For 65 years, CBR Youth Connect has carried forward the proud legacy of the
Colorado Boys Ranch Foundation — a legacy built on compassion and second chances.
More than 17,000 youth across Colorado have found hope and gained resilience through our programs.
Last year, we launched one of our most meaningful Resilience Initiatives yet:
the HERO-WITHIN Program — a celebration of youth who have faced adversity with courage.
We’ve witnessed powerful stories of transformation when youth discover confidence and purpose.
This year, thanks to generous donors like you, our Resilience Initiatives have expanded from one to three — multiplying our impact and reaching more Colorado youth than ever before.
Each initiative is designed to reach youth at a different stage — but together, they create a powerful continuum of hope and support.
Together, we’re not just helping children overcome their past — we’re investing in their futures.
With your continued support, we can ensure that every Colorado child
feels loved, valued, and empowered to dream big.
When you give, you’re not just making a donation — you’re igniting potential.
You’re telling a young person, “You matter. Your dreams are worth believing in.”
Together, we can continue a legacy and ensure every child discovers the hero within.
Our mission is to help youth develop the resilience to thrive and become hopeful and productive citizens.
We create meaningful connections through community partnerships, offering research-based programs that help children, youth, families, and schools build resilience, develop skills, and overcome adversity.
Incorporated as Colorado Boys Ranch Foundation, our organization and programs are a legacy of resilience. Over 17,000 at-risk youth plus their families have now been served in 65 years. We continue to adapt our programs to fit society’s evolving needs and periodic shifts in federal/state funding streams. Read more about our 65 year history.
Originally, we operated as Colorado Boys Ranch in rural southeast Colorado providing residential, foster and group home care in the 1960s, 70s and 80s. In the 1990’s, we achieved national Joint Commission Accreditation and provided youth from 33 states with award-winning psychiatric residential treatment plus a state accredited specialized school. In the 2010’s, federal funding reductions plus impact from the national recession, led to our closing campus operations. Resiliently, we rebranded as CBR YouthConnect; relocated to the Denver Metro area; and applied our expertise to in-home and community-based services for at-risk boys, girls and families statewide.
In 2020’s, COVID restricted our in-home and community-based services. At the same time, major shifts occurred in federal and state funding for in-home services. Providers (like CBR) were coerced to join large Medicaid, mental health systems-of-care with extensive credentialing and referral processes. Providers were subjected to the Medicaid philosophy of hourly and brief services with emphasis on remote mental health and substance abuse therapies. We decided not to follow this trend because it is not our passion and would require we abandon our core beliefs and the proven success of our relationship-driven approach.
Since COVID, we have worked to re-establish previous community-based and legacy programs with animals, nature, character development and civic responsibility. Our first new program is called HERO-WITHIN.
HERO-WITHIN is an “award and opportunity grant program” honoring youth that are remarkable examples of being resilient when facing adversity. These youth are establishing the resilience skills and personal character needed to withstand adversity, bounce back and thrive. Against the odds, they are developing their own “hero-within” – resilience.
Organization name
CBR YouthConnect
other names
CBR YouthConnect, Colorado Boys Ranch Foundation
1960
Tax id (EIN)
84-0500375
Category
Youth Development
Organization Size
Medium Organization
Address
CBR YouthConnect 601 16th Street, Ste C-450CO, US