The Greenway Current
-2020-
Welcome! Keep scrolling to view the Current in order or click a bubble below to jump ahead to that section
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Avenir Light is a clean and stylish font favored by designers. It's easy on the eyes and a great go to font for titles, paragraphs & more.
Avenir Light is a clean and stylish font favored by designers. It's easy on the eyes and a great go to font for titles, paragraphs & more.
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Revitalize Rivers
Reconnect Communities
GREETINGS! WHAT A YEAR!!!!!
We are pleased to present and celebrate The Greenway Foundation’s (TGF) 2020 Greenway Current in this new, exciting format!
As we all know, 2020 has been a unique year, to say the least, resulting in related significant and challenging effects on all aspects of TGF’s ability to engage our 46 year mission to “Revitalize Rivers and Reconnect Communities”. Words like “Re-Think”, “Re-Imagine”, “Re-Invent” and “Re-Direct” have been THE buzz words for all Members of TGF’s Board of Directors, along with the TGF Team throughout this unprecedented and challenging year.
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2020 required TGF to:
Re-Think TGF’s longstanding and highly-recognized environmental education initiative, SPREE (South Platte River Environmental Education) to evolve “bringing youth to the River” to “bringing the River to youth”.
Re-Imagine how to evolve TGF’s water policy initiative – TWC (The Water Connection) - from “live” to “remote” conversations to pursue ever-needed opportunities for increased water-quality and water-quantity benefits for these priceless natural resources.
Re-Invent how to allow TGF’s community engaged events allowing Spring and Fall Stewardship Days to safely take place in a Covid-world-reality, as well as how to evolve TGF’s signature sponsorship-based events – Citizens on the River, Gala on the Bridge and Bridge Party into a single event in September - Rock The River – TGF’s first completely virtual, sponsorship-based event.
Re-Direct TGF’s ever-present leadership towards the increased environmental and recreational evolution of these invaluable urban waterways.
We hope you will take some time to scroll through the following summary of The Greenway Foundation's work in 2020, following an ever-passionate and never-ending commitment to our 46-year mission of championing our community’s rivers, creeks and streams.
The Greenway Foundation remains, and will forever be, that champion.
​
With Regard and Gratitude,
Kip Stastny- Board Chairman
Jeff Shoemaker- Executive Director
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Rethink
450 students
were taught through a free SPREE virtual presentation in the fall.
348 participants
came to pick up a free bag of crafts and activities for SPREE reimagined Art on the River.
6 High Schoolers
were hired over the summer, learning the principles of environmental education, developing public speaking skills, and writing camp curriculum.
Reimagine
5,000 lbs of trash
were prevented from entering the South Platte River thanks to Gutter Bins installed in Denver's storm drains.
195 plastic bags
among other trash, were collected by the half-sized Nautilus in-stream trash removal prototype in the Cherry Creek.
Reinvent
90+ sponsors
contributed to TGF’s first virtual fundraising event, Rock the River. This celebration of our River featured local Denver musicians, Mayor Michael B. Hancock, Former Mayor Federico Pena, and Councilwoman Amanda Sandoval.
200 volunteers
participated in the 2020 Fall Stewardship Day providing assistance with numerous projects including trash removal, crusher-fine based trail repair, painting, graffiti removal, tree protection, and willow harvesting for four parks across our city.
TGF's office moved
down to the River in 2020 and is now located at 1800 Platte Street in the Platte River Rowing Club allowing staff to enjoy our River every day.
$500+ million
officially authorized for investment in Denver's South Platte Watershed for both flood protection & ecosystem restoration benefits.
20,600 acres
granted to store in Chatfield Storage Reallocation Project, which received final approval from the U.S. Army Corps Engineers (USACE) in May 2020.
Redirect
Rediscover the South Platte River Watershed
For over 40 years, The Greenway Foundation has introduced tens of thousands of children to the South Platte River through its South Platte River Environmental Education (SPREE) program. SPREE aims to develop a positive relationship between the South Platte River and Denver area youth through school excursions, day camps, weekend events, internships, and summer employment. Although 2020 has been difficult, SPREE has been busier than ever! Keep scrolling to see how SPREE brought the River to the Denver community this year!
