ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — The Denver Broncos Foundation has announced grants to eight nonprofits that will positively impact an estimated 800 justice-involved youth through the team's Inspire Change outreach this season.
The Foundation's Inspire Change initiative is focused on supporting at-risk and justice-involved youth through services aimed at limiting the negative impact of the juvenile justice system.
Information about each 2023 Inspire Change grant partner is below:
Café Momentum will bring its nonprofit restaurant and program for justice-involved youth to Denver. This innovative program empowers participants through a 12-month paid internship, wraparound services, education and mental health support.
The Juvenile Assessment Center (JAC) provides early intervention screening and assessment to identify factors contributing to a youth's justice-involvement. JAC then connects them with relevant, attainable, culturally appropriate and financially accessible services in the community.
Mile High United Way’s Bridging the Gap (BTG) program serves young adults ages 18-24 who are transitioning out of the child welfare system (foster care or juvenile justice system). BTG provides participants with direct-to-client assistance to secure safe, stable housing and connects them to resources to help them achieve goals with workforce readiness and education.
At Seeing Our Adolescents Rise (SOAR), youth receive community services and build resilience by achieving positive emotional, mental and physical outcomes despite adversity. Justice-involved youth are referred to SOAR to receive one-on-one coaching, mental health support, experiential activities and other resources to drive a sense of passion and purpose.
The Sims-Fayola Foundation works to improve the life outcomes and experiences of young men and boys of color through workshops, mentoring and programming. The Sims-Fayola Foundation's Empowerment Zone diversion program focuses on improving life outcomes, reducing engagement with the criminal justice system, widening career exposure and building healthy relationships for young men of color 25 who are referred by social services, the community or the courts.
The Urban Farm (TUF) provides the opportunity for urban youth to engage and participate in local food and agricultural systems by removing the barriers to entry. TUF's Cultivating Change in Youth diversion programming for youth ages 14-18 focuses on supporting justice-involved and at-risk youth with life skills and career pathways services.
WellPower partners with various entities to fill gaps in government-provided mental health services, including therapy, for justice-involved youth and their families. WellPower's Juvenile Justice Mental Health Services include counseling and case management to build a plan tailored to each individual youth's needs, goals, consequences and harm reduction outlook.
YouthZone offers diversion and deferred sentencing programming to justice-involved youth ages 6-18 who are referred by the juvenile justice system, law enforcement, schools, parents, self-referral and other youth organizations. The nonprofit specializes in intervention, prevention and volunteerism with their participants.
The Broncos' Inspire Change game will be held on Sunday, Dec. 24, against the New England Patriots (6:15 p.m. MT).
