A Public Affair with the Community Foundation Boulder County: Recent Episodes
Community Foundation Boulder County
For over 25 years, the Community Foundation Boulder County has been a community catalyst, responding to immediate needs and anticipating future challenges. As a member of our community, you want to make a difference with your charitable giving, and make informed decisions for the greatest impact. We’ve done the research, gathered the data, and understand our community’s most urgent needs. The foundation is pleased to partner every fourth Monday of the month with KGNU/88.5 FM to host “A Public Affair.” Tune in to learn about local issues and what they mean for our community – because we accomplish more together than we do alone.
This month on A Public Affair, Community Foundation Boulder County’s Senior Communications Manager, Severin Lier, steps in for Jim Williams as host, and is joined in the studio by Sydney Zorensky, Programs Manger at the community foundation, and Erika McNab, Program Coordinator at the Boulder Chamber. Severin, Sydney, and Erika discuss the Leadership Fellows Boulder County program, its impact on its participants as well as the overall community, and how mid-career professionals can apply to join the 2025 Leadership Fellows Boulder County cohort.
This month on A Public Affair, host Jim Williams was joined in the studio by Boulder County Commissioner Ashley Stolzmann, Chief Rob Stumpf from the Lyons Fire Protection District, and Sheriff Curtis Johnson from the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office. Tune in to hear their discussion on wildfire mitigation and response, as well as how residents can be prepared in the event of a wildfire in their community.
This month on A Public Affair, host Jim Williams is joined in the studio by Executive Director of El Comité De Longmont, Lisa Moreno. Listen in as Jim and Lisa discuss El Comité’s mission, work, and community, with a focus on combating wage theft in Boulder County.
This month on A Public Affair, we discussed support for Veterans in the Boulder County community. Host Jim Williams was joined in the studio by Debbie Platts and Larry Rand from A Way Forward, as well as Greg Goettsch from Qualified Listeners to learn more about their two organizations and how they utilize peer to peer services to support Veterans in Boulder County.
On this month's episode, Jim Williams is joined by Jean Hodges and Tobi Cahill from PFLAG Boulder County and Bethy Leonardi from A Queer Endeavor to discuss the work and history of the Boulder County PFLAG chapter and its recent decision to pass the baton to A Queer Endeavor.
This month on A Public Affair, Community Foundation Boulder County Senior Communications Manager Severin Lier sat down with Suzanne Jones, Executive Director of Eco-Cycle to talk about Eco-Cycle’s work, recent legislation that’s making an impact on our environment, and what listeners can do this Earth Day to make an impact.
This month on A Public Affair, we discuss the arts, including Boulder Arts Week coming up in early April and the arts community here in Boulder County. Our host Jim is joined by Lauren Click, Arts Program Manager for the Office of Arts and Culture in the Community Vitality Department of the City of Boulder, Maggie Saunders, Programs Coordinator for the Boulder County Art Alliance, and Mario Jose Olvera, Co-owner, Art Director, and Outreach Coordinator at Mi Chantli.
This month on A Public Affair, we discuss the landscape of equity-based philanthropy, the national conversation around the legality of equity-based grants, and the local implications for Colorado organizations. Tune in to hear from Ben McDearmon, Director of Legal Resources at Council on Foundations, Sarah Harrison, Vice President of Programs at Community Foundation Boulder County, and Valicia Trowbridge, Board Chair of Intercambio on this important topic.
This month on A Public Affair, we discuss the Marshall Fire recovery process, the progress made 2 years after the fire damaged or destroyed over 1,000 homes in southeastern Boulder County, and our guest’s recent visit to Maui as part of a delegation to help support their wildfire recovery efforts. We’re joined by Tatiana Hernandez, CEO of Community Foundation Boulder County, Jennifer Gray Thompson from the national wildfire recovery organization After the Fire, and Jenn Kaaoush, Town Board Trustee for the town of Superior.
Our guests on this Christmas edition of A Public Affair are Karla Hale, Executive Director of Longmont Meals on Wheels, and Erika Wey, Food Security Network Boulder and Broomfield Counties, to discuss food insecurity in Boulder County and what can be done to help.
