Nearly 1,000 guests arrived Tuesday, September 16 to help launch the new headquarters for Mile High United Way which moved from 2505 18th Street to Park Avenue West in downtown’s Curtis Park neighborhood.
The new Mile High United Way Morgridge Center for Community Change was financed with funds proceeds from the sale of that building ($10 million), along with a capital campaign ($9 million) and new markets tax credits ($4.5 million), for a total budget of $23.5 million.
“Mile High United Way’s new headquarters will yield a tangible return on investment,” said City Councilman Albus Brooks of District 8.” All funds needed to complete the project were raised separately from their community campaign, which directly supports Mile High United Way’s work in the Metro Denver area.
John and Carrie Morgridge, founders of the Morgridge Family Foundation, helped finance the new building with a $4 million lead gift. The Morgridge family was on hand for the official ribbon cutting along with Mayor Mike Hancock, Lt. Governor Joe Garcia, City Councilman Albus Brooks, several other government officials, community and business leaders, United Way board members, staff and supporters representing nonprofits, small businesses, government agencies and corporate and industry leaders.
Besides offices for Mile High United Way, the 65,000-square-foot building built by Davis Architects and PCL Construction will house half a dozen other non-profit organizations serving education, women’s workforce, homeless, literacy, health issues and family and children’s assistance programs. Among the facilities are:
• CenturyLink’s Mile High United Way Center housing a free and confidential community referral service that connects callers with resources which provide food, shelter, rent assistance, clothing, child care options, legal assistance and other services to meet basic needs.
• Bridging the Gap, Mile High United Way’s program helping young adults formerly in foster care address their needs related to education, employment, financial literacy, health and leadership development.
• CoBank Leadership Center, 6,300 square feet of conference space for community collaboration, available for free for nonprofit use.
• ComcastDigital Literacy Community Center, giving local citizens and nonprofit organizations access to state-of-the-art technology and free training opportunities.
• Café United, a full service café operated by Work Options for Women.
• Offices for Goodwill Industries and the Metro Denver Homeless Initiative
Among others attending were: First Lady Jennie Ritter; Brad Busse, President of Busse Ventures; Tami Door, CEO of Colorado Concern; George Sparks, CEO of the Denver Museum of Nature and Science; Bennie Milliner, Director of Denver’s Road Home; Bob Deible of OfficeSpaces; Richard Lewis of RTL Networks; Renny Fagan, CEO of the Colorado Nonprofit Association; Kelly Rodriguez and Lori Davis of Grant Thornton; Norah Lovato and StephaniePacheco-McRaeof CWEE Center for Work Education and Employment; Happy Haynes of CRL Associates; Laura Villanueva and Destiny Hardney of Goodwill; Perla Ita Gheiler of Metro State University of Denver; Work Options for Women (WOW) Executive Director; Catherine Henry and WOW staffers Kassi Newman, and Andrea Elliott; Gary Dominguez and Debbie Herrera of CHFA; Signy Mikita of the City of Aurora Neighborhood Services; Patrick Coyle, State of Colorado Dept of Local Affairs; Gregory Anton of Anton Collins Mitchell accounting firm; and Mile High United Way board members and staff.
Denver is home of the very first United Way in the U.S founded in 1887 as a ‘community chest’ of community-oriented individuals during the early pioneer days. Today, Mile High United Way focuses efforts in the counties of Denver, Douglas, Adams, Arapahoe and Jefferson. Last year 278,293 people were served by Mile High United Way and their Impact Partners who are working to create sustainable community change in the three interconnected areas of School Readiness, Youth Success and Adult Self-Sufficiency.
For more information please visit www.unitedwaydenver.org
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- CEO/President Christine Benero in lobby of new building
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- CEO/President Christine Benero welcomes guests
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- Denver Mayor Hancock helps inaugurate new United Way building
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- Denver United Way board and leadership and city officials welcome guests to ribbon cutting
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- Lobby entrance to the new United Way building downtown
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- New building located at Park Avenue West
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- Dignitaries cut the ribbon
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- Congratulations!
