Chapter Philanthropy

This year, we have dedicated our spring philanthropy event to the Nick Bales BTR Foundation. This foundation was originally a clothing brand created by Nick Bales with the intention of opening up the conversation on mental health. After Nick committed suicide in 2018, his parents turned his clothing line into a nonprofit organization to break down the stigma surrounding mental illness and help others who have been affected by suicide. The money we raise will be donated to families suffering from a loss due to suicide and provide assistance for those dealing with mental illness. Additionally, a portion of the money raised for this organization will go towards a college scholarship to a student from Nick’s high school who shows kindness, compassion, and entrepreneurship -- just like Nick did. Many girls in our chapter knew Nick personally, and many more of us have been personally affected by mental illnesses throughout our lives. 

Our philanthropy event will be the third annual Kappa Koncert, headlined by Electric Feels, a DJ collective that celebrates the indie-pop hits we all know and love. Due to the extraordinary circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic, our spring philanthropy event has been postponed to the fall. While we have yet to secure a date, we are aiming for late September. We will be making an effort to fundraise for the next few months so if you are able to donate, you may do so at https://my.crowdchange.co/wg0edi. 

Before the unfortunate closure of our chapter house for the remainder of the semester, we were able to collect donations for Attention Homes. Attention Homes is a local organization that assists homeless youth, typically those who are freshly out of the foster care system, or kicked out of their homes for being LGBTQ+. They work to educate and help young people learn essential skills, facilitate growth and transformation, and create a community where all are welcome and safe. Attention Homes is always in need of essentials like gently or new clothing, homewares, non-perishable foods, toiletries, and more. We were so excited to be able to donate several boxes of vital items to Attention Homes and be able to assist in their mission. 

This fall, our philanthropy chair is hoping to collaborate with alumni to build, install, and maintain Little Free Libraries in the greater Boulder / Denver area. We will need to collect book donations, thrift and buy materials, get permits to install, upkeep the library, and so much more. If you have any prior experience with Little Free Libraries or are interested in helping us make this happen, stay tuned for more information in future newsletters or reach out to our philanthropy chair, Jillian, at jillian.rencher@colorado.edu.