Wanted: News About YOU

Dear @ConnectColorado Followers:

If you read my tweets fairly often, you may have noticed a theme. I like to tweet about the "good life" in Colorado. (And will also pitch in when there is a disaster like the fires).

There is so much bad news that we are bombarded with every day. Instead, I am working to build a Colorado community of people and organizations that inspire one another.

So, I am inviting you great followers to send me tweets about you that I can retweet. Tell me about something you have done or you are doing like:

• Did you climb a 14er recently?


• Did you volunteer at a local nonprofit?


• Are you doing a project for school kids?


• Did you build a community garden?


• Do you need support for a walk or bike-a-thon you are doing for charity?


• Is your company doing something for charity? For example, @friskboutique recently did a diaper drive for Denver Urban Ministries.


• Are you organizing a tweet-up or flash mob?


• Are you trying to help an elderly neighbor to fix their house? Do you need help with that?

You get the idea, I'm sure!

People ask me all the time to retweet business-type tweets. I really like to help my followers, but straight up business promotion is not the purpose of @ConnectColorado. However, I am happy to help if your tweet has some kind of community support aspect to it. For example, if your company is cleaning up Colfax Avenue, let me know about it!

A special note to Colorado nonprofits: Whether you realize this or not, I already follow your tweets VERY closely. If you are following me, I watch your tweets to find things to retweet. If you are not following me, I don't retweet you! (And you probably aren't reading this anyway if you aren't following me!). But, I will ALWAYS retweet things that you need to have retweeted. If I have missed an important tweet, make sure you let me know.

I just wanted followers to know what I want to retweet. If you have retweeted me in the past, I put you on my Colorado Interacters lists, and I look at those lists to find great news about you that I can retweet. But again, if I missed something important, please let me know!

Thanks! Send me your tweets @ConnectColorado - not DM's. Be sure to include LINKS if it is something that people need more information about or if donations are involved! Give me all the info people want to know.

Happy tweeting Colorado!

Colorado Twitter Users Give Thumbs Up to Local Charities

Followers of @ConnectColorado recently gave testimonials about their favorite Colorado charities. The purpose of gathering this information is to help others to find reasons to support local charities, through the experiences of others. Here's what they had to say:

Follower @futurismguy recommends The Gathering Place (@TGPDenver ). He says he supports them because "1. They do a great job by all accounts. 2. They have the Enterprise Zone tax credit. 3. I've noticed that politically conservative men often have a distaste for helping women in need. This disgusts me and makes me want to do the opposite."

Follower @2whlfun recommends Trips for Kids Denver/Boulder (@Tfkdenver ) because TFK connects over 1,000 underserved youngsters to cycling and the great outdoors each year.

Follower @indygive recommends Citizens Project (@citizensproject) because, "They work toward equality in the city of Colorado Springs and educating the public on why it's important."

An employee of Imagine! (@ImagineCOinfo) in Lafayette recommends the organization in saying "I've worked at Imagine! for 28 years and have seen first hand the impact that Imagine!'s services have had on people with developmental disabilities to support them to be successful citizens. There are thousands of good organizations in Colorado however, and I cheerfully support others too."

Follower @jhamps recommends Boulder County CareConnect (@CareConnectboco). She says, "CareConnect is a life-line for older adults and adults with disabilities in Boulder County. Many clients do not have loved ones nearby to help with everyday tasks that most of us take for granted. By providing volunteers to deliver groceries, drive clients to medical appointments and perform minor home repairs CareConnect allows members of our community the opportunity to remain independent and in their own homes for as long as possible."

Follower @alainagreen24 recommends Jewish Family Services (@JFS_Colo)
She says, "I'm biased because I work there, but it is a great organization because it helps more than 23,000 people each year from all faiths, incomes, races, etc. at difficult times in their lives!"

Follower @FireBug501 recommends Women's Resource Center in Larimer County (@WRC4Larimer) , "Because of the impact they have on their community, helping women pay for early detection of breast and cervical cancers."

Follower @Cactus_Mike recommends Big City Mountaineers (@bigcitymtneers) saying, "Having volunteered with BCM, I have had the joy of witnessing the transformative power of nature on the lives of young adults. This is a fantastic organization that enriches lives, broadens horizons and instills critical life skills."

Follower @lauralje recommends Mission of Mercy (@onechildmatters). She says, "Because their works makes a drastic difference in the lives of children."