Educate
SPREE transformed our award-winning field trip curriculum into a virtual format to ensure Denver’s students would still have the opportunity to learn through environmental education even if it did look a bit different. Content was created to be used equally well if students were learning from home or in the classroom, to adapt to the changing realities of schools. Each 1st-through-5th grade class received a 1-hour, grade-specific “package” of SPREE materials, comprising of 3+ videos, corresponding worksheets, and a live lesson with SPREE teachers via Google Classroom.
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SPREE Live
SPREE quickly adapted to the rapid changes in the spring, and SPREE TV, an online resource for students and their families, was crafted. SPREE TV led elementary-aged students in a variety of activities, crafts, and experiments that kids could complete wherever they live.
Through gift planning, you can choose a method of giving that works for you while making a lasting impact.
SPREE TV
As a response to the realities of COVID, SPREE launched Summer Learning SPREE, an at-home, 5 week “camp program” that included grade-specific activities from our beloved SPREE beaver mascot, Chompers! Each week included a unique mission that got campers outdoors, short videos of nature crafts and activities, and live video sessions with SPREE Educators.
Summer Learning SPREE
Summer 2020 looked different for SPREE than it has in the past. We were able to run very limited outdoor camps this summer after our submitted application was granted by CDPHE. In these weeks of camp, we required masks and social distancing, but there was no shortage of fun while learning about the environment through game play and River exploration.
Through gift planning, you can choose a method of giving that works for you while making a lasting impact.
Summer Camps
SPREE hosted School Break Camps for students 7 years old to 5th grade at Johnson Habitat Park for fun and educational days filled with games, crafts, adventures and even top secret missions about the environment! To beat the winter weather, we embraced it by building snow forts to keep warm! Most of the curriculum was inspired and a direct result of High School River Rangers brainstorming.
School Break Camps
SPREE After School is the newest Fall 2020 program. This 4-week program met once a week and is designed to get kids outdoors and active, learning, and creative. Taking place at Johnson Habitat Park, we welcomed fall and cooler weather.... but we didn't let it stop us from exploring.
Through gift planning, you can choose a method of giving that works for you while making a lasting impact.
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SPREE After School
Greenway Leadership Corps (GLC) quickly adapted to providing free in-person/social distanced, on-your-own, and virtual events in 2020! High schoolers in and around Denver became River stewards by picking up trash from Denver Parks, marking storm drains to educate Denver residents about stormwater, planting native seeds throughout the city, and learning about the importance of our mental, physical, and spiritual connection to nature.
Greenway Leadership Corps
Despite the uncertain year, The High School River Ranger Program was still able to have awesome (and safe) spring internships and summer river ranger positions contributing to our SPREE programs and learning how to be environmental educators! 18 River Ranger Interns from Denver area High Schools joined the SPREE team to learn and create environmental education content. 6 Summer River Rangers worked on professional development, stewardship projects along the South Platte River, environmental education workshops, community science, and more. They even helped write and make SPREE virtual lessons.
Through gift planning, you can choose a method of giving that works for you while making a lasting impact.
High School River Rangers
Family
Fishing Day
9 families attended, with a total of 53 parents and kids trying their hand at fishing!
Family
Stewardship Day
10 volunteers joined us for a socially distant Stewardship Day!
Hover your mouse over the circles to read about each SPREE event
Protect
THE WATER CONNECTION (TWC) is the water resources and policy initiative of The Greenway Foundation. TWC is a regional venture that fosters civic action and technological innovation for resilient Colorado watersheds. TWC brings academic, industrial, environmental, and governmental leaders together while connecting concepts, disciplines, people, projects, and resources. We promote and facilitate regenerative water systems, improved water quality, and sustainable water infrastructure.
Through gift planning, you can choose a method of giving that works for you while making a lasting impact.
Through gift planning, you can choose a method of giving that works for you while making a lasting impact.
Through gift planning, you can choose a method of giving that works for you while making a lasting impact.
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Click the circles below to dive deeper into each TWC initiative!
Click the circles below to learn more about each TGF project
Celebrate
Rock the River
Even though we couldn’t all be together this year, we were excited to host our first ever virtual celebration of our River. We packed all of the fun of our six fundraising events into one virtual concert event bringing some of Denver's best musicians, current and former Denver electeds, and even an appearance from TGF’s Chairman directly to your living room! Over 90 sponsors made this event possible.
