Youthentity's Annual Pig Roast: Raising funds, raising the bar for valley youth

On June 27th we celebrated the 11th annual Pig Roast Benefit - an event that, yes, roasts a pig (it was delicious) but most importantly brings our community together for some good old-fashioned fundraising. It’s for the kids!

So what made this year so special?

About 200 of our friends showed up for the Pig Roast, and we don’t think it’s solely because the weather was unbeatable. The annual Pig Roast is known for its delicious food, refreshing cocktails and lively auction, and our 2019 event was no exception. Several of our ambitious program alumni joined us to speak about the benefits of our program: Blake Lockard, who started his own web design and development business, Blake Lockard Design; and Michael Thompson, recently launched Rollin in Dough Baking Company after participating in our ProStart culinary arts program. We also heard from Keegan Jaeger and Jem Badgett, two 5th graders who learned about personal finances through our in-school I am Financial Knowledge workshop.

When all was said and done, we raised over $170,000, exceeding our goal and expectations! Many, many thanks to our amazing sponsors and donors.

Speaking of those amazing sponsors…

Wow, our Business Alliance partners are the best. THE BEST! Mark Gould, of Gould Construction, brought in our Construction Management class’s hand-built pizza ovens for display and to be auctioned off. These suckers are heavy, and hard to transport, but that’s how committed Mark and his team are to Youthentity’s mission. Beyond being a facilitator and leader for our Construction students, Mark sits on the Youthentity Board of Directors and supports our organization through personal and company donations. And a huge shout-out to all of our Business Alliance Pig Roast event sponsors: the Janis Chapman Merrill Foundation, Wealth By Design, Luminosity Counseling, Gallegos Corporation, Umbrella Roofing, Alpine Bank, and Gould Construction; and to the Aspen Glen Club, who continue to be our generous hosts year after year.

Many thanks to the individuals who also sponsored the 2019 Pig Roast: Mark and Sally Baldwin, Mary and Jim Griffith, Dick and Marianne Kipper, Kirsten and Gerry McDaniel, Meredith and Cornelia Long, Jan and Kelly Koorn, and Gino and Donna Rossetti. You guys are incredible!

So, you raised some money. Now what?

Glad you asked. Most immediately, the funds raised will help (greatly) to propel our efforts to launch Youthentity’s new Career Academy program. New for the 2019-2020 academic school year, this program expands on our previous high school career exploration programs to offer a deeper and more meaningful experience for students in the Roaring Fork Valley. As well, we’ll continue to charge forward with My Career, My Life, our elementary and middle school career development workshops

We’ll also continue to grow our financial literacy programs in order to educate kids in grades 5-12 about the financial concepts that will, in many ways, shape their future. Our financial literacy program serves over 2,000 kids throughout the Roaring Fork Valley and beyond; it also requires quite a lift in terms of materials and manpower to keep the program going, as our Financial Literacy facilitators visit schools throughout Colorado’s Western Slope to teach students about saving for the future, debt, credit, financing, personal budgeting and so much more.

This is all to say we love our community of supporters, who recognize the value of Youthentity’s financial literacy and career exploration programs! As Youthentity prepares for another year of youth development and outreach, we are so grateful to the businesses and individuals who continue to help us grow. Here’s the future!

See all the 2019 Pig Roast photos here.

Missed the Pig Roast, but still want to support our cause?