Alexander Foundation provides LGBT community the gift of giving

The holidays can be financially difficult, especially in a tough economy – a reason why Colorado nonprofit The Alexander Foundation gives holiday grants to people within the LGBT community in need.

“This is definitely a time when a lot of people are tightening their belts, but our organization is still giving,” said Patrick Oakes, director of marketing and communications of The Alexander Foundation.

Not only does the foundation provide holiday grants, it also has three other programs to help LGBT people throughout the year, including catastrophic and emergency grants and educational scholarships.

The process of giving and receiving is what the foundation is about. The Alexander Foundation celebrated its 30th anniversary in August. In the last 30 years, the organization has given around $2.5 million to those in need in Colorado.

All of the money comes from donations.

“I give $20 a month instead of buying a bottle of wine or going to the bars,” Oakes said. “Just a little bit helps.”

Cancer survivor Ronda Coverston is one of those people who was able to fight breast cancer with financial help from The Alexander Foundation.

Coverston was diagnosed with breast cancer in January 2010, and that March she applied for the catastrophic grant, which is given to people with chronic illnesses throughout the year.

She was awarded $1,500, which was broken down into $250 payments for six months.

“I wasn’t able to work because of the chemo, and that’s when my patient navigator actually found The Alexander Foundation,” Coverston said. “They helped me out. I was able to pay for rent. I was able to get gas in my car. Things you wouldn’t think about like my prescription medicine. That’s when The Alexander Foundation was very, very helpful. I’m very grateful.”

Coverston, 36, had a right mastectomy and 12 lymph nodes removed from under her right arm. She found out in September 2010 that the surgery and chemo therapy had worked, as her doctor told her the good news that there was no longer any signs of cancer in her body.
“Out of it all, I’ve actually gained a wonderful, beautiful relationship with a girl,” Coverston said. “She has a son, and that’s important to me because after the chemotherapy treatments, I am not able to have kids.”

She and her partner, Annette Thomas, live in Fort Collins.

“I just want my story to be heard,” she said. “If I could tell one person my story, I’d be happy.”

Coverston is just one example of hundreds who have been helped by The Alexander Foundation.

The organization also offers the emergency grant that goes to those who are having a difficult time paying rent or their bills.
In addition, the Foundation also offers educational scholarships to deserving candidates needing help with college.

Jim Steen has donated money and volunteered with the foundation for the last 20 years. He gives roughly $30 a month and has sat on the scholarship committee.

He taught high school in Colorado for 38 years, and is very invested in helping the LGBT community further its education – it can’t be done without help from others, he said.

“It’s important that we all step up to the plate in the GLBT community and donate. Not everyone has a job. I don’t expect people without a job to be donating, but those who are fortunate enough to have steady monthly income should really be thinking about helping their fellow people in the GLBT community,” Steen said.

Donations are down, which is a result of the slumped economy, said Kent Webb, the co-chair of the Foundation. In 2006, the Foundation was able to give roughly $136,000 to the community. Last year, that number went down to $74,000 – the same amount its able to give in 2011.

Regardless, the Foundation is still helping community members out – a notable charity that Coverston will remember for the rest of her life, she said.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you. I am so grateful – so grateful,” she said. “I just want to pay it forward.”

Celebrate the gift of giving by donating

This holiday season Out Front Colorado celebrates the gift of giving. Here are a few non-profit organizations that accept donations of time and money.

The Campaign to End Homophobia
This nonprofit works internationally to develop and distribute educational resources, facilitate training institutes, network shared information and organize conferences toward the goal of ending homophobia.Visit http://endhomophobia.org.

Colorado AIDS Project
All donations to CAP are tax deductible and help provide vital services to men, women and children in Colorado living with or affected by HIV and AIDS. Your donation also helps fund prevention and education programs aimed at stoping the spread of the disease. On the Web at http://coloradoaidsproject.org.

Denver Center for Crime Victims
This nonprofit provides culturally and linguistically responsive services to the victims of crime. DCCV serves all victims regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, race, religion, sexual orientation, disability or national origin. All services are offered at no cost. For more info or to make a donation, visit http://denvervictims.org.

Denver Foundation
The Denver Foundation’s mission is to strengthen the community through various programs and activities that help people create charities of their own. The foundation has been around since 1925. On the Web at http://denverfoundation.org.

Gender Identity Center  of Colorado
This nonprofit provides support to anyone gender variant in their gender identity and expression. The GIC serves as a resource and provides support services to the community while educating the public regarding issues of identity and expression. To donate, visit http://gicof colo.org.

Howard Dental Center
This nonprofit provides full oral health care for adults, youth and children living with HIV/AIDS. For more info and to donate, visit http://howarddental.org.

Matthew Shepard Foundation
Matthew Shepard was murdered in 1998, the victim of an anti-gay hate crime. The Matthew Shepard foundation was formed for allied youth in the LGBT community. To donate to the foundation visit http://matthew shepard.org.

Metropolitan Community Church of the Rockies
The MCCR is a church of the lesbian and gay community.  This non-traditional faith community offers a safe space for the LGBT community to worship and congregate. For more info, visit http://mccrockies.org.

Morris Animal Foundation
The Morris Animal Foundation works to protect, treat and cure illnesses in animals. Established in 1948,
the organization has several programs for animals, including K9 cancer support. Visit http://morrisanimalfoundation.org for more information.

Noeticus Counseling Center
This counseling center provides innovative and affordable counseling and educational services to a broad range of individuals, couples and families in the Denver/Boulder community. To make a donation, visit http://noeticus.org.

Project Angel Heart
The Project Angel Heart foundation was formed in 1991, to help feed nutritious meals to those struggling with long-term illness. To learn more about the foundation or to donate, visit http://projectangelheart.org.

Susan G. Koman
Founded in 1993, the Susan G. Koman mission is to financially help women with breast cancer and to finance research for a cure. Visit http://komendenver.org for information on how to donate.

Patrick Oakes on giving back

If there is anyone busier than Patrick Oakes we might have to call the Guinness Book of World Records. Oakes splits his time between work at Regis University as an admissions manager and several nonprofits and groups throughout the city. On his resumé? The Mayor’s GLBT Commission, the Colorado Anti-Violence Program, the Denver Gay and Lesbian Flag Football League, the Denver Dumb Friends League, Colorado AIDS Project and The Alexander Foundation, just to name a few. “Giving back has always been something my parents have instilled in me,” Oakes said. Remarkably, Oakes still manages to get eight hours of sleep.