Award Recipients
At the Board of Commissioners Meeting, we recognized the following partners for going above and beyond to make a difference in the lives of BHP residents and the Boulder community.
December 10, 2025
Award Recipient: Street Wise Arts
Presented by: Jessica Kenney & Laura Sheinbaum
Boulder Housing Partners has been working with Leah Brenner Clack and her team at Street Wise Arts for several years, and we have 10+ beautiful and engaging public artworks as a result.
Street Wise Arts is a nonprofit arts organization based in Boulder with a mission to support artists and to build vibrant, resilient communities through public art projects, creative events, and hands-on education programs that beautify spaces and amplify cultural diversity and social justice. Street Wise aligns with BHP’s own core values, which include ensuring equity, supporting diversity, and providing community opportunities to participate in educational programs.
It has been such a pleasure working with Leah over the years to not only install beautiful and engaging art on BHP buildings, but to connect and partner with our residents, to seek out their insight and ideas, and in some cases, to get residents painting alongside the artists. It is inspiring to see the way that Street Wise empowers its artists and the communities in which the art is being installed, as well as its focus on using art as a tool to raise awareness of social issues while building community, collaboration, and mutual respect.
Our most recent project, which was coordinated by Street Wise, included two murals at the new Hawthorn Court property and one “sister” mural at Diagonal Court. Not only are these murals beautiful and engaging, but we also used the Diagonal Court mural as a way to bridge the new Hawthorn site with the existing Diagonal Site. The mural project was an opportunity to raise excitement around the new BHP campus and to collaborate with Diagonal Court residents on what was important to their community. Diagonal Court residents also worked with David, the selected artist, to paint the mural onsite. It’s been truly special to engage with residents through this process and to experience firsthand their pride at being involved with the project.
We so appreciate Leah and her team at Street Wise Arts and look forward to continuing our partnership for many years to come.
Award Recipient: Timber Ridge Apartments
Presented by: MJ Fimple
Timber Ridge Apartments has demonstrated exceptional commitment to enhancing the quality of life for BHP residents through compassionate service and a strong dedication to community partnership. Their team has ensured that parking is no longer a source of stress but a reliable part of daily life. Their efforts have increased safety, reduced congestion, and provided peace of mind, especially for families, seniors, caregivers, and individuals with disabilities. They are not simply managing parking spaces; they are helping build a stronger sense of stability and community. By prioritizing the unique needs of affordable housing communities, the organization has gone beyond basic service delivery to become a vital contributor to community well-being. Their dedication to excellence and community-centered service makes them a highly deserving recipient of the Partnership award.
Award Recipient: Expedited Service Partners (ESP)
Presented by: Dean Rohr & Frank Alexander
Expedited Service Partners (ESP) demonstrated exceptional responsiveness and commitment during a critical incident at Golden West Senior Living, exemplifying the depth and strength of our partnership. When the South Tower unexpectedly lost power, ESP mobilized immediately and delivered a generator to the property in under two hours. This is an extraordinary turnaround that is virtually unheard of in the industry.
Thanks to ESP’s rapid deployment and technical expertise, Boulder Housing Partners was able to restore full power to the South Tower in less than 24 hours. Electricians and on-site teams noted how remarkable it was that BHP secured a generator powerful enough to support the entire tower in such a short period of time. This is something most agencies would have taken days to manage and complete.
Had power not been restored quickly, residents would have faced significant safety and health risks throughout the night, including loss of elevator access for those on upper floors, restricted use of oxygen concentrators and CPAP machines, and limited refrigerator access for temperature-sensitive medications and food.
Because of ESP’s partnership and their team’s dedication, we were able to bring the building back to full operational capacity quickly and avoid what could have been a long, stressful, and potentially dangerous disruption for residents. Their performance reflects the highest standard of service, reliability, and care for the communities we serve.
This level of support is precisely why we are recognizing Expedited Service Partners with a 2025 Partnership Award.
Award Recipient: Imagine!
Presented by: Rene Brodeur
In August of 2024, Imagine! joined BHP to begin an extraordinary collaboration designed to advance shared goals around food security, community well-being, and inclusive employment at Golden West, now affectionately called “The Iris Bistro”. This partnership is a model for how BHP and our mission-driven partners can create lasting social impact by leveraging property assets, operational expertise, and aligned commitments to housing, community health, and opportunity.
