Support the Vail Valley Foundation with Colorado Gives Day

Today is Colorado Gives Day - a 24 hour drive to support our local charities. We are honored to be included in this launch and would love for you to learn more about the initiative and how you can help. Education is one of the three main pillars of our organization - through the programs we've helped create and implement, we hope to enhance the lives of children in the Vail Valley.



Celebrate the Beat: Celebrate the Beat exposes elementary school students to dance education by motivating them to believe in themselves, value artistic expression, develop creativity and teamwork, and instill a personal standard of excellence. Introduced through the Vail International Dance Festival by Damian Woetzel with Tracy Straus as Artistic Director, Celebrate the Beat provides 1,000 students in the Vail Valley the chance to dance.

First Notes: First Notes, a new arts education pilot program that launched in the fall 2009, has put musical instruments into the hands of Avon Elementary second and third graders. Based on El Sistema, the Venezuelan youth orchestra system, this non-traditional method of teaching children to play music is introducing students to the world of music, live performance, and the concept of achieving success through hard work, dedication, determination, and passion.

Sowing Seeds: Launched in January 2010 at Brush Creek Elementary School in Eagle; the Sowing Seeds program connects children to the environment, fosters understanding of the origin of food, and teaches responsibility through stimulating hands-on activities in the greenhouse. Teachers can use the resource-rich school gardens as a catalyst to discuss the food cycle, the natural environment, and making smart food choices. Students incorporate their gardening produce into the school cafeteria program and learn about food economics by selling plants and vegetables at the local farmer’s market.

Success at Six: Through Success at Six, the Vail Valley Foundation has provided funding for every at-risk student who wishes to attend an all-day, every day kindergarten school program. To date this program has benefited close to 550 students with need-based scholarships on a sliding scale; no child who wishes to attend is turned away.

Magic Bus: The Magic Bus, through a collaborative partnership with the Youth Foundation, provides two mobile preschool classrooms that travel to under-served neighborhoods and communities across Eagle County, bringing joy and instilling a love of learning to young children who are not enrolled in licensed preschools or daycare facilities. The Magic Bus serves approximately 360 children and 300 parents and caregivers.

College Scholarships: The Vail Valley Foundation has long been a leader in providing scholarship support to exemplary Eagle County students, with over $1.1 million awarded through 2009.

You can donate to VVF directly here - or visit www.givingfirst.org.

A helpful FAQ sheet on Colorado Gives Day can be found here.

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