Dear Table Captain, Thank you for your commitment as a table captain for Urban Peak s Reach for the Peak Community Breakfast on Friday, September 16, 2016 at The Grand Hyatt! As a table captain, you are a key component to the success of this event by actively inviting your circle of friends and loved ones to learn more about Urban Peak and youth experiencing homelessness in Denver. The Reach for the Peak Breakfast is a fundraiser as well as a unique opportunity for you and your guests to be inspired by truly amazing stories of the many lives impacted by Urban Peak. Thanks to their generosity and dedication to Urban Peak, two underwriters have paid for 100% of the expenses associated with this breakfast. All financial contributions will directly benefit Urban Peak s youth experiencing homelessness. SAVE THE DATE: The Reach for the Peak Breakfast will be here before you know it, so please communicate the date and location to your guests as soon as possible while they re still able to attend! Your Table Captain Packet Includes: Breakfast Overview Timelines & Deadlines Table Captain Top 10 Tips Guest Roster More Information Requests Programs & Services Facts about youth experiencing homelessness Articles of Interest Sample emails How to get involved
REACH FOR THE PEAK COMMUNITY BREAKFAST OVERVIEW WHAT: WHEN: Reach for the Peak Community Breakfast Friday, September 16, 2016 7:15 a.m. 8:45 a.m. WHERE: The Grand Hyatt 1750 Welton Street Denver, CO 80202 WHY: ATTEND: AUDIENCE: MISSION: AREA SERVED: To raise over $100,000, which will provide youth experiencing homelessness with the resources they need to exit life on the streets But we cannot do it without your support There is no ticket price to attend; the suggested minimum donation during the event is $150. Imagine the impact if each guest donated $150 or more Thanks to two generous sponsors, all expenses of the breakfast are underwritten and 100% of all donations will benefit youth experiencing homelessness. Over 600 community members including board members, former, board members, donors, volunteers, and friends of Urban Peak. Urban Peak helps youth experience homelessness and youth at risk of becoming homeless overcome real life challenges by providing essential services and a supportive community, empowering them to become self-sufficient adults. Urban Peak was founded in 1988 and serves youth experiencing homelessness in the Denver-metro area.
TIMELINES & DEADLINES KEY ROLE DEADLINE Talk up the breakfast and contact your list of potential guests via email and social media. Right away! Take a tour. Schedule a volunteer opportunity. June 1 August 31 Electronic save the date (provided by Urban Peak). July 15 Table Captain kick off party Mid-late July * exact date TBD Make follow-up calls to invitees. August 29-September 2 RSVP s and guest rosters are due to the Development Coordinator. No later than September 5 Urban peak will send table captains an email with day of event details including parking information and directions to the event venue. *Table Captains, please forward this on to your guests. September 15 Attend the breakfast and enjoy! Table captains please arrive at the venue no later than 7:00am the morning of the breakfast. You will receive a packet with the following: pledge cards, envelopes, and pens for you and your guests. ** Please distribute these items after you receive the queue from the speaker during the program. Thank your guests send a thank you note or email or give them a call. Let them know that you appreciate their time and gift. Please see your email samples for suggestions on how guests who couldn t attend can get engaged with Urban Peak. September 16 Within one week post event For more information, materials, or questions concerning Urban Peak s Reach for the Peak Community Breakfast, please contact: Tamar Berner, Development Coordinator Urban Peak 730 21 st Street l Denver, CO 80205 (303) 974-2954 tamar.berner@urbanpeak.org
TABLE CAPTAIN TOP 10 TIPS Invite more than the nine people to fill your table of 10. Consider friends, family, associates and business contacts who may be willing to support Urban Peak. i.e. your neighbor, dentist, etc. Be up front about the event being a fundraiser. Make sure they know in advance that they ll be asked to make a contribution at the event. Please let them know the suggested minimum contribution is $150.00 per person. Be familiar with Urban Peak s mission and programs. Your guests will want to know why you think supporting Urban Peak and youth experiencing homelessness is important. Excitement is contagious and helps create momentum! Let people know your personal connection to Urban Peak. Why do you support this cause? Let your friends and family know that you are excited about the Reach for the Peak Community Breakfast! Follow up with people you don t hear back from. Just because they don t RSVP doesn t mean they are not interested in attending the breakfast. People get busy and forget to RSVP even though they have every intention of attending the event. Confirm your guest list to Urban Peak by September 5, 2016. Personally thank your guests at the event. Small tokens of appreciation and thank-you cards set at your guests place setting before they arrive is a special way to show your gratitude for their support of Urban Peak. Have Fun! This is the most important tip of them all have fun as you are recruiting. Enjoy the fact that you are doing a wonderful thing to support Urban Peak and youth experiencing homelessness!
