2021 Gala award recipients
We are excited to honor the following community members and community partners at our 14th Annual Gala: TGTHR Under the Stars on Saturday September 11, 2021 for their ongoing contributions to the community and the young people at TGTHR.
VIRTUAL TICKETS HERE
Youth Enterprise Award: Gianna
The Youth Enterprise Award recognizes a young person between the ages of 18 and 24 who participates in TGTHR programming, has overcome personal adversity, is creating positive change in their lives, and demonstrating exceptional work towards pursuing a personal goal. The award, which comes with $2,500.00, is an opportunity to acknowledge the hard work, dedication, and dreams of TGTHR’s program participants. This year we are incredibly proud to present this award to Gianna! Gianna is a tenant at 1440 Pine and has shown such growth throughout her time thus far at TGTHR. At the start of this year, Gianna experienced a tremendous loss but continued to work to stay on track with her goals, one of which was enrolling in college, and she just successfully completed her first year at Front Range Community College! Another goal of Gianna’s was to find independent housing and she just got approved for a unit in Boulder, and plans to move there October, which she is really excited about. Gianna checks in with her Transition Specialist at TGTHR regularly but has developed strong enough life-skills to work on most tasks independently. As an active member of the Tenant Association, she is always striving to develop goals and plans to improve this community. She serves as an unofficial leader of tenants and uses her voice to address concerns for the community when others may not feel comfortable doing so. After she moves out of 1440 Pine, Gianna has the goal to stay connected to the 1440 Pine community and eventually find employment at TGTHR! She is an inspiration to all of us at TGTHR and proves that even the toughest of obstacles can be overcome.
Judge Horace “Bud” & June Holmes Community Award: Boulder County Public Health
The Judge Horace “Bud” & June Holmes Community Award honors an exceptional community member or partner who has gone above and beyond to use their platform to advocate for young people experiencing homelessness and advance the mission of TGTHR. Boulder County Public Health envisions a socially just, inclusive community where physical and mental health, social well-being, and the environment are valued, supported, and accessible to all. They are being honored this year for their tireless commitment to keeping the unhoused population top of mind during the COVID-19 pandemic. Their quick response in delivering COVID-19 information, updates, answers, and support to the staff at TGTHR was invaluable and helped us keep our COVID-19 cases to three across all of our programs. The incredible work done by Boulder County Public Health to keep TGTHR program participants and the greater community safe during the pandemic is a true testament to them living their mission day in and day out, and we are honored to work alongside them.
Youth Initiative Award: Kristy Townsend
The Youth Initiative Award honors a dedicated individual who exhibits extraordinary compassion and commitment to TGTHR program participants, and uses their talents to ensure that all young people are supported and have successes to celebrate. Kristy Townsend brings this compassion and commitment to her work in ensuring young people at TGTHR can smoothly transition out of homelessness into stable housing.
Arno Niemand Distinguished Service Award: Andrew Burwick
The Arno Niemand Distinguished Service Award honors an outstanding former Board Member of TGTHR for the numerous ways they have supported the organization over the years, and for their enthusiasm to end youth homelessness. We are proud to present this award to Andrew Burwick, who served on TGTHR's Board of Directors for nearly six years, including two years as Board Chair. During his time as a board member, TGTHR adopted and began fulfilling an ambitious strategic plan focusing on increasing access to housing for young people facing homelessness, excellence in service provision, and financial sustainability for future growth. The organization also opened its first permanent supportive housing program for young people, which Andrew was heavily involved in. In August, Andrew joined the staff of TGTHR as Chief Strategy Officer. In this role, he will continue working closely with TGTHR's staff, Board of Directors, and other stakeholders to deepen the organization's impact, especially by steering efforts to continuously improve services and replicate TGTHR's housing programs in communities throughout Colorado and beyond. Andrew brings to his work at TGTHR a deep commitment to creating opportunities for young people to fulfill their potential and more than two decades of experience as a researcher and technical assistance provider in the human services field. He has partnered with dozens of government agencies, nonprofits, and philanthropic organizations to design, evaluate, and enhance the effectiveness of programs that support vulnerable youth, children, and families. As a volunteer in the community, Andrew has served on the boards of several other organizations, including Out Boulder County and the Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art. Andrew lives in Boulder with his husband, Casey, and their two sons.
Housing Champion Award: First United Methodist Church of Boulder
The Housing Champion Award honors an individual, business, or community partner that has taken critical action steps to expand housing for previously unhoused young adults to support TGTHR’s mission of ending youth homelessness. First United Methodist Church of Boulder has been a longstanding partner of TGTHR since 1966. They are receiving this award for their ongoing dedication to the success of young people and for their generous contribution to the supportive housing complex at 1440 Pine. This safe and stable housing for 40 young people would not have been realized without the committed visionaries at First United Methodist Church of Boulder. They seek to create an atmosphere of inclusiveness, acceptance and joy for those who enter their doors. We are grateful that they fully live that mission each and every day by supporting their community and the young people at TGTHR.
COVID Precautions:
TGTHR is committed to the safety and well-being of our program participants, staff, supporters, and the greater community. Therefore, we are taking all measures to ensure that this event is held safely and responsibly. This includes:
- Following recommended CDC guidelines and mandates.
- Working with the Embassy Suites Hilton to ensure that elevated standards and practices related to health and hygiene are in place. Hilton is a 5-Star hotel and has developed Event Ready with Clean Stay, a global meetings and events program designed to create event experiences that are clean, flexible, safe, and socially responsible.
- Asking that all event attendees provide proof of vaccination to attend the event. Show your vaccination card ahead of time or at the door (either the physical copy or a digital copy via the myColorado mobile app) and be entered to win a special prize! Prize will be announced soon.
*There are currently no COVID restrictions in Boulder County regarding group gatherings; this could change by September 11. We will keep all ticket holders up to date if any regulations roll out before the event.
