General Archives - Illuminate Colorado

Illuminate Colorado is Seeking New Board Members

by Illuminate Colorado | Sep 28, 2026 | General, Join the Team

Are you a passionate, dedicated individual representing multi-cultural perspectives and/or life experiences? Join our Board of Directors!

Board members provide strategic vision, oversight, and resources to help further Illuminate’s mission to strengthen families, organizations, and communities to prevent child maltreatment.

Fill out the interest form

Current priorities for Board of Directors recruitment include:

- Individuals with relationships with private philanthropy, including family foundations and corporate foundations
- Individuals with nonprofit development or event expertise, including corporate partnerships and sponsorships
- Individuals with best practice human resource management expertise
- Individuals with public relations or marketing expertise
- Individuals with subject matter expertise in strengthening families
- Individuals with lived expertise related to Illuminate’s mission

View the full Board Member Position Description & Expectations

Board Member Expectations

Provide fiduciary oversight by reviewing and approving operating budgets, financial statements, and annual Audit / IRS Form 990.
Provide ongoing strategic counsel and advice to the Co-Executive Directors and to other staff leaders as needed.
Contribute financially at an individually meaningful level. Gifts from board members of time or talent may contribute to this requirement.
Grow the reach of Illuminate by engaging others who can be helpful to the cause as potential supporters. Help identify and connect potential donors or board members (through introductions/event attendance) and proactively promote Illuminate in conversations with friends, colleagues, and broader networks.
Attend and engage in board meetings held quarterly as well as an annual Fall Board retreat to ensure connection and current understanding of the organization’s goals, strategies, and priorities.
Serve on at least one board committee to actively contribute, support, and advise on organization operations.
Attend major organizational events, bring guests to the organization’s annual events, and support Illuminate through outside fundraising or engagement opportunities.
Provide support for fundraising efforts including writing personal thank you notes, meeting with potential major donors, providing event planning support (securing auction/event specific sponsorships, donations, etc.), and engaging in foundation or corporate research/outreach to support the organization.
Select, support, and evaluate the Co-Executive Directors through ongoing coaching and support, as well as an annual performance evaluation.

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View the full Position Description & Expectations

To Get Started:

Complete the interest form and a member of the Board of Directors will be in touch in the next two to three weeks.

Illuminate Colorado is committed to building a strong and diverse Board of Directors. If you are interested or would like more information, please complete the interest form.

Check out these other job postings!

Contract Opportunity: Medical Director for Family Connects Colorado (POSITION FILLED)

Illuminate Colorado is contracting with a Medical Director to provide strategic clinical leadership in support of a growing home visitation initiative for families with newborns. This role offers a unique opportunity to contribute to a proven model that strengthens...

We’re Hiring: Contracts & Compliance Manager (POSITION FILLED)

Illuminate Colorado is hiring a Contract & Compliance Manager to support the business and operational functions that keep our work running smoothly. If you’re someone who thrives in managing complex processes, values organizational integrity, and wants to be part...

We’re Hiring: Early Childhood Teacher (POSITION FILLED)

Looking to make a real difference in the lives of Colorado families? This might be the job for you. Illuminate Colorado is hiring an Early Childhood Teacher to join our growing team of passionate professionals dedicated to building brighter childhoods. This isn’t your...

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From Idea to Impact: The Founding of Illuminate Colorado

by Illuminate Colorado | Jun 4, 2026 | General

This year marks ten years of Illuminate Colorado’s work to strengthen families, organizations, and communities to prevent child maltreatment. Learn more about how we’re celebrating 10 Years of Impact.

Founded in Partnership

Illuminate was founded as a strategic partnership that consolidated four nonprofit organizations: the Colorado Alliance for Drug Endangered Children (Colorado DEC), Prevent Child Abuse Colorado (PCA Colorado), the Colorado Chapter of the National Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (NOFAS Colorado), and Sexual Abuse Forever Ending (SAFE).

