Big money for little towns

One thing that has really stood out ever since we moved to Westcliffe is the staggering level of volunteerism in the valley. At a time when libraries in Colorado have been cut to the bone by legislators, our 10,000 volume county library has raised over $500,000 to build a much needed addition. How? Not only has the librarian written mucho grants, but the residents have been extraordinarily generous. A series of fund-raising events, ranging from an auction, a cowboy sit-down dinner, historical tours, arts and crafts shows, musical events which have been heavily attended and generously contributed to by locals means that by this time next spring, we'll have a new local history center and community events room.

I just attended a pre-workshop for Rural Philanthropy Days on behalf of the Custer Co. Historical and Genealogical Society. All the non-profits in town were invited to learn how to make the most of this opportunity to meet and pitch to Colorado foundations and govt. agencies.