2024
Spreading Cheer and Frosting Supporting the Buddy Program: The Foundation’s Aspen office partnered with The Buddy Program again this year and had a great time labeling 400 cans of frosting and preparing 400 bags of gumdrops for The Buddy Program’s annual Gingerbread House Workshop kits. The Buddy Program’s in-person Gingerbread House Workshop event brings joy to over 150 Big and Little Buddies as they build gingerbread houses while strengthening their friendships. The Gingerbread House Kits are available for purchase for the holidays and funds raised support year-round youth mentoring programs for over 550 youth, their families, and volunteer Big Buddies across the Roaring Fork Valley.
Restoring Coffman Ranch Riparian Forest: The Foundation’s Aspen office was proud to partner again with Aspen Valley Land Trust at Coffman Ranch where volunteers helped plant native plant species in the riparian forest area of the ranch. Community volunteers help ensure Coffman Ranch remains a healthy and welcoming home for wildlife, agriculture, and community.
Trail Repair With Independence Pass Foundation: The Foundation’s Aspen members partnered with the Independence Pass Foundation to help repair the trails at the summit of Independence Pass in September. The mighty crew of eight volunteers helped replace asphalt to create a more accessible and sustainable trail. For 35 years, the Independence Pass Foundation has been taking care of one of the country’s most magnificent alpine landscapes, enjoyed by hundreds of thousands of visitors every year.
2023
Support for The Buddy Program’s Gingerbread House Kits: To celebrate the Foundation’s 25th anniversary, the Aspen office partnered with The Buddy Program again this year by decorating and supplying festive frosting cans to be included in The Buddy Program’s gingerbread house workshop kits. The Gingerbread House Workshops are the largest activity offered to over 150 Big and Little Buddies and the second largest fundraiser that helps support year-round mentoring programs with over 500 youth, their families, and volunteer Big Buddies throughout the Roaring Fork Valley community.
Volunteer with Aspen Valley Land Trust at Coffman Ranch: The Foundation’s Aspen members partnered again with Aspen Valley Land Trust (AVLT) to help with conservation efforts at Coffman Ranch on the Roaring Fork River by weeding trails on the ranchland. Coffman Ranch features 141 acres of productive ranchland, native wildlife habitat, and more than a century of deep agricultural roots. With the support of the community, AVLT’s goal is to protect the open land and special places of the Roaring Fork and middle Colorado River valleys for wildlife, agriculture, and community.
2022
Gingerbread House Kits for The Buddy Program: The Holland & Hart Foundation Aspen office partnered with the Buddy Program by hosting a gingerbread house kit construction event to help supply the Buddy Program’s annual gingerbread house workshop in December. Volunteers took the labels off 800 cans of frosting and replaced them with festive holiday tape. The frosting cans will be included in gingerbread house kits going to over 100 Little and Big Buddies. It was a fun event for a great organization! For 46 years, the Buddy Program has been serving youth in the Roaring Fork Valley community through mentoring programs to help members achieve their full potential and success.
5K Run Benefitting CASA of the Ninth Judicial District: The Foundation’s Aspen office proudly supported the Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of the Ninth Judicial District by volunteering at its 2022 CASA 5K Superhero Run, where costumes were encouraged! It was a beautiful morning for a race, and Stephanie Stach, Lexi Heimback, and Susan Ryan had a blast volunteering and cheering on runners! CASA of the Ninth is a volunteer-based nonprofit organization serving Pitkin, Garfield, and Rio Blanco counties that trains and supervises court-appointed volunteers to represent the best interests of children involved in the child welfare system in the courtroom and community. It is truly an amazing organization with equally amazing volunteers.
Habitat for Humanity Roaring Fork Valley ReStore: In honor of celebrating the firm’s 75th anniversary and longstanding value of serving its communities, the Aspen office partnered with Habitat for Humanity Roaring Fork Valley on Sept. 15 for an afternoon of service. About half of the office volunteered at the ReStore in Glenwood Springs by staging furniture, doing inventory, organizing donations, and even fixing a chandelier.
Partnered with Aspen Valley Land Trust at Coffman Ranch: The Foundation’s Aspen members partnered with Aspen Valley Land Trust (AVLT) on a day of service to help with the conservation efforts at Coffman Ranch on the Roaring Fork River by volunteering. Members helped build and restore the ranchland by weeding trails and helping with other restoration projects. Coffman Ranch features 141 acres of productive ranchland, native wildlife habitat, and more than a century of deep agricultural roots. AVLT works with private landowners and communities to protect the working lands, wildlands, and wonderlands of the Roaring Fork and Colorado River valleys. With the support of the community, AVLT’s goal is to protect and care for open lands for water, wildlife, working farms, outdoor education, and recreation.
Crystal River Elementary School Supply Drive: As part of the Foundation’s annual School Supply Drive, the Aspen office raised over $800 for Crystal River Elementary School in Carbondale, Colorado. Crystal River Elementary will use the donation to help purchase and distribute needed school supplies during the academic year.
2021
English Language Curriculum School Fundraiser: As part of the Holland & Hart Foundation 2021 firmwide school supply drive, our Aspen office participated in an English Language Curriculum Materials fundraiser for Crystal River Elementary School, located in Carbondale, Colorado. The Foundation donated approximately $1000 that was used to help cover the costs associated with implementing a new English language curriculum program for second graders at the school.