On this month’s episode of A Public Affair, we had a conversation with JD Mangat, Mayor of the City of Lafayette, and David Emerson, the Executive Director of Habitat for Humanity of the St. Vrain Valley. The conversation focused on affordable housing in Boulder County, and covered the importance of creating more affordable housing, the need for more affordable housing in Boulder County, and recent legislation and projects that are focused on moving this initiative forward.
On this month’s episode, Communications Associate Lucy Carlson-Krakoff steps in for Jim Williams as host and is joined by Allison Billings, Executive Director of Impact on Education and Kim Wright, Mental Health Advocate for the Boulder Valley School District. Their discussion focuses on youth mental health in Boulder County, and the work Impact on Education and the Boulder Valley School District are doing to help students, teachers, and parents overcome mental health challenges.
In this month's episode, we are joined by Elizabeth Crowe, City of Boulder Deputy Director of Housing and Human Services, and Silas Atkins and Ruby Lopez, members of the Elevate Boulder Community Task Force, to discuss the Elevate Boulder Guaranteed Income Project.
On this month's episode, our host, Jim Williams, talks with Sarah Huntley, Communications and Engagement Director at the City of Boulder, about the city’s upcoming event, What’s Up Boulder. Learn more about this exciting event and be sure to stop by Foothills Community Park on September 10 to join the festivities!
On this episode, Sarah Harrison, Vice President of Programs at Community Foundation Boulder County, and Sarah Mikkelsen, Grant Maker at the Community Foundation, join Jim Williams to discuss the Community Trust, a grant making program at the Community Foundation.
The foundation welcomes Ana Fernandez, Public Policy & Community Outreach Coordinator and Ellen Ross, Communication Manager at the Emergency Family Assistance Association (EFAA) to discuss what it takes to be financially self-sufficient in Boulder County.In partnership with the Colorado Center on Law and Policy, EFAA and other local nonprofit leaders supporting low and middle-income households in Boulder County and community leaders will discuss what it takes to "make it" in our county at an event being held Wednesday, May 10 at City of Boulder Library.
The 15 Forever Fund distributes grants to Boulder County youth-focused nonprofits, and in this year's grant cycle, is fundraising for nonprofits addressing substance use and abuse in the youth community. The 15 Forever Youth Advisory Committee is excited to have received a match from the Hemera Foundation for the first $5,000 raised in fundraising.
The Museum of Boulder, in partnership with Adrian Miller, the Boulder County NAACP Chapter and the Boulder Public Library’s Maria Rogers Oral History Program, is developing an exhibit and educational curricula to address the underrepresentation of Black histories in Colorado. The exhibit, PROCLAIMING COLORADO’S BLACK HISTORY, opens September 29, 2023. The program will collect original oral histories and research, consolidate research data and make it publicly available, and host a series of programs about race.We are joined today by Adrian Miller, social historian, Soul Food Scholar and Co-Project Director and Lead Curator of the PROCLAIMING COLORADO’S BLACK HISTORY project.
Jim Williams explores the intersection of climate and migration for LatinX community and communities of color with our guest, Nancy Treviño, Director of Network Power, Alianza Americas.
Free tickets are available to first responders and survivors of the wildfire for the men's basketball exhibition game with Nebraska on Sunday, October 30, 2022, by emailingCUbuffsOutreach@colorado.eduAll proceeds from the game will be donated to the Boulder County Wildfire Fund.
This month, Jim Williams is joined by Scott Sternberg, the Executive Director of the Boulder Economic Council and Associate Vice President for Economic Vitality, to discuss the role of the BEC, the economic development arm of the Boulder Chamber.
We are having a conversation about the Navigating Disaster for Boulder County program, or Recovery Navigators, with Boulder County Recovery and Resiliency Project Manager, Katie Arrington. Over the last decade, Boulder County has been faced with a multitude of disasters in the form of floods, fires, shootings and pandemics. Each disaster has its own specific challenges and lessons to learn, but the lack of disaster response infrastructure is a consistent source of delay and frustration for survivors as well as those providing relief. Navigating Disaster for Boulder County, a program funded by Boulder County and the Community Foundation of Boulder County’s Boulder County Wildfire Fund, is an innovative model for this lack of infrastructure that plagues disaster response not just in Boulder County but in nearly every community across our country. The County is partnering with Lutheran Family Services Rocky Mountains (LFSRM) on the administration of the program.
