Pyramid Plus was created to promote positive social emotional development of all children; infants to children age five. The program supports and recommends inclusion of children with disabilities in all early childhood settings. This is important because social skills in young children with disabilities are greatly enhanced in settingswith typically developing peers.

The new Colorado Health Foundation funding aims to increase the number of underserved Coloradoans who receive health care by allowing Pyramid Plus to: add at least six new communities to the four they are already working with; certify at least 12 more Pyramid Plus  trainers and coaches; and reach at least 250 more children through the coaching to their child care providers. Pyramid Plus has a statewide reach, with a focus this year on Grand, Gunnison, Pueblo, Summit, La Plata and Morgan counties and additional counties in the following two years. It adds to more than $200,000 in Colorado Health Foundation funding toward Pyramid Plus granted in late 2010. These funds have been granted through the University of Colorado Foundation.

“We are thrilled to have received additional funds to be able to partner with new communities in Colorado. These partnerships represent our vision of expanding the opportunities to reach many more children, families and programs. Our focus is building the capacity of communities to implement the Pyramid Plus Approach with fidelity. We do this by assisting a community-wide, cross agency leadership team to plan and sustain the effort, certifying trainers and coaches in their community, and helping to establish at least one program that can show others “how to do it”, explains Barbara Smith, Director of the Pyramid Plus Center. “This way, when we leave a community they have the expertise right at home to improve children’s social emotional competence and the inclusion of children with disabilities.”

“We see a need for programs that provide caregivers of young children in Colorado with skills and techniques to promote social-emotional wellbeing and prevent and address behavioral health problems. The Pyramid Plus Center uses evidence-based strategies to foster positive social-emotional development and effectively address behavioral health problems,” said Kelly Dunkin, vice president of philanthropy for the Colorado Health Foundation. “Children who benefit from high-quality early care that promotes positive social-emotional development are better prepared for school.” 

To obtain more information about this approach and the two educational models on which it was built: the Pyramid Model for Promoting Social and Emotional Competence and the SpecialQuest Birth-Five approach to early childhood inclusion, please visit www.pyramidplus.org.

The center will provide innovative programs and academic work in the field of commodity finance, economics and policy.

Faculty and staff at the center will collaborate with the commodities industry to develop relevant course work and research in industries such as agriculture, energy and minerals.

The university said the aim is “to solidify Denver as the world’s hub for this field of study.”

“No academic program matches what the J.P. Morgan Center for Commodities will provide,” said Don Elliman, University of Colorado Denver chancellor. “J.P. Morgan will partner with the CU Denver Business School to create that vital intersection for commodities education and the industry.”

Blythe Masters, head of J.P. Morgan Global Commodities, said J.P. Morgan is thrilled to support the school “as they expand academic and public understanding of the commodities industry.”

“We don’t see this as simply a gift to the school; it is an investment to better prepare our future and existing talent and improve public understanding through exciting new research,” said Masters, who is on the JP Morgan Chase Executive Committee.

The center will be located on the first floor of the new 120,000-square-foot CU Denver Business School building in downtown Denver. The center features a state-of-the-art Finance and Commodities lab. The lab will provide students with hands-on experience and a better understanding of how trading can help commodity producers and consumers alleviate some physical risks and financial uncertainty in those industries.

The CU Denver Business School will offer specialization certificates, undergraduate and graduate emphases and degrees and professional education through the J.P. Morgan Center for Commodities.

Richard W. Lawrence

Business savvy, strategic vision characterize new head of CU fundraising, endowment-management arm

The University of Colorado Foundation has named Richard W. Lawrence as its new president and chief executive officer following a national search, the Foundation’s board of directors announced today.

Lawrence, a six-year CU Foundation veteran who most recently has served as chief operating officer and executive vice president, assumes the role effective immediately. He replaces retiring CEO J. Wayne Hutchens, who will remain through April 1 to assist the transition, and who with Lawrence has led the CU Foundation to its five most successful fundraising years ever.

