DENVER — When Broncos players arrive at Centura Health Training Center, they're provided with the resources they need to succeed.
From state-of-the-art equipment to top-of-the-line nutrition services, the organization offers wide-ranging support to help the team perform its best.
In late April, the Denver Broncos Foundation looked to provide a similar level of support to Westminster High School. In conjunction with A Precious Child, the Denver Broncos Foundation helped open a resource center at Westminster that will aggregate resources and reduce strain on families.
The newly opened satellite resource center — one of 51 operated by A Precious Child in Colorado — provides seasonally appropriate clothing, shoes, hygiene products, school supplies, food and much more. Students at Westminster are able to shop at the store, which provides the items at no cost.
At the grand-opening event on April 24, more than 40 students were able to shop at the resource center. Members of Westminster's football team helped set up the center, and Miles the Mascot and Denver Broncos Cheerleaders were in attendance for a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the new resource.
The Denver Broncos Foundation — which looks to positively impact youth in the community — views its support of the new resource center as a way to ensure students are provided with resources they need to learn, according to Broncos Director of Community Impact Liz Jeralds.
"Some of these expenses are just not feasible for some families in our communities, so to be able to address some of the root causes that kids and families are facing is crucial," Jeralds said. "If we don't address those root causes, how can you expect kids to show up and succeed in school, participate in after-school programming and athletics and all these things that we want them to be a part of to develop as a whole young person?"
The Denver Broncos Foundation and A Precious Child's joint effort will aim to combat chronic absenteeism by providing students with resources that may prevent them from being at school. Colorado has the seventh-highest rate of chronic absenteeism in the country, and more than half of teachers in a nationwide survey believed students without consistent access to clean clothes were more likely to be chronically absent.
"This is part of a larger ecosystem of support in our community," Jeralds said.
The Denver Broncos Foundation allocated a grant to provide Year 1 funding for the resource center, as well as additional funding to ensure the sustainability of the project.
Westminster is the second school at which the Denver Broncos Foundation has funded a resource center, and the Foundation will soon host a similar grand opening ceremony at Kenton Elementary.
For the Broncos, that means one more school where students can have the same support that's provided to the team's players.
"Just like our football players have on-site resources here, where they can access equipment needs, hygiene items, food, now students in their facility can access all of those things on site, too," Jeralds said.