Fall Stewardship Day looked a little different this year. We were not able to gather volunteers in one park, instead, they volunteered across 4 parks! Volunteers reported directly to either Fishback Landing Park, Centennial Gardens, Carpio Sanguinette Park, or Heron Pond to complete various projects. This allowed for proper social distancing while still getting the parks the attention they needed.
Through gift planning, you can choose a method of giving that works for you while making a lasting impact.
Fall Stewardship Day
Through gift planning, you can choose a method of giving that works for you while making a lasting impact.
Spring Stewardship Day was not just one day this year, it was a two week event, with Earth Day right in the middle! Due to the stay at home orders that were in place at the time, Spring Stewardship Day went virtual in 2020. Volunteers were encouraged to help our environment by picking up trash in their local park, neighborhood, or even their own backyard- while practicing the recommended social distancing, of course. Volunteers then shared their pictures and videos on Facebook and Instagram. Even a global pandemic couldn’t keep our volunteers from this important work.
Spring Stewardship Day was not just one day this year, it was a two week event, with Earth Day right in the middle! Due to the stay at home orders that were in place at the time, Spring Stewardship Day went virtual in 2020. Volunteers were encouraged to help our environment by picking up trash in their local park, neighborhood, or even their own backyard- while practicing the recommended social distancing, of course. Volunteers then shared their pictures and videos on Facebook and Instagram. Even a global pandemic couldn’t keep our volunteers from this important work.
Spring Stewardship Day
Support
Friends of Greenway (FrOGs) continue to be a crucial part of the TGF family, especially in 2020. In a year where the only certainty was uncertainty, having a recurring stream of funding from our FrOGs allowed TGF to continue its mission to Revitalize Rivers and Reconnect Communities.
You too can become a FrOG! See the impact your gift can make and sign up here.
Through gift planning, you can choose a method of giving that works for you while making a lasting impact.
Become a Friend of Greenway
$25
Gives a deserving student a scholarship to attend camp!
$50
Sends an entire class on a grade- specific field trip!
$100
Employs a High School educator for one month!
Through gift planning, you can choose a method of giving that works for you while making a lasting impact.
Your donations help our ongoing efforts to create improvements along Denver waterways, provides award-winning youth education and employment programs, produce unique and engaging community events, and support the advancement of innovative and collaborative water resource management for the benefit of the South Platte River watershed.
Your Impact
Other ways
to support TGF
There are so many ways to donate to The Greenway Foundation, whether it’s by simply shopping at Amazon or King Soopers or even donating your car. Find out the many ways you can support TGF here.
Planned Giving
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Make a big impact. Ensure your legacy with a future gift. Through gift planning, you can choose a method of giving that works for you while making a lasting impact.
Looking for more ways to support The Greenway foundation? Contact Ryan Aids at 303-743-9720 ext. 860 or ryan@greenwayfoundation.org.
Grants & Sponsors
The Greenway Foundation was fortunate to receive a number of grants in 2020 from a variety of funding sources. Numerous recurring funders continued their generous support of our education programs, water quality projects, stewardship work and more. New funders also learned of our work and invested in our mission. These grants were particularly important to sustaining TGF’s programs and operations as other sources of funding, such as fee-for-service programs and large fundraising events, became impossible due to COVID-19 restrictions. There was not a single funder that asked us to return funds or questioned our approach as we adapted our programs, projects, and events to the new and ever changing realities associated with the pandemic, and for that we are incredibly grateful.
​
We cannot thank all our funders enough for the support they provided in 2020. We would not be in the place we are today, planning and visioning for 2021 without them. There are already many funding highlights to report for the coming year, including a recently approved $3 million award from Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) for My Outdoor Colorado* outdoor programming to continue in the Cole and Westwood neighborhoods of Denver, and over $50,000 already committed by various other funders to support TGF programs and events.
*The Greenway Foundation is a proud partner of the My Outdoor Colorado coalitions committed to increasing access to nature education, recreation and skill-building opportunities for youth and families in the Cole and Westwood neighborhoods. Coalition partners have been working together since 2015 to provide programs, career pathways, and park improvements in these communities and through the generous new grant award from GOCO, this work will be continued and strengthened over the coming years.
