on Medicaid, and more than a quarter have no insurance at all.

Its clinics also help families fill out paperwork for Medicaid enrollment.

“I don’t know how you can allow a child who needs care to not receive health care. That doesn’t seem right to me,” Jichlinski said. “I love working for a place where I don’t have to turn someone away because of their circumstances.”

The organization has clinics at Adams County High School, Lester Arnold High School, Adams City Middle School, Kearney Middle School, Thornton High School, Westminster High School and Brighton High School. The two clinics outside of schools are the Commerce City Community Clinic and the Alto Community Clinic in Westminster.

While all of the clinics are in Adams County, families who live anywhere can use their services.

The community clinics are located next to other social services and nonprofits that help families with things like housing and nutrition.

The clinicians, who focus on forming comprehensive relationships with their patients, also offer general reproductive health care for teens, including education.

Like many nonprofits, Kids First Health Care’s biggest cost is its staff members.

“Any donation would support the work that we do — and the work our very talented and worthy staff members do across the board,” Jichlinski said.

The organization is also planning an expansion for one of its school-based clinics, in Westminster. The clinicians’ current space is in a closet.

On a day in late November, Jichlinski diagnosed Courtney with a viral infection in her throat. She ordered blood work as well to see what could be causing some pain in the girl’s hands and feet. She ended the visit by talking with Courtney’s mom about ways to reduce her daughter’s screen time to make sure she’s getting enough rest.

Lozano said she’d brought her children to the clinic for 10 years.

“Es que siempre nos ha atendido bien,” she said in Spanish when asked what keeps her coming back.

Jichlinski, who speaks English, Spanish and French, translated: “They’re always taking good care of us.”

Kids First Health Care

Address: 7190 Colorado Blvd., Suite 450, Commerce City, CO 80022

In operation since: 1978

Number of employees: 56

Number of volunteers: 20 (through student advisory committees)

Annual budget: About $6.3 million

Number of clients served: 4,000 annually

The ability to meet with Brown once a month, while remaining tethered through texts and emails, provides Johnson a rudder, a sense of relief that someone is in her corner and keeping her on track.

“Even with so much happening, meeting with Ariane, it is a place where you can step back and collect yourself and know that everything will be OK,” Johnson said. “With goals, it is kind of like deadlines, Students, we can struggle with time management, and Denver Kids can hold you accountable. And it feels so much more meaningful because it is a one-on-one conversation.”

Rooted in educational counseling, Denver Kids provides a relationship-based approach to building character, academic achievement and social and emotional growth. At a time when resources are dwindling and cuts happening, Denver Kids, in a partnership with Denver Public Schools, can form the “bridge between school and home,” explained vice president of development Michelle Maldonado.

“We have the ability to work with them in the school. We have relationships with the teachers. If there is issue at school, our staff is there. But we are not limited by the school day,” Maldonado said. “We can connect with the family at the home or in the community or at a (athletic) game.

Watching Brown interact with Johnson, the personal connection becomes obvious. And, it comes with a twist. Denver Kids is about empowering students, helping them with everything from basic essentials, like a month of groceries, to improving their attendance by identifying their passion in school or a potential job through career exploration field trips.

The process centers on listening — not telling — and guiding.

“I pride myself on being open, and letting the students lead the way,” said Brown, who has been with Denver Kids for seven years. “Some will admit they have no clue on what they want to do and others are very clear on where they are going. Some don’t want to talk much at first. Some do. So, I get a mix of everything. We start by trying to find what they are interested in, what they are good at, what their goals are.”

Brown meets with seven students per day for roughly 30-to-45 minutes. The check-in sessions form the basis of relationships that have spawned success. According to Denver Kids, the on-time graduation rate for the class of 2025 was 94.8 %. It was only a few years ago that the number sat in the high 80s. However, with greater understanding of social and emotional learning, Denver Kids has fostered stronger connections.

“I have been with them for five years. They are someone in my village I know will be there for me. I know I can always call Miss Ariane and ask for help, whether it’s personal or academic,” Johnson said. “It has been very helpful.”

Denver Kids aims to continue impacting lives, knowing how much having a trusted adult in a school can increase positive outcomes. Donations help support Denver Kids advising program, volunteer mentoring, youth pathways and student engagement.

At Montbello on this busy Friday, a few students look through the door window and wave at Brown as she talks with Johnson. She calls them her “kiddos.” Brown was a teacher, but found a home at Denver Kids through the personal connections. She is fully invested in their success, helping calm and navigate the waters at a time when students are experiencing hardships and uncertainty.