2020
Heritage Park Holiday Bags: Holland & Hart Foundation office volunteers prepared 25 gift bags for the older adults at Heritage Park Assisted Living. The holiday gift bags included snacks, Christmas bobbles, activity books, and sweet treats to bring the residents of the care center some holiday cheer.
LIFT UP Food Drive: The Holland & Hart Foundation Aspen office was proud to participate again in its annual food drive benefiting LIFT UP, which supplies local food banks in the region. The Aspen office collected approximately 40 pounds of non-perishable foods and $675 in monetary donations to support local families during the holiday months. Due to the ongoing challenges created by the pandemic, LIFT UP has distributed more than 1 million pounds of food between March and December of 2020.
Rifle Animal Shelter Supply Drive: The Aspen Animal Shelter is a “no-kill” shelter that provides sanctuary for animals until owners can be found. The Holland & Hart Foundation Aspen office conducted a supply drive benefiting our furry friends at the Rifle Animal Shelter. 100% of the Aspen office participated by fulfilling various items from the shelter’s online wish list, as well as by contributing new and gently used pet supplies. Foundation team members also collected $450 in monetary contributions to aid the shelter with its ongoing supply demand. Donations included leashes, dog and cat food, various animal toys, and of course, lots and lots of treats!
2019
Annual LIFT UP Food Drive: The Holland & Hart Foundation Aspen office members hosted its annual food drive benefiting LIFT UP, the local food bank that assists individuals and families from Aspen through Rifle. The Aspen office collected approximately 40 pounds of non-perishable foods and $300 in monetary donations to support local families during the holiday months.
Access AfterSchool Supply Drive: Access AfterSchool is a nonprofit that focuses on core youth development through various camps and after school classes that provide life and leadership skills in areas such as science, fitness, cooking, and the arts. During the summer months of 2019, the Holland & Hart Foundation Aspen office volunteers worked closely with Access AfterSchool to host a supply drive benefiting the organization’s youth programs offered to students across three counties, from Basalt through Rifle. The Aspen office chose to donate 3 ‘Lego We Do Care’ kits for the robotics/STEM team, as well as 4 guitars to their music group. Our office was delighted to learn from the organization’s Executive Director that the program’s robotics team placed first in both their district competition and the state-wide competition. The Access AfterSchool/Glenwood robotics team will be headed to the national competition sometime in 2020, and we are ecstatic that we contributed in a small way to the team’s success!
2018
Heritage Park Care Center: The Holland & Hart Foundation Aspen office members adopted the residents of Heritage Park Care Facility, an assisted living complex located in the Roaring Fork Valley for this year’s holiday project. Because many residents do not receive visitors or festive greetings, the Aspen office volunteers brightened the holidays of residents by fulfilling their Christmas wishes. The team assembled and delivered personalized gift bags for 22 residents which included new hats, gloves, word puzzles, and chocolates which were much appreciated by all at Heritage Park.
LIFT UP Food Drive: This year, for the firm-wide Holland & Hart Foundation annual Food Drive, the Aspen office members partnered with LIFT UP, a food bank that services the entire Roaring Fork Valley. The entire office participated in the drive by collecting non-perishable food items and raising $350 in monetary donations to support local families during a difficult time of year.
2017
An afternoon at the Aspen Animal Shelter interacting, playing, and exercising dogs, cats, and birds. The Aspen Animal Shelter is a “no-kill” shelter that provides sanctuary for animals until owners can be found. Six members of the Aspen office helped talk to parakeets, parrots, and Sugar – the white cockatoo and played with cats and dogs whose owners had neglected or abandoned them; notably Honey the 2-month old hound. We walked with a family of dogs – Max (the dad), Winston, and Lasso (the brothers) – who were nervous newcomers to the shelter and had not yet been outside. We’re intent on returning soon to see how everyone’s doing!
2016
Rotary Club Fundraising: The Rotary Club of Aspen’s Annual Ducky Derby Stickering Party is an all-hands-on-deck community event to put stickers on the bottom of 30,000 ducks for the Annual Ducky Derby river race that raises substantial sums for local non-profits. Over the past 19 years, Rotary has raised well over $2,000,000 for the benefit of local youth, health and human services. On a warm August afternoon, seven members of the Aspen office joined the who’s who of Aspen area do-gooders, Rotarians, and even a handful of existing Holland & Hart clients, to get all the ducks stuck.
2015
Annual Firm-wide Food Drive: The Aspen office collected food and cash donations to benefit LIFT UP, an organization that provides essential humanitarian and food-based assistance in Western Colorado communities. LIFT UP received the equivalent of 741 pounds of food to be used for 2015 holiday baskets and stock food pantries in Aspen, Basalt, Carbondale, Glenwood Springs, New Castle, Rifle, and Parachute, Colorado
Soldiers’ Angels: Soldiers’ Angels is a volunteer-led 501(c)(3) nonprofit providing aid and comfort to the men and women of the United States Army, Marines, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, and their families. Founded in 2003 by the mother of two American soldiers, its hundreds of thousands of Angel volunteers assist veterans, wounded and deployed personnel and their families in a variety of unique and effective ways. Pam Hope, the Aspen office administrator, sent letters and packages of movies, cookies, candy, games magazines to a Marine stationed overseas.
Additional Projects:
- Cleaning a mile of highway 82 in memory of Tom Osborn
- Holiday bell-ringing for the Salvation Army