With bluegrass music, craft cocktails, Yeti hats, cotton candy, Ripple Effect Awards, and so much more, the 2022 Base Camp Bash was definitely bodacious and bustling.
The Base Camp Bash is the main fundraising event for Cottonwood Institute and raises approximately 20% of our annual operating budget – no pressure! Having said that, we are happy to report that the 2022 Base Camp Bash helped raised over $95,000 to benefit our students and our programs – woohoo! The Bash also helps raise awareness for our amazing students and our high impact programs.
After two years of limiting our social contact, it was both rejuvenating and a little unnerving to be in a room with such energy and enthusiasm. From the surprising centerpieces to the fantastic music, it was a feast for the senses. The event was held at Tradecraft Industries, a modern co-working space in North Denver. The open format allowed for easy navigation through the tables resplendent with bursts of color from the bouquets of flowers artfully arranged in hiking boots. The food, provided by Snooze, was delicious and plentiful, and Great Divide, Distillery 291, Deep Eddy Vodka, and Maverick Wine helped quench our guest’s thirst. The conversation flowed as smoothly as the drinks, artfully enhanced by whimsical puffs of cotton candy. That Damn Sasquatch, a Denver-based Bluegrass,country, Zydeco, Funk, Rock band, was as eclectic and entertaining as their name suggests.
A highlight of the evening was honoring our Ripple Award students and our Changemaker students. These students stand out through the extraordinary actions they have taken towards changing their communities and the world. Darrius Glapion. a student at AXL Academy and Iona Kelly a student at New Vista High School received the Ripple awards this year for proving their potential as adult leaders through their leadership in their action projects and on field trips with their classes. Kira Gilliland, Kiley Cole, and Robert Marquez, students in our changemaker program thrilled the audience with their experiences as assistant instructors in our changemaker program. These are students who took our CAP class and demonstrated the skills and knowledge vital to making a difference in the world and were the perfect roll models for their fellow changemaker students.
Click Here to check out pictures from the 2022 Base Camp Bash!
Thank You Sponsors & Supporters:
As Cottonwood Founder and Executive Director, Ford Church shared at the Bash, we are committed to building an ecosystem of supporters that are committed to supporting each other’s long term sustainability and success. We would like to thank the Church, Coleman, Conway, Guthrie, Korth, and Mokrohisky families for their generous support. And please support the companies below that support local nonprofits like Cottonwood!
Written by Amy Atkins and edited by Ford Church
