Post-News Charities Awards $225,000 in Charitable Grants

Post-News Charities Awards $225,000 in Charitable Grants

DENVER, June 1 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Post-News Charities, a fund of the McCormick Tribune Foundation, has awarded $225,000 to six metro-Denver nonprofit agencies that positively impact disadvantaged youth and literacy efforts.

The following agencies received Post-News Charities grants yesterday: Colorado Symphony Orchestra, Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Denver Public Library, Mental Health Association of Colorado, Seeds of Hope Charitable Trust and Volunteers of America.

Post-News Charities raises money year-round through signature events like the Post-News Pen & Podium author lecture series; the Post-News Passport to the Arts performing arts sampler; The Denver Post Unique Lives & Experiences lecture series and The Denver Post Ride The Rockies bicycle tour.

Funds are also raised through individual donations and partnerships with local nonprofit agencies and events. All funds raised are matched at 50 cents on the dollar by the McCormick Tribune Foundation. All of the funds (all administrative costs are covered by the Denver Newspaper Agency and the McCormick Tribune Foundation) are given to charitable organizations in the metro-Denver area through a grant process.

Since its inception in 1997, Post-News Charities has distributed over $23.9 million.

"These organizations are doing great work -- both in terms of literacy programs and services for disadvantaged youth," said Tracy Ulmer, community relations director for the Denver Newspaper Agency. "We are proud to support them with this funding in an effort to improve the quality of life in our community."

Following are brief descriptions of the organizations and programs being supported by the Post-News Charities grants:

As Colorado's premier and only full-time professional orchestra, the Colorado Symphony Orchestra embraces a tradition of musical excellence by presenting a wide variety of symphonic performances -- from classical repertoire to innovative new forms. The Symphony also offers youth concerts, in-school programs and introductory programs designed for preschool students. This grant supports their outreach to disadvantaged children and families through concert-based activities and in-school programming.

The Denver Center for the Performing Arts serves the entire Rocky Mountain region and is dedicated to excellence in the arts. This grant will fund their Art in Education programs for families and youth. These programs are designed to provide children with engaging, educational, quality arts experiences throughout their school years.

The Denver Public Library provides its customers with access to their 2.4 million item collection, children's programs, expert help in finding information and access to computers at all 23 Denver Public Library locations. More than 500,000 individuals have Denver Public Library cards. This grant supports the Library's purchase of books and materials for youth and students.

The Mental Health Association of Colorado focuses on providing, free of charge, mental health education, training, advocacy and treatment services for young children, adolescents and their families. This grant supports the Association's education programs, which include Mental Wellness School Fairs in which MHAC provides students and school staff education and information on various mental health issues such as eating disorders, depression, suicide and bullying.

The Seeds of Hope Charitable Trust strives to make educational opportunities available to low-income elementary school students in inner-city Denver. Through a partnership between the Archdiocese of Denver and concerned business and community leaders, Seeds of Hope works with 32 Catholic elementary schools to ensure a quality education for economically disadvantaged children.

Since 1896, Volunteers of America has been providing the people of Colorado with services that deal with today's most pressing social needs. They strive to identify and serve the basic needs of the most vulnerable individuals and families in the community. This grant will support their Brandon Center, a 24-hour emergency shelter for women and their children who are victims of domestic violence.

The mission of the Denver Newspaper Agency's community relations division -- Post-News Community -- is to improve and enrich the lives of those in our community through support of programs that benefit children, arts and culture, education and literacy, and the provision of basic human services.

Post-News Community accomplishes this through the implementation of various community-giving programs including Post-News Charities and Post-News Season To Share, funds of the McCormick Tribune Foundation; sponsorships by The Denver Post and Rocky Mountain News; signature events like the Unique Lives & Experiences and Pen & Podium lecture series; Kids Care, a program designed to teach young people the importance of philanthropy and community service; and the DNA ACTS (Denver Newspaper Agency Assisting the Community Through Service) employee volunteer program.

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:

Source: Denver Newspaper Agency

CONTACT: Kristin Stork, Community Relations Manager of Denver Newspaper
Agency, +1-303-954-2928, kstork@denvernewspaperagency.com

Web site: http://www.denvernewspaperagency.com/

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