Gov. Hickenlooper Wants A New 'Colorado Gives Day' Record On Tuesday
DENVER (CBS4) - Gov. John Hickenlooper on Monday challenged Coloradans to set a new record for generosity in the annual Colorado Gives Day.
The 24-hour fundraiser benefitting 1,600 Colorado nonprofits starts at midnight and runs all day Tuesday.
"If you're thinking about how big a check you can write, think a little bigger," said Hickenlooper, who hopes Coloradans can raise more than the $20.9 million one-day total from last year.
Hickenlooper called online fundraising campaigns like Colorado Gives Day "the future of philanthropy."
All 1,600 participating nonprofits are listed on ColoradoGives.org and app. Potential donors can search for nonprofits by subject or zip code and earmark funds for the charity they choose.
The Colorado Coalition for the Homeless is one of the nonprofits that will benefit from Colorado Gives Day. The Coalition recently dedicated the Stout Street Health Center, in downtown Denver, to provide care for Colorado's homeless population.
"It's very hard for families to be homeless, very hard for kids to be homeless," said Renee Shykind, Pediatric Health Services Coordinator who sees patients at the new health center.
"This facility is great," she said "But we need funding to keep it running, to keep staff, to keep these services available for folks."
As always, the Better Business Bureau recommends always researching a charity before giving.
"It is important to do your research just so you know where your money is going," BBB spokesperson Erin O'Neill said.
The BBB has a list of accredited charities which analyzes how much of your money is going to help people and how much to overhead and advertising.
LINKS: ColoradoGives.org | Colorado Coalition for the Homeless | BBB