Lawrence, 54, brings to the role a track record of efficient and effective management, strong university and donor relationships, and a comprehensive understanding of the Foundation’s operations. He will oversee a staff of 200, CU endowments of approximately $750 million, and annual fundraising exceeding $100 million. He is a 1980 alumnus of the University of Colorado Boulder.

“We had an extraordinarily strong pool of applicants, yet our committee was united in believing that Lawrence was the ideal candidate for this critical role,” said Margaret Bathgate, chair of the CEO search committee that selected Rick from a pool of 98 candidates. “In addition to his clear capabilities, passion, and vision, CU Foundation stakeholders and staff have trust and confidence in him, which will be an invaluable asset as we progress toward our goals for the $1.5 billion Creating Futures campaign.”

CU President Bruce D. Benson said, “Rick Lawrence has been instrumental in building the organizational structure that has led the CU Foundation toward fundraising success. I have every confidence in his ability to step into this leadership role and advance the CU Foundation’s ability to attract the private support that adds value to people, programs, and places at the University of Colorado.”

Lawrence has played a fundamental role in the strategic planning for the Creating Futures campaign, which has generated $1.1 billion in private support for CU since it began July 1, 2006. Guided by 30 prior years of executive experience at Vectra Bank and Bank One Corporation, Lawrence has helped lead evolutions in the Foundation’s investment management and real estate foundation structures, and has negotiated critical donor and university-partner arrangements.

“Rick Lawrence has demonstrated outstanding strategic vision in our six years working together at the CU Foundation, and our staff has strong confidence in his leadership,” said Wayne Hutchens, who had been Foundation CEO since 2006. “CU donors, alumni, and friends can be confident that the Foundation is in capable hands.”

Beyond the CU Foundation, Lawrence is president of the board of directors of Peak to Peak Charter School in Lafayette, and has served on boards of community and industry organizations such as the Boulder Chamber of Commerce, the Boulder Downtown Management Commission, and the Colorado Bankers Association, among others.

In addition to his CU degree, Lawrence is a 1988 graduate of the ABA Stonier Graduate School of Banking. His wife, Barbara, received a 1996 graduate degree from CU, and together they have two children.

At this dinner—attended by CU-Boulder Chancellor Philip DiStefano, Leeds School of Business Dean David Ikenberry, and CU Foundation CEO Wayne Hutchens among other CU leaders—past and present members of the school spoke about the substantial impacts of the endowment.

One such impact was in 2006, when the Center for Education and Social Responsibility was created to fulfill Leeds’s mission of emphasizing ethics and social responsibility at CU. In this program, Leeds teaches a class on business leadership. “That’s unheard of for donors anywhere else,” said 2009 graduate Ben Thacker. “He sets a great example,”

A Boulder Daily Camera story reported these and other details of the event. An in-depth interview of Michael Leeds and CESR director Donna Sockell can be viewed here.

The first issue, available in print and online, was introduced by broadcast email Monday by campaign chairs Bruce and Marcy Benson to all CU alumni and donors.

“To ensure our continued success as a nation, we must build on the strong foundation that education provides,” reads an introductory letter by the Bensons, who are among CU’s most generous donors.  “We believe so deeply in this idea that we have made personal investments in CU.”

The online Creating Futures magazine can be viewed here; a version in magazine format is viewable here. The second issue will publish Spring 2012. Contact jeremy.simon@cufund.org with feedback or ideas related to Creating Futures magazine.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The John E. and Margaret L. Lane Foundation and Margot Lane of Colorado Springs will donate $4 million to the University of Colorado Colorado Springs and Peak Vista Community Health Centers to build an academic health sciences building on North Nevada Avenue.

The building, which will integrate primary healthcare services for aging adults with UCCS academic programs, will be named the Lane Center for Academic Health Sciences in the Lanes’ honor.

Construction of the estimated 56,000-square foot building is scheduled to begin in late summer 2012. It will be located on UCCS property on the east side of North Nevada Avenue and north of the university’s monument sign at the intersection of North Nevada Avenue and Austin Bluffs Parkway. The site is now a parking lot.