Even though Illuminate is celebrating its ten year anniversary this year, the collaboration between its organizations started years earlier.

An early collaborative effort was around Circle of Parents, which offers peer support groups for parents and caregivers, led by parents and caregivers. In 2011, through federal funding from the Rural Law Enforcement Methamphetamine Initiative (RLEMI), Colorado DEC and PCA Colorado piloted Circle groups specifically for parents and caregivers impacted by substance use called Circle of Parents in Recovery. Similarly, NOFAS Colorado had support groups for families impacted by FASD, and they too decided to use the Circle of Parents model for these groups.

While less concrete, there were similarities and opportunities for partnership in other areas, too. Education, systems change, advocacy, and public awareness were a focus for all three organizations, and many key stakeholders and constituents were shared between the organizations, including board members and subject matter experts. Most importantly, for all of them, the focus was on making sure children and families had what they needed to thrive.

When Jade Woodard, Executive Director of Colorado DEC, and Kendra Dunn, Executive Director of PCA Colorado, pitched the idea to merge the two organizations in 2014, it was easy to say yes, said Skip Barber, chair of the PCA Colorado Board of Directors at the time. And, when Woodard mentioned the idea to Eileen Bisgard, President of NOFAS Colorado, she wanted to join the conversation, too.

From a financial perspective, the idea of combining resources, staff, and funding made good business sense because it allowed the organizations to consolidate and reduce administrative costs and operating expenses. But, the decision to merge also allowed for expansion — of mission, reach, and impact.

“It just seemed like it made so much sense to merge the agencies. It was just a natural fit,” said Bisgard.

“There were so many things that coalesced and set Illuminate up for success at that point in time, to be able to take advantage of the opportunities, to be responsive to what we heard from parents and families, to be on the cutting edge [of prevention] . . . . to Illuminate having the ability to be where it is now.”

Jade Woodard

Becoming Illuminate Colorado

When the opportunity arose in 2015 for Colorado DEC to be one of two inaugural investees in a Capacity Building Project through Social Venture Partners Denver and Denver Active 20/30 Children’s Foundation (now the Denver Children’s Foundation), the path forward was clear, and each organization’s Board of Directors voted to move forward with the merger.

“The relationship [between the organizations] was really natural,” Barber said. “All of the organizations were highly invested in building healthy families, supporting kids, and preventing abuse.”

The Denver Active 20/30 Children’s Foundation guided representatives from the three Boards, along with Woodard, who became Illuminate’s Founding Executive Director, to establish the new organization. From the structure and scope to the logo and name, Illuminate Colorado was built strategically and intentionally, all with the commitment to children and families in Colorado at the forefront.

A Mission for Children and Families

When it came to setting the mission for Illuminate Colorado, it was easy to agree that the focus needed to be on children and families. However, the group also made sure that the legacy of the three organizations would continue on in Illuminate’s work. “We didn’t want to operate as three separate organizations, and we wanted to honor the work and contributions of each,” Woodard shared.

PCA Colorado’s mission was the broadest, focused on strengthening families and preventing child abuse and neglect before it ever occurs. Colorado DEC and NOFAS Colorado both emphasized support for families impacted by substance use — parental substance use and prenatal alcohol exposure, respectively.

They asked questions like: Where are the gaps for children and families in Colorado? What are the opportunities we foresee? How does each organization approach this work differently, and how do these things all fit together?

From the beginning, the mission of Illuminate was to meet all families where they are and offer the support they need to thrive, with a special focus on families impacted by substance use. “The mission and vision was always about ensuring families had what they need — when, where, and how they needed it. It was always about strengthening families from where they’re at today,” Woodard said.

Adding SAFE to the Strategic Partnership

When the opportunity for SAFE to join the strategic partnership came in 2016, it was another natural fit. Prior to the merger, PCA Colorado was beginning to look into an organized state approach to child sexual abuse prevention, and a key focus of the newly-formed Illuminate Colorado was on educating professionals and community members to strengthen families and prevent child maltreatment — including preventing child sexual abuse.

