Citizens Project

Creating Community Breakfast 2010

4th June, 2010

We are delighted to report that this year’s Creating Community Breakfast has helped us raise almost $60,000 (not including the Gay & Lesbian Fund match) to help Citizens Project create the community we imagine. We had roughly 500 guests turn out in support of Citizens Project and the gifts collected yesterday morning exceeded our wildest expectations.

If you are interested in being a table captain at next year’s event, please email Kristy.

Here are some pictures from the event:

Creating Community Breakfast

7th May, 2010

Save the date and join Citizens Project at the 6th annual Creating Community Breakfast!  This fun and free fundraising breakfast will feature speakers, musical entertainment and a few surprises. 

Thursday, June 3, 2010
7:30 – 8:30am (check-in begins at 7:00am)
Bigg City Event Center, 5825 Mark Dabling Blvd (south entrance)

View the invitation

Learn more about the work Citizens Project is doing in the Pikes Peak region to promote equal rights, diversity, religious freedom through separation of church and state and civic engagement, and learn how you can help! RSVP now to reserve your seat.

Join Citizens Project & Join the Conversation!

19th April, 2010

Please join Citizens Project at a community gathering and join the conversation!

Come meet your neighbors for informal discussions about how we can work together to make our community a better place. Citizens Project invites you to join us in creating a louder voice for inclusion, diversity and equal rights. We want to hear your stories and create conversations that lead to bridging cultural divides in our community.

Community Conversations

Tuesday, May 4, 2010
5:30 – 6:30 pm
Panera Bread, 7344 North Academy Shops, 80920 (map)

Saturday, May 8, 2010
10:00 – 11:00 am
Panera Bread, 3120 New Center Point, 80922 (map)

Thursday, May 13, 2010
5:30 – 6:30 pm
Panera Bread, 1832 Southgate Road, 80906 (map) 

Please join us at one or all of these community conversations, and invite your friends and colleagues!

Creating Community Breakfast

6th April, 2010

Save the date and join Citizens Project at the 6th annual Creating Community Breakfast!  This fun and free fundraising breakfast will feature speakers, musical entertainment and a few surprises. 

Thursday, June 3, 2010
7:30 – 8:30am (check-in begins at 7:00am)
Bigg City Event Center, 5825 Mark Dabling Blvd (south entrance

View the invitation

Learn more about the work Citizens Project is doing in the Pikes Peak region to promote equal rights, diversity, religious freedom through separation of church and state and civic engagement, and learn how you can help!

Citizens’ Religious Freedom Institute

2nd April, 2010

Citizens Project is proud to present the first Citizens’ Religious Freedom Institute, a one day seminar on how the First Amendment to the US Constitution protects religious freedom in public schools. For teachers, students, parents, administrators, staff, school board members, and open to the public.

Saturday April 17, 2010

To be repeated on Sunday April 18 pending sufficient enrollment
University of Colorado at Colorado Springs

Participants will learn:

• How the law defines religious freedom in the public school setting,
• Best practices for respecting all students’ religious freedom, and
• How to be an advocate for religious freedom in your school.

May provide in-service credit for teachers. Please check back for details.

To receive information about the Citizens’ Religious Freedom Institute, join our email list for Freedom Watch Online, email Barb Van Hoy, or call us at (719) 520-9899.

Click here to download the flier for educators.

Click here to download the flier for parents, students and the public.

Click here for the REGISTRATION FORM.

Who is Simply Divine? John Weiss, of course!

23rd February, 2010

Nearly 150 community members came out to support John Weiss, the 2010 Divine Award recipient on February 18, 2010. Watch it here, and check out the photos below, courtesy of Rob Larimer.

And the Divine Award goes to…

8th January, 2010

Citizens Project is delighted to announce that the recipient of the 2010 Divine Award is John Weiss!

Photo by Cayton Photography

Please join us as we celebrate John’s contributions to the Colorado Springs community at our sixth annual Divine Award event!

Thursday, February 18, 2010 from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.
The Warehouse, 25 W. Cimarron St.,
Colorado Springs, Colorado
Open to the public, $10 suggested donation

Please RSVP by February 12 to: kristy@citizensproject.org or (719) 520-9899

View the electronic invitation

About the Divine Award: Citizens Project’s Divine Award is given annually to an individual in the Pikes Peak region who has worked tirelessly to create a vibrant democracy in which equal rights are protected and differences are respected. The award simultaneously recognizes the accomplishments of its recipient and honors the legacy of Amy Divine, the founder of Citizens Project, who dedicated her energy to championing traditional American values of equal rights, individual freedoms, separation of church and state, civic engagement and respect for diversity. This year’s recipient is activist John Weiss, founder and publisher of the Colorado Springs Independent. Previous recipients are Mary Lou Makepeace, Dr. Jim White, Pam Jones and Juliet Draper (shared award), Lorne Kramer, and Richard Skorman.

Photo by Catyon Photography

About John Weiss: John Weiss is a visionary entrepreneur, collaborator, and community activist whose leadership has created a more diverse, progressive and green Colorado Springs over the last 27 years.

As founder and publisher of the Colorado Springs Independent, John oversees the region’s only free weekly alternative newspaper, which reaches more than 100,000 readers in the region with local news, diverse thought and untold stories. Through this platform, Mr. Weiss has brought nationally renowned creative thinkers to Colorado Springs to build alliances and elevate discourse, co-sponsored more than 50 civic events annually to promote a vibrant democracy, and organized coalitions to bring positive change to the region.

John is an advocate for environmental sustainability who led successful initiatives to increase funding for open space and establish recycling programs. He has organized and supported campaigns to increase City Council pay, extend health benefits to domestic partners of municipal employees, and reform local tax policy. John recently launched the Independent’s Give! initiative which raised more than $150,000 for local nonprofits, and he produces the annual Fort Carson Town Hall meetings. In his spare time, John can be found volunteering at his sons’ schools, hiking with his dog, and vanquishing reptilian invaders when innocents are threatened.

Join CP at the Lavender Film Festival!

15th September, 2009

The Pikes Peak Lavender Film Festival is this weekend!

Thanks to generous designated donations, Citizens Project is the sponsor of:

HANNAH FREE
Directed by Wendy Jo Carlton 2009, USA, 90 min.
Sunday September 20, 2009 ~ 7:45 pm
Armstrong Hall on the CC Campus,  14 E Cache La Poudre

Adapted from Claudia Allen’s award winning play, romantic, touching and poignant, Hannah Free eloquently depicts a lifelong love affair between two very different women.

See the whole Lavender Film Festival Program here!

Citizens Project Open House a success!

5th August, 2009

Thank you to the many supporters and friends of Citizens Project who came to visit and celebrate our new office space! The Open House was a tremendous success – the food and beverages were delicious, the conversation was scintillating, and the company was excellent!