.J. Heyman noticed something was different about Boulder County soon after moving here from the San Francisco Bay area in 1993.
“I was surprised to hear little talk of giving back – as had been my experience in other places I’ve lived or worked. Not only in San Francisco, but also in Boston, Dallas and other communities,” he said. “I read with shock that – while Boulder is one of the wealthiest, best educated, happiest and most fit communities in Colorado, or anywhere – we were below the state and national averages in giving.”
So Heyman reached out to the Community Foundation and helped launch the Culture of Giving campaign along with other partners including Sterling-Rice Group. The effort has long since become a central part of the Community Foundation’s mission.
Both Heyman and his wife Jane McConnell have served on the Community Foundation’s Board of Trustees. And they have been involved as donors and volunteers for many other nonprofits, including the “I Have A Dream” Foundation of Boulder County, Intercambio and ELPASO – Engaged Latino Parents Advancing Student Outcomes.
“Our investments locally have mostly been focused in the area of education, because we believe that education is the best path to breaking the cycle of poverty and creating opportunities to achieve equity,” McConnell said.
The parents of four also have worked hard to instill their values in their children, who reciprocated by raising money for nonprofits with hot chocolate stands and ski-a-thons, and by asking friends to bring a gift for a child in need to their birthday parties. Their oldest son ran a sports camp in their backyard in the summers and invited students the family had met by sponsoring a class through the “I Have A Dream” program.
Their youngest son became good friends with one of the Dreamers, who taught him important life lessons about being a team player and public speaking.
“It really has been a two-way street,” McConnell said. “They’ve gotten as much out of it as they’ve given.”