“I felt deeply that our mission — to educate, empower, and reduce the stigma surrounding child sexual abuse — could grow further and reach more individuals and families if it lived within a broader, coordinated vision for prevention,” said SAFE’s founder, Catherine Goodwillie.

“By joining together, we combined resources, strengthened statewide capacity, and brought our prevention efforts into closer connection with the partners, communities, and systems already working in concert to support children and families.”

Catherine Goodwillie & Eileen Dolbeare, Co-Founder of SAFE

Expansion in the Early Years

After consolidation was complete, Illuminate grew rapidly. Circle of Parents groups continued to emerge across the state, with Illuminate Colorado becoming the state chapter of Circle of Parents in 2019. Education and training offerings multiplied, creating opportunities both for family-serving professionals and for community members to learn about strengthening families.

Illuminate continued to prioritize the systems-change work of the founding organizations too, including providing backbone support for the SEN Steering Committee (now SuPPoRT Colorado). And, when the state’s FASD Commission sunset, the SEN Steering Committee continued to prioritize this crucial systems-level work for families impacted by FASD.

“This work grew so quickly and became so much stronger because it was consolidated,” said Dunn. “If any of those nonprofits had stayed on its own, the work would not have had the same reach.”

“The importance of Illuminate to children and families is really that ability to identify solutions, to work to build support across many sectors, and then to remove the barriers, whether they be policy barriers, or data barriers, or funding barriers, to implement something on a larger scale . . . to improve the lives of all children and families.”

Kendra Dunn

Ten Years Later

Now, ten years later, the commitment to Illuminate’s mission and vision is steadfast under the leadership of Co-Executive Directors Anne Auld and Jillian Fabricius, and the work of the four original organizations is woven throughout Illuminate’s work today, including:

- implementing Circle of Parents, including Circle of Parents in Recovery, across Colorado,
- providing backbone support for SuPPoRT Colorado, which includes an FASD Advisory Group,
- leading the Child Abuse Prevention Month campaign each April,
- advocating at the state and federal levels for families impacted by substance use, including Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders, and
- leading a statewide initiative to train adults to prevent child sexual abuse and keep kids safe in communities across Colorado.

And that’s not all! Illuminate has grown to embrace countless new opportunities that have emerged over the last ten years — opportunities that were only possible because four organizations came together ten years ago. Stay tuned for more throughout the year as we continue to celebrate the progress we’ve made, always in partnership, toward a Colorado where all children and families thrive.

“It’s all about the kids and the families. We need to stop problems before they occur, not after they have already happened, and Illuminate is able to advocate for and provide programming to strengthen families.”

Skip Barber

“Colorado has developed so many resources and so many positive laws that support children and families, and then to have an overarching children’s agency like Illuminate is just so important for the children and families in Colorado.”

Eileen Bisgard

Ten Years of Prevention: What We’ve Learned

This year marks ten years of Illuminate Colorado’s work to strengthen families, organizations, and communities to prevent child maltreatment. As we reflect on this milestone, we wanted to pause and capture some of the lessons we’ve learned along the way. This article...

There’s Still Time to Give the Gift of Hope This Year

Colorado Gives Day may be behind us, but the season of giving is far from over—and there’s still time to make a meaningful difference for children and families across Colorado before the year ends. At Illuminate Colorado, our Give the Gift of Hope campaign continues...

SuPPoRT Colorado Announces New Co-Chairs

After a thoughtful nomination and selection process, SuPPoRT Colorado is excited to announce that Dr. Lauren Bruns, Jillian Fabricius, and Kallen Thornton are stepping into the role of Co-Chairs of the SuPPoRT Colorado Steering Committee. Each brings unique expertise,...

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Honoring Dolores Huerta: A Life of Dedication and Action for Children & Families

by Illuminate Colorado | Apr 30, 2026 | Advocacy, General

Image from Dolores Huerta Foundation.

