Award Recipients
At the October 9, 2024 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.
Governmental Agency: Ellen Orleans, Sustainability Programs Manager, City of Boulder
Presented by: Anita Speirs
The City of Boulder’s Climate Initiatives Department and Boulder Housing Partners (BHP) have partnered to expand recycling services and environmental education in our neighborhoods. Ellen Orleans has been instrumental in making our communities safer, brighter, and cleaner by helping remove unwanted recyclables and waste.
Many residents face challenges accessing local recycling services. Some cannot find time to drop off items during the Center for Hard-to-Recycle Materials (CHaRM)’s operating hours, while others cannot afford the recycling fees. People without cars or those with mobility limitations may also struggle to transport large, heavy items. Thanks to our partnership with Ellen, BHP residents can now recycle items that would otherwise go to the landfill. These include materials not accepted in Boulder’s curbside recycling bins, like broken electronics, appliances, plastic bags, bike tires, textiles, and scrap metal. When properly recycled, these items are collected, sorted, and transformed into new products.
These recycling events are hosted at various BHP properties, and every household in the selected property receives bilingual flyers with clear instructions and colorful images of items that can be recycled. Additionally, the opportunity is promoted in BHP’s monthly newsletter, allowing all residents to participate.
Since March 2023, we have collected approximately 1,600 pounds of materials from eight BHP properties. We are grateful to the City of Boulder for funding these essential recycling events and additional pickups through Eco-Cycle and Western Disposal.
Ellen’s passion, dedication, and professionalism have made all this possible. She is a joy to work with—an excellent communicator who is both compassionate and charismatic. It has been a privilege to brainstorm with her, solve challenges, and experience the satisfaction of supporting our residents before, during, and after each event.
Thank you, Ellen, for bringing joy, relief, and well-being to our BHP community. We truly appreciate your hard work and dedication.
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Local Non-profit: Boulder Public Library District
Presented by: Claudia Perez Rogerio
Thanks to the Boulder Public Library for a successful nine months of literacy initiatives, which have provided access to books, Storytimes, art, and science. Your efforts in organizing various activities for families and connecting with them at different sites throughout 2024, right at their doorsteps, have been impeccable.
This year, thanks to your collaboration, we have achieved nearly 830 bilingual interactions with families and children across 37 different activities at Kalmia, Iris Hawthorne, Broadway East, Broadway West, Tantra Lake, Woodlands, and Red Oak Park and Canopy. These activities have included the mobile library, Book Buddies, Block Parties, Storytime, and arts and science workshops. Additionally, we have hosted two of the three Book Rich Environments events at locations such as Tantra Lake and Iris Hawthorne. The next event is scheduled for November 6 at the North Boulder Public Library.
This work is also made possible thanks to the support of community members who volunteer their time to inform other parents about the events and collaborate with the library. Mayra Zavala shared her gratitude with the following comment: “As a volunteer during the Summer Bilingual Storytime at the Broadway East community, it has been an honor to support my community by coordinating these activities for six weeks. During this time not only my kids can explore, and learn through literature, singing, and dance, but it also helps us as parents to create a safe and enjoyable environment. We truly enjoy this quality time spent with our kids and the others in the community”.
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Local Non-profit: Thorne Nature Kids – Lil’ Explorers Program
Presented by: Claudia Perez Rogerio
We would like to express our sincere appreciation for your exceptional dedication to promoting the holistic development of our youngest residents through the Lil’ Explorers program. Your efforts to foster lasting habits, integrate nature as a teacher, and provide opportunities for purposeful play and reflective observation are evident in the impact of every interaction you have with participants during the program. Using the balanced curriculum, you offer, which includes academic, physical, social, and emotional aspects, you create an enriching learning environment that is reflected in the smiles on the children’s faces and the enthusiasm of their parents at each of your meetings. We deeply appreciate your commitment to designing an inclusive curriculum that promotes a strong sense of belonging and community. Thank you for your extraordinary work and the 18 scholarships awarded to our residents during this summer, thank you for helping to create safe spaces that make a significant difference in our community.
Prior Award Recipients
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