“We are deeply appreciative of Margot Lane’s generous support of the university and this community-wide effort to improve healthcare,” UCCS Chancellor Pam Shockley-Zalabak said. “An academic health sciences building on North Nevada will improve healthcare access and integrate it with university faculty and researchers who seek to improve lives.”

Plans call for Peak Vista Community Health Centers to partner in the efforts by owning a portion of the building and using it to house a Senior Health Center which will also be named in honor of the Lane family. A community mainstay since 1971, Peak Vista now operates 19 health centers throughout the Pikes Peak Region including numerous family health centers, two senior health centers, school-based programs, and specialized health centers for homeless, women’s, pediatrics, after hours care, and developmental disabilities.

“Peak Vista is humbled by the generosity of Margot Lane who has supported several Peak Vista projects over the years. Margot’s passion and excitement to be involved in an innovative service model for seniors in our community is an investment that goes beyond the dollars and challenges us to further define a quality long term solution for our future that is demonstrated through our partnership with UCCS and strategic thinking,” said Pam McManus, president and CEO, Peak Vista Community Health Centers, and BJ Scott, executive director, Peak Vista Community Health Centers Foundation, in a joint statement.

In September, the CU Board of Regents approved the first phase of plans for an academic health sciences building on the east side of North Nevada Avenue and south of the current Four Diamonds Sports Complex. The first phase provides space for UCCS programs such as the CU Aging Center, Gerontology Center, and Beth-El College of Nursing and Health Sciences, as well as the university’s unique doctoral program specializing in the psychological needs of seniors. The site was chosen because of its convenient access to the main UCCS campus as well as its central location for community members and patients and its access to I-25. Future phases will include additional buildings.

“Our family loves this community and it is a privilege to be able to give back to Colorado Springs in this significant way,” Margot Lane said. “The importance of UCCS and Peak Vista in this community is tremendous. It is our hope that this collaboration will be a model for other universities and non-profits around the country.”

About the John E. and Margaret L. Lane Foundation

Founded in 1997 by John E. Lane and Margaret L. Lane to support charities in Arizona and Colorado, the foundation’s motto is “turning success into significance.”

About Peak Vista Community Health Centers

Peak Vista Community Health Centers is a non-profit organization whose mission is “to provide exceptional healthcare for people facing access barriers.” Established in 1971, Peak Vista annually offers primary medical, dental, and behavioral health services to more than 65,000 El Paso and Teller residents most from working families without health insurance. To learn more about Peak Vista, visit www.peakvista.org.

About UCCS

UCCS, located on Austin Bluffs Parkway in Colorado Springs, is one of the fastest growing universities in the nation. The university offers 36 bachelor’s degrees, 19 master’s and five doctoral degrees. The campus enrolls more than 9,300 students.

Kurt Gulbrand

CU Athletic Director Mike Bohn said, “Kurt will make an immediate impact as a leader of the Buff Club due to his proven experience, talent, and expertise. Development efforts and fundraising results are high on our list of priorities to ensure long-term viability in the Pac-12 Conference. Our donors and fans will connect with his genuine personality and skill set, which is consistent with our Shoulder to Shoulder efforts. He has contagious energy and unequivocal passion for student-athletes and their on- and off-field success. He inherits an enormous opportunity to engage new prospects, and understands the sense of urgency to capitalize on our historic move.”

Gulbrand comes to CU at an exciting and vital time for Buffs athletics development. In CU’s first season in the Pac-12, the Buffs won the first two championships sponsored by the expanded league, the men’s and women’s cross-country titles, on October 29. The move broadens CU’s reach in West Coast markets with a high proportion of successful alumni and supporters—four times as many as had been in Big 12 states—as the Buffs pursue development priorities including growth in their scholarship pool, support for a new court-sports practice facility, and execution of other capital upgrades.

“My family and I are humbled and honored to be joining the CU Foundation and Buffs families,” said Gulbrand. “The opportunity to join one of the finest academic and athletic institutions in the country is extremely exciting. I am thrilled to be part of a highly motivated, well-respected team dedicated to maximizing the student-athlete experience.”
 
Born in Southern California, Gulbrand enjoys spending time with his family (wife Deborah, a registered nurse; Colton, 6; Bryce, 5), golf, fishing, and skiing.

