Members of the Wood Family and WCCF Board on

Opening Night at the Asteria Theatre

In late September, Colorado Mesa University celebrated the grand opening of its new state-of-the-art performance facility, Asteria Theatre. The Dave and Mary Wood Plaza, which is situated outside the main entrance of the theater and overlooking the campus, was dedicated the same day.

The plaza is named after long-time donors of our Community Foundation, Dave and Mary Wood. The Woods were known as significant patrons of the arts in western Colorado. They loved opera and supported many local music and arts organizations in Ouray, where they lived, and in Mesa County. Our donors would be very pleased with the new regional theatre at CMU, which will enhance cultural offerings in western Colorado

The Asteria Theatre is named after the Greek goddess of the stars. The new venue is described as a place where CMU drama and music students will be able to showcase their talents and shine like stars on stage. Speaking at the opening night event, our President and CEO, Anne Wenzel, talked about the concept of "a thousand points of light" that is frequently used for collective philanthropy and volunteerism. She drew parallels between the star metaphor and the power of many community-minded individuals working together to make an impact where they live.

Dave and Mary Wood were two such brilliant points of light, promoting the arts and enhancing life for many in our community.

Since 2016, our Community Foundation has worked with local leaders to establish Local Community Funds, which provide funding to nonprofit organizations within specific geographic areas. These funds serve as permanent charitable endowments, distributing annual grants to the community for many generations ahead.

We manage six Local Community Funds, including the newly established Delta Community Fund who awarded $10,000 in their first year of funding. This year, collectively, these Local Community funds provided a total of $134,076 to 50 organizations in western Colorado.

Learn more about our Local Community Funds and grants made this year, here.

Top photo: Delta Community Fund grantee award ceremony hosted at the Egyptian Theatre. Bottom photo: Surface Creek Community Fund grantee award ceremony hosted at the Stolte Packing Shed at the Pioneer Town Museum

In October, we celebrated our President and CEO, Anne Wenzel, at the Women of Distinction breakfast hosted by the Girl Scouts of Colorado. Anne was honored as part of the 2024 Women of Distinction cohort, alongside Rebecca Hobart, Chief Executive Officer of Ariel Clinical Services, and Stephania Vasconez, Founder and Executive Director of Mutual Aid Partners. We support the Girl Scouts' mission to empower girls with courage, confidence, and character.



Congrats to the 2024 Women of Distinction! 

Congratulations to our board member, Carlton Mason, who has been recognized with the El Pomar Foundation Rural Award of Excellence for CASA of the 7th Judicial District. This prestigious award acknowledges an outstanding organization based in one of El Pomar's nine rural regions. Carlton's work pioneering affordable and supportive housing projects in Montrose and Delta County have garnered attention across the state.

Established in 2000, CASA of the 7th Judicial District advocates for children affected by the legal system, with staff and volunteers serving as the 'voice for the child' to highlight their needs.

D51's Cell Phone Policy Case Study Highlights Partnership With Our Community Foundation

A case study of Mesa County School District 51’s cell phone policy was released this week. The partnership with our Community Foundation is featured in the report. Commissioned by Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser and written by the Colorado Education Initiative, More Social, Less Media: How Colorado’s District 51 Advanced a Unified Cell Phone Policy to Enhance Student Learning and Wellbeing summarizes the planning and implementation process used in our School District and summarizes best practices for success.  Click here to read the report.

Warm Up With Us

A Hot Chocolate Experience

We are excited to celebrate the holiday season with a Hot Chocolate Experience

at our Center for Philanthropy on Wednesday, December 18. Everyone is welcome and we hope to see you there! Please let us know if you plan to stop by between

3:00 and 5:00 PM.

WCCF/Center For Philanthropy

128 North 5th Street

Grand Junction, CO

As a convener, connector, and collaborator, we take pride in providing technical assistance and resources to local nonprofits and partners working in areas related to our impact work: Outdoor and Environment, Hunger Relief, and Youth Well-being. These initiatives are supported by the generous contributions from donors who wish to create a positive impact in these areas, allowing us the flexibility to address a variety of needs.

Outdoor Recreation & Environment:

CORE Fund Awards $70,000

The CORE Fund supports conservation, outdoor recreation, and environmental initiatives in western Colorado. Members of the Giving Circle made their 2024 grant selections and have distributed $70,000 to 12 organizations.

See the list of grantees here.