REACH FOR THE PEAK COMMUNITY BREAKFAST GUEST ROSTER Instructions: 1. Fill out the names and information of the 9 guests who will be sitting at your table. 2. You will notice there is a field titled Your connection to Urban Peak. This is where you may note if your guest has a personal / prior connection to Urban Peak including having attending a previous Community Breakfast, Urban Peak event, volunteered at Urban Peak, etc. 3. Send this completed form by September 5, 2016 to tamar.berner@urbanpeak.org Table Captain Name: Table Captain E-mail: Guest 1 Guest 2 Guest 3
Guest 4 Guest 5 Guest 6 Guest 7 Guest 8 Guest 9
MORE INFORMATION REQUESTS If you have any friends, family or colleagues who are unable to attend the breakfast but would like more information about Urban Peak, you may provide their information below. Please return this form to Tamar Berner, Development Coordinator, at tamar.berner@urbanpeak.org Name: My connection to Urban Peak is: Name: My connection to Urban Peak is: Name: My connection to Urban Peak is: Name: My connection to Urban Peak is: Name: My connection to Urban Peak is:
URBAN PEAK PROGRAMS & SERVICES AT A GLANCE Street Outreach: Urban Peak s Outreach program deploys a specially trained team throughout Denver to find youth on the streets in need of services, distributing hygiene materials, clothing, and food, working to develop a sense of trust and build safe relationships with youth, and providing referrals for services such as housing, mental health, and substance abuse treatment at Urban Peak and through our partner organizations. Drop-In Center: The Drop-In Center provides a safe haven where youth can meet their basic needs, including respite from the outdoors, a hot breakfast on weekdays, dinner on Tuesday evenings, lockers to keep possessions safe, laundry services, showers, and haircuts. Overnight Shelter: Urban Peak s Shelter is the only licensed shelter in Denver solely serving youth ages 15 through 20, offering participants individualized case management and a part-time onsite clinic staffed by volunteer physicians and nurses. Education & Employment: Urban Peak s Education & Employment program offers instruction to help youth obtain a GED, re-enroll or re-engage in high school, complete remaining coursework needed to graduate, or apply for post-secondary educational opportunities. The E&E Program s Job Readiness Training course includes hard- and softskills training including cover letter and resume development, job search techniques and interviewing skills, job retention training, time and money management, and individualized services based on needs. Housing: Urban Peak s supportive housing program is designed to meet the distinct needs of youth ready for stable, independent housing, providing participants with case management, independent living skills classes, substance abuse or mental health treatment, and adaptive living skills training for youth with physical or developmental disabilities.
FACTS ABOUT YOUTH EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS Despite continuing public education efforts, myths and misunderstandings about youth homelessness persist. These facts will help you better understand the issue, including common causes of, youth homelessness: Urban Peak served 2,035 unduplicated youth in 2015. Where do Urban Peak youth come from? o 69% of the youth served at Urban Peak come from Colorado, and of those, 97% of them come from the Seven County Metro Denver region. o o No two youth experiencing homelessness are the same, have the same needs or come from the same backgrounds. The majority of youth experiencing homelessness have either run away from unstable home environments (including physical and sexual abuse), have been involved with the youth systems of care (foster care, juvenile justice and mental health), or have a family history of economic instability. 49% of youth served at Urban Peak in 2015 report past involvement with child welfare. Youth who have been involved in the foster care system are more likely to become homeless at an earlier age and remain homeless for a longer period of time. What are youth up against while living on the street? o 1 in 3 youth are approached or recruited by a pimp or exploiter within the first 48 hours of being on the street and 70% of youth on the street eventually become victims of commercial or sexual exploitation. o o LGBTQ youth experiencing homelessness face an average of 7.4 more acts of sexual violence than their heterosexual peers and are twice as likely to attempt suicide. Colorado ranks near the bottom nationally in per-capita psychiatric treatment beds reported by hospitals and in the bottom half in per-capita state and federal spending on mental health. The average spending in Colorado for mental health services per capita is $21.10 which is well under the national average of $30.70. What about youth who are employed? o In order to afford a 1 bedroom apartment in the 2016 Housing Market, an individual working at Colorado minimum wage of $8.31 per hour would have to work 89 hours per week. For youth with severe and chronic mental health issues, it is even more difficult to find and maintain permanent housing.