Jim Williams leads a discussion the Community Trust grantmaking process and its re-design. The Community Trust has granted six million dollars to nonprofits in the community over the years.
Eric Schoenborn from the Community Foundation is joined by a very special group of colleagues from the field of philanthropy, Erin Button, Program Manager for Youth Roots, and 15 Forever Board Members Annika Aumentado, Atiya Hasan, Palpasha Karki.
On this month's episode, we talk about the ongoing relief effort for the Marshall and Middle Fork Fires. Jim Williams is joined by Deb Gardner, former Commissioner, Boulder County and advisory committee member for the Boulder County Wildfire Fund.
The almost two months since the Marshall Fire have felt like two years for many of our listeners, particularly those affected directly by this unimaginable tragedy. The trauma and stress brought on by the Marshall Fire has been difficult for so many of our friends and neighbors, not just those directly affected. Two wonderful organizations in our community recently received funding from the Boulder County Wildfire Fundfor their important mental health support in the wake of the Marshall Fire. Impact on Education received $265,000 to partially fund mental health advocates at the most fire-affected schools in the Boulder Valley School DistrictBoulder Jewish Family Services received $250,000 to provide crisis counseling to anyone who needs it in individual and group settings, with trauma-informed practicesOn this month's episode of "A Public Affair" with Community Foundation Boulder County, we learn about these import programs. Jim Williams is joined by Allison Billings, Executive Director, Impact on Education, and Jennifer Banyan, Jewish Family Service Boulder Director.
On this month's episode, we talk about the relief effort for the Marshall and Middle Fork Fires. In the wake of the most destructive wildfire in Colorado history, over 62,000 donors gave more than $22 million to the Community Foundation Boulder County’s Wildfire Fund to help the thousands of individuals and families affected by these fires. Jim Williams is joined by Brennan Banks, Director of Disaster Recovery for Community Foundation Boulder County, who is stewarding the Wildfire Fund.
On this month's episode, we talk about the important work to mitigate the impacts of climate change in Boulder County. Jim Williams is joined by Tim Broderick, Senior Sustainability Strategist Boulder County Office of Sustainability, Climate Action and Resilience; Sharon Collinge Professor of Environmental Studies at CU Boulder; and Peggy Driscoll of Community Foundation Boulder County.
On this month's episode of "A Public Affair" with Community Foundation Boulder County, we learn about the critical importance of charitable giving in Boulder County with Lynda Ricketson, Vice President of Philanthropic Services, Community Foundation Boulder County.
On this month's episode, we celebrate the important legacy of Nino Gallo and the creation of an award in his honor. Congressman Joe Neguse who represents Colorado’s 2nd District in the U.S. House of Representatives, Angela Maria Ortiz Roa, the first Nino Gallo Leadership Award recipient as well as Nina Christensen and Claudia Perry, Nino Gallos's daughters, are our guests.
Community Foundation Boulder County is working with Boulder County and community leaders on a collaborative process to hear the ideas of residents and workers, especially those who have been the most affected by COVID-19 – as to how federal funding should be used to not only recover, but to ensure that Boulder County is able to withstand future setbacks. Commissioner Marta Loachamin of Boulder County Board of Commissioners is our guest.
On this month's episode of "A Public Affair" with Community Foundation Boulder County, we learn about Penfield Tate II – Boulder’s only African American mayor. Penfield Tate II was elected to the Boulder City Council in 1971. In 1974, his fellow council members chose him to become Mayor of Boulder, where he served until 1976. Tate’s son, Penfield Tate III, and Glenda Russell are our guests.
On this month's episode of "A Public Affair" with Community Foundation Boulder County, we learn about how Cal-Wood and surrounding lands are faring after the largest wildfire in Boulder County history last fall burned more than 10K acres and 26 structures. We also discuss what role climate change is playing in wildfire behavior, and what we as a community can do to prevent future forest fires as we head into the 2021 fire season. With guests Rafael Salgado, Executive Director of Cal-Wood Education Center, Jessie Olson, Executive Director, Left Hand Watershed Center, and Seth McKinney, Fire Management Officer, Boulder County Sheriff's Office.