Thank you to all of our 2020 funders and sponsors!
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Mary Norris Preyer Fund
Anonymous
Alpine Bank
Architerra Group Inc
Aurora Water
Barr Milton Watershed Association
Bill Wenk
Brownstein Hyatt Farber & Schreck
Calibre Engineering
Capitol Representatives
Carollo Engineers
Centennial Water & Sanitation District
Central Colorado Water Conservancy District
Chatfield Reservoir Mitigation Company
Cherry Creek North
Chris & Betsy Shears
CO WaterCenter
Collegiate Peak Bank
Colorado Water Trust
CSU System Office
Curt LeRossignol
Cypress 16
D4Urban Development
David Thorpe
Denver Trout Unlimited
Dominion Water & Sanitation District
ERO Resources Corporation
First American Title
FirstBank
GBSM
GE Johnson
Great Ecology
Greiner Electric
Hiratsuka & Associates
Jacobs Construction
JE Dunn
Kelly Wells
Kilgore Cihon Advisor Group
Kirkpatrick Bank
Livable Cities Studio
Madison Insurance Group
McGeady Becher
Merrick & Company
Moody Insurance
Muller Engineering Company
Otak
Otten Johnson
OZ Architecture
Pinyon Environmental
Pioneer Ventures
Riverbank Commercial Real Estate
S20 Design
Saunders Construction Inc.
Sopra Communities
South Metro Water Supply Authority
Steve Coffin Strategies
Stream
Tetra Tech
The Whiting Turner Contracting Company
Tribe Development Company
Tryba Architects
Valerian
Westervelt Ecological Services
Westside Development Partners
Wright Water Engineers
ZF Capital
Thomas Abbott
Thomas Abell
Christine Adams
Liz Adams
Jesse Adkins
Ashlie Aids
Brenda Aids
Ryan Aids
Hilarea Amthauer
Jane Anderson
Alice & Marc Applebaum
Brent Applebaum
Thomas Arnold
Kristin Ashworth Fanch
Karen Aviles
Lindsey Ayers
Margaret L. Baker
Carrie Baron
Wayne Barrett
Gail Barry
Amy Beatie
David Bennetts
Ann Bensar
Lauren Berent
Christopher Bergeron
Daniel Bettinger
Ilene Birge
Autumn Bjugstad
Susan Bjugstad
Kendra Black
Tonia Bonnell
Amy Brady
Patrick Brady
Carissa & Dave Branson
David Braun
Jonathan Bridges
Nick Brown
Sara Brown
Devon Buckels
Brian Buckwheat
Anna Cafaro
Mary Beth Carpenter
James Carr
Wendy Cattanach
Cherry Creek Shopping Center
Kate Cihon
Matt Cihon
Virginia Clair
Emily Clark
Jennifer Clark
Joe Clark
Jolon Clark
Comcast Foundation
Jessica Cohen
Therese Cohen
Debra Colias
Amy Conklin
Don Cook
Jeannette Cooper
Kristine Csavina
Katryn Dake
Lisa Daniel
Cristin Elia Davis
John Davis
Joyzelle Davis
Colo Day
Eleanor Deaton
Dan DeLaughter
Tim DeMasters
Brian Deurloo
Melissa Dickard
Jacobs Dominick
James & Sarah Dominick
Sandy &Tim Drago
Peter Durst
JoshuavEldridge
Marcia Eldridge
John Erhardt
Stacey Eriksen
Jacob Escue
Terence Fagan
Jack Fahres
Richard Farley
Beth Ferguson
Adam Feuerstein
Stacy Fischer
Patricia Flood
Simon Foot
Fogo de Chao
Joseph Fowler
Hanna Franzblau
Sigrid Freese
Garden Club of Denver
Anthea Gagnon
Julianne Gagnon
Declan Galvin
Kate Gillette
Rachel Gillette
Jessica Gilliam
Nicholas Gilman
Emily Gloeckner
Allison Graham
Jeffrey Grana
PCS Group
David Grutze
Sasha Gubser
Bill Harr