Authors: Sadie Rose Pace & Lex Loutzenhiser

Introduction

In light of recent news, Illuminate decided to honor the legacy and impact of the Chicano movement this year by celebrating March 31st as ¡Sí, se puede! Day. As we reflect on the history of this phrase, we at Illuminate are struck by the legacy of Dolores Huerta. As a leader whose lifelong activism is rooted in love for her community and her drive to create better conditions for children and families, we are honoring her by sharing more about her contributions to family strengthening work and recent bravery in speaking out as a survivor.

Becoming a Leader

Born in 1930, Dolores Huerta has a long history of leadership across movements, both within Colorado and across the US. She is well known for her declaration, “¡Sí, se puede!” (“Yes, we can!”), a phrase that has connected those standing up for their communities across generations and movements. Although she has not been regularly celebrated as a leader within the broader family strengthening community, her work has had a clear impact on the health and well-being of children and families across the US.

Huerta’s lifelong passion for community change was shaped by her family and especially her mother, who served their community through her role as a small business owner and activist. As a young adult, Dolores Huerta became a teacher, but quickly found herself concerned about the well-being of her students. She witnessed young children coming to school hungry and without their basic needs met, including access to basic necessities like shoes. As many who engage in family strengthening work can relate, Huerta recognized her students’ struggles as part of a larger systemic issue, sparking her shift from teaching to organizing.

In the years that followed, Dolores Huerta became a policy advocate, working for the Community Services Organization (CSO) and focusing on promoting better work conditions for Mexican-Americans and farm workers. Between her work at CSO and her leadership as a co-founder of the United Farm Workers Association, Huerta led community action to promote labor rights and economic well-being for Latinos and farm workers.

Lifelong Dedication to Children and Families

Although she is best known for her union organizing, Dolores Huerta has been continuously committed to improving the lives of children and families through her focus on labor rights and more broadly. Since the 1950s, Huerta has advocated for what we now know as research-based family strengthening strategies, including family leave insurance, TANF (formerly Aid to Families with Dependent Children), living wages, access to healthcare, and support for youth experiencing heightened risk factors.

At the age of 96, Dolores Huerta continues to be a vocal advocate for all, responding to the continuously evolving environment within the US and recognizing the unique systemic challenges that many communities, including women and Latinos, face. As a continuously evolving advocate and human, Dolores Huerta has long spoken out against the high rates of sexual violence perpetrated against women and Latinas, more recently sharing about her own experiences as a survivor.

Survivorship and the Role of Supportive Communities

Recently, many Americans are becoming familiar with Dolores Huerta through news coverage of her using her voice to speak out about a cycle of sexual abuse she herself was victimized by. Her bravery in adding her name to the growing list of women who allege they were sexually abused is a reminder that survivors always deserve to be heard. No one should ever be expected to share their story of abuse or survivorship; but when someone chooses to break their silence, we must listen to their stories.

Dolores is one of many women who has spoken out about abuse at the hands of Cesar Chavez. Some of the women speaking out were children (Hurtes, 2026) at the time they allege their abuse occurred. Sexual abuse of anyone, child or adult, is unacceptable and has far reaching consequences of harm.

When a community is faced with allegations that someone they trusted has sexually assaulted someone, particularly a child, many are tempted to ignore, excuse, or explain away these behaviors and actions. It is incredibly painful to recognize that someone we admire, trust, and who may have done much good in our community could have also caused deep harm. Often there is guilt that we didn’t recognize signs until later, or intervene when we had suspicions. However, ignoring the full truth does more damage to everyone involved.

The bonds of our communities are strengthened, not by ignoring concerns, but instead by working together to react responsibly. Our communities play a vital role in the prevention and response to sexual abuse, especially when it comes to children. Dolores reminds us that it is never too late to stand up.

