Caring Connection, Inc.

Background Statement

Founded in 1983 as the Enabler Project to link financial and other resources with emergency service providers, by 1988 Caring Connection had evolved into a workplace giving federation.

Over the years, Caring Connection has been a vehicle for collaborative efforts, matching resources with the needs of homeless and at risk families, individuals and youth. We have provided financial support, resource development, and coordination of services among community organizations. Through the years, Caring Connection has been responsible for the Great Colorado Warm-Up, Educational Forums, Sharing Spring Food Drives, the Emergency Food Network, and Caring Connection for Kids and the Help in the Winter resource directory.

Caring Connection served on a special commission formed by the Jefferson County Commissioners to research the growing number of homeless and at risk individuals, families and youth living in Jefferson County and the relation to the metro Denver area. In 1994 we took a leadership role in developing a multi-jurisdictional continuum of care system for homeless individuals, families and youth, resulting in creation of the Metro Denver Homeless Initiative, which ensures that homeless families, individuals and youths will have easy access to services and self-sufficiency programs throughout the Denver metro area.

Caring Connection has also worked closely with the Colorado Coordinating Council on Housing and the Homeless in cooperation with Family First Resource and Referral to develop a computerized housing and homeless service information and referral process, to institute a single entry process for service delivery that will allow for a high degree of flexibility and effective use of resources among providers.

Caring Connection was one of the first metro Denver alternative federations to expand employee giving campaigns beyond the Denver Employees' Combined Campaign (DECC) and the Colorado Combined Campaign (CCC).

Through the Partnership for Colorado - three other local umbrella organizations represent more than 200 charitable organizations - we work to plan and carry out annual employee giving campaigns. Our partners include the Black United Fund of Colorado, Community Health Charities of Colorado, and Community Shares of Colorado. We currently participate in campaigns at approximately 80 local public and private businesses. Caring Connection represents 45 member agencies, all of which are nonprofit organizations; they provide services predominantly in Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Clear Creek, Denver, Douglas, El Paso, Gilpin, Jefferson and Park Counties.