Art from Ashes inc.

SOAPBOX
:: Putting Your Money Where Your Heart Is ::
In 2006, after watching the movie "The Secret," Noelle and I took a $1 bill and tacked it to the bulletin board in the office. Before we did that, however, we took a Sharpie and wrote $150,000 where it said $1. This year it's a $5 bill with the amount of $500,000 written in... There is so much to do and so many young lives we can be affecting, and we know what an even bigger difference this program can make when we are able to work with more resources. Each year since 2003, because of the good work and the generosity of those in our community, both locally and nationally, our budget has doubled, and this year we expect it to triple.

We already know our program works, we've seen the results in the lives of thousands of young people. And it's important to remember that NOT working with high-risk young people will be very costly for all of us. Our program saves young lives, and if you are a believer in the ability of art to heal, if you want to reduce abuse, suicide and crime among our youth, then this work needs to thrive. Art from Ashes wants to encourage thousands of young people to live lives of beauty and power. We want to be there for them: to listen to them, to connect with them, to help them heal.

You can support our efforts, whether it's through donations, corporate sponsorship, volunteering, networking, or meditation/prayer, we need you. More than 75% of funding for nonprofits comes from individuals who care. We definitely will continue to hold fundraisers, to solicit grants, and to request fees for services, but we believe in the reciprocity of individual giving. It not only benefits the recipient—in this case, high-risk youth—but blesses the giver. So many people think that when they have "enough money" they'll give. The lesson I learned when I gave up my business to work full-time at Art from Ashes is that exercising the discipline of giving even when it seems you don't have enough, rewards you with the faith to give. It's not the other way around. Can you imagine living life without the tyranny of financial worries driving your thoughts and behavior? That is a true gift!

So we encourage individual giving at Art from Ashes...even among our board members and volunteers who give so much already. Because it's about letting go of fear and embracing faith. Financial giving doesn't just benefit our work with youth, it also most certainly blesses those who give.

FINANCIAL GIVING
Sponsorships are for businesses or individuals who wish to fund our programs and receive recognition for supporting our work with youth in the community. Philanthropic or anonymous givers can provide an entire 8-week program for up to 20 youth by becoming an Epic Sponsor. Other levels of sponsorship contribute to existing sessions and/or create new collaborative possibilities for organizations and schools needing funding for our program. Please download the sponsorship levels here: sponsorships.pdf

CLICK HERE to view a list of our sponsors and sponsorship level donors.

Did you know that you can make tax-deductible contributions to Art from Ashes through your employer's United Way Campaign? When you fill out your pledge form, select "I want to give to a Mile High United Way Funded Agency or the following 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization" and write in "Art from Ashes, 853 Inca St., Suite 1A, Denver CO 80204." Our tax ID# is 20-0273372.

Individual donations can be made online (below) or by mailing your donation to Art from Ashes, 853 Inca St., Suite 1A, Denver CO 80204. Please feel free to request that your donation be spent for a specific purpose (i.e., to be applied to a particular workshop; for a poet honorarium; for art supplies, writing materials or poetry books; for operational expenses, etc.)

Please donate online through GivingFirst.org, a program of Community First Foundation that provides a link between giving and the community.

GRANTS AWARDED
Without the help of foundation, business and government grants, most nonprofits would have a tough time soliciting enough donations to stay functional. We are gratefulfor the generous support of our community funders.

2008
Tony Grampsas Youth Services
Colorado Humanities
Mayor's Office for Education and Children
City and County of Denver's Safe City Office
Colorado Council on the Arts Grants to Artists and Organizations
WESTWORD
Colorado Council on the Arts YouthReach!

2007
Mayor's Office for Education and Children
City and County of Denver's Safe City Office
Kepner Educational Excellence Program
The Denver Foundation
Colorado Council on the Arts Grants to Artists and Organizations
Colorado Council on the Arts YouthReach!

Tony Grampsas Youth Services Program has awarded Art from Ashes a $30,000 contract to provide 100 workshops at area youth service organizations and schools. TGYS is based at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment/Child, Adolescent and School Health Unit

Colorado Humanities has awarded Art from Ashes a grant to provide 24 workshops at Denver Children's Home, engaging 24 Colorado artists and scholars and providing for three youth performances.

WESTWORD has awarded Art from Ashes the 2008 Mastermind award for Literary Arts. With the honor came a generous grant for $4,000.

