United We Fight, United We Win

Mile High United Way was the first United Way in the world. A group of visionaries, including a Denver woman, a priest, two ministers, and a rabbi, came together on October 16, 1887, and formed what is known today as Mile High United Way.

They believed everyone in our community should have the opportunity to succeed, even if the odds were stacked against them. Mile High United Way fights for the education, health, and financial stability for everyone in Metro Denver.

Catholic Charities of Denver operates a 365-day shelter called Samaritan House in downtown Denver and provides services to over 300 people every night. We provide more than shelter, food, and clothing services. We help break the cycle of homelessness and restore hope and dignity for men, women, veterans, and children by operating an extended-stay 120-day program to meet both the immediate needs, as well as provide case management, life skills classes (such as housing, money management, and employment assistance), support groups and collaborative relationships with community resources.

Catholic Charities of Denver’s Women’s Emergency Shelter provides services for women who need immediate shelter and a safe place to sleep 365 days a year. Located in northeast Denver, they offer more than 225 beds each night for women and provide a free hot meal for dinner and breakfast. The staff offers compassionate and dignified care to connect women in need to other supportive and transformational services they may need to get a fresh start and regain their self-sufficiency. Included in our women’s emergency shelter, Samaritan House Women’s Transitional Shelter provides case management, recovery resources, life skill classes, mental health services, and other supportive services through Catholic Charities of Denver.

One-third of The CampExperience™ Network monies raised supports what we call “Random Acts of Kindness.”

Some years these are small donations to organizations that are supported by our Camp Sponsors and Sisters, and some years they are more organized larger projects.

Every donation helps a targeted audience with not only cash, but exposure, volunteer time, and support.

Fostering fun & friendship, to help heal outside of the hospital.
Started by the University of Colorado medical students in 1998, Camp Wapiyapi is for children facing pediatric cancer. It is a special place where “kids get to just be kids again” at no cost to their families.
Patients and siblings are invited to camp to recapture the delight and spontaneity of being childlike, something that cancer has stolen from them.

CampExperience™ has built a strong connection with Camp Wapiyapi and strives to raise money and support them in creative and unique ways. In the Spring of 2019, we visited Sydney, Australia. We turned climbing the Sydney Harbor Bridge into a fundraising effort, and people could sponsor each step taken. In total, we raised $3,500 for Camp Wapiyapi.

The PeaceJam Foundation is an international organization whose mission statement is "to create young leaders committed to positive change in themselves, their communities, and the world through the inspiration of Nobel Peace Laureates who pass on the spirit, skills, and wisdom they embody."

The PeaceJam program was launched in February 1996 by co-founders Dawn Engle and Ivan Suvanjieff to provide the Nobel Peace Prize Laureates with a programmatic vehicle to use in working together to teach youth the art of peace. This foundation supports young people working for change through peaceful acts, giving them a platform by which they can be heard.

In the spring of 2019, Betsy participated in an annual event that was held in Denver and was able to meet and interview Nobel Laureate Rigoberta Menchu Tum.

"Imani Collective is a community of dreamers and shakers who aren't afraid to ask, 'why not?' Passionately pursuing a holistic approach to empowerment, we believe that once we realize what we're made of, we can own what we're made for. Convinced that we aren't just better together — we're our best together."

It started with sixteen women looking for a better way to provide for their families. Sixteen women who believed they were worth more than the saturated fruit selling street markets. Sixteen women intrigued enough by Jenny Nuccio's vision to stick by her side and grow together.
The Imani Collective now employs over fifty Kenyan men and women in Mtepeni Village and Mombasa, along with half a dozen women stateside.

The goods made by the women and men of Imani are often given out as gifts and featured at our Fall Retreats. In 2018 & 2019, we were able to help support Jenny and her team through monetary donations. Plus, there have been many more sisters who have made donations and offered support throughout the years.

New Dimensions Foundation and New Dimensions Radio conduct and disseminate conversations that expand the possibilities, both personal and cultural, towards a world that works for everyone. New Dimensions inspires its listeners to tap into their innate wisdom and genius.