Hope Has an Address.
1500 S. Dayton Street, Aurora, CO, a 70,000-square-foot, 6.36-acre permanent home for the mission that has changed thousands of lives over forty years.
Join the campaign. We need $7M more.
For Over Forty Years, We Have Gone to Our Students. Now We Are Building a Place for Them to Come to Us.
Colorado UpLift has operated out of borrowed classrooms, school gyms, and shared spaces since 1982. Our Teacher/Mentors commute between schools, drive across the city, and make it work every single day because the mission demands it.
The UpLift Community Campus changes that.
At 1500 S. Dayton Street in Aurora, at the heart of the neighborhoods we have served for decades, this move-in-ready facility becomes the operational and spiritual home of everything we do. Leadership training. Staff collaboration. Student programs. Family resources. Alumni gatherings.
This is not a building project. It is a mission acceleration.
- Address
- 1500 S. Dayton Street, Aurora, CO
- Purchase Price
- $6,000,000
- Campus Size
- 6.36 acres
- Facility Size
- 70,000 square feet
- Condition
- Move-in ready with future expansion opportunities
- Zoning
- Educational and community use permitted
Strategically Located
Within a 5-mile radius of 15+ partner schools in Denver and Westminster. Reduces average mentor commute between schools by 40%. Located near major bus lines and I-225 for easy student and family access.
Dr. Joe Sanders and Walt Rakowich on the Vision
Watch UpLift CEO Dr. Joe Sanders and Board Chairman Walt Rakowich share why this campus represents the boldest and most necessary step in UpLift's forty-year history.
A Place Where Every Space Serves the Mission
Where Vision Meets Action and Purpose Becomes Practice
A world-class center for character development, leadership training, and community innovation. The Leadership Training Center will serve as a renowned hub for research, collaboration, and transformation, bringing together students, educators, and leaders from across Colorado and beyond. Immersive workshops, mentorship summits, and a think tank for scalable solutions that strengthen schools, workplaces, and communities for generations.
Confidence Built Here Extends Far Beyond the Court
A dynamic environment where movement builds confidence and teamwork becomes the foundation for lifelong resilience. Basketball, soccer, fitness training, and a ropes course that challenges fear and builds trust. This space is about wellness in every sense, a safe place to release stress, rebuild confidence, and grow in community with mentors who walk beside students every step of the way.
Where Families, Alumni, and Partners Come Together
The welcoming heart of the campus. Families access vital resources and support networks. UpLift alumni stay connected and continue developing their careers and leadership skills. Partners from across Denver unite under one roof to create new pathways for opportunity. Workshops, family nights, volunteer gatherings, a living symbol of trust and togetherness designed to lift communities higher.
The Foundation That Supports Every Classroom and Every Relationship
Envision a space built for the people behind the mission. Seventy-plus UpLift staff, mentors, and program leaders collaborating to reach more students than ever before. Training rooms, strategy sessions, dedicated mentor meeting spaces. Every plan and partnership developed here directly supports the Teacher/Mentors and the students they serve across Colorado.
A $15 Million Vision, Built with Precision
Every dollar of this campaign has a specific, documented purpose. Here is exactly where your investment goes.
All gifts toward the UpLift Community Campus qualify for the Colorado Child Care Tax Credit.
Name a Space. Shape a Generation.
Naming opportunities recognize transformational gifts that help create a place where leadership, character, and community are built for generations to come. These opportunities are available now. Several have already been committed.
- The UpLift Community Campus, $3,000,000
- Leadership Training Center, $2,000,000
- Operations and Support Center, $1,000,000
- Sports and Wellness Center, $1,000,000
- Community and Family Resource Center, $1,000,000
- Turf Field, $500,000
- Leadership Training Auditorium, $500,000
- Gymnasium, $500,000
- Leadership Breakout Room, $500,000
- Student Lounge, $500,000
- Staff Lounge, $500,000
- Community Kitchen and Lounge, $500,000
- Conference Rooms (3 available), $250,000 each
- Community Rooms (4 available), $250,000 each
- Workout Space, $200,000
- Huddle Rooms (3 available), $50,000 each
Visionary naming opportunities are also available for key mission-aligned concepts and thematic spaces. Investment levels are customized based on scope and impact.
To discuss naming opportunities, contact Nicole Wirtz at nwirtz@coloradouplift.org or (303) 830-6615.
Your Gift Can Take Many Forms
One-Time Gift
Make an immediate impact through a single contribution at any level.
Multi-Year Pledge
Commit your support over two to five years. Pledges allow larger investments to be phased over time.
Stock or Asset Gift
Donate appreciated securities or assets and maximize your impact while reducing capital gains exposure.
Planned Gift
Leave a legacy that continues to empower future generations through a bequest or estate gift.
Corporate or Foundation Partnership
Partner with Colorado UpLift to invest in community transformation. Custom engagement packages available.
"We Have the Opportunity to Build a Permanent Home That Anchors Our Mission for Generations to Come."
Dr. Joseph Sanders, CEO, Colorado UpLift
For more than four decades, Colorado UpLift has been walking alongside young people, mentoring, teaching, and inspiring them to see what is possible. We have learned that transformation does not happen in a moment. It happens through relationship, consistency, and hope, day after day, year after year.
Now, we stand at a defining moment in our story.
The UpLift Community Campus is the next bold step. With your partnership, this campus will stand as a testament to what happens when a community comes together to invest in its future. Because when you build a place like this, you do not just change a structure. You change lives.
The People Championing This Vision
Executive Committee
- Walt Rakowich | Chairman of the Board, retired Prologis
- Ivan Anaya
- Dave Beaver | Beaver and Associates Consulting, LLC
- Bret Berglund | Enoch Holdings, LLC
- Beth Bowlen-Wallace
- Ken Harrison | WaterStone Foundation
- Clifford Hickey | Anschutz Investment Company
- Dick Lewis | Consultant
- Erik Olson | SERVPRO Team Olson
- Bill Pauls | The Pauls Corporation
- Joe Sanders | Colorado UpLift
- Steve Sanders | Consultant
- Jeff Vaughan | Trestle Energy Partners