Gunnison Valley Giving Connection

Gunnison County Diaper Program
Gunnison County Health and Human Services and the Gunnison Hinsdale Early Childhood Council provide a monthly allotment of diapers to low-income families residing in Gunnison or Hinsdale Counties. Families can walk in during business hours each month to pick up their diaper supply from the front desk. This service is especially utilized by families on WIC and Medicaid. This program provides concrete support to families in need in a simple, immediate way. Gunnison County Health and Human Services started applying for state funding to be a diaper distribution site in 2021, however reduced funding from the state combined with an increased demand for diapers, as word spread, has meant that we cannot meet the continued need in 2025. We will have to stop distribution without another funding source. We need more funding to continue the program for April, May, and June of 2025. With your support we can continue this much needed program that serves over 130 low-income families with young children each year.

Summer Dance Scholarships for Crested Butte Youth
Crested Butte School of Dance (CBSOD) is excited to expand our summer camp programming for youth ages 5–18, responding to a growing demand for summer dance and performance opportunities. This new program also helps fill the gap left by the absence of CB Community School's Summer Experience, which traditionally provided affordable summer activities for local families. We are committed to making dance accessible to all children by keeping tuition low and offering scholarships to those in need. In 2024, scholarship requests increased by an astounding 260%, and thanks to generous supporters, we were able to fund 70% of those requests through general funds and fundraising efforts. Dance education empowers children and adults to express creativity, stay physically active, practice mindfulness, and build meaningful connections within our community. With your support, we can continue to offer high-quality, affordable dance instruction and ensure that no child is turned away due to financial barriers. Please consider donating today to help us make dance accessible to all.

Safe Passage Kennel Doors
GVAWL is looking to install small, garage-like sliding doors on two existing kennels, creating exits to individual, outdoor safe run areas. This provides frightened and reactive dogs outdoor access and exercise while at the same time keeping staff safe from having to leash walk them past rows of other kenneled dogs. This benefits dogs who become stressed having to walk by other dogs to get to outside play yards. Recent information shows that providing this opportunity results in drastic behavioral and emotional improvement in dogs and can help them develop social rules which may make them more adoptable.

Tenderfoot's Cool Kid Club: Shade for Play- Donate Today!
Join the coolest club in town and help Tenderfoot Child & Family Development Center create safe, sunny memories! Tenderfoot is not just the largest non-profit early childhood education program in the Gunnison Valley- it's a place where children begin their journey to reach their full potential. In Sunny Gunny, there are only a few days a year that the children don't play and learn outside on the playground. The UV rays at this high altitude are 25% stronger, which increases the long-term risks of sun exposure. The Cool Kids Club is raising funds for trees and sunshade structures on the playground. Your donation will protect 100 children and create a lasting legacy of safety for generations of children to come. Together we can make their world a little cooker and a lot safer.

New Soccer Goals for a New Turf Field
The West Elk Soccer Association (WESA) fosters soccer development and provides a fun, high quality experience for youth and adults living in the Gunnison valley. Through our work, we envision a community with a strong love of soccer that prioritizes sportsmanship, leadership, and skill development through investment in the player, coach, referee, and team. We have thirteen programs for players ages 8-18 that serve 43% of all students enrolled at the Crested Butte Community School (CBCS). Our goal is to provide all WESA programs with high quality equipment and resources to ensure players experience growth and development. A new turf field has been approved at CBCS for the fall. With this new field, WESA is in need of four additional U12 soccer goals in order to effectively run our youth programs. Affordability of our programs is a key concern in order to ensure equitable access to team sports for our youth. Support from the Giving Connection would allow us to provide access to high quality equipment without burdening players, while maintaining affordability and quality programming.