Founded in 1967, the nonprofit CU Foundation partners with the University of Colorado to raise, manage, and invest private support for the university’s benefit. The Foundation is currently undertaking Creating Futures, a $1.5 billion fundraising campaign to enhance University of Colorado education, research, outreach, and health programs benefiting citizens throughout and beyond Colorado. Visit www.cufund.org for more information.

Jacksonville, FL (October 17, 2011) – Pink cleats. They serve as a poignant way for NFL athletes to raise awareness of breast cancer throughout the month of October. Tim Tebow is one of many athletes who has participated in wearing pink for this purpose, and now he is taking those cleats one step further. For Tebow, the cleats serve as an opportunity to make a difference, and making a difference is something he does best.

In 2010 Tebow formed the Tim Tebow Foundation with a mission to bring FAITH, HOPE and LOVE to those needing a brighter day in their darkest hour of need. This mission is being fulfilled everyday through the building of playrooms in children’s hospitals, support for orphans worldwide, building a hospital in the Philippines, and making dreams come true for children with life-threatening illnesses; however for one week, the Tim Tebow Foundation will turn its attention directly towards raising money to find a cure for breast cancer.

In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the Tim Tebow Foundation in partnership with XV Enterprises will use the foundation’s weekly charity eBay auction to auction off a pair of game worn pink cleats that Tebow wore during the Denver Broncos vs. Tennessee Titans game on October 3, 2010.

The auction will be known as “cleats for a cure” and all of the funds raised will go towards finding a cure for breast cancer. The foundation will use the auction to raise awareness and funds for the University of Colorado Foundation for Breast Cancer Research at the Anschutz Medical Campus.

The auction winner will receive the autographed cleats along with an autographed 8’ x 10’ picture of Tim wearing the cleats. The cleats are rare because they are game worn by Tebow and were custom made by Nike for him as indicated by special designations on the shoes.

The auction will begin Monday, October 17 and will end Monday, October 24. Don’t miss your chance to help find a cure for breast cancer and at the same time own a piece of NFL history.

Follow this auction and learn more about “Cleats for a Cure” at www.timtebowfoundation.org

For media, event and outreach updates please join our mailing list on www.timtebowfoundation.org

With over 200,000 gifts to the university since, the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus is now the nation’s fastest-growing academic health sciences campus, and Tom Cech has retucrearned to lead the Biofrontiers Institute at CU-Boulder—where he won a Nobel Prize in 1989. The CU Denver Business School will soon debut a new home, and has new programs in niches from energy management to commodities. Colorado Springs students continue to work hard to afford college—yet now there are 9,300 of them, and many new scholarships making UCCS more attainable for veterans, transfer students, and first-generation students alike.

Individual, corporate, and foundation gifts and grants toward Creating Futures have now exceeded $1 billion—surpassing a major milestone in CU’s most ambitious fundraising campaign ever, the $1.5 billion Creating Futures.

“We are energized by the generosity of the individuals, foundations, and corporations who have invested in excellence at the University of Colorado,” said CU President Bruce D. Benson, who chairs the Creating Futures campaign along with his wife, Marcy. “Our faculty, students, and campuses are the direct beneficiaries of that investment, but the people of Colorado also benefit through CU’s contributions to our state’s economic, social, and cultural health.”

Since the campaign began in July 2006, more than $530 million in private gifts and grants have come through the CU Foundation, the university’s fundraising and investment-management partner. Most of the remaining private support has been faculty-generated grants and private gifts that are channeled directly to the university.

“Reaching the $1 billion mark is a significant milestone that is testament to the confidence donors have in CU and the great work of its faculty, staff, and students,” says Marcy Benson. “We’re thrilled with the progress we have made, which provides inspiration to help us continue to work to meet our goal.”

