ARVADA, Colo. — After a summer of canceled programming and staying at home, kids at BeyondHome are able to go on adventures once again thanks to donations from Coloradans across the state.
"The theft of the catalytic converter really put a damper on the opportunities that our kids had for the summer," said Karen Allen, the executive director of BeyondHome.
But with donations through their own fundraising and Denver7 Gives, "we'll be able to have the opportunities to learn and grow and just expand their visions for the future."
In May, thieves stole a catalytic converter from the white Ford van that they used to transport kids on field trips. They also stole another converter from a different car on the property belonging to a client.
The organization runs after-school programming for children in families working to rise out of poverty.
Allen says budgets are tight, and when the car parts were stolen, they had to take money from other programming to fix the vehicles.
"The incident with both catalytic converters cost us about $5,000. So, that comes out of our general fund, which means less money for programming," Allen said.
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The programming for the kids included field trips to baseball games and theme parks, as well as educational experiences at museums. It even included trips to restaurants to teach kids how to properly order off of a menu. With no funding, the programming over the summer ended.
But viewers of Denver7 donated $4,000 to help BeyondHome. The organization raised thousands more through their own fundraising as well.
Now, organizers say, kids will be able to experience Denver and the surrounding areas once again.
"We'll be able to have the opportunities to learn and grow and just expand their visions for the future," Allen said. "We have the opportunity for our youth program to get back on track because of Denver7."
Denver7 features the stories of people who need help and now you can help them with a cash donation through Denver7 Gives. One hundred percent of contributions to the fund will be used to help people in our local community.