Golden West features a 5000 square foot commercial-grade kitchen and dining facility that comfortably seats up to 92 people. This great asset was closed during covid and was dormant when BHP took over the operations of Golden West. From day one, we recognized the kitchen as a critical opportunity: with the right partner, the space could once again serve as a hub for nutrition, social connection, and dignity for Golden West Residents—particularly those vulnerable to isolation, fixed incomes, and dietary limitations.
Imagine!, long known for its leadership in supporting individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, shared BHP’s vision for the kitchen, and our two organizations united around a powerful set of goals:
- Restoring reliable meal service for Golden West residents
- Addressing food insecurity by providing affordable, nutritious, and diverse meals
- Reducing social isolation through shared dining spaces and community events
- Building employment pathways for people with disabilities through kitchen-based training and skill development
- Developing a scalable model that could extend meal services to additional BHP communities
This vision represents not just service provision—but a systemic, human-centered approach to housing stability, health and community vitality.
Through our partnership, Imagine!:
- Staffs and operates the Iris Bistro five days per week, providing daily meal service (four lunches and one breakfast) with dine-in and grab-and-go options. They are also working on developing home delivered meals
- Manages meal planning, food sourcing, cooking, and service for both daily menus and special events
- Ensures full compliance with health and safety standards, including ServSafe, Boulder County Health and safety requirements and allergen-handling certifications
- Launches training programs that prepare people with disabilities for meaningful community-based employment
Early in 2025, Imagine! hired Chef Raul Ysaguirre to oversee to oversee the Iris Bistro and manage the staff as they train and work at the Iris Bistro, using the best practices in employment support. Chef Raul is a graduate of Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Austin, Texas, and has served as a chef at St. Julien Hotel & Spa, The Flat Iron Chef, Private Aviation Catering, Brookdale Senior Living, IBM, and Bellota. His meals, all built from scratch, are exceptional and burst with flavor, but what might be an even greater skill is Chef Raul’s ability to connect with Golden West residents. He is a social worker at heart. He greets all his diners individually to make sure their dietary needs are met, never turns anyone away, and people always feel so positive about their decision to eat at the Iris Bistro. We are immensely grateful to have Chef Raul leading the Iris Bistro.
The Imagine! partnership for the Iris Bistro embodies the core values of Boulder Housing Partners: innovation, inclusion, stewardship, and community impact. It demonstrates what is possible when organizations look beyond their individual missions and build shared systems of care.
For its creativity, alignment with BHP’s strategic priorities, and profound impact on residents’ daily lives, Imagine! is an exemplary recipient of the BHP Partnership Award for their vision, leadership, and implementation of The Iris Bistro.
Prior Award Recipients
November 12, 2025
Rita Galloway
Energy Outreach Colorado
July 9, 2025
Center for Resilience + Well-being
Legacy HealthCare Services
City of Boulder Fire-Rescue – Community Risk Reduction Division
March 12, 2025
Avani G. Dilger
Eliana Colunga
Irene Hillson
February 12, 2025
Ellen Orleans, Sustainability Programs Manager, City of Boulder
Boulder Public Library District
Thorne Nature Kids – Lil’ Explorers Program
October 9, 2024
Erik Johnson, Northwest Builders LLC
March 13, 2024
Chris Jenkins, The Tantra Condominiums Association
Frasier Meadows – Seniors for Seniors
September 2023
Clutter Trucker
Boulder Food Rescue
May 2023
Quinsigh, LLC
Matt Gazdik, City of Boulder Parks & Recreation
Francisco Mejias, “I Have a Dream” Foundation of Boulder County
March 2023
Boulder County Housing Helpline