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- United Way staff celebrate building launch with John & Carrie Morgridge
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- More than 1,000 attended the ribbon cutting for theMorgridge Center for Community Change
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- Aaron Medina & Tori Black
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- Amanda Friese & Jon Mohr
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- Amy Tarnoff, Gary and Ruth Wagner
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- Bennie Milliner, Richard Lewis
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- Bob Deibel, Christine Benero
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- Carla Stewart, Becki Truong, Kathy & Mike Lutito
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- Caz Matthews, Amy Ollivier, mel Rael, Lisa Nierenberg
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- Chelsea Carver, Sean Keller, Jennifer Stokes, VP of United Way Donor Relations
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- Barbara Grogan, Shelley Thompson
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- Chris Cary, Tory Elias-Batson
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- Christine Benero welcomes guest to the historic event
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- Two tents provided outdoor food and drink for 1,000 guests
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- Members of Grant Thornton accountants celebrate their conference room
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- Desta Taye-Chanell with daughter, Hanna
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- Dov Sellem, Susana Sevilla
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- Elizabeth Robertson, Rebecca Wilson
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- Ellie Psillas, Sierra Galindo, Hailey Shelley
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- Fermin & Marissa Avila with Micah and Noah
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- Front: Angela Lujan, Stephanie McKay and Joan Moore; Back: Laurie Lujan, Maria Cordero, Roseanne Schulze
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- Gary Dominguez, Signy Mikita, Patrick Coyle
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- George Sparks, Kim Easton, Sarah Ault
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- Greg Ward, Katie Lehman, Joe Miklosi
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- Guests arrived early for the event
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- Mayor Hancock and other guests listen to opening remarks from Christine Benero
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- Community members from throughout the metro area celebrated the new United Way building
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- Happy Haynes and CO Lt. Governor Joe Garcia
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- Jaime Torres, Debbie Herrera, Perla Ita Gheiler
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- Joe Lear of Davis Architects with United Way CFO Leslie Hannon, VP
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- John Imbergamo, Erin Pulling, Kaye Lyssy
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- John Wasserman, Esther Starrels
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- Karen Altman, Colleen Bargell, Kacy Jones, Bob Deible
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- Kari Notton, Connor Brown
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- Kelly Rodriguez, Lori Davis
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- Laura Villanueva, Destiny Hardney
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- Lauren Black, Tyler Molvig, Kinsley Phillips
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- Lauren Ferguson, Gail Ciepiela
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- Laurie Harvey, Norah Lovato, Stephanie Pacheco McRae
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- LIVE UNITED: Motto of United Way organizations worldwide
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- Visitors toured the new 63,000-square foot facility
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- Louise Espinoza, Kari Chapman
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- Marissa Avila, Aubrey Payne
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- Mark Nierenberg, Hannah Sperber
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- Mary McBride, Jerry Kashinski
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- Matt Edgar, Chris Terrill
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- The new facility was designed by Davis Archictects
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- A community collage of children, families and leaders welcomes visitors to the new United Way building
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- Nancy and Craig Herman
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- Nicole Adair United Way Donor Relations Director, Jeremy Davis United Way VP of IT, United Way COO Ed Blair
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- Nicole Estes, Connie O’Murray
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- Norah Lovato, John Garcia Eckstein, Monique Lovato
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- Patrick Kneeland, Morgan Virgilio, Eileen Truong
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- Colorful platters of shish-kabobs
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- Merrick & Co Chairman Ralph Christie, Tamra Ward, President/CEO of Colorado Concern
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- CEO of CO NonProfit Association Renny Fagan, and Colorado First Lady Jennie Ritter
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- Shelby Ross, Quinn Mower, Meredith Blanchard
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- Delicious sliders fed guests throughout the event
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- Major capital campaign donors enabled the new headquarters possible
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- Stockton Baker, Becca Fuller
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- Tera Stroup, Tricia Stevens
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- A beautiful sunset greeted visitors to the Wagner Family Terrace
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- Tricia Steven, Kate Reinumund, Karen Kennedy
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- Work Options for Women Director Catherine Henry with Andrea Elliott and Kassi Newman
Nearly 1,000 guests arrived Tuesday, September 16 to help launch the new headquarters for Mile High United Way which moved from 2505 18th Street to Park Avenue West in downtown’s Curtis Park neighborhood.
