Denver Broncos Community | Youth Health and Wellness Initiatives
Youth Health and Wellness Grant Spotlights
Denver Area Services (DAYS)
A 2023 Colorado Health Institute study found that 75.5% of youth ages 0-25 did not receive counseling as a result of having a difficult time scheduling an appointment, and 47.2% did not receive counseling due to concerns about the cost of treatment. Challenges remain for students accessing quality mental-health services in a timely fashion, with months-long waitlists and limited options available for students who are in understaffed schools and/or lack insurance.
Denver Area Youth Services (DAYS) fills gaps in school-based services by providing accessible, culturally sensitive, trauma-informed behavioral and mental-health services for youth at no-cost, regardless of their insurance status.
The Denver Broncos Foundation is committed to underwriting more than 1,000 no-cost mental-health sessions over a three-year period to increase access to services for youth in our community. Additionally, the Foundation teamed up with the Heart of America Foundation to renovate a Mobile Wellness RV, transforming it into a kid-friendly mobile office space that could be taken into the community to deliver services to youth where they're at — schools, libraries and community-driven spaces.
A Precious Child
Nationally, teachers estimate that nearly one in five students in their schools deal with lack of access to clean clothes on a regular basis, and more than half of teachers surveyed believe those students are more likely to struggle with absenteeism.
A Precious Child (APC) provides under-resourced children with opportunities and resources to empower them to achieve their full potential. APC strategically establishes Satellite Resource Centers (SRC) in high-need communities, providing seasonally appropriate clothing, shoes, hygiene products, school supplies and food to bridge the income gap and ensure kids' needs are met.
To help APC serve more youth and meet increased demand, the Denver Broncos Foundation is underwriting the addition of Satellite Resource Centers at Kenton Elementary School (Aurora Public Schools) and Westminster High School (Westminster Public Schools), as well as the expansion of an existing SRC at Adams City Middle School (Adams 14 School District).
Access to Youth Sports
Only 54.9% of children in Colorado participate in youth sports, ranking 28th nationally and below the federal government's goal of reaching 63%. Financial barriers – including participation fees and equipment costs - are the top reasons why youth from lower-income households do not participate. The cost to play youth sports creates a substantial gap in participation rates, with children from affluent households being twice as likely to play sports as children from low-income households.
The Denver Broncos Foundation is working to make youth sports — specifically flag and tackle football — more accessible through collaborative partnerships focused on increasing opportunities and reducing barriers.
Partnerships include, but are not limited to: Every Kid Sports (youth registration fees), Futures Football (middle school tackle football program), Girls Flag Football (sanctioning and expansion), Gold Crown Foundation (girls flag football league), Good Sports (flag and tackle football equipment donations), Project Play Colorado (statewide coalition), Special Olympics Colorado (unified flag football expansion), and Youth Sports Giving Day (youth sports organization funding).
Youth Health and Wellness Grants
Youth and High School Football
Youth and High School Football Programs
Improving youth and high school football through programs, clinics and camps that focus on character, player safety, team development and the benefits of football.