Since relocating to Boulder from Tucson one year ago, May Mgbolu is already making an impact on the community.
“Leadership Fellows Boulder County provides a strong foundation to learn what Boulder is all about, and to meet local leaders who are doing great work throughout the community,” said Mgbolu, 24, a current Fellow. A joint initiative of The Community Foundation Serving Boulder County and the Boulder Chamber, the Fellows program provides leadership and networking opportunities among professionals in business, nonprofits, and government.
“After working in a law firm for several years, it became clear to me that I wanted to make a stronger impact,” Mgbolu continued. “I learned about FOCUS Reentry online, and was impressed by their 17% recidivism rate, in contrast to the Boulder County rate of 67%. So I knew they must be doing something right, and decided to come here to learn from the best.”
FOCUS Reentry, where Mgbolu is a program manager, is the only formal program available to offenders leaving the Boulder County Jail. FOCUS mentors serve as a bridge in offenders’ transition back into society. “People commit crimes and get punished,” said Mgbolu. “FOCUS Reentry is about what happens when they get a second chance. And everyone deserves a second chance.”
For Mgbolu, the Fellows program is a valuable bond to the community. “Being a Fellow is a safe place for me where I’m surrounded by like-minded people who want to take care of others and impact the community in positive ways. We have deep conversations about community issues, and we learn each other’s passions in different areas.
“Programs and networks that help millennials live out these potentials and build resiliency are essential. In my opinion, my generation is drawn toward jobs that inspire us, promote the welfare of an entire community, and help us grow as a people.”
While Mgbolu is still getting used to our snowfalls in winter, she appreciates the opportunities here. “The Fellows program makes me feel welcome and valued in Boulder,” she said.
Adds Tiernan Doyle, also a current Fellow: “The program helps build connections where they didn’t exist before, which is entirely complementary to the work of Boulder Flood Relief.”
As executive director of the volunteer-driven disaster-response group, Doyle, 30, works to develop partnerships among people and organizations to help one another. “We’re a neighbors-helping-neighbors model,” she said. “I see that reflected among the Leadership Fellows where we have the opportunity to make new connections and rethink strategies, keeping the larger community in mind.
“I think there’s an increasing desire among people in our community to direct one’s time as one wishes toward efforts that have a broad, beneficial impact. The Leadership Fellows program gives me a much better understanding of the many and varied interests people have – depending on their spheres of influence – and how these ‘unusual bedfellows’ have the common goal of building resiliency within the county.”
What’s next for Boulder Flood Relief? “Most immediately, we’re looking to address unmet needs,” said Doyle, who grew up in Boulder and returned here after a seven-year hiatus in California. “There are people who are still struggling to recover from the 2013 flood. Some, who were on a fixed income to begin with, have been priced out of the county. So we’re building coalitions of interested businesses and nonprofits to bring about innovative solutions, like affordable housing.”
“Our current priorities are to put in place systems and structures to assess the most vulnerable among us, so that recovery isn’t so difficult for them,” she continued. “We’re not a charity solution. Rather, through partnerships and bringing together community resources, we’re developing sustainable ways to build better lives. As in the Fellows program, everyone has something valuable to contribute.”
