UPDATE FROM THE BOARD PRESIDENT A NOTE FROM THE PRESIDENT’S DESK BY ROBERT DAVIS DEAR DENVER COMMUNITY, This has been one of the most difficult years in our 27-year history. We’ve faced funding shortages, leadership instability, declining paper sales, and so much more. These challenges have taken ROBERT DAVIS BOARD PRESIDENT a toll on me personally. At times, it has felt like I am watching my childhood home burn down. My loving partner Victoria and I moved to Denver in 2015, and Denver VOICE was the first outlet to publish my work. Since then, I have been lucky enough to have my writing featured in Forbes, Business Insider, Capital & Main, and The Colorado Sun, among so many others. None of that would have happened without the Denver VOICE. I cried big tears when I had to tell our vendors that we did not have money to print our next edition or to pay our staff for their hard work. I thought about Raelene Johnson and how she relies on us to make money to put gas in her car so she can visit her doctor, following the breast cancer that kept her from vending during the first six months of 2024. I thought about Rea Brown, who found the courage to come out of his shell through our art program. I thought about Lando Allen, who uses the money he makes from vending papers to keep in contact with his ill grandmother. There are so many more stories like this that I could tell. I know how much this organization means to everyone we serve, and it has been very painful to say that we failed. But the last week of September showed us that there is still hope. In a matter of 72 hours, we raised more than $8,000 toward our goal of $30,000. These donations came from nearly 100 individuals in Denver and across the country, who have seen the impact of the VOICE firsthand. Words alone cannot describe how grateful we are for this support, and I acknowledge that we must show the community how much this support means to us through our actions. Denver VOICE exists to give voice to the voiceless. We can never forget that. I want to close with a promise. I promise that the Denver VOICE will not only survive this storm, but we will be stronger because of it. Failure is not an option. There are too many people who depend on our small and mighty team, and we cannot continue to let them down. Thank you, Denver! We couldn’t do this without you. We love you all very much. In solidarity, Robert Davis President, Denver VOICE Board of Directors ■ WITH YOUR HELP, WE CAN DO THIS. DENVERVOICE.ORG/DONATE HOW TO HELP The money we take in from vendors helps us cover a portion of our printing costs, but we depend largely on donations from individuals, businesses, and foundations to help us pay our rent and keep the lights on. 1 4 GET THE WORD OUT We rely on grassroots marketing to get the word out about what we do. Talk to people about our organization and share us with your network. Support us on DONATE Donations to the Denver VOICE are tax-deductible. Go to denvervoice.org to give a one-time or recurring donation. You can also mail a check to: Denver VOICE | P.O. Box 1931 | Denver, CO 80201 3 VOLUNTEER We need volunteers to help with everything from newspaper distribution to event planning and management. Contact program@denvervoice.org for volunteering information. 5 SUBSCRIBE If you are unable to regularly purchase a newspaper from our vendors, please consider a subscription. We ask subscribers to support our program with a 12-month pledge to give $10 a month, or a one-time donation of $120. Subscriptions help us cover our costs AND provide an amazing opportunity to those who need it most. Go to denvervoice.org/subscriptions for more information. @denverVOICE 2 ADVERTISE Our readership is loyal, well-educated, and socially concerned. Readers view purchasing the paper as a way to immediately help a person who is poor or homeless while supporting long-term solutions to end poverty. If you are interested in placing an ad or sponsoring a section of the paper, please contact us about rates at ads@denvervoice.org. October 2024 DENVER VOICE 3
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