Follower @clkinkel recommends Denver Hospice (@DenverHospice). "I respect and admire the mission of the Denver Hospice to provide comfort, compassion, and expertise to not only patients in their care but their families and community as well. I believe the Hospice embodies a philosophy of living and embracing each day we are given."

Follower @WestCOCongress recommends the Gill Foundation (@Gillfoundation) because of their "commitment to building progressive infrastructure, appreciation for diversity, and stewardship of community."

Follower @cpat71 recommends Water for People (@waterforpeople). "They help communities in developing countries to build and maintain infrastructure for clean, safe drinking water and sanitation. A huge need, which has far-reaching effects on improving every aspect of life."

Follower @lindseykatapski recommends Center for Native Ecosystems (@NativeEco) because, "They do a fantastic job of connecting, protecting, and restoring wildlife and wild lands in the Southern Rockies!"

Follower @daviescreative recommends Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep (@nilmdtsHQ). He says, "They provide an amazingly important service completely free, and all of the service providers (I'm one) donate their time and expenses."

An anonymous person recommends Operation Homefront of Colorado (@OHColorado) because, "It supports our Military!"

Follower @AlphaOmegaAcct recommends Lights for Life (@LightsforLife ) She says, "They recycle Christmas lights to support kids with cancer - I cant think of a better use for Christmas."

Follower @flatlanderesque volunteers for and recommends Metro Denver Partners (@DenverPartners).

Follower @CBix4 recommends OpenWorld Learning (@OpenWorld_Learn). He says, "It is the best after-school program in DPS. They focus on a whole-child approach using technology as a tool to get kids excited about learning."

Follower @eedesign recommends Womens Bean Project (@womensbean ). She says, "Women's Bean Project teaches skills to break the cycle of poverty. Bean mixes are DELICIOUS! For 15+ years we've enjoyed those mixes!"

Follower @dana_rinder recommends Junior League of Denver (@jldenver ) because they provide great training!

Thanks to everyone who participated in the survey! Please Retweet this post and let your charities know they were highlighted!

Colorado Cares!

Followers of @ConnectColorado have been extremely helpful by voting for local charities to win thousands of dollars from contests. You can have a tremendous impact on our state, just by taking a minute to click and vote for charities in these contests. Here is a list of the Colorado organizations that are currently in the running for contests. Please help them out! Bookmark this page because I will be updating it regularly. (Colorado nonprofits, send me a tweet with your contest information and I will add it. ONLY organizations helping Coloradans, please).

New! Get $100,000 for Lutheran Family Services

Lutheran Family Services of Colorado is a faith based, non-profit human service agency helping children and families during their most challenging times. We have been committed to serving all people, regardless of race, religion, gender or age since 1948.

Vivant is giving away $100K to the charities with the most votes per-region. Endorse Lutheran Family Services! Vote here: http://ow.ly/50PUP

Get $25,000 for SOS Outreach
SOS Outreach was founded in 1993 in Colorado’s Vail Valley. As a nonprofit organization, SOS programs build character and self-esteem in youth through outdoor activities and the SOS curriculum. SOS served 5,190 youth in 2009-2010 and offered 18,553 total program days. This year SOS is projected to serve 5,500 youth in 15 states and New Zealand.

SOS Outreach is in a contest run by the Keg Steakhouse and Bar. Vote for them once a day until June 14! Vote here: http://fb.me/GlfGvpbx


Get a share of $2.5 Million for Trees Water People!
Trees, Water & People is improving people's lives by helping communities to protect, conserve and manage the natural resources upon which their long-term well-being depends.

TWP is in a contest with Chase Giving. They won $25,000 in the first round and are now on to the second round where the top 100 charities will share in $2.5 Million.

Vote for them daily May 19-25 Vote here: http://bit.ly/jS3b2F

Get $500 for one of three charities:
My Colorado Project is running monthly contests based on photo and other submissions. The winning charities receive $500. Right now, there are 3 charities in the running:

Epilepsy Foundation - Help support the Epilepsy Foundation's summer camp and brings smiles like this to the faces of many of our youth. It's a sound investment in our future!

The Gathering Place - The Gathering Place is Denver's only daytime drop-in center for women, their children, and transgender individuals experiencing homelessness and poverty. They provide an average of 5400 meals a month.

The Children’s Hospital Foundation - In 1978, The Children’s Hospital Foundation was formally established as a separate charitable 501(c)(3) organization dedicated solely to advancing the mission of The Children’s Hospital. The Foundation has three purposes:
1. Educating and engaging the community on the hospital’s behalf
2. Fundraising for the hospital
3. Investing funds raised on behalf of the hospital

VOTE HERE for one of these three charities until May 31 (You can only vote once): http://www.mycoloradoproject.org/contest/volunteers-action

Get an award and potential sponsors for Denver B-Cycle
Denver B-Cycle is working to bring bike-sharing to Denver.

