At its fourth annual Breakfast of Champions scholarship celebration, Community College of Denver (CCD) Foundation honored and connected scholarship donors to current CCD scholarship recipients.

During the event, Lauren Casteel, president and CEO of the Women’s Foundation of Colorado, delivered an inspirational keynote address, “Grateful for the Opportunity.” She encouraged students to learn through “experience and observation” and not read about leadership from a book. She also reminded students that when they are “banging against the rocks to remember to look for the light.”

The Breakfast of Champions event offers an inspiring look at the accomplishments of CCD’s students, whose success is possible through ongoing support from numerous people and organizations.

Two students spoke about finding their pathway to CCD and contributed their successes to scholarships. CCD human services student Jasmine White and dental hygiene graduate Lindsay Russell both told stories of how CCD’s support system gave them what they needed to complete a degree at CCD and encouraged donors to continue their support so that students like them can afford college. “There’s a struggle that goes beyond doing actual schoolwork,” explained Russell. “There has to be a way to fund it, pay rent, buy groceries, in order to simply live.”

With their inspiring stories, the CCD Foundation raised $6,000 the day of the event, which will be doubled thanks to a matching gift from the Colorado Opportunity Scholarship Initiative.

In addition to honoring and connecting student scholarship recipients to donors, the CCD Foundation honored three community partners for their far-reaching impact and dedication to CCD.

Engagement Champion

The Engagement Champion was awarded to TheDream.US. The Engagement Champion recognizes a scholarship partner that has a broad and important impact in the metro Denver community.

The CCD Foundation is proud to collaborate with TheDream.US as the missions of both organizations center on helping and graduating students who identify as a DREAMer. The CCD Foundation knows that scholarships are an absolute necessity for low-income college students – especially first-generation students. We are grateful for the more than $180,000 provided to support 49 CCD DREAMers over the past three years.

Impact Champion

The Impact Champion recognizes a new partner that has demonstrated a large and important impact on CCD students. This year’s honoree, Hide in Plain Sight, is trying to break the cycle of homelessness and poverty through education.

Since first collaborating with CCD in 2018, Hide in Plain Sight has committed $25,000 to student scholarships and have supported nine students. 

Sustainability Champion

The Sustainability Champion recognizes an organization with a long-standing commitment and the resources to be a continuous source of support to students at CCD. The RK Foundation has done just that. Since 2015, the RK Foundation has played an important role in supporting and enriching the programs at CCD’s Advanced Manufacturing Center. The partnership between RK and CCD has allowed the Center to develop new curriculum and hire additional instructors whose skills allow the AMC to diversify their training offerings. We are grateful to have an industry and community leader like RK involved in the growth and reputation of CCD’s AMC.

Thank you to our presenting sponsors ANB Bank, ANB Financial Services, and Scratch Catering for making this event possible and thank you to all our community partners and scholarship funds who have made such a difference in the lives of so many CCD students.

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About CCD

With more than 8,000 students, Community College of Denver is located on the vibrant Auraria Campus in downtown Denver. As a leading point of entry to higher education for the city and county of Denver, CCD offers small-class sizes and flexible schedules, career and academic programs, award-winning professors, extensive advisory and support services, world-class facilities, easy access via RTD light rail, and affordable tuition. CCD is a federally designated Hispanic Serving Institution and is one of 13 community colleges in the Colorado Community College System (CCCS). Learn more at www.CCD.edu.

About CCD Foundation

The Community College of Denver Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization focused on developing resources to benefit CCD and its students through partnerships with businesses, foundations and individuals in the Metro-Denver area. Through scholarships to students, programmatic and faculty support, and capital enhancements, the Foundation invests in deserving CCD students — ensuring they have access to high quality, relevant education.

To learn more or to contribute to the CCD Foundation, visit CCD-Foundation.org.