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COMMUNITY FOUNDATION of Northern Colorado is a local organization which helps connects peoples’ (and companies’) charitable strategies to the causes they support.
I had never heard of such a thing, so when I talked with Ray Caraway, their President, it really opened my eyes.
Their business proposition is fairly simple:
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JOHN MORRIS HAS AN AMAZING STORY.
After a devastating snowboarding accident in 2005, John went through all kinds of turmoil. He’ll be incapacitated for the rest of his life.
But that propels him into making an amazing contribution to the disabled community. Read the rest of this entry »
ON MONDAY I talked about Change Composites’ Umbo Helmet which they submitted for the Blue Ocean Challenge at CSU.
It was a day of great innovative ideas in a wide range of areas.
Today, I’m very pleased to see that this company just won second place in the competition yesterday, landing $5000 in prize money and nation-wide recognition.
Kudos to a great team with a powerful mission. You’re going to change the world!
DO YOU SEE THAT BUMP in the middle of the shield?
That’s an Umbo. It’s used to deflect swords and better defend the soldier.
So it’s interesting that a new company designing a better bike headgear has chosen to call it an Umbo Helmet.
This is a group with a mission, for sure.
J OSH DAPKUS 
manages the local Bayada Home Health Care marketing group. I confess that I wasn’t really aware of this company, but the more I find out the more impressed I am. Bayada has a range of services to help those wanting caring, supportive health care in the home.
But this isn’t really about the company. It’s about Josh’s journey to get to this destination.
Josh was strongly motivated by his grandmother’s experience with dementia. As you might imagine, this was stressful for him and the whole family. And it convinced him that he would love to spend his life helping others with these challenges.
JILL VAN ORDEN heads up Arts Reach Center here in Fort Collins. It’s a fascinating concept, giving kids an outlet for creativity and inspiration.
This city has a fairly active arts scene, but most of that is targeted at adults. Sure, most venues also have special kids’ shows. But Arts Reach Center is different.
It’s targeted entirely at kids, and at their direct involvement in the performing arts. Jill described it to me as giving children a rich learning experience, joyful expression and friendships, and development of their artistic abilities.
Janska’s outerwear
JANSKA PRODUCES STYLISH WOMEN’S WEAR and is based here in Colorado. Jan Erickson started this venture 2003 based on an experience she had with a friend who was incapacitated at the time.
Jan’s friend was a talented, respected woman. But when dressed in a hospital gown, her self-esteem took a hard hit. More importantly, others in the facility treated her as more of a nameless patient than a vibrant individual.
Jan had the idea to develop a line of wear which was accessible to those with limited mobility, while also being incredibly comforting and stylish.
Janska was born.
OUR COMMUNITIES ARE DIVIDED by languages and cultures. ShareLingo is a new company that’s taking this challenge head on.
There are a lot of language education programs and tools out there. You can purchase programs for your PC, connect with online resources, and take classes at school.
ShareLingo has a different approach: To focus on co-learning, forming community and personal friendships.
MY FATHER DIED in 1994 after a six month battle with cancer. It wasn’t an easy time, but the help given us by Hospice was a godsend. It made all the difference in the world, and saved our relationships.
I had the opportunity this week to speak with Deanna Cochran, founder of Quality of Life Care in Austin, Texas. Her specialty is as an End of Life Doula, a field I’d never heard of before.
A-MAIZE’N KETTLE CORN is a family-owned company that started up just this February by Ed and Jan Frumes.
After extensive backgrounds in the financial services industry, they decided to make a change and do something that was smaller, more fun, and would help the community.
They’ve ended up with a great family run business which sells a popular product, and is easily integrated into fundraising and charitable benefits.
The Values-Based Business 