“I was a student who didn’t have that one trusted adult. I had some good teachers but they didn’t have time outside the class room. That is the great thing about Denver Kids, having that one on one monthly support that is consistent. They know they are going to see you, and where they can find you,” Brown said. “I left teaching and went into the corporate world, and I wasn’t fulfilled. With Denver Kids, I can be hands on, and be more in-depth with them. Our goal is to find out what is going on with them, what they want to do, and help them get there. What I am teaching my students I am also learning as I am going. It has been a beautiful experience.”

Denver Kids Inc.

Address: 780 Grant St., Denver, 80203

In operation since: 1946

Number of employees: 36 full time, 1 part time

Annual budget: $3.6 million

Number of people served: 1,164 this school year

Nearby, visitors pause, flipping through pamphlets and reading signs plastered across the wall, taking in the full scope of the nonprofit����ap work.

For Linda Foster, president and CEO of JFS, the steady stream of people seeking help is both a sign of unprecedented need and a reminder of why the nonprofit exists in the first place.

“We are an organization that has Jewish values, but we serve everybody. We don’t discriminate in any way,” Foster said.

Today, the nonprofit serves more than 26,000 people annually through over 30 programs and services, including food security, housing stability, mental health counseling, aging care, employment support, refugee resettlement, chaplaincy and Jewish life, disability services and aeroponic farming.

JFS, which receives funding from The Denver Post Community Foundation’s Season to Share program, is now in its 153rd year and has grown far beyond its origins as the .

As Colorado faces a housing crisis, rising food prices and growing community vulnerability, Foster said JFS continues to adapt while staying true to its mission of improving the lives of individuals and families in need across the state.

At the center of that response is a staff driven by purpose, Foster said. JFS has nearly 200 employees and over 700 volunteers of all types of backgrounds, and is what drew Foster to take on the role.

“Every day I’m doing something that makes a difference, and I have the most incredible staff who care about each other, but also care about our community and our clients. So, I wanted to be part of that,” Foster said.

The nonprofit is expanding its food pantry support, community partnerships and focusing efforts on preventing homelessness through its and Rapid Rehousing program.

More recently, JFS has worked to fill the gaps left by SNAP cuts that occurred during the government shutdown by increasing the amount of produce and protein it offers and ordering thousands of dollars’ worth of gift cards.

While the pantry can only provide so much, these gift cards allow families to purchase additional essentials that JFS can’t supply. However, even though the nonprofit has the flexibility to adapt to problems the community faces, it can sometimes add up.

“The support of the community around those are just so critical,” she said as the nonprofit receives hundreds of calls every day from people who need assistance.

“We’re really dependent on a committed community of donors — we wouldn’t be able to survive if we didn’t get that kind of support. We’re a nonprofit, so we have to find ways to be sustainable, and that’s when we depend on grants and we depend on donors.”

Foster sat at a big table in the middle of her office on a Tuesday afternoon, hands clasped together, staring off at the wall as she recalled meeting a client.

“Oftentimes I’ll go down just to hear someone’s story,” she said. “It reminds me why I’m here and what I’m doing.”

“I care so much about our organization and the people we serve, and there’s so much good we’re doing,” Foster said.

She said she wants to make sure this organization can continue in a good place, though it����ap a challenge that requires raising more money and diversifying its funding sources. Yet, Foster said the nonprofit is exploring new strategies and remains optimistic as they strive to make the world a better place.

Jewish Family Service of Colorado

Address: 3201 S. Tamarac Dr., Denver, CO 80231

In operation since: 1872

Number of employees: 191

Number of volunteers: over 700

Annual budget: $22 million

Number of clients served: over 26,000 unique clients annually ]]> 7344193 2025-11-30T06:00:25+00:00 2025-11-24T11:12:31+00:00 /2025/11/23/child-health-clinic-season-to-share-food-aid/ Sun, 23 Nov 2025 13:00:19 +0000 /?p=7318401 Three years ago, Amber Banderas, 9, was hurting, underweight, and needing emergency care. She remembers riding in an ambulance and receiving shots.

This fall, perched on an examining table in the Children’s Hospital Colorado as her stepfather, Carlos Gonzales, stood by, Banderas regaled the medical staff with tales of her life in north metro Denver. She efficiently completes school homework to maximize afternoon time with four cats, playing the video game Roadblock — “huge for kids,” she explained — and hanging out in the garden where her mother grows pears, peaches, lemons, and tomatoes.