B-Cycle is in a contest on Challenge.gov which is raising awareness about bike-sharing – something so many of my followers are interested in.
“Like” their entry here: http://healthylivinginnovation.challenge.gov/submissions/2499-denver-b-cycle

More News About Our Hope For Colorado Day, May 3

Our Hope for Colorado Day on Twitter, using the hashtag #OurHope4CO, is already shaping up to be a fun event. On May 3, Colorado people, businesses and nonprofit organizations will use the hashtag to tweet about their vision of Colorado in the future and their definitions of hope.

You are invited to tweet blog posts, videos, photos, presentations, or simple tweets stating your hopes. Anyone can get involved.

We are hoping to have some prizes for those who tweet using the hashtag. If your business would like to offer a prize, send me a DM so we can work out the details. Refer to my previous blog post about this as well.

Be sure to tell your Colorado followers about the day and encourage others to tweet their hopes. On May 3, retweet the hopes of others and connect with those who have similar hopes. It is a great way to get new followers as well.

I am planning to produce a paper.li based the hashtag. If you want your tweet to be in that paper, there must be a link attached to the tweet. Links to Facebook do not work so use a blog, video, presentation on YouTube, twitpic or post an article on a website and send the link.

Obviously, the more people RT, the more likely we are to trend on Twitter. Wouldn't it be great to see something positive, especially about our beloved state, in those trending topics for a change? We can do it!

See you on Our Hope for Colorado Day!

Our Hope For Colorado Day, May 3

Colorado: It's Time to Tweet About Hope

Our Hope For Colorado Day #OurHope4CO

May 3, 2011

@ConnectColorado on Twitter is initiating a new Twitter event called Our Hope For Colorado Day, which will take place on Tuesday, May 3, 2011. The purpose of the event is to get Coloradan's thinking and tweeting about how we want our state to be in the future, and what we will each do to make it happen.

On May 3, use the #OurHope4CO hashtag to tweet your hope and your intended actions. Write about it in your blogs, in articles, on your websites. Make a Youtube video about your hope. Write a song. Tweet it on that day, with the hashtag.

Every person, business and charity in our state has some kind of hope they want to see realized. Tweet about it and find others who share your vision. Let's get #OurHope4CO to trend on Twitter that day. Let's bring our hopes to the attention of our leaders.

This is an "all-in" event. You can do a lot with #OurHope4CO day, whether you are an individual, business or organization:

If you are a company on Twitter based in Colorado, you can even run your own contests on that day, based on the number of people who tweet using the hashtag. If you want to do that, contact me with a DM just so I am aware of it and can help promote it. I do not have the ability to run contests but you are welcome to do so if you have the ability. Companies obviously also have their own hopes for Colorado and I encourage you to tweet about them, too.

If you are a Colorado nonprofit organization, use #OurHope4CO day to envision a Colorado where your mission has been accomplished. Write a blog post or do a video. Tell people what you need from them to realize the dream. Tell people what you are doing now. Ask for support.

If you are an individual, tweet your hopes as well and you will be able to find other people who share your vision. Tweet hopes for our children, yourself, or any issue that is near and dear to your heart.

About politics: If you intend to tweet about political issues for #OurHope4CO day, all I ask is that you keep it really positive. I don't tweet about politics because there are so many other outlets for that, and because it has become so extremely divided and negative.

So, @ConnectColorado followers, start thinking about your hopes and dreams for our beautiful state and be ready to tweet about it on May 3!

Market Your Business - Do Good for the Community

One of the ways businesses can market their products or services while also doing good for the community is by supporting local charity fundraising events. Your business can support organizations by investing sometimes just a few dollars in donations of services or products to silent auctions or by sponsoring parts of the events. The following Colorado organizations have events coming up and they are in need of business contributions to make them succussful. Here are some ideas for what to donate for silent auction items:

• Something that belongs to your company like your box at a sporting event


• Services


• Products


• Something else donated in the name of your company


• Use of your vacation property


• Sports memorabilia


• Collector items and antiques


• Artwork


• Gift baskets


• Tickets to events


• Fun experiences like creating your own pottery


• Spa services


• Gift certificates


• Jewelry


• Smaller items that could be put into gift baskets


• Packages like a night on the town including limo and dinner


• Services of all kinds like cleaning, chef for a night, snow removal, lawn maintenance


