“For so long, we’ve had an extractive mentality toward our planet. Understanding the complexities involved, we need to be thinking about adapting to a carbon-constrained future … and the best way to do that is locally. To that end, I want my money to be working toward a brighter future for my children and grandchildren.”
For Cody Douglas Oreck, a drive to make a difference in our community led to her earnest engagement in several local organizations – from the Colorado Chautauqua Association to your Community Foundation.
“Having returned from living in Finland for four years, I got to talking with one of my good friends, Bob Morehouse,” says Cody. “He’s one of the most engaged residents I know, and he spoke to me about the work and impact of the Community Foundation across a range of issue areas.”
She continues, “In the past, I’d been more involved in bigger, global causes, like climate change. But the more I learned about the foundation, the more impressed I became that – while its focus is local – its impact has far-reaching effects.
“The more I learned, the more I wanted to keep my money local.”
So when Cody’s circumstances changed and she began the process of managing her wealth independently, things began to click into place. “I’d heard about DivestInvest,” she says of the now mainstream movement to divest from fossil fuels, and invest in climate solutions toward a zero-carbon economy. “And I had become very involved with the movement locally through SOIL [Slow Opportunities to Invest Locally], which aims to build resilient food systems as a means to address everything from climate change to public health.”
Fast forward to the foundation’s Healthy Soil event last fall, organized and hosted by our Environmental Affinity Group with the help of a dedicated planning committee, including Cody. “That was a turning point,” she says. “The event really galvanized me—even though I knew every participant!”
Cody proceeded to sell her appreciated fossil fuel stocks, and established a Donor-Advised Fund at the Community Foundation, thereby deepening her commitment to carbon drawdown efforts, locally. “My priority now is to invest in healthy soil and regenerative agriculture in my own community,” she says. “And at this stage in the game, those kinds of efforts are mostly happening through philanthropy.”
Cody adds, “For so long, we’ve had an extractive mentality toward our planet. Understanding the complexities involved, we need to be thinking about adapting to a carbon-constrained future … and the best way to do that is locally.
“To that end, I want my money to be working toward a brighter future for my children and grandchildren.”
Learn more about local environmental challenges, hope, and action in the foundation’s TRENDS Report.
