Hike4Cancer supports kids with critical illness and their families. It raises money and awareness for organizations that create support groups, camps and activities centered around kids with critical illness, their families, and other individuals who support them throughout their journey. Host Nikki Kayser chats with Pete  Kartsounes about this year’s series of hikes.

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Formerly Teaching Peace, Longmont Community Justice Partnership has a variety of programs that teach and practice restorative justice ideals, working with offenders, victims and other community members to resolve conflicts non-violently in on-going relationships.

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It all started with giving a guitar to a child with terminal cancer. Now Blue Star Connection collects and buys all sorts of instruments and gives them to children and stocks hospitals to help make a difference in the lives of kids with serious illnesses.

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To help end homelessness in Denver, Denver’s Road Home has helped many people gain control of their lives. In the first five years they have developed 1,961 new units of housing with 300 more in the pipeline. They have provided housing for 81% of the chronically homeless with 759 homes. The Denver Street Outreach Collaboration has housed 1,330 men, women and youth through street outreach efforts. Prevention monitoring have enabled 5,539 families to avoid eviction. Jamie Glennon chats with host Nikki Kayser about the details.

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Kyla Holcomb with the Boulder County Public Health Department chats with host Nikki Kayser about summer barbeques and other concerns for food safety.

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The Matthew Shepard Foundation was murdered in an anti-gay hate crime in Wyoming in October 1998. A foundation in his honor works to replace hate with understanding, compassion and acceptance. Jason Marsden, executive director, chats with host Nikki Kayser about incidents of hate violence and the task of educating the general public.

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Crayons to Calculators is a school-supply drive created to ensure that local students head back to school with the tools they need to succeed. There are more than 13,000 kids in Boulder Valley and St. Vrain Valley school districts who qualify for free and reduced lunch—an indicator of poverty. The cost of basic school supplies, presents a financial burden for many of these kids’ families.  Having the right school supplies is a critical first step to help a student achieve higher literacy levels, improve academic performance, and graduate. Their goal for the 2011-2012 school year is to provide 8,000 students, pre-school through high school, with new backpacks full of supplies. Host Maeve Conran finds out more.

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Ekar Farm and Community Gardens builds community, provides experimental education and grows sustainably produced fruits and vegetables for those in need. Ilan Salsberg, executive director, chats with host Nikki Kayser about this year’s projects.

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Millions of times each year at thousands of locations around the world, the United Service Organization ( USO) lifts the spirits of America’s troops and their families.   Our local chapter is at Denver International Airport. Host Kenny Skinner chats with Heady Margolis about their work at the airport and the historic organization’s mission.

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The EarthLinks Workshop program is a micro-economic development project for people who are homeless and low-income. Using plants grown in our garden, participants design and create Earth-friendly products while earning a stipend for their work and experiencing firsthand the interconnectedness of humans and nature. Participants develop skills, engage in meaningful work for a modest wage, share companionship, gain increased confidence and self-esteem, connect with nature’s beauty, and raise Earth consciousness. Program director Cody Meinhardt chats with host Nikki Kayser.

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