To do so means that we stand together beside the children and adults who speak their truth. We recognize that when we leave behind those who are harmed, we weaken our communities and the work we have already accomplished. Having open and honest discussions is crucial and speaking out is a powerful step in collective healing. April is both Child Abuse Prevention Month and Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Together, we can create communities where all children and adults have access to safety and support.

Seeking support or wanting to learn more about increasing safety and support in your community?

Resources

- CO4kids.org | 844-CO-4-KIDS
- Colorado Coalition Against Sexual Assault
- Safe 2 Tell | 1.877.542.7233
- Wings Foundation – Wings supports adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse to transcend trauma and lead their fullest, healthiest lives.

Classes for Supportive Community Members & Professionals

- Tip Colorado – Free Child Sexual Abuse Prevention trainings for Coloradans (including Lines in the Sand, Stewards of Children, and COMING SOON: Connect to Protect Kids!)
- Wings Foundation – Become a Champion of Healing series for Adult Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse and their allies
- Trainings to Strengthen Families – Spreading HOPE, Bringing the Protective Factors to Life in Your Work

Citations

Cusick, G., Gaul-Stout, J., Kakuyama-Villaber, R., Wilks, O., Grewal-Kök, Y., & Anderson, C. (2024). A systematic review of economic and concrete support to prevent child maltreatment. Societies, 14(9), 173. https://doi.org/10.3390/soc14090173. Retrieved from: https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4698/14/9/173

Heaton, L., Cepuran, C., Grewal-Kök, Y., Anderson, C., Gaul-Stout, J., Lyons, M., & Dygert, M. (2023). The role of economic and concrete supports in child maltreatment prevention. Findings from a national landscape survey of child welfare leaders.

Hurtes, S. (2026, March 18). Cesar Chavez, a Civil Rights Icon, Is Accused of Abusing Girls for Years. The New York Times. Retrieved from: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/18/us/cesar-chavez-sexual-abuse-allegations-ufw.html

Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago. Retrieved from: https://www.chapinhall.org/wp-content/uploads/Chapin-Hall_APHSA_ECS-Full-Research-Report_Nov2023.pdf

National Women’s History Museum (2015). Dolores Huerta. Retrieved from: https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/dolores-huerta

National Park Service. Dolores Huerta. Retrieved from: https://www.nps.gov/people/dolores-huerta.htm

Britannica (2026). Dolores Huerta. Retrieved from: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Dolores-Huerta

U.S. Department of Labor. Dolores Huerta. Retrieved from: https://beta.dol.gov/about/history/hall-honor-inductees/dolores-huerta

Ten Years of Prevention: What We’ve Learned

There’s Still Time to Give the Gift of Hope This Year

SuPPoRT Colorado Announces New Co-Chairs

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Ten Years of Prevention: What We’ve Learned

by Illuminate Colorado | Mar 4, 2026 | General, Impact

This year marks ten years of Illuminate Colorado’s work to strengthen families, organizations, and communities to prevent child maltreatment. As we reflect on this milestone, we wanted to pause and capture some of the lessons we’ve learned along the way. This article was shaped by insights from staff across the organization and highlights what it takes to create lasting change, drawing on lived experience, professional expertise, and years of on-the-ground prevention work.

Prevention Is More Than Just Programs—It’s Also Systems

Prevention work is often most visible through programs and people. But what sustains it are the systems and infrastructure working behind the scenes. Over the past decade, we’ve learned that lasting prevention requires strengthening the systems families rely on—healthcare, child care, treatment, education, and policy—not just addressing challenges one family at a time.

Our work spans direct service, training and education, coalition-building, and policy engagement because no single approach is enough on its own. When prevention efforts influence organizational practices, community norms, and public policy, the impact reaches far beyond any one program or moment in time.

“Prevention work is often visible through programs and people, but it’s also sustained by the systems behind the scenes.”

