FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Jun 20, 2008 CONTACT: Perla Delgado, Boulder County Community Action Programs, 303-441-3956 First class graduates from program designed to train diverse leaders, increase inclusiveness in countywide leadership (Boulder County, Colo.) – On June 26, the Boulder County community will gain 20 newly trained leaders representing a variety of races, ethnicities, ages, educational backgrounds and neighborhoods. These leaders are the inaugural graduating class of People Engaged in Raising Leaders (P.E.R.L.), a collaborative effort aimed at increasing the involvement of people of color on boards and commissioners across the county. “Our goal is to make it possible for Boulder County’s non-profit, governmental and educational organizations to become inclusive and truly representative of our unique and diverse community,” said Perla Delgado, a program coordinator at Boulder County Community Action Programs and one of the P.E.R.L. collaborative’s coordinators. The P.E.R.L. program was launched in response to findings by The Community Foundation Serving Boulder County that leadership among Boulder County’s non-profits did not mirror its population and that demand was high for a more inclusive pool of leaders. In 2007, the Boulder County Human Services Strategic Plan named inclusivity in decision-making and service delivery as an essential element of a comprehensive human service system. Led by Boulder County Community Action Programs, a multi-agency collaboration formed to address the issue, with representatives and financial support from The Community Foundation, the University of Colorado, Longmont, Boulder and Lafayette. This collaboration aimed to empower people of color to participate and become more involved civically in their community by training them to be leaders. During 11 training sessions over the course of six months, participants in the program learned the process, structure and make-up of boards and commissions and gained skills and tools to help them take leadership roles in community organizations. Several participants of the class have already been accepted onto non-profit boards and commissions; others will have the opportunity to seek out opportunities during a recruitment fair following their graduation ceremony on June 26. The fair will feature representatives from organizations such as the Latina League and Volunteer Connection, as well as from the collaborating agencies. “It was an honor to be involved in P.E.R.L. This is the exact type of focused leadership development that is needed to actively develop and support inclusiveness within non-profits and boards and commissions,” said Carmen Ramirez of the Longmont Office of Community Relations. “I hope this is one of many more change agents to be developed. We will actively continue to work on inclusiveness and equity, which provides benefits within many areas of the community.” The People Engaged in Raising Leaders graduation ceremony will be held from 6-8 p.m., Thursday, June 26, at the Lafayette Public Library, 775 W. Baseline Rd., Lafayette. For more information about the P.E.R.L. program or to recruit graduates for your organization, contact Perla Delgado at 303-441-3956. -END- Patricia Demchak Boulder County Public Information Officer pdemchak@bouldercounty.org 303-441-3399 "As trusted stewards of Boulder County's future, we provide the best in public service."