Interested in learning more about the CORE Giving Circle? Contact Emily Orbanek; eorbanek@wc-cf.org

Hunger Relief:

Challenge Match to Support Community Food Bank

Community Food Bank is working hard to raise funds to buy and transform the 7th Street Deli into a skills-building social enterprise that supports hunger relief efforts.

Our Community Foundation has issued a challenge match of $50,000 to help double the support for this effort.

Community Food Bank hopes to open the Community Cafe's doors in early 2025.

Learn more here.

Youth

Well-being:

Heads Up Parenting

A focus area of our Community Foundation is the mental health and well-being of young people. As part of this initiative, we're working with community partners to promote healthy technology and social media habits. Heads Up Parenting is a campaign designed to empower parents and caregivers of children ages 0 - 3 years, to prioritize unplugged, engaged parenting.

Learn more and access research, tools, and resources at 

HeadsUpParenting.org. Read our latest newsletter.

It’s giving season!

As we approach the end of the year, our team at the Western Colorado Community Foundation is happy to help members of our community establish new charitable funds, make a donation, and award year-end grants to nonprofits.

Below are a few important dates and reminders. Visit our Year-end Giving Page for more information.

• If you’d like to establish a new fund in this calendar year, we ask that you start the process before Friday, December 13. 

• For contributions to a donor-advised fund to qualify for a 2024 tax deduction, assets must arrive by Tuesday, December 31.

• To make a stock gift, please initiate the transfer by Friday, December 13 with your financial institution. This will help ensure that the stocks and other securities arrive to WCCF by December 31. Please remember to notify the WCCF Development Team (970-243-3767) that a transfer is in progress.

• Submit grant requests by Friday, December 13 for timely delivery to nonprofits. We recommend using the online portal for easy granting. If you need help accessing the portal, or have a Donor Advised Fund and would like to get set up, contact Jesse Redmond; jredmond@wc-cf.org.

• Donations to WCCF or one of its funds can be made online or by check. Checks must be postmarked by Tuesday, December 31. Make checks payable to the Western Colorado Community Foundation. Please indicate in the memo line if allocating to a specific fund or initiative and mail to Western Colorado Community Foundation, PO Box 4334, Grand Junction, CO 81502.

Holiday Hours

Our development team is available to help with your questions about charitable giving. You can reach our team by emailing info@wc-cf.org or calling (970) 243-3767. Our office is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.



Please note, our team is taking some time off to enjoy the holidays and our office will be closed on the following days.

• December 23 - 27
• Wednesday, January 1

If you need help while we’re away, you are welcome to still contact us. We’ll respond to you as quickly as possible.

I was recently honored by the Girl Scouts of Colorado as a Woman of Distinction – for being a leader in the community and a role model for girls. Along with two other recipients of this award, I was asked to provide some words of wisdom to “my 14-year-old self” that would be relevant and compelling for girls today. As I joked at the event, 14 years old was a LONG time ago!

In a nutshell, my advice to girls today is to take charge of defining who they want to be for themselves. There is so much pressure from parents, teachers, coaches, peers, and social media about who and what to be. The voyage of self-discovery takes time – sometimes a lifetime – and is best embraced with a sense of exploration, openness and curiosity. 

I think the normal process of growing up and figuring out who we are is extra challenging in this day and age of smart phones and social media. We are hearing more and more about some of the negative consequences of excessive screen time and social media on the mental health and wellness of our young people. Girls in particular can get caught up in social comparisons, impacted by doctored images of what “beautiful” and “successful” look like and living with fears of not fitting in or being liked enough.

So my advice to girls and, more generally, all young people today is to show up with your “heads up, phones down.” This means in your classrooms, at the family dinner table. I want to encourage young people to get involved with scouting or sports and other extracurricular activities. Spend more time outdoors. Enjoy being with your friends with phones tucked away, talking and laughing together in person. This will develop deeper and likely more fulfilling relationships and a better sense of belonging than dozens of friends in a virtual community. Go for real hugs and support, not just heart emojis.

Join our Community Foundation in promoting Mesa County and other communities in western Colorado to be Heads Up Communities – places where we practice healthy habits with our smart phones and encourage face-to-face relationships that nurture and support our children and youth as they grow into responsible and involved adults.

Anne Wenzel

The Western Colorado Community Foundation (WCCF) is a nonprofit organization established in 1996 by community leaders. Covering seven counties in western Colorado, our Community foundation works to connect generous donors with causes that align with their philanthropic goals and interests.

With more than 330 charitable funds and over $185 million in assets under our stewardship, we are on target to distribute more than $8 million in grants and scholarships this year.