— Cindy Rojas, Contracts & Compliance Manager

“Collaboration across systems is how we turn good intentions into real change—developing an upstream approach, reducing stigma, strengthening support, and ensuring families are not navigating care alone. When organizations and people collaborate across systems, we don’t just improve services—we change the culture. Partnership reduces stigma, builds trust, and makes it easier for families to seek support and receive the care they deserve.”

— Kelli Sutton, Director of Behavioral Health Initiatives

How We Show Up Matters

Across programs and roles, one lesson rises to the top again and again: how we show up matters just as much as what we do. Prevention work is rooted in meeting families where they are—with compassion, respect, and a nonjudgmental approach.

When caregivers feel supported rather than scrutinized, they are better able to focus on their own needs and, in turn, their children’s well-being. Whether families engage with us for a single session or over the course of a year or more, the relationships built through trust and consistency create space for growth, healing, and possibility.

“The main thing that makes a difference in the work we do is how we show up every day. Meeting families where they are with a positive, nonjudgmental attitude is key.”

— Eric Chervenak, Child Care Operations Manager

“Investing resources into prevention work is a commitment to dreaming and building a more just future for every child and family.”

— Mary Houlihan, Early Childhood Initiatives Manager

Prevention Is Collaborative by Nature

Prevention doesn’t happen in isolation. It happens alongside families, communities, partner organizations, and across sectors. Over the years, we’ve learned that collaboration is not an add-on. It’s foundational.

Our coalitions and strategic initiatives bring together professionals, community members, and people with lived experience to improve policies, practices, and systems across Colorado. Nearly half of coalition members who completed recent feedback surveys report lived experience related to the work, strengthening both relevance and impact. This collective effort helps shift norms, improve outcomes for parents and children, and build stronger systems of support statewide.

“The biggest thing I’ve learned about prevention is that it’s a collaborative practice. Prevention doesn’t happen alone—it happens alongside all different types of work and all the people in our spheres.”

— Sadie Rose Pace, Education Program Manager

“Throughout the past 10 years, we’ve learned that, when we are rooted in the shared purpose to build a foundation for all families to thrive, folks from across political parties, life experiences, and educational, professional, and cultural backgrounds are committed to coming together and making lasting, systemic change – and that lasting change is more effectively accomplished through shared responsibility, knowledge, connection, and purpose.”

— Lex Loutzenhiser, Policy Manager

Innovation Requires Listening—and Courage

Many of our most impactful efforts grew from listening closely to families and communities and being willing to do things differently. Innovation is often at the heart of prevention work, especially when addressing gaps created by stigma and other barriers.

From transforming RVs into mobile child care classrooms parked outside treatment centers, to rapidly creating new supports during the COVID-19 pandemic, we’ve learned that prevention demands flexibility, creativity, and a willingness to pivot. These efforts ensure caregivers can access care for themselves while knowing their children are safe—an essential foundation for breaking cycles of trauma and adversity.

“Not many organizations would take on the hard work of renovating RVs into classrooms to provide high-quality child care for families who are often overlooked because of stigma.”

— Joan Holtz, Director of Family Support

Prevention Can Be Joyful

While prevention work often involves heavy topics, we’ve learned that it doesn’t have to feel heavy all the time. In fact, prevention can be positive, engaging, and even joyful.

Our education and training programs show that when people are given practical tools and supportive spaces to talk about tough issues—like child sexual abuse prevention or substance use—fear gives way to confidence and action. Participants don’t just change their own behavior; they influence workplaces, policies, and communities. Prevention becomes something people want to be part of, not something they avoid.

“Prevention can be fun and joyful and positive. When we talk about prevention, it makes the scary things less scary and more manageable.”

— Sadie Rose Pace, Education Program Manager

Data, Stories, and Lived Experience All Matter

Seeing impact through both data and lived experience has reinforced what works. Evaluation shows that our programs equip individuals and organizations to take meaningful action and drive systems-level change. At the same time, hearing directly from families reminds us why this work matters.