Eviction Protection and Rental Assistance Services Program
September 2022
Anonymous Broadway East Resident
Thom Krueger & Sheila Goetz
chfareach
June 2021
Mayra Zavala
March 2021
Boulder Rotary Club
Philanthropiece
Safehouse Progressive Alliance for Nonviolence (SPAN)
September 2019
Volunteer Victor Aguilar and Paola Barron
Impact on Education
City of Boulder Parks and Recreation Department
Volunteer Parvinder Wahla
TRU PACE
June 2019
Realities for Children Boulder County, Eric Schulz
City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks, Juanita Echeverri and David Sutherland
Volunteer Paulette Foss
September 2018
Volunteer Mark Willard
Via
June 2018
Boulder Public Library – Book Rich Environments Initiative
Harvest of Hope, Pop-Up Pantry
Senior Services, City of Boulder Human Services Department
October 2017
Clinica – Homeless Outreach Team
CU Environmental Center “FLOWS”
Division of Housing – City of Boulder, Kurt Firnhaber and Kristin Hyser
Volunteer Erica Meyer
June 2017
Dr. Ron Cabrera
City of Boulder Department of Transportation – “Go Boulder”
Volunteer Ana Karina Casas
St. Paul’s Methodist Church – “STEM Rev”
Boulder County Housing and Human Services: Healthy Kids and Adults Eligibility Technicians
Boulder Building Blocks Fund
March 2017
Lyn Young
David Kennedy – Catluck
Boulder Police Department – Homeless Outreach Team – Officer Jenny Paddock and Office Abel Ramos
Gail Promboin
Amy Tremper
October 2016
St. Benedict Health and Healing Ministry
Ingrid Castro-Campos
Nan Jenner Bryant
June 2016
Emergency Family Assistance Association (EFAA)
Engaged Latino Parents Advancing School Outcomes through the Community Foundation Serving Boulder County
Claudia Sanchez
Luisa Silva De Murillo
March 2016
Housing First Team for the Boulder Shelter for the Homeless
Oracle
Sue Percifield
October 2015
ReSchool Colorado – Donnell-Kay Foundation
Harvest of Hope Pantry
Caren Phillips from Intercambio
June 2015
CLEAResult
Boulder Area Ram Network-Colorado State University Alumni Association
CU Public Interest Internship Experience (PIIE) Program
Donated Dental Services, a program of Dental Lifeline Network – Colorado
March 2015
eGo CarShare
“I Have a Dream” Foundation of Boulder County
Stephanie Iannone – Housing Helpers
Greg Harms – Boulder Shelter for the Homeless
November 2014
First Presbyterian Church
AmeriCorps VISTA Volunteer Program
Ken Wilson
Danica Powell, Mo Rait and Antonia Gaona – NOBO Library
June 2014
Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition
Mercedes Garcia – Resident of Kalmia
Christine Bettel – Family Self Sufficiency program graduate
Steven Lane from Kephart Architects and JV DeSousa
April 2014
Margie Rotkin – The Special Needs Organization
Mark Saprony (facility manager) and Residents – Presbyterian Manor
Andrew Moore – Chief Information Officer of Boulder Valley School District
Fran Ryan – Impact on Education
October 2013
Kyle McDaniel, Cornerstone Housing Alliance LLC and Lou Della Cava from LJD Enterprises, Inc.
Dave Maloney, Moving Connection
Linda Peth, Walnut Place Resident Council president
Kurt Wunnicke, Walnut Place Community Gardens
June 2013
Nick Kaminsky, Center for People with Disabilities
Hanna Dansky, Boulder Food Rescue
Joel Hayes, Boulder County Legal Services
March 2013
Richard Garcia and Valerie Gonzalez – Colorado Statewide Parent Coalition
Maria del Rosario Alvarado Gonzalez, Gabina Silva, Cristina Sanchez, and Mayra Zavala – Resident Partners
Brian Larson and Nicole Mansour – First Bank
Darcey Borzileri – Colorado Housing and Finance Authority
October 2012
Wanda Pelegrina Caldas, Sue Prant, and Rich Points – Community Cycles
Olga Jacoby – Community Programs Specialist, Boulder County Area Agency on Aging
David Shurman and Residents of Presbyterian Manor – Presbyterian Manor
June 2012
Barb and Joe Eberle – Volunteers (Thanksgiving Meals)
Alex Zinga – Youth Services Initiative (YSI) City of Boulder
Janet Fulton – City of Boulder Housing and Human Services
March 2012
Peggy Fernandez – Colorado Housing & Finance Authority (CHFA)
June Bianchi – Mental Health Partners of Boulder County
Dave Wyatt & John Wyatt – Wyatt Construction
Care Connect of Boulder County