The COVID-19 pandemic decimated the creative economy and sent artists everywhere into survival mode. Now that Boulder County is 70% vaccinated and public gatherings are happening again, the arts are roaring back to life. On this month's "A Public Affair," we talk with arts critic John Moore and Soledad Diaz of Boulder County Arts Alliance, about what arts lovers can expect this summer, and what we all can do to help breathe life back into our local arts scene.
Democracy relies on a strong public square, where neighbors can connect with each other. The erosion of local news in recent years is no less than a threat to Democracy. On this month's "A Public Affair" hosted by Community Foundation Boulder County, we interview journalists Silvia Solis, Glenda Russell and Chris Barge about a new, local reporting fellowship they are all part of, which seeks to strengthen our local news and information ecosystem and point us all towards a more equitable Boulder County.
On this month's episode, we interview representatives from Colorado Organization for Victim Assistance and Mental Health Partners about how people impacted by last month’s shooting at a south Boulder grocery store are coping.
On this month's episode of our radio show, we interview the co-founder of Growing Up Boulder, an organization working to make Boulder a more child-friendly city and county. And we hear from a local 6th grader who has been at the center of this movement since she was in preschool.
On this episode, we interview the authors of a new national study that puts a spotlight on Boulder County’s local news and information ecosystem. Their report finds we have a dynamic landscape rich with a variety of English-language for-profit news sites, but not much in the way of nonprofit, radio, television or Spanish-language offerings.
The COVID-10 pandemic has given rise to an increase in homeless encampments in the City of Boulder. This month on our radio show, the Community Foundation's Jim Williams takes on the root cause of this phenomenon – Boulder County's lack of affordable housing, and what's being done to address it. He interviews Shay Castle, founder and editor of Boulder Beat, and AnnMarie Jensen, founder of East Boulder County Housing Opportunity Coalition. Both say more must be done, and both are hopeful that public pressure can lead to more affordable housing.
A scammer recently convinced a local senior citizen to buy gift cards and then read him the access codes. When his target went to purchase the cards at a service desk, the grocery store clerk said, "Wow these are used a lot of time to scam people. Are you sure this isn't a scam?" That was all it took to interrupt one of many instances of elder abuse we've seen in Boulder County this year. On this month's "A Public Affair," hosted by Community Foundation Boulder County, District Attorney Michael Dougherty and Liz Parker, a consumer specialist with his office, describe what a big problem elder abuse has become, and steps we can all take to prevent it.
What are the key takeaways from the newly released “2020 Ecosystems Trends Report”? Join us for Community Foundation Boulder County's next radio show on KGNU, featuring guests Sharon Collinge, Professor of Environmental Studies at CU Boulder; and Brett KenCairn, Senior Climate & Sustainability Coordinator for the City of Boulder. Jim Williams II -- CU Boulder Dean Emeritus, University Libraries, and a Trustee of your Community Foundation -- will host this conversation focusing on climate, soil health, watershed health, air quality, biodiversity, and urban land cover.
On our October Radio Show on KGNU Community Radio, hear a discussion about hate crimes in Boulder County targeting members of our LGBTQ+ community. Listen to DA Michael Dougherty and Out Boulder County's Mardi Moore in a solutions-oriented conversation about how we can work together to make a positive difference in our county.
This month on our radio show, get inspired to make a positive difference in our community. We’ll be featuring local former Peace Corps members: how have these life-long community-builders developed and shared their skills to help strengthen every community in which they’ve lived? How can we follow their lead?
On our radio show this month – in partnership with KGNU’s “A Public Affair” – we were pleased to host a back-to-school discussion. Guests included Kati Maharry, parent of an Emerald Elementary first-grader; Brenda Lyle of the Family Learning Center; and Marina Orozco-Ngu, a second-grade teacher at University Hill Elementary. James Williams II, a trustee of your Community Foundation, moderated the discussion about options, challenges, and equity concerns. If you missed it, you can still listen here!
Join Community Foundation Boulder County for "A Public Affair" to learn more about DEI Today, a new app from Pledge 1% Colorado and Equity Solutions intended to help businesses build competency in diversity, equity, and inclusion. Guests include Aaron Clark, Founder and CEO of Equity Solutions; and Matt Zwiebel, Director of Pledge 1% Colorado.