When a Family Connects nurse catches a health issue others overlooked, or when a caregiver shares how support through Illuminating Child Care allowed them to focus on recovery or stability, it’s clear: prevention strengthens the systems meant to catch people before they fall through the cracks.

“Participants don’t just take individual action—they influence organizational policies and practices that strengthen communities.”

— Danielle McQueen, Evaluation & Strategic Learning Manager

Looking Ahead

Ten years in, we know prevention is complex, relational, and deeply human. It requires collaboration, innovation, humility, and persistence. Most of all, it requires believing in families and communities AND building systems that do the same.

As we look ahead, these lessons continue to guide our work and reaffirm our commitment to creating a Colorado where all children and families can thrive.

“We’re so proud of what Illuminate has learned and achieved in our first decade and are committed to working in partnership to apply our shared insights to strengthen families, organizations, and communities.”

— Anne Auld & Jillian Fabricius, Co-Executive Directors

Ten Years of Prevention: What We’ve Learned

There’s Still Time to Give the Gift of Hope This Year

SuPPoRT Colorado Announces New Co-Chairs

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There’s Still Time to Give the Gift of Hope This Year

by Illuminate Colorado | Dec 16, 2025 | Fundraising, General

At Illuminate Colorado, our Give the Gift of Hope campaign continues through December 31, and every gift you make this month helps strengthen families, support parents, and build safer, more connected communities. Hope grows when we invest in prevention, and your generosity helps families with the support they need, exactly when they need it.

Your Gift Creates Real, Measurable Impact

Your donation fuels evidence-based programs, community education, advocacy, and statewide partnerships that all work together to prevent child maltreatment. From home visiting to caregiver support groups to training professionals across the state, your gift helps ensure every family can thrive.

If you’d like to see the impact in action, you can explore real stories from families and partners whose lives have been strengthened by Illuminate Colorado.

View Stories

Give Before December 31 and Enjoy a Significant Tax Benefit

Your year-end donation does more than support Colorado families—it can also reduce your tax burden in a substantial way.

Donations to Illuminate Colorado are eligible for the Colorado Child Care Contribution Tax Credit, which provides a 50% credit on Colorado state income taxes for qualifying monetary gifts.

That means if you give $200, you may receive a $100 credit back on your state taxes—making your generosity go even further.

This credit is in addition to standard state and federal charitable deductions, making December the perfect time to maximize both your impact and your benefits.

Your Hope. Your Impact. Your Colorado.

The end of the year invites reflection on what we’ve accomplished, what still needs to be done, and how we can continue to build communities where every child is safe, supported, and able to grow.

When you choose to Give the Gift of Hope, you’re helping us build that future.

You’re investing in:

- Stronger families
- Better outcomes for children
- Healthier, more connected communities
- A Colorado where all children thrive

Your generosity matters—today, tomorrow, and for generations to come.

There’s Still Time to Make Your Gift

Join us in continuing this important work through the end of the year. Donate and give the gift of hope!

Make Your Gift

Ten Years of Prevention: What We’ve Learned

There’s Still Time to Give the Gift of Hope This Year

SuPPoRT Colorado Announces New Co-Chairs

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SuPPoRT Colorado Announces New Co-Chairs

by Illuminate Colorado | Nov 5, 2025 | General

After a thoughtful nomination and selection process, SuPPoRT Colorado is excited to announce that Dr. Lauren Bruns, Jillian Fabricius, and Kallen Thornton are stepping into the role of Co-Chairs of the SuPPoRT Colorado Steering Committee. Each brings unique expertise, strong leadership, and passion for advancing the work of SuPPoRT Colorado.

As Co-Chairs, they will oversee the SuPPoRT Colorado Strategic Plan, help make the connections to the work of the Office of the Attorney General Substance Abuse Trend and Response Task Force (SATF), and support cross systems collaboration and alignment in our shared goal of improving outcomes for families impacted by perinatal substance use.

