Project Worthmore

Background Statement

Project Worthmore began with relationships.

In 2011, founders Frank and Carolyn Anello began connecting with refugees in their community and quickly saw the challenges many families faced as they adjusted to life in Colorado. Frank and Carolyn had long felt called to do mission work and once imagined raising their family abroad while serving communities in need. But through their early connections with refugee families in Colorado, they came to realize that meaningful work did not require crossing the world. Sometimes it simply meant crossing the street.

Inspired by the relationships they were building, they began opening their home to newcomers.

What started with small acts of welcome soon grew into something more. Frank and Carolyn hosted informal English classes in their living room and planted a garden in their front yard to grow food they could share with neighbors. As new needs emerged, they helped individuals navigate unfamiliar systems, connect with resources, and access services that were often difficult to reach. When refugees needed dental care, they helped connect them with clinics across the state, sometimes driving people long distances to reach care available only once a year.

Conversation by conversation and person by person, a community began to form.

Over time, Frank and Carolyn became trusted sources of information, support, and care within the refugee community. As relationships deepened, they also began building connections with the broader Colorado community, creating new opportunities for collaboration and support.

Small spaces opened. Programs began to take shape. A dental clinic was established. Volunteers and staff joined the work.

What began as makeshift English classes in a living room has grown into Project Worthmore, a nonprofit organization that now provides six comprehensive programs designed to support newcomers as they build their lives in Colorado.

While the organization has grown, the heart of the work remains the same: meeting people where they are, building relationships, and creating a community where newcomers feel welcomed, supported, and able to thrive.