First, we want to say THANK YOU. Thank you for caring about your fellow Coloradans, for supporting local nonprofits that help your neighbors, and specifically for supporting the Red Cross in Colorado! You are part of the reason Colorado is such a great place to live.
Colorado ranks high on many quality-of-life lists. With our year-round sunshine, breathtaking mountains, healthy lifestyles, excellent level of education and robust economy, some city or town is regularly highlighted on a list of “Best Places to Live.”
Add “generous and giving” population to the list of reasons why Colorado is a great place to live. Although Colorado is not yet a top-ranked state in this category, residents have been steadily increasing their national ranking on charitable giving thanks in part to the annual Colorado Gives Day campaign, which aims to increase philanthropy in Colorado. Colorado’s charitable ranking, calculated via giving reported on IRS income tax returns, improved from 38th in 2008 to 30th in 2012, the latest year for which data was available.
This year, Colorado residents and companies broke the record for Colorado Gives Day, donating more than $26 million over a 24-hour period to support local nonprofits serving Coloradans!
The American Red Cross received more than $134,000 from 777 donors (lucky number!), who gave an average of about $173 each! The grand total that the Red Cross receives from Colorado Gives Day will be increased proportionally by the FirstBank $1 million incentive fund. (Read this article to understand how they portion out the incentive fund.)
That funding will make a real difference in the lives of Coloradans. It will help the Red Cross reduce deaths, injuries and losses due to emergencies via education, training and direct outreach. It will supply shelter, food, clothing and comfort items for individuals and families affected by disasters like home fires. And it will support our work helping members of the military and their families before, during and after deployments.
From the bottom of our hearts, THANK YOU for giving to the Red Cross on Colorado Gives Day!
Read more about the programs and services your Colorado Gives Day donations support: http://www.redcross.org/co/denver/programs-services