Several local nonprofits, community leaders and advocates gathered at the Moffat County Courthouse on Tuesday, Nov. 29, to rally for next week’s day of giving. 

Timed to coincide with each other, Colorado Gives Day and Yampa Valley Gives days will be Tuesday, Dec. 6, a day in which local residents are encouraged to give to causes close to them.

Holly Wilson, who runs the Yampa Valley Gives program with the Yampa Valley Community Foundation, said that every donation made through Colorado Gives and Yampa Valley Gives will be boosted by a $1.4 million dollar incentive fund through the Community First Foundation. 

“It’s nice to focus on the community and the people here,” Wilson said. “The underlying theme today is that there are people hurting here, and there are organizations providing critical services that make the community a great place to live and work.” 

Many local nonprofits were represented at Tuesday’s rally including Moffat County United Way, Connections 4 Kids, Partners Youth, Mind Springs Health, Horizons, Northwest Colorado Center for Independence, the Boys and Girls Clubs, Community Budget Center and Northwest Colorado Health. 

Betsy Overton, director of Connections 4 Kids, read a Moffat County proclamation during the rally dedicating Dec. 6 as Yampa Valley Gives Day and Colorado Gives Day. Overton encouraged residents to support the 80-plus nonprofits that are participating in the annual day of giving. 

Northwest Colorado Health and the Budget Center were chosen in a drawing to receive $250 dollars in additional donations from the Yampa Valley Community Foundation to kick off Colorado Gives Day fundraising. 

Dana Duran, director of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Northwest Colorado, joined the rally with Program Manager Erin Steger, who grew up as a club member and stepped into a staff role in 2021.

“Colorado Gives Day is such a good entry into philanthropy,” Duran said. “Every gift matters, whether it’s $5, $10 or $20. People shouldn’t be intimidated by giving a certain amount.” 

Several local leaders also showed their support for the day of giving at the rally. Jennifer Holloway, director of the Craig Chamber of Commerce, said that as Moffat County faces changes, the way to move forward is to come together and create new symbols for what unites the community.

Moffat County Commissioner Tony Bohrer emphasized how so much of the work that is done in this world is done in collaboration and how communities are built on the backs of nonprofits that fulfill community needs. 

“We are lucky enough to live in a community that  — for the most part — people are ready to jump in and help when someone is in need,” Bohrer said.

Craig City Council member Tom Kleinschnitz marveled at how nonprofit agencies work very hard with limited resources to fill needs across the community, assisting people from all stages of life and addressing different causes. 

“Give what you can,” Kleinschnitz said. “Simply, give.”

Community members don’t have to wait until Dec. 6 to donate, Wilson added. Early giving has already begun and donors can go online to support causes anytime.

All donations can be submitted online through ColoradoGives.org or YampaValleyGives.org, which is a new, locally created website that shows only the nonprofits in the area.

Wilson said the new website will make it easier to donate to multiple nonprofits at one time because it’s set up with a shopping cart style format.