SuPPoRT Colorado’s vision is a Colorado that serves all families through prevention and reduction of substance use during pregnancy and provides multigenerational support for families to thrive.

Looking Back: SuPPoRT Colorado’s Leadership Transition

SuPPoRT Colorado’s leadership is provided by the SuPPoRT Colorado Steering Committee and the Family Advisory Board, which make strategic decisions together and collaborate on projects to ensure that both lived and professional experience guide and inform how to address the impacts of substance use and to best serve the needs of families impacted by substance use during the perinatal period.

In April 2025, there was a significant change in Steering Committee leadership as Co-Chair Jade Woodard announced her departure from Illuminate Colorado after years of transformative leadership. At the same time, Co-Chair Dr. Kathryn Wells announced that she would also be stepping down from the Co-Chair role and was excited to pass the role on to another champion in the field, though she would remain a member of the Steering Committee.

After nominations from SuPPoRT Colorado leadership, including outgoing Co-Chairs, the SuPPoRT Colorado Steering Committee, and the Family Advisory Board, as well as a decision to add a third Co-Chair position to add balance and additional perspective to Steering Committee leadership, the three nominees accepted the Co-Chair positions.

Meet the Co-Chairs!

Dr. Lauren Bruns is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics with the University of Colorado School of Medicine and works exclusively as a newborn hospitalist affiliated with Children’s Hospital Colorado. As a steering committee member of CHoSEN QIC and a Co-Chair of the SuPPoRT Colorado Plans of Safe Care Work Group, she’s collaborated with healthcare institutions, community organizations, and state agencies to improve the care of families impacted by substance use and is very excited to continue this important work.

Jillian Fabricius serves as Illuminate Colorado’s Co-Executive Director, providing strategic leadership, guidance, and direction to the organization including planning and oversight of the organization’s operations and programs. Joining Illuminate in 2017, Jillian has previously held roles including Deputy Director and Director of Strategic Initiatives with a focus on systems changes strategies, responding to shifting conditions, and supporting organizational and program sustainability. Prior to joining Illuminate Colorado, she connected citizens with opportunities to affect health policy as a community organizer. With her Masters in Social Work and a background in public health, she strives to work with individuals, communities, and policymakers to create a happier, healthier, and more just world where families have what they need to thrive.

Kallen Thornton is a leader in maternal and child health systems transformation, specializing in maternal behavioral health care for pregnant and parenting women. As Manager of Maternal, Child and Reproductive Health at Colorado’s Behavioral Health Administration, she serves as the agency’s senior authority on maternal behavioral health care, driving statewide program development, policy reform, and strategic cross-sector collaboration. With over a decade of clinical social work and program development experience, Kallen’s work is rooted in a commitment to ensuring systems and services are responsive to the complex needs of families — ultimately supporting their health, dignity, and thriving.

Since Illuminate Colorado has been deeply involved in the work of SuPPoRT Colorado for many years — through providing backbone support, facilitating policy efforts related to perinatal substance use, and co-founding and co-leading the coalition — we are thrilled that Jillian Fabricius, one of Illuminate’s new Co-Executive Directors, will provide co-leadership for this important work with Dr. Lauren Bruns and Kallen Thornton as Co-Chairs.

Looking Ahead: The 2025-2026 Strategic Plan

The Co-Chairs have already started their work of guiding SuPPoRT Colorado through the remainder of its 2025-2026 Strategic Plan. This Strategic Plan, finalized in January of this year, was developed through a comprehensive strategic planning process. As with all of SuPPoRT Colorado’s work, the Strategic Plan was built on two foundations:

- lived experience expertise and leadership
- data-informed strategic planning, activity engagement, and impact

In order to better support families impacted by perinatal substance use, the 2025-2026 Strategic Plan prioritizes improving cross-systems coordination and moving support upstream through the continued implementation of Plans of Safe Care (POSC) and by promoting prevention, early intervention, and comprehensive support.

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