She was at the clinic recently for a flu shot – “as you keep reminding me,” she told a nurse with an eye roll – and welcomed the “special cold spray” when that moment of stinging arrived. Nurse Micki Mantz also listened to her heart and lungs. “Do you want a sticker?”

“Yeah.”

Banderas is one of the 13,000 children who last year made 33,000 visits to this clinic, tucked just west of roaring traffic on Interstate 225 in a reflective-glass building at 860 N. Potomac Circle in Aurora. That����ap about one mile southeast of the larger along East Colfax Avenue, where doctors provide emergency acute care and surgeries. Parents with children flock to this clinic for primary care — and increasingly for food.

Eight full-time doctors examine about 16 kids a day. Along with eight nurses and two medical assistants, they provide comprehensive basic care in a tightly organized, brightly colored 32-room facility. They serve a mostly low-income clientele, with more than 85% of patients relying on Medicaid to meet health care needs.

The clinic is part of a long tradition. The Children’s Hospital began in 1897 as a summer tent camp in Denver’s City Park for sick babies.

This year’s been tough as federal government budget-cutters target Medicaid and food aid and the political rhetoric targeting immigrants has spread fear. Many of the children at the clinic come from families that speak Spanish, Amharic, and Somali – clinic staffers at the front desk help with translation. “We had some initial drop off” in the clientele, Dr. Lisa DeCamp said. “But this is a trusted space. Families know. If there’s more enforcement? People do say they are worried about that.”

Inside the clinic, she and Dr. Daniel Nicklas, the medical director, rode an elevator up to a food pantry they are expanding. Beyond medical care, clinic workers increasingly prioritize providing families with canned goods and fresh food – often a key factor for overall family health and morale if available at affordable prices.

The clinic forged a partnership with food growers at a 3,000-square-foot urban garden on the southeast side of the Children’s Hospital to obtain food.

At the garden that morning, supervisor Carly Zimmerman, was harvesting beets, carrots, eggplants, and turnips.

She feels the demand, she said. “The need is greater than what I can grow.”

At the clinic, parents and children can also see mental health counselors. Clinic staffers and legal volunteers help handle health-related bureaucratic paperwork — enrollment forms for Medicaid and guardianship for children.

Families often struggle to clear time off work to bring children here. Doctors offer telehealth visits, which account for about 10% of overall visits, Nicklas said. These work best for follow-up care on common matters such as treatment of attention-deficit disorders. But doctors and nurses prioritize face-to-face contact with children and encourage limits on screen time, especially for younger patients, he said.

“Kids don’t need to watch an educational video at 18 months. They need you to talk with them.”

Child Health Clinic

Address: 860 N. Potomac Circle, Aurora, CO 80011

Number of employees: 54

Annual budget: $5.5 million

Patients served last year: 13,000

For four years, these students have participated in the after-school program, a free, holistic initiative that provides academic support, emotional wellness, and college and career development to Denver youth and their families.

While their school focuses on science, technology, engineering and mathematics, these seniors crave other opportunities to be creative and work different parts of their brain. Sometimes, though, it’s just a much-needed movie night or pumpkin-painting activity. There are also volunteer options, where students can help organize clothes for underserved children.

“Most of us are minorities or low-income,” said Claudia Puga, one of the program’s participants. “People like us don’t get these opportunities. I’m so grateful to have this program.”

The Colorado Dream Foundation began in 1988 on the back lawn of the Colorado Governor’s Mansion. The group of twentysomethings was inspired by Eugene Lang, founder of the in New York. The group’s dream: “A world where every child has equal access to educational and career opportunities that will ignite their innate potential.”

The organization serves more than 300 Denver-area children from third through 12th grades each year.

Kids can get academic help through one-on-one tutoring and homework assistance, but the program also seeks to serve their social-emotional well-being. The foundation offers individual and small-group therapy sessions for ages 4 through adulthood.

“They come to us out of school; our job is not to make them feel like they’re back in school,” said Kaye Taavialma, the organization’s chief executive officer. “Their interests and characteristics and qualities and attributes all have a place and a space here.”

Most schools these days, she added, “don’t have the bandwidth or ability to really afford youth space to be creative in learning.”

Unlike other after-school programs, the Colorado Dream Foundation promises to stay with its young people even after they graduate high school. If that’s college, great. If it’s another opportunity, that’s perfectly fine, too.

“We are post-secondary agnostic,” Taavialma said. “We’re not here to have judgment over what youth want to do in their post-secondary life. We’re here to hold them accountable to a plan.”

For first-generation college students, the process can be daunting. Teachers with the program helped the high schoolers learn about scholarship opportunities, SAT prep and navigating college applications.

