Know Your Community

By Griffen O'Shaughnessy

These three words of wisdom, “know your community,” offered by Zayo Group Founder and CEO Dan Caruso recently sparked a conversation within Canopy Advisory Group about the importance of staying abreast of what is happening in our bustling city.  Caruso attested that by attending business and community events, employees gain insight and inspiration valuable to personal, professional and organizational growth.

Whitney Connor and Lorii Rabinowitz speak about the Rose Community Foundation’s “innovate for good” at Canopy’s spring advisor meeting.

Caruso’s passion and advice resonated with us and was the impetus for Canopy’s recent panel discussion, Know Your Community, Part 1: The Nonprofit Sector.  MCA Denver’s Rooftop Café, which overlooks the downtown skyline, was the perfect setting for the Canopy team to learn how a few local nonprofits are affecting positive growth in Colorado. A panel of four leaders in the nonprofit sector shared with the group some exciting projects and events happening in Denver’s nonprofit space.

Dr. stephanie gripne shares her expertise in impact investing.

3 Innovative Community-based Projects:

1. Levitt Pavilion Denver, a state-of-the-art amphitheater available for schools, arts organizations and other nonprofits, will open in 2016.  Located in Ruby Hill, an under-utilized urban corridor in central Denver, Levitt Pavilion Denver will offer 50 free concerts annually in a family-friendly environment.“Ruby Hill Park is one of the largest park spaces adjacent to the South Platte River Greenway and it continues to provide a unique variety of benefits to the river and its patrons. Supporting the creation of the Levitt Pavilion Denver will increase the natural synergies that exist between music and the outdoors.”  —Jeff Shoemaker, Executive Director, The Greenway Foundation
2. Rose Community Foundation’s Innovate for Good will award $250,000 for up to 10 new and innovative ideas that will make the Greater Denver community a better place to live.“Rose Community Foundation has been a guiding influence for progress on early childhood education issues in Colorado. The Foundation’s impact is felt through their grants, their community leadership, their long-term perspective and their ability to bring other leaders and funders to the table to help solve our common challenges.” — Lt. Governor Joe Garcia
3. Designed to engage new impact investors and philanthropists, Colorado Impact Day will be the first multi-track competition devoted entirely to assessing and expanding the impact investment opportunities in for-profit and nonprofit ventures in Colorado.“It is as if impact investors are lined up around the proverbial water pump waiting for the flood of deals, while no one is actually priming the pump!” — Matt Bannick & Paula Goldman of the Omidyar Network, referring to impact investing

Canopy’s Takeaway
Community engagement broadens our exposure and enriches our perspective. The dialogue shared during our panel discussion confirmed the importance of getting out of our offices, participating in community and charitable events and staying abreast of the exciting developments happening around town.  We left energized and motivated to be active participants in helping Denver grow and thrive.

Coming this Fall:  Know Your Community, Part 2:  The Denver Business Sector