The new Mile High United Way Morgridge Center for Community Change was financed with funds proceeds from the sale of that building ($10 million), along with a capital campaign ($9 million) and new markets tax credits ($4.5 million), for a total budget of $23.5 million.
“Mile High United Way’s new headquarters will yield a tangible return on investment,” said City Councilman Albus Brooks of District 8.” All funds needed to complete the project were raised separately from their community campaign, which directly supports Mile High United Way’s work in the Metro Denver area.
John and Carrie Morgridge, founders of the Morgridge Family Foundation, helped finance the new building with a $4 million lead gift. The Morgridge family was on hand for the official ribbon cutting along with Mayor Mike Hancock, Lt. Governor Joe Garcia, City Councilman Albus Brooks, several other government officials, community and business leaders, United Way board members, staff and supporters representing nonprofits, small businesses, government agencies and corporate and industry leaders.
Besides offices for Mile High United Way, the 65,000-square-foot building built by Davis Architects and PCL Construction will house half a dozen other non-profit organizations serving education, women’s workforce, homeless, literacy, health issues and family and children’s assistance programs. Among the facilities are:
• CenturyLink’s Mile High United Way Center housing a free and confidential community referral service that connects callers with resources which provide food, shelter, rent assistance, clothing, child care options, legal assistance and other services to meet basic needs.
• Bridging the Gap, Mile High United Way’s program helping young adults formerly in foster care address their needs related to education, employment, financial literacy, health and leadership development.
• CoBank Leadership Center, 6,300 square feet of conference space for community collaboration, available for free for nonprofit use.
• ComcastDigital Literacy Community Center, giving local citizens and nonprofit organizations access to state-of-the-art technology and free training opportunities.
• Café United, a full service café operated by Work Options for Women.
• Offices for Goodwill Industries and the Metro Denver Homeless Initiative
Among others attending were: First Lady Jennie Ritter; Brad Busse, President of Busse Ventures; Tami Door, CEO of Colorado Concern; George Sparks, CEO of the Denver Museum of Nature and Science; Bennie Milliner, Director of Denver’s Road Home; Bob Deible of OfficeSpaces; Richard Lewis of RTL Networks; Renny Fagan, CEO of the Colorado Nonprofit Association; Kelly Rodriguez and Lori Davis of Grant Thornton; Norah Lovato and StephaniePacheco-McRaeof CWEE Center for Work Education and Employment; Happy Haynes of CRL Associates; Laura Villanueva and Destiny Hardney of Goodwill; Perla Ita Gheiler of Metro State University of Denver; Work Options for Women (WOW) Executive Director; Catherine Henry and WOW staffers Kassi Newman, and Andrea Elliott; Gary Dominguez and Debbie Herrera of CHFA; Signy Mikita of the City of Aurora Neighborhood Services; Patrick Coyle, State of Colorado Dept of Local Affairs; Gregory Anton of Anton Collins Mitchell accounting firm; and Mile High United Way board members and staff.
Denver is home of the very first United Way in the U.S founded in 1887 as a ‘community chest’ of community-oriented individuals during the early pioneer days. Today, Mile High United Way focuses efforts in the counties of Denver, Douglas, Adams, Arapahoe and Jefferson. Last year 278,293 people were served by Mile High United Way and their Impact Partners who are working to create sustainable community change in the three interconnected areas of School Readiness, Youth Success and Adult Self-Sufficiency. For more information please visit www.unitedwaydenver.org