• Golf course foursomes at private clubs


• Electronics


• Airline tickets


• Ski packages


• Dinner for two at a restaurant

Kids in Need of Dentistry (also known as KIND) @Kindsmiles - is the oldest dental charity in the country. They provide dental care to over 7,000 low-income children in Colorado each year. KIND is currently planning for two events:

Strokes of Kindness Golf Tournament - will be held on June 20, 2011 at The Golf Club at Bear Dance Larkspur, CO. The event is attended by dental professionals and supporters of KIND. A silent auction is held at the event as well. KIND is in need of:

• Sponsors such as hole sponsors - see information sheet


• Silent Auction Items


• Golfers! - see registration form

Contact for the golf tournament is Sally Walker 303-733-3710

Wine and Cheese Fundraiser for the Colorado Springs clinic - will be held August 25 at the Warehouse in Colorado Springs. The event is attended by 75-90 people from the Colorado Springs community who support KIND's efforts. KIND is in need of:

• Silent auction items


• Community members who would like to attend

Contact for this event is Sharon Fabrizius 719-227-1018

___________________________________________________________

Denver Urban Ministries (also known as DenUM) @DenUMhope- provides emergency and job services for homeless and nearly homeless individuals and families.

Contact: Amanda Baker 303-350-5066

DenUM's Hope Benefit - will celebrate 30 years of DenUM's service to the community. Approximately 125 people attend the event, many of which are from local churches. There will be a silent auction to raise money for DenUM's services as well.

DenUM is in need of:

• Silent auction items


• Attendees are welcome! Click on the above Hope Benefit link for info.

___________________________________________________________________

Firefly Autism @FireflyAutism - is the largest autism center in Colorado, and the only comprehensive center serving children 18 months to 18 years old.

Contact: Lisa Lujan 303-759-1192 x 18

Firefly Autism's Bright Futures Luncheon - will be held May 9 in a private home on the Denver Polo Club grounds. The featured speaker is renouned author Lee Woodruff from ABC and the New York Times. Expected attendance is 150 guests. The event will help them to build a playground.

Firefly Autism is in need of:

• Wine donations


• Event sponsors


• Attendees are welcome! Click Here for Tickets!

View a full sponsorship information packet for this event

___________________________________________________________________

Share Our Strength Cooking Matters (@ADDCrafter is the contact on Twitter) - provides a cooking and nutrition educational program that helps low-income families to learn to cook nutritious meals on a low budget.

Contact: Carrie Packard 303-892-8480

The event, called Denver Chefs Up Front, is Denver’s premier culinary benefit dedicated to making sure no kid grows up hungry. It will be held April 17 at the Colorado Convention Center's Korbel Ballroom. They expect over 300 attendees at the event.

Chefs Up Front is in need of:

• 11 cases if mixed wine donations from Colorado wine distributers specifically (this is an urgent need)


• Event sponsors - see the event sponsor sheet


• Attendees are welcome! Buy tickets here

Look What You've Done!

(Photo by Jim Moore)

I thought it was high time for @ConnectColorado followers to know about some of the results you have accomplished for our great state as a result of interacting on Twitter. These are just things I know about! If you have others that came about because of something you saw on @ConnectColorado, please send me a DM and I will add it to this list!

• Your votes for Kids in Need of Dentistry (@KindSmiles)got them a grant for $20,000 to provide dental care for low-income children.
• Your donations and massive RT's for Colorado Gives Day #COGivesDay from @GivingFirst netted over $8 Million for Colorado charities.
• A twitter connection from @ConnectColorado helped the National Organization to End the Waiting Lists @NOEWAIT to find a documentary film maker.
• National Milddog Rescue @milddogrescue adopted out at least one former puppy mill dog.
• Local nonprofit consultant Janine Vanderburg @JVA_Consulting won a contest to provide training for baby boomers to help charities to raise money because of your votes and RT's.
• People affected by the #BoulderFire got information they needed because of your RT's -and probably direct help from some of you.
• Many of you have voted for my photo for charity, too! That contest ends at the end of the month and I need a LOT more "Likes!" Click here to vote!
  

Keep up the GREAT fun! Remember, I will RT anything that has to do with the good life in Colorado and especially charity. If you are part of a walk-a-thon or anything like that, let me know! Colorado charities who follow me know they can ask for a RT any time and I usually RT many of them anyway. I don't RT commercial stuff - but I will if it is connected to charity fundraising.

Thanks everyone!