We had the good fortune of connecting with Lorez Meinhold and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Lorez, what do you attribute your success to?
The most important factor behind our success and work at Caring for Denver is how we show up in community. Success comes when you prioritize collaboration, listening, and learning to and with our communities; when you ensure solutions and supports fit and honor individuals’ place and identity; and when you ensure that lived experience is at the heart of system level reform.
Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am most proud of building Caring for Denver Foundation – it is changing lives and improving outcomes in our communities. Our start-up phase was during the pandemic, in a time of loss in our communities. But we heard loud and clear that Denver needed support to heal, be heard, have hope and get connected to care that resonates. We have been able to put over $142m into over 240 organizations since our beginnings in 2019 and so many community members have walked beside us — given us their time, trust, and expertise so that we can transform healing and recovery in Denver. One of the biggest lessons is about taking risks and learning into solutions we need in our communities. Learning in creates shared knowledge. We can use that knowledge to make better decisions and create better strategy (do more of something, do less, or do different) – better able to take on complex issues and maintain the patience to keep at it. Allows us to hold the ideal with the actual, as we seek to bring these closer. Our brand is to put community and community ideas at the center of what we do.
Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
We have so many exciting places to visit in Denver. We have an incredible community of grantees who are supporting recovery and healing through art and self expression. So we’d be sure to visit an art show by Colorado Artists in Recovery or PlatteForum’s Art Lab. We might go could hear spoken word from Words to Power and Denver Healing Generations or go on the East Colfax Story Walk by Sidewalk Poets. Youth on Record does some amazing programs and events in the summer to lift up youth voices, and we’d definitely be listening to their podcast. Living in RiNO, I’m lucky to be surrounded by so many great restaurants. We would likely be visiting Hop Alley, Death &CO, Stowaway, Uchi, and Farm and Market. We would walk downtown to visit Union Station and stop in some of the amazing restaurants around there – Sunday Vinyl and Mercantile. I would also make time for one of the amazing productions at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, and make time for visits to the Botanic Gardens, Museum of Contemporary Arts, Redline and Museo de la Americas. If ever so lucky and timing worked would make sure to also catch performances at Wonderbound and Su Teatro.
Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Alan Salazar as a mentor and boss who re-enforced the importance of seeing everyone’s strength, and investing in relationships. Always a connector that was and is authentic and approachable, Allowed me to learn into being a leader.
Website: https://caring4denver.org/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/caring4denver/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/caring-for-denver-foundation
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/caring4denver/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-vOmviIbyOz5_OolxXhOjw
Image Credits
Cyrus McCrimmon
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