Thank you so much everyone who attended and supported our 2026 Homecoming Gala! With your generosity, we were able to surpass our $370,000 fundraising goal! All donations from the Gala go towards supporting and empowering our students to unlock lifelong success. Your generosity supports students like Gladys.

Learn more below!

Gladys is a senior at Rocky Mountain PREP Smart. In 9th grade, she joined Denver Kids and met her Advisor, Kerry.

While she wasn't struggling academically, she was shy and reserved, limiting herself. Before working with Denver Kids, Gladys wasn't speaking up, venturing out of her comfort zone, or confidently speak in front of groups. Kerry quickly began to work on these skills by building confidence, sense of self, and practicing public speaking. Soon Gladys started to take advantage of all the Denver Kids opportunities, including volunteering with the National Leadership Academy in Baja, Mexico to help build a family a home, and completing an internship at Denver Health which ignited a passion for pediatric nursing.

She now intends to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Nursing where she plans to serve patients medically, and to take part in developing a culturally inclusive healthcare system.

In honor of Denver Kids’ 80th Anniversary, we asked her what she hopes people will say about her when she is 80 years old.

She said, “I hope people say I was a nurse who served others with a healing heart. That I had fun traveling the world, visiting new places, and making great memories. I want my family and friends to be able to say that I laughed often, loved deeply, and came to leave the world a little brighter than I found it.”

‍

Your generosity also supports students like Carlos. Click play on the video above see the program highlight video from this year's Homecoming Gala.

‍

Keep the Momentum Going!

Contributions made at the Gala help raise the necessary funds to maintain programming rooted in academic support, social-emotional tools, and college & career readiness. Whether or not you were able to attend, it's not too late to make a donation!

Make a donation here: https://bolder.bid/app/public/bidapp/denverkids/donate

‍‍

Stay tuned in the coming weeks as we share share photos of the event and final fundraising totals.

‍