Who We Are
The Elevate Athletic Performance Foundation is a coalition of youth development organizations in Northeast Denver. We share a common goal: to level the playing field for student-athletes in communities of color and in low-income neighborhoods.
Who's Involved
Our member organizations have played an important role in the history and culture of Northeast Denver. Collectively, we have served youth and families for more than one hundred years.
Our members include:
We are also working with public and private partners who share our vision and who provide meaningful experience in philanthropy, community engagement, economic growth, equity-centered work, and leadership, ethics, grant writing, strategy, development, and the design and management of athletic and wellness facilities.They include:
Together, we have a deep bench of talent and expertise to leverage to achieve our goals and execute our vision.
Why We've Come Together
High-quality amenities—including athletic and wellness facilities, equipment and youth development programs—exist in many communities in Denver, primarily in wealthier, predominantly white neighborhoods.
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Unfortunately, the same high-quality amenities do not exist in Northeast Denver or are limited in their capacity to meet the community’s needs.
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This has harmed student-athletes in our neighborhoods, including Five Points, Northeast Park Hill, Montbello and Green Valley Ranch. It has limited our athletes’ abilities to dream bigger and achieve better.
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Our foundation’s members are unified in our belief that student-athletes in Northeast Denver need and deserve equitable access to high-quality athletic facilities, equipment, youth development programs, and scholarship opportunities. Together, we will help our student-athletes realize their potential—in athletics, the classroom, their communities, and their lives.
What We’ll Do
Through public and private partnerships, the foundation has been working with the communities in Northeast Denver to co-create our goals and vision.
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From athletic training and nutrition to tutoring and leadership development, we believe in supporting the whole child.
Together, we will:
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Continue to nurture and develop our youth’s talent, interest in, and excitement for athletics;
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Through an Equity-Centered Community Design process, co-create sustainable, community-led and supported resources;
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Lead the creation of a high-quality athletic facility for our partner organizations to provide student-athletes with access to top-of-the-line training, equipment and subject matter experts (physical trainers, health and wellness coaches, etc.);
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Provide access to wraparound services that will meet the physical, mental, emotional, and academic needs of our student-athletes; and
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Create access to community-informed, holistic, multigenerational programming for low-income and high-risk neighborhood youth and their families.
We are engaged in an Asset Based Community Development approach and are guided by an Equity-Centered Community Design process. This allows us to build on strengths that exist in our communities, and to develop a shared vision.
How We'll Succeed
We will succeed with the support and leadership of our partners and communities.
Through continuous feedback and surveys, and data we collect and analyze from our partners and local universities, we will consistently monitor our progress and share measurable outcomes of our work, including how it results in:
Greater community engagement among student-athletes and families in Northeast Denver
Increased access to wraparound services for families
The growth of programs and participation in our organizations
Improvements in academic outcomes—including but not limited to grade point averages and graduation rates—for student-athletes
Reduction in health disparities
Improvements in students-athletes’ athletic skill and performance