Despite a difficult economy, CU donors have responded in record numbers these past five years to support:

•    Learning and Teaching, including UCCS scholarship gifts by hundreds of individuals (and $5.5 million, UCCS’s largest cash gift to date, given anonymously), and by foundations such as the Kane Family Foundation and the Daniels Foundation
•    Discovery and Innovation, including $5 million from Pinnacol Assurance to establish a new Risk Management and Insurance program at CU Denver
•    Culture and Community, including $5 million from Mort and Alice Mortenson and builder M.A. Mortenson Company to establish an Engineering for Developing Communities program at CU-Boulder—supporting sustainable development in marginalized communities worldwide
•    Health and Wellness, including more than $100 million in gifts ($44 million this campaign) from The Anschutz Foundation toward CU’s new health sciences campus, and new donor-driven centers working toward Down syndrome and stem cell discoveries

President Bruce Benson reinforces that while private philanthropy can provide relief to CU’s budget in targeted areas, it does not replace the need for operational funds squeezed by declining public funding, as 98 percent of gifts are earmarked by donors for specific purposes. Given CU’s diminished state support (from more than 30 percent of CU’s budget 30 years ago to less than 6 percent today), private support will continue to take on added importance.

Gifts to Creating Futures will expand access to higher education, provide needed health services, generate groundbreaking research and ideas, and drive the region’s economy. CU’s annual economic impact exceeds $7 billion, and CU researchers annually garner more than $800 million in public grant awards for research (not included in the campaign, which is oriented toward private support).

Priority fundraising areas for the remainder of Creating Futures include scholarships, endowed chairs, and professorships; research programs; buildings and infrastructure; and academic support on all four CU campuses.

In chairing the Creating Futures campaign for the CU System, the Bensons work closely with volunteer leaders for each campus including Jean (’64) and Jack (’64,’70) Thompson at CU-Boulder, Nan (’87) and Carl (’67, ’71) Eklund at the Anschutz Medical Campus, Laura (’94) and Dave (’82) Baker at CU Denver, and Mary and Ed Osborne at UCCS.

About the CU System
The University of Colorado is a premier public research university with four campuses: the University of Colorado Boulder, the University of Colorado Colorado Springs, the University of Colorado Denver and the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. Some 60,000 students are pursuing CU academic degrees. Academic prestige is marked by the university’s four Nobel laureates, seven MacArthur “genius” Fellows, 18 alumni astronauts and 19 Rhodes Scholars. For more information about the entire CU system, and to access campus resources, go to www.cu.edu.

About the CU Foundation
Founded in 1967, the nonprofit CU Foundation partners with the University of Colorado to raise, manage, and invest private support for the university’s benefit. Our donors help the university transform lives through education, research, clinical care, and community engagement. Visit www.cufund.org for more information.

Board of Directors

• Frederick J. Bradford, Galveston, Texas
• J. William Freytag, Longmont
• Betsy A. Mangone, Golden
• Edward A. Osborne, Colorado Springs

Board of Trustees

• Eleanor N. Caulkins, Denver
• Kathryn A. Finley, Denver
• Marianne Franklin, Denver
• Mary J. Gearhart, Littleton
• Suzanne A. Hoover, Boulder
• Eric J. Kramer, Boulder
• Alan J. Olson, Boulder
• Mark M. Osborn, Denver
• Kevin T. Reidy, Denver

Also reelected were the following trustees: William R. Barclay, Richard  N. Brown, William C. Caile, James H. Curry, Robert J. Eastman, Martha (“Marty “) Coffin Evans, Zuhair H. Fayez, Michael F. Imhoff, James C.T. Linfield, Douglas S. Looney, John R. (“Ron”) Moore, Edward A. Osborne, Marcia P. Pryde, and Christopher S. Randall.

Members of the Board of Directors have fiduciary oversight of the CU Foundation; Mary Lee Beauregard is the chair, and Carl (“Spike”) Eklund is the vice chair. Members of the Board of Trustees serve as volunteer leaders of the Foundation through their contributions of private support and advocacy for the University of Colorado.

Founded in 1967, the nonprofit CU Foundation partners with the University of Colorado to raise, manage, and invest private support for the university’s benefit. The Foundation is currently undertaking Creating Futures, a $1.5 billion fundraising campaign to enhance University of Colorado education, research, outreach, and health programs benefiting citizens throughout and beyond Colorado.