Logan Callihan & Daniel Harris
Robert Harris
Sam Harrison
Elizabeth Harty
Elisabeth Hawksbee
Laurie Helmick
Zach Hendershot
Kelly Hersh
Caroline Hester
Cheryl Higashida
Fabby Hillyard
Gretchen Hollrah
Emily Holohan
Marni Hudson
Jill Humphrey
Ramsay Huntley
Mai-Lan Huynh
Annalies Immele
ICON Inc
Chris James
Coral Jenrette
Bill Jerke
Shelley Jewell
Jeff & Heidi Johnsen
Sara Johnson
Ted Johnson
Geoffry Kaatz
Jonathan Kahn
Marilyn Kal
Marilyn Kal-Hagan
Beth Kaminsky
Chalise Kanafani
Steve Katich
Dan Kester
Penny Kidd
Mira Killmeyer
Claudia Kim
Susan Kim
Cheryl Klein
Bob Knous
Julie Koehler
Amy Krosky
Dan Kubik
Mike LaMair
R Kent Landmark
Joseph Lara
Deirdre Lee
Jon Liberman
Blair Lichtenfels
Kim Linin
Lester Lockspeiser
LoHi Beer Garden
Kate Logan
James Lovejoy
Grace MacDonald
Travis Madsen
Robert Mahoney
Miranda Mallory
Andrea Martin
Jay Martin
Jana Mathieson
Leon McBroom
Jim McCotter
Naomi Meeks
Katherine & Steve Meier
David Miller
Chad Mitchell
Moran & Long, LLC
John Moran
Suzanne Morgan
Linda Morrison
Andy Mountain
Paul Mulligan
Katie Navin
Joanna Negler
Peter Nesbitt
Laura Newman
Roseann Niemeyer
Frank Nowell
Paul & Melinda O'Rourke
Christopher Oneil
Elise Osenga
Kathleen Osher
Patagonia, Inc
Leslie Parker
Kimberly Patton
Ellen Pearson
Rob Pell
John Pflaum
Megan Post
Diana Pruitt
Carin Ramirez
Aaron Ray
Randy Ray
Judith & James Recht
Barry Reed
Don Reichelt
Margaret Reilly
Richard Reinhardt
Annie Huggins & Andrew Rex
Sara Reynolds
Richardson Agency
Clem Rinehart
Theresa Ring
David Riordon
Richard & Priscilla Roberts
Jeff Rollins
Kathryn Ronan
Lesley Roper
Paul Rosenthal
Geoff Roth
Donny Roush
Ashleigh Ruehrdanz
Curtis & Ruth Rueter
Phil Russell
Paula Sandoval
Ronda Sandquist
Gregg Saunders
Schlessman Family Foundation
Preston Scott-Hall
Ira Selkowitz
Joy Shank
Jeff Shoemaker
Donna Smith
Tracy L Smith
Chad & Lauren Snee
Marianne Spellman
Andrea Stanton
Kip Stastny
Matthew & Rebecca Steel
Gary & Leslie Stiefler
Cyndi Stovall
Cynthia Stovall
Emily Sumner
Karen Taleghani
The Beacon Fund
The Green Soulution
The Pedicord Family Fund
Drew Thomas
Greg Thomas
Karlene Thomas
Erica Thompson
James Tolbert
Jack Tone
John Tone
Michael & Molly Trujillo
Molly Trujillo
Scott Tucker
Dustin Waite
Peter Wall
Tobi Watson
Carla Weikel
Tanya Weinberg
Bradley Weinig
Peter West
Kevin Wheeler
Jennifer Williams
Mike Winn
Jim Winzenburg
Natalie Wood
Board Of Directors
Kip Stastny Chairman
Bar Chadwick,
Vice Chairman
Brent Applebaum,
Secretary
Jon Bridges
Sarah Dominick
Larry Elrod
Fabby Hillyard
John Moran
Katie Navin Ex-officio
Lesley Roper
Paula Sandoval
Pete West
Greenway Staff
Ryan Aids
Deputy Director
Jeff Shoemaker
Executive Director
Devon Buckels
The Water Connection Director
Julianne Gagnon
Education Director
Rachel Gillette
SPREE Grants & Partnerships Director
Shelley Jewell
Finance & Administration Director
Lauren Berent
Associate Director,
The Water Connection
Emily Hypnarowski
Camp Director
Allie Grutze
Youth Programs Coordinator
Mike Schmidt
Environmental Educator
