Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) announced today that Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Denver was selected as part of the Northeast Metro Coalition as a pilot community for GOCO’s $25 million Inspire Initiative. The Northeast Metro Coalition represents 13 agency and nonprofit partners committed to increasing access and opportunities for underserved youth adjacent to the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge. The Coalition’s geography includes rich resources of inspiring outdoor spaces that offer connections to the Refuge and seeks to engage and connect 27,900 youth to the outdoors, breaking down the physical, relationship, and perception barriers for a community where 77% of residents are people of color and a 42% childhood poverty rate exists.The Northeast Metro Coalition partners collectively offer a broad spectrum of nature-based and outdoors programming for youth in our target area, building on existing relationships and long-standing community connections. Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Denver is proud to be part of this group, which will use the $100,000 planning grant over the next 10 months to engage the community – especially our youth – to develop inclusive and innovative plans and programs that will secure $1-5 million implementation grants from GOCO. We look forward to keeping you informed of the process, including opportunities to participate in the months ahead.
Northeast Metro Coalition Partners
* Commerce City
* Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge
* Sand Creek Regional Greenway Foundation
* Bluff Lake Nature Center
* Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Denver
* Environmental Learning for Kids
* Groundwork Denver
* Mile High Youth Corps
* The Urban Farm
* National Park Service Intermountain Region Rivers Trails & Conservation Assistance Program
* Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Department of Natural Resources
* Aurora
* Denver