“At Cal-Wood, we’ve been connecting kids to the Colorado outdoors for more than 30 years,” said Rafael Salgado, Executive Director. “Working with schools, we offer science-based outdoor education programs and summer camps. Not only do kids learn about the land through hands-on activities, their experiences here also help improve their academics. But after the 2013 flood, we weren’t sure if we were going to bounce back.”
Damage to Cal-Wood’s 1,200-acre outdoor classroom near Jamestown was severe, affecting roads, trails and facilities.
“For us, the flood was a huge step back,” Salgado said. “Just before the flood, there was a lot of demand and we were in the process of developing a capital campaign to increase our facilities so that we could serve more kids. We were really excited about that, but then the flood happened.
“Our 15 staff members were all hands on deck, focused on repairing the land and re-establishing the programs…without any revenue coming in.”
The top priority was airlifting 5th-grade students from Fireside Elementary to safety – the students were the first group to return to Cal-Wood this spring when roads were passable again.
“It was a draining time for everybody, and very challenging as our main source of income is revenue from the groups we serve,” Salgado continued. “At one point, our staff was asking whether they still had jobs, and the board wasn’t sure what to do – in the end, they decided to keep us open, but it was painful.”
Beyond serving kids from the Boulder Valley School District, Cal-Wood also raises money to help low-income youth to participate in its programs – from Greeley to Commerce City to Aurora. “For many of these kids, Cal-Wood is a real highlight, and perhaps their first experience in the mountains doing outdoor activities like fishing, horseback riding, hiking and archery.”
While Salgado’s expectations for 2014 were low, due to the heavy flood damage and resulting loss of revenue, he was pleasantly surprised.
“Thanks to the heartwarming response from the community, we not only resumed – and are still working to restore and maintain – our existing programs, we even started a new program for families,” he said. “The Community Foundation’s 2013 Millennium Trust, along with other support, guaranteed that we were going to have a very special summer program working with Latino families.
“While most Boulder County nonprofits work with kids, few work with families – yet we know there’s a need for family programming. So we wanted to try something new, which the Millennium Trust made possible.
“The impact we had on these families was unbelievable – for 90% of them, it was their first time camping and exploring the outdoors, even among those who had lived in Boulder County for several years. They just didn’t know what our beautiful state has to offer in terms of outdoor activities. We gave them the opportunity to explore and learn what they can do and enjoy on their own. We plan to start offering more family programs, and we hope to share what we’re learning with other organizations that want to work with Latino families.”
Cal-Wood is still in the red and still paying off bills from 2013, but the nonprofit is managing to make payroll and maintain its programs – also with support from other foundations, organizations and individuals, and Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
“If 2015 is like this year, we should be back to normal – although our land still needs some work,” Salgado said. “The damage was huge, so we just keep working on it, thanks to lots of volunteers. In a few years, I hope there won’t be any signs of the flood.”
