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As we approach the start of a new year, Mile High United Way staff are reflecting on the many ways you helped create change for Metro Denver families in 2025. Here are the ways you helped our community thrive:
You helped families put food on the table.
We believe every family should have access to their basic needs, including food. In November, our community took action when more than 600,000 Coloradans – including 300,000 children – lost access to their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits due to a federal funding suspension. Mile High United Way provided food bags and grocery gift cards to help fill the gaps for more than 200 families participating in our programs.
Our community united to support the families we serve, as well as our 211 Help Center. Our 211 navigators continue to serve as a lifeline for neighbors facing food insecurity, homelessness and eviction or lack of child care. Learn how you can stay involved with this important work.
You unapologetically celebrated women and girls.
The 26th annual Women United Luncheon encouraged attendees to celebrate the ways in which they unapologetically advocate for women and girls. During the event, Tony and Emmy Award-winning actress Christine Baranski and Mile High United Way participant Luisa Hernandez inspired us to dream of how we can create a bright future for our community. We also were thrilled to celebrate our Frances Wisebart Jacobs honoree Yun Hui Kehoe. Thank you to everyone who joined this special day supporting women and girls!
You prepared our little ones for school.
Our HIPPY (Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters) program celebrated its largest-ever graduating class. The 24 graduates were a part of the program’s inaugural year, completing all four years before celebrating with friends and family in June. Parents and caregivers receive evidence-based, in-home instruction and the resources they need to help prepare their child for a lifetime of success.
We also were proud to bring 40 families off the waitlist, expanding the program to 95 families as part of a multi-site pilot program with the HCA Healthcare Foundation.
You answered the call.
Every day our 211 Help Center staff compassionately connect our neighbors to the critical resources they need most. Last year, 211 staff provided more than 373,700 referrals for essential basic needs, including housing, rent and utility assistance, health care, transportation and more. Our 211 Help Center also hosted its first community resource fair, directly connecting community members and service providers.
In addition to supporting our neighbors across Metro Denver, Kim Christensen, 211’s senior manager of community development and partnerships, supported Southwest Colorado residents following severe flooding in October. Kasey Fox, vice president of 211 and community crisis, also deployed to Alaska in October with the Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management to help 56 communities and 1,200 families find shelter and apply for assistance after a typhoon hit the region.
You connected families to essential resources at our community events.
Hundreds of volunteers and companies gave back this year, providing families with school supplies, child care essentials, Thanksgiving baskets and holiday gifts at events like our Back to School Bash, Women United Village and Children’s Holiday Party. More than 6,000 volunteers partnered with Mile High United Way this year, helping create change for the families we serve.
You helped Coloradans receive valuable tax credits and refunds.
During the 2025 tax season, 525 Tax Help Colorado volunteers helped low- and middle-income families file more than 11,000 tax returns. As a result of this important work, families received $22.6 million in tax credits and refunds. Their tax refund is the largest check many families receive each year. It helps them maintain housing, pay for education, cover essentials and build toward a more stable future. Learn more about volunteering with Tax Help Colorado during the 2026 season – no prior experience or financial background is required.
You joined Denver’s greatest Thanksgiving tradition.
A record-breaking 11,600 trotters joined the 52nd Mile High United Way Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving Day. Proceeds from the race directly support Mile High United Way’s community programming, helping families achieve their dreams. Thank you to everyone who helped make this year’s event a success!
You provided affordable, stable housing for families.
When people have a safe place to call home, they can focus on what’s next. This year, Mile High United Way launched the Renew Collaborative, further expanding our homelessness prevention efforts. In partnership with the Denver Housing Authority, the Renew Collaborative helps tenants facing eviction for being behind on rent payments get back on track and stay in their homes.
You helped strengthen community partnerships.
In March, we celebrated with longtime partner Warren Village as they opened a new housing and early child care complex in southwest Denver. This event marked the final of the four new early learning centers to open, thanks to a $20 million gift to Mile High United Way from the MacKenzie Scott Foundation in 2020.
Additionally, Rudy Morales, 211’s community crisis coordinator, provides in-person support at Mile High United Way’s 211 Help Center, the Warren Village Alameda Campus and Mercy Housing’s The Rose on Colfax. In the new year, Rudy will help residents at Family Tree’s Generational Opportunities to Achieve Long-Term Success (GOALS) campus, and Mile High United Way’s Uptown Apartments.
You supported small business owners on their path toward success.
We believe that small businesses are the heart of our community. When local entrepreneurs succeed, they support their community and create generational wealth for their families. This year, our staff and volunteers helped more than 200 small business owners through the Small Business Accelerator, the Thrive Small Business Summit and the website build initiative.
Thank you to everyone who joined our work this year – we cannot do this without you!
