The Happy Crew is a Lone Tree nonprofit where teenagers find their people. Every Monday night, high school students fill the upstairs of Happy Crew Coffee House for dinner, small groups and conversation about mental health. Every Wednesday, Middle Crew does the same for sixth, seventh and eighth graders. Both crews hear the same message every week: You matter. You belong.
We have worked with Douglas County teens since 2007. In the 2014-15 school year, our community lost eight teens to suicide. That year, students started gathering in our founder Amy Mays’s living room on Monday nights to talk about mental health, and the crew has met on Monday nights ever since.
A Monday starts at the door, with student leaders outside to greet everyone, a polaroid, a nametag and dinner. Then small groups, each led by one of our 22 student leaders, work through one topic for the night, like managing stress, active listening or owning your thoughts. Students build something with their hands so the idea sticks, a Play-Doh scene or a drawing, and leave with stickers to hand to friends at school. What’s shared in a group stays there, and anything that raises a safety concern goes to an adult leader right away. Our student leaders train together over the summer, before the year begins.
Opening night this September brought 52 teens from seven high schools. About 200 different students come through in a school year, and our Valentine’s party filled the room with more than 180 last February.
Middle Crew launched in September 2026, because middle schoolers need community too. It is its own program, led by a team of trained adult mentors, with its own games and the same message.
In 2025 we opened Happy Crew Coffee House at 9044 Forsstrom Dr in Lone Tree. The shop is a program of The Happy Crew, so every dollar it makes stays inside Happy Crew. It is open to everyone during the day, and on Monday and Wednesday nights it becomes the room where both crews meet. Seven of our student leaders have worked at the shop in the past year.
One Monday night costs about $1,565, all in: the room, dinner, nametags and supplies, training for our student leaders, and the creative work that fills the room. A Middle Crew Wednesday runs about the same. This school year holds 59 nights, 30 Mondays and 29 Wednesdays, and gifts from people like you keep every one of them on the calendar.
Thank you for being part of the crew.
If you or a teen you know is struggling, call or text 988, any time.
The Happy Crew’s mission is to destigmatize mental health issues among teenagers, prevent suicide, and let every teenager know, “YOU MATTER, YOU BELONG.”
Our vision is to create a space where teenagers can gather every day and build a community where all will be encouraged to “learn, speak, and practice the language of we.”
The Happy Crew (formerly 1 Liquid House) is a Colorado 501(c)(3) nonprofit based in Lone Tree. We have worked with Douglas County teens since 2007 and have met on Monday nights since 2015.
Today we run two weekly programs: Happy Crew for high school students on Mondays, and Middle Crew for sixth through eighth graders on Wednesdays. Both meet at Happy Crew Coffee House, the nonprofit coffee shop we opened in 2025, where every dollar the shop makes stays inside Happy Crew.
Teens lead the work. Our 22 student leaders plan and run the Monday small groups, and seven have worked at the shop in the past year. Your support keeps the room open, dinner on the table and our leaders trained, 59 nights this school year.
Organization name
The Happy Crew
other names
1 Liquid House
2002
Tax id (EIN)
73-1627224
Category
Youth Development, Education, Mental Health & Crisis Intervention, Public & Societal Benefit
Organization Size
Medium Organization
Address
9044 Forsstrom Dr Fl 2Arapahoe County, CO, US
Douglas County, CO, US