ARTICLES OF INTEREST http://www.mtnconnection.com/2015/08/30/83987/homeless-youth-tell-their-stories http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_29049346/urban-peak-gives-hope-homeless-youthdenver http://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/4/17/1514866/--an-open-door-and-a-helping-hand-forhomeless-youth http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/study-reveals-no-1-cause-of-youthhomelessness_us_57057deee4b053766188a3a5
SAMPLE EMAILS 1. To invite guests: I d like to invite you to an event for an important organization that means a lot to me. It s for Urban Peak. I ve been involved with them (and/or supported them) for years. Urban Peak is a local organization that helps youth experiencing homelessness and youth at risk of becoming homeless. They provide essential services and a supportive community, helping to empower them to become self-sufficient adults. I want to invite you to sit with me at their Reach of the Peak Community Breakfast so we can both learn more about them. The breakfast is complimentary however, there will be a suggested minimum donation during the event. Thanks to two generous donors all expenses associated with the breakfast are paid for so all financial contributions from this event will directly benefit Urban s Peaks youth experiencing homelessness. Please let me know if you can make it. I d love to have you join my table. Here are the detail of the event. The details are also on their website at www.urbanpeak.org Reach for the Peak Community Breakfast Friday, September 16, 2016 The Grand Hyatt 1750 Welton Street Denver, CO 80202 7:15 a.m. - 7:45 a.m. Registration and Networking 7:45 a.m. - 8:45 a.m. Program 2. Reminder to RSVP: I hope that you received my recent message about the Urban Peak Reach for the Peak Community Breakfast on September 16 th at The Grand Hyatt. I d love it if you would join me to learn more about this great organization. Please RSVP to me at your earliest convenience so I can save a place for you at my table. If you are interested in supporting Urban Peak but you are unable to attend, I am happy to connect you with an Urban Peak staff member so you can take a tour and learn more. You can also make a gift online at www.urbanpeak.org
3. Guests who cannot attend: SAMPLE EMAILS (CONTINUED) I am sorry that you will be unable to join me for the Urban Peak Reach for the Peak Community Breakfast. In lieu of attending the event, I hope that you will consider getting involved by: Taking a tour. Tours will take June through August on Tuesday mornings and Thursday afternoons at Urban Peak s administrative offices at 730 21 st Street Denver, CO 80205. Please contact Tamar Berner, Development Coordinator, at tamar.berner@urbanpeak.org for more information and to reserve a spot. Making a financial gift to Urban Peak that will help further their mission. You can donate online at www.urbanpeak.org or email Tamar at tamar.berner@urbanpeak.org to discuss how you would like to make a difference! Urban Peak is the only non-profit organization in Denver that provides a full convergence of services for youth ages 15 through 24 experiencing homelessness or at imminent risk of becoming homeless. Their goal is to help these youth overcome real life challenges and become self-sufficient adults. They do this by providing five essential services at little or no cost to the youth (youth in housing do pay a minimal rent each month): An overnight shelter A daytime Drop-In Center Street Outreach Education & Employment programming Supportive housing Urban Peak could not provide the services they provide without the generosity of our community. I am proud to support this organization and I hope that you are able to learn more about them. 4. Day before the event reminder: I am really looking forward to seeing you tomorrow at Urban Peak s Reach for the Peak Breakfast. As a reminder, we ll be meeting at the Grant Hyatt at 1750 Welton Street Denver, CO 80202. You can park at the hotel http://denver.grand.hyatt.com/en/hotel/our-hotel/parking.html. They offer a discounted $17 valet rate or you can find nearby parking options at the following link: http://www.bestparking.com/denver-parking/ When you arrive at the hotel, please proceed to the second level and you will see event registration.
SAMPLE EMAILS (CONTINUED) 5. After the event thank you: It was great to see you at Urban Peak s Reach for the Peak Breakfast. Thank you for joining me. I hope you found it as enjoyable and impactful as I did. With your help, the breakfast raised $ for youth! Thank you for your generosity.
HOW TO GET INVOLVED WITH URBAN PEAK Schedule a tour To schedule a tour in June, July, or August on either a Tuesday morning or a Thursday afternoon, please contact Tamar Berner, Development Coordinator, at tamar.berner@urbanpeak.org or 303.974.2954. Volunteer Contact Lisa Gelaude, Manager of Volunteers and Corporate Engagement, at lisa.gelaude@urbanpeak.org or 303.974.2910 to learn about volunteer opportunities. Make a financial gift Visit our website at www.urbanpeak.org to give online or contact Tamar Berner, Development Coordinator, at tamar.berner@urbanpeak.org or 303.974.2954.