Mile High United Way recently named Judy Ham, president and CEO of CP of Colorado, as the winner of its prestigious Anna Jo Haynes Caring About Kids Award.  The award recognizes an individual who has made the highest level of commitment to early childhood education in metro Denver.

Over the past 20 years, Ham has participated on various local, regional and national committees related to issues such as disabilities, early education, children and employment.  She has worked to champion integration of kids with special needs in to regular classes, is a leader in her field and is considered an expert in the state of Colorado.

Additionally, Ham served on Mile High United Way’s Board of Trustees for more than 20 years, chairing allocation committees and representing agency leadership.  She has served on two National Organization Boards, United Cerebral Palsy and Disability Service Providers of America and was instrumental in the merger of two national organizations.

“The success of children’s education relies on leaders and volunteers who unify people and organizations around early education programs,” said Diana Romero-Campbell, director of School Readiness at Mile High United Way.  “Ham has been a tireless advocate for special needs children and their education.”

The Anna Jo Haynes Caring About Kids Award was established in 2004 to honor metro Denver’s leaders in early childhood education, beginning with Anna Jo Haynes herself. As executive director and founder of Mile High Montessori Early Learning Centers (Mile High Child Care), Haynes always made children’s education her highest priority.

Not all childcare services are effective. Center-based programs that have positive impacts on young children’s development provide some combination of the following
features:

• highly skilled staff;
• small class sizes and high adult-to-child ratios;
• a language-rich environment;
• age-appropriate curricula and stimulating materials in a safe physical setting;
• warm, responsive interactions between staff and children; and
• high and consistent levels of child participation.  (Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University)

Mile High United Way partners with metro Denver’s best early childhood learning centers.  Donate your time, talent or treasure to Mile High United Way’s School Readiness initiative and help prepare children from low-income families for success when they enter school. 

“At Lockton Companies, we recognize the importance of maintaining our commitment to the community where we live and work.  We partner with Mile High United Way because they reach across our community building partnerships that serve those with the greatest need.”
        Chuck McDaniel
        President & CEO

One of our philosophies is to be proactive in sustaining a meaningful corporate social and civic responsibility.  At Lockton Companies, we have always recognized the importance of maintaining our commitment to the community where we live and work.  Charitable involvement in our community through financial support and volunteer efforts is a basic tenet of our culture.  One of the true benefits of Mile High United Way is that they combine our financial gifts with the gifts of others to achieve more community impact than one agency or donor can deliver individually.  Mile High United Way takes care of immediate needs and builds a foundation for a stronger community.

Each year Lockton Associates work hard to put the “fun” into fundraising!  Our 2007 United Way campaign theme was based on one of Mile High United Way’s three key initiatives – School Readiness.  For the past several years, Lockton has had a campaign mascot.  This year during our campaign kickoff celebration, following the announcement of our $250,000 fundraising goal, music from Seussical the Musical began to play and associates were showered with confetti from confetti shooters and sprayed with silly string by special helpers intermingled in the crowd.  Then, upon a brightly decorated scooter, in rode our official 2007 United Way campaign mascot the Cat In The Hat!  This benevolent Cat joined in the act by dancing merrily about to the music and dousing associates with silly string.  Campaign Co-Chairs, Mark Bundy and Dana Davis, along with United Way Representative, Mark Taylor, and Master of Ceremonies, Ross Corradino, donned “official campaign Cat In The Hat hats” as Ross recited the 2007 United Way Campaign Pledge to mark the official opening of our campaign.  Later associates gathered to enjoy delicious Seuss-themed snacks of many colors, such as Green Eggs and Ham dessert treats and One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish cookies.

By using cleaver Seuss-themed marketing materials, the 15-person committee created a variety of emails, flyers and activities to help promote associate participation and donations to United Way.  Activities surrounding the campaign included the Cat’s Meow Coloring Contest and the Yill-iga-Yakk Art Attack for associates’ children, the Lil’ Lockton Producer Photo Contest, the Loosely-Seussly-Related Cookies Contest, and the Producer Art Challenge, which entailed creatively completing and naming a “Seuss” animal.

At the campaign closing ceremony, which also celebrated the Cat In The Hat’s 50th birthday, associates were surprised and delighted by the special appearance of mascots from campaigns past – the Pudgy Pumpkin, Linc Wurstmeier (a benevolent hot dog!), Captain Tom (turkey), Uncle Nutsy (a squirrel who is “nuts” about giving), and Donatus Maximus (who presided over our Olympic-themed campaign).  In the end, we exceeded our campaign goal with a total of $254,038 in contributions raised!

Hundreds of organizations provide child care accross the metro area.  How do you find the right one for your child?  The task is less daunting with a call to United Way’s 2-1-1.  Click here to read a School Readiness success story.
 

High-quality pre-kindergarten programs, whether serving all 3- and 4-year-olds or targeted to disadvantaged populations of both age groups, begin to pay for themselves in no more than nine years in Colorado. (Enriching Children, Enriching the Nation, Robert Lynch, 2007)

Mile High United Way partners with metro Denver’s best early childhood learning centers.  Donate your time, talent or treasure to Mile High United Way’s School Readiness initiative and help prepare children from low-income familiesfor success when they enter school.