The program earns results, the organization says: Graduates of the Colorado Dream Foundation are three times more likely to earn a bachelor’s degree than peers in their communities. Meanwhile, 90% of youth in the program graduate high school, compared with 74% of youth from marginalized communities nationally.

“But it’s not just ‘college, college, college’ all the time,” said Melisa Sadaoui, one of the 12th-grade participants. “It’s less stressful.”

After graduation, the organization plans to keep these students connected through meet-ups during school breaks and mentorship programs.

More than anything, Colorado Dream Academy lets students explore themselves, figuring out what they want to do with their lives, said Elizabeth Tran, a senior in the program.

“It really has changed my trajectory,” she said. “When people believe in you, it makes you want to chase different things.”

Colorado Dream Foundation

Address: 1836 Grant St., Denver, CO 82023

In operation since: 1988

Number of employees: 22

Number of volunteers: None

Annual budget: $2.15 million

Number of clients served: 467

The pediatric care room, however, can barely accommodate the pediatric dentist, another employee and the parents of a child receiving care. Next to a wall with a fresh decal of a cartoon hippo brushing his teeth, a set of cabinets occupies much of the floor space, sticking out like a sore thumb.

The coalition’s dental services director, Dr. Carol Niforatos, would like to replace the cabinets with a slimmer storage system, a carpentry procedure she estimated at $10,000. It’s one of her pending goals for a clinic that sees patients during the week here and at two other locations in metro Denver.

In addition to the Stout Street Health Center, 2130 Stout St., the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless provides dental services at its nearby headquarters, 2111 Champa St., and at a shelter run by the Denver Rescue Mission at 4600 E. 48th Ave., Denver. Social workers from the Coalition, the city and other homeless advocacy organizations refer patients to the clinics. Others walk in looking for care.

Finding a place to live is key to improving the well-being of a homeless person, Niforatos said. Dental hygiene procedures, such as periodic cleanings, are often at the bottom of their list of errands.

“Their priorities are much different than the person who is housed,” Niforatos said. “A lot of times they are not even thinking about their teeth unless [there is] an emergency, some swelling, some pain. Then they’re thinking about their teeth.”

Teeth decay may necessitate fillings and extractions, the most common procedures at the clinic, she said. Her dentists also specialize in dentures, which are molded on site at the centers on Stout and Champa streets. They take X-rays, fit porcelain and stainless steel crowns and perform root canals.

Medicaid is a common insurer, though the clinic states it has a sliding fee for uninsured patients and doesn’t turn away those who cannot pay. Once a patient is seen, the clinic pairs them with a case manager who can put them on a list for available housing, Niforatos said. The Colorado Coalition for the Homeless has housing programs for low-wage workers and homeless adults and families.

“Once you’re housed, your priorities can be really realigned,” Niforatos said. “You can all of a sudden think about your mouth again.”

The reasons for homelessness vary wildly. The trauma of life on the street can lead patients to behave unpredictably on rare occasions, Niforatos said. Her team is trained in non-violent crisis intervention and can quickly call for behavioral health staff using special beepers clipped to their scrubs.

The process isn’t supposed to be punitive — the incoming patient is usually desperate for care, she said. Her team wants to help them, too, even if it means having to go over the expectations for a visit.

“You’ve got to talk to that patient,” Niforatos said. “You’ve got to make sure you’re understood and that they’re heard. And that just takes a couple of minutes more than the average population.”

Colorado Coalition for the Homeless

Address: 2111 Champa St., Denver, CO, 80205
In operation since: 1984
Number of employees: 834
Number of volunteers: 235
Annual budget: $121 million in revenue; $122 million in expenses
Number of clients served: 19,021

(Sources: Colorado Coalition for the Homeless’ 2024 Form 990; Colorado Coalition for the Homeless 2024 Annual Report)

, a Jefferson County nonprofit that focuses on homelessness, especially for domestic violence survivors, was there to help her get organized and ready to go.

The counselors advised her to gather all important documents, such as Social Security cards and birth certificates for her children, to turn off the location finder on her phone, and to prepare a “go bag.” They helped her obtain a protection order from the courts.

When the time was right, Van Maldeghem, who was about to give birth to her fourth child, left the house with her other three children. The first place they chose to stay didn’t work out. So she and the children moved into a shelter run by Family Tree.

“The hardest part, the reality of it was, ‘Oh my God, I’m homeless,'” Van Madleghem said about leaving her husband more than a decade ago. “It was a really hard realization that I was homeless with my four kids, and now what am I going to do?

“I was trusting myself for the first time. I got to prove to myself that I was capable.”