The MAYOR'S OFFICE FOR EDUCATION AND CHILDREN has awarded Art from Ashes a 2008 grant for both operating expenses and to provide 20 youth poetry workshops at Kepner Middle School in southwest Denver.

The City and County of Denver's SAFE CITY OFFICE awarded Art from Ashes a grant to establish small group workshops for identified youth in the community.

The Kepner Educational Excellence Program awarded Art from Ashes a $10,000 grant to provide 40 of 100 poetry workshops for more than 150 7th grade boys at Kepner Middle School in southwest Denver for the 2007/2008 school year.

THE DENVER FOUNDATION AWARDS FOUR GRANTS TO ART FROM ASHES

"Poetry therapy has been used since ancient times to heal the heart and mind. Oceanus told Prometheus, 'Words are the physician of the mind diseased.'"
— Denver Foundation Award Rationale

The Denver Foundation has presented Art from Ashes with four grant awards from their Donor Advised Funds for general operating support because of the "positive impact in sense of self, life skills and appreciation of the arts" our program has on high-risk, troubled youth. We are honored and proud to have the support of the following funders:

The Butler Family Fund

The Edna Peiker Beach Fund

The Irene G. Rothgerber Trust

Painter Ohrbeck Family Foundation

THE COLORADO COUNCIL ON THE ARTS GRANT AWARD
The Colorado Council on the Arts has presented Art from Ashes with a 2008 Grant to Artists and Organizations to support new programs for youth. The grant award will provide program support for 20 of our 100 youth workshops at Kepner Middle School and will supplement our new series of small group workshops for young people referred to us by other organizations.

The Colorado Council on the Arts is a state agency funded by the Colorado General Assembly and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.

YOUTHREACH GRANT
Art from Ashes and Urban Peak have been awarded the 2007/2008 YouthReach grant from the Colorado Council on the Arts. Scores were reached by an independent panel of five representatives from across the country, and we are honored to say that our grant application received the highest score of the 21 impressive organizations applying. The goal of YouthReach Colorado is to "support community organizations that combine high quality arts training and youth development activities to help at-risk young people make a successful transition to adulthood." Workshops are held every Monday night at The Spot from 6.30 to 8.30 pm through 2008. We are always looking for guest artists, so click here if you are interested in participating or to view previous and upcoming guest poets/artists. Please email us if you'd like to visit a workshop.

Art from Ashes is happy to collaborate with organizations that wish to contract us to provide poetry and creative arts workshops to their young clientele. Please contact Marie Verrett , our Director of Operations for more information.

GIFTS OF GOODS & SERVICES
Gifts of goods and services help us keep costs low, so that we can apply funds directly to the youth programs. Art from Ashes would love the support of the community in providing art supplies, writing materials, and office supplies. Please contact us (info@artfromashes.org or 303.837.1550) if you can help.

BUY STUFF/GET STUFF!
Purchasing poetry items and attending adult workshops supports our youth programs and the continuing operation of our organization. Plus you know you're getting something of value for your donation!

Another way to give and get something wonderful in return (also refer to our BUY POETRY STUFF page and our ADULT WORKSHOPS page), is to attend a fundraiser. Performances in the community are an essential aspect of the healing process. Many of our youth come into the program feeling isolated and rejected by their communities and by adults in general. Upon completing our program, a full 80% of youth surveyed said they were more interested in their community. Art from Ashes provides performance opportunities for those youth and support opportunities for members of the community willing to encourage those efforts. AfA hosts one fundraiser per month and two gala events a year (please refer to our EVENTS page for a schedule of performances). Consider attending one event a month to offer emotional support to our youth performers and financial support for our work.

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
Volunteers and interns are the lifeblood of our organization. Art from Ashes is almost entirely volunteer-run, and we would be delighted to have your help! Potential volunteers and interns are asked to read our development materials, fill out an application (including a non-compete/non-disclosure policy), and set up a meeting with the volunteer coordinator, Melissa Kemp. (download information) For those who wish to work with youth, we have specific training requirements that can be discussed at your meeting. Orientation meetings are held at the office at 853 Inca St., Suite 1A, Denver. Please call [303.907.5119] or email Melissa to schedule a time to meet or visit during her office hours: every Tuesday from 4 to 7 pm.