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Yampa Valley Gives Day shatters record again

Effort raises more than $1.3M for local nonprofits

Representatives of several local nonprofits gather in preparation of Yampa Valley Gives Day, which is Dec. 7, on the national Giving Tuesday in front of the Moffat County Courthouse.
Cuyler Meade / Craig Press

Nonprofit leaders across Moffat and Routt counties watched with excitement as the ticking screen showing money donated on Yampa Valley Gives Day kept increasing.

Holly Wilson, office manager at the Yampa Valley Community Foundation, cheered when the the numbers hit $100,000, $500,000, $1 million and finally $1.3 million, a record-breaking number surpassing the 2020 record of $1.1 million.

Though the amount raised was higher than previous years, Wilson said the number of donations — 5,078 donations to 85 nonprofits — was about the same as previous years. However, many donors gave higher amounts than ever before, which Wilson attributed to more people migrating to the Yampa Valley during the COVID-19 pandemic.



“I think a lot more people have moved into our community in the last year, and I think they wanted to get involved and give back,” Wilson said. “I think our nonprofits provide critical services and really make up the fabric of our community.”

Wilson did not have the exact numbers for how much money each nonprofit received Tuesday because Colorado Gives Day, the statewide branch of Yampa Valley Gives Day, had not finalized the numbers yet.



“Yampa Valley Gives is a regional champion,” Wilson said.

The event brings money to nonprofits from Steamboat Springs, Hayden, Oak Creek and Craig. Nonprofits receiving money range in mission from human services and outdoor preservation to promoting athletics, arts, education and wildlife advocacy.

With only a $5 donation required to participate in the day of giving, Wilson said it helps those who do not have much money themselves give back to causes they believe are important.

“I think philanthropy is not reserved for the wealthy,” Wilson said. “Our community values what nonprofits do for the community and the services they provide.”

In Craig, the executive director of Moffat County United Way said it was a day that reminder her of the goodhearted nature of people in this region.

“It goes to show how people in our community understand the importance of our local nonprofits,” said Kristen Olson Thursday.

And, Olson said, it makes a huge difference.

“It’s a significant impact,” she said. “When you think about individuals, mostly, giving their money to our organizations, over a million dollars in one day is just astonishing, honestly. With that, we’re able to leverage and bring multiple millions of dollars more into our community because of that support.”

Olson pointed out that Tuesday was a great day, but giving doesn’t have to stop. United Way in particular is in the final days of its annual campaign to raise a huge portion of its yearly budget.

“We’re on that last push, and it’s always important to share that every day can be a day of giving for people,” she said. “We did a fantastic job on Yampa Valley Gives Day, but every day matters.”


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