Van Maldeghem now serves on Family Tree’s board of directors and shares her story with others in hopes that they, too, find a way to leave and start a better life.

Family Tree was founded when social workers and others realized the connection between domestic violence and homelessness. Since its founding, the nonprofit’s work has spread to seven counties in metro Denver, said Robert Ham, Family Tree’s executive director.

The agency works with families to prevent and overcome domestic violence, child abuse and homelessness. It runs a domestic violence shelter for people fleeing abusive relationships, and on Oct. 10, it celebrated the opening of an 85-unit apartment complex in Arvada. The nonprofit also provides legal advocacy and helps people create safety plans like the one Van Maldeghem used to escape.

“It����ap such important and great work,” Ham said. “The leading cause of women on the street is women leaving domestic violence situations. Our sweet spot is focusing on the connections between those issues.”

Van Madleghem said she grew up in a home with an abusive father. It was the only life she knew.

“I never understood it was wrong,” she said.

She found Family Tree through a counselor at her children’s school, and the staff provided the support she needed to change the cycle.

“Family Tree became the family I never had,” Van Madelghem said. “They helped me understand what love was and what domestic violence was.”

Within 30 days of moving into the shelter, Van Madelghem found a job and was able to move her family into an apartment.

Today, she works full-time, is married to a peaceful husband, and two of her four children are living on their own with stable, productive lives. The two youngest still live with her and are thriving, she said.

“I live the life that I’ve always dreamed of — that I could get up and be safe.”

Family Tree

Address: 3805 Marshall St., Wheat Ridge, CO 80033

In operation since: 1976

Number of employees:  82 full-time and 14 part-time

Annual budget: $10 million

Number of clients served: 6,465

The J. Churchill Owen Club on Kentucky Avenue is one of 25 centers operated by . The organization aims to provide school-age children with safe after-school programs in their neighborhoods to help them build friendships, learn new skills and feel connected.

For Davian Castro-Rivera, the Owen Club has become a second home. The 13-year-old comes nearly every day after school — and often on Saturdays — for football, basketball and soccer practice. When he’s not playing sports, he enjoys looking after the younger children and helping them practice.

“Every time I come here, I feel really welcomed,” he said.

The nonprofit, which receives funding from The Denver Post Community Foundation’s Season to Share program, has provided safe spaces for Denver’s children since 1961. It reaches about 40,000 children each year.

On an average day, 2,500 kids ages 5 to 18 are spending their afternoons in one of the Denver-area clubhouses. Some clubs also offer programs before school and during the summer.

“It’s where they can have fun, build friendships and lead healthy lifestyles,” CEO Erin Porteous said.

The nonprofit has expanded greatly from its beginnings six decades ago, when it offered two programs for boys: a woodworking class and a mechanics class. Children are navigating a more complex and violent world — and the organization has adapted to meet those needs while remaining an anchor point, Porteous said.

Now, the clubs offer homework help, mental health counseling, literacy programs, nutrition education, sports leagues and leadership programs. Kids at the J. Churchill Owen Club have access to 3D printers, a computer lab, a rock climbing wall, two gyms, a reading library, and an arts and crafts room. Teens can learn about college and career opportunities.

One of Porteous’ most cherished memories from her 19 years working for the Boys and Girls Clubs comes from the organization’s annual holiday toy drive. She once watched a little girl survey the pile of gifts before picking out a black bike with lightning bolts, rather than a glitzy pink one with streamers.

When she asked the girl why she picked the boy’s bike, the girl told her that she wanted a bike her little brother would also feel proud to ride. It would be the only bike in the family, and the girl knew they’d have to share.

“Sometimes that toy might be the only moment of joy they have during the holiday season,” Porteous said.

Half of the children who attend the Boys and Girls Clubs come from families earning less than $44,000 a year. The clubs serve families who speak more than a dozen languages, including Spanish, Arabic, Swahili and Vietnamese.

Beyond programs, the clubs connect children with trusted adults and older children who can serve as role models and sounding boards.

“It’s not only a place for kids to go, but our staff are the mentors and motivators to our kids,” Porteous said. “We know that connection from kid to adult, from kid to mentor, is so important for them to be successful in and out of school.”

Boys and Girls Club of Metro Denver

Address: 2017 W. Ninth Ave., Denver, CO 80204

In operation since: 1961

Number of employees: 167 full-time and 134 part-time staff members

Number of volunteers: 116 individual volunteers and 955 group volunteers in the 2025 fiscal year

Annual budget: $23.9 million

Number of clients served: 40,000 annually