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Double Holiday Volunteer Days at Re:Vision!

Have you ever seen over 36,000 pounds of food distributed to approximately 560 families in a single day? Volunteers from Cottonwood Institute, Re:Vision, We Ride 4, Elsmere Education, and Google have! This holiday season, these outstanding organizations teamed up to create boxes filled with fresh fruits and vegetables, delicious pumpkin pies, cookies, potatoes, bread, eggs,… Read more »

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Elevations Foundation Community Grant 2021-22

Elevations Foundation chose Cottonwood Institute as one of their 2021-2022 Community Grantees! This grant will enable Cottonwood to continue to strengthen Community Adventure Program (CAP), our core educational program. CAP is a class offered during the school day for academic credit in middle and high schools across the Front Range, including in Boulder, Lafayette, Aurora,… Read more »

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Help us unlock a $20,000 match by December 31, 2021!

Giving Tuesday and Colorado Gives Day are coming up quickly! Your support during these local and international giving days can help Cottonwood Institute unlock a $20,000 match from three generous families. When you set up a Seedling Monthly Giving Donation at any level by December 31, 2021, you will help unlock a $20,000 match to… Read more »

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Buy Art. Help Get Kids Outdoors!

Local Denver artist Mike Wilson did something extraordinary. He painted watercolors of 53 of the highest peaks in Colorado, known as “14ers” for their height of over 14,000 feet above sea level – and donated the entire collection to Cottonwood Institute. Our online 14ers Artwork Store is now open so that outdoor enthusiasts in Colorado… Read more »

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William Smith High School’s First Crew Day!

Written by CAP Instructor Carly Winner (Escrito en español más abajo) William Smith High School has a unique offering: the school is grouped into Crews, which meet weekly for homeroom and provide an opportunity for students to get to know each other outside their typical classes. This fall, Cottonwood Institute and William Smith are teaming… Read more »

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Lafayette Youth Corps Explores Different Ideas of “Nature”

Written by Field Instructor Barbara Ramsdell (Escrito en español más abajo) Wildlands Restoration Volunteers and Cottonwood Institute partnered for another day of Lafayette Youth Corps activities at Waneka Lake. The interns spent Saturday, October 16th taking a step back from their conservation service work to focus on team building, nature awareness, and outdoor skills. It was a… Read more »

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Year In Review 2021

  As Cottonwood Institute (CI) wraps up its 17th year of operation, I wanted to take a moment to reflect about the challenges and successes of this past year. We are now highly skilled at being flexible, designing creative back up to the back up plans, and are ready to tackle any challenges and opportunities… Read more »

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Angevine Middle School: Cukie goes fishing!

Written by CAP Instructor Erin Angel (Escrito en español más abajo) Photos here! The Angevine Middle School CAP class had another fall adventure with a garden vegetable (technically a fruit) tagging along. Cukie the Cucumber and his human friends joined April Archer from SaraBella Fishing for a wonderful day of fly fishing on Waneka Lake…. Read more »

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Alumni Spotlight: Jacob Smith

Cottonwood Institute’s community partnerships allow us to meet thriving young professionals doing inspiring work in the fields of education, conservation, and equity. We recently caught up with Jacob Smith (he/she), a social justice community organizer, fundraiser, and international speaker. Jacob Smith is a diehard black queer feminist and abolitionist organizer fighting for a joyful and… Read more »

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New Vista High School: Solar Snacks & Stream Science

The greenhouse effect may be one of the primary drivers of global warming, but did you know that it can also make delicious solar cookies?  Last month, New Vista CAP students gathered at Eben G. Fine park near downtown Boulder for the second field day of the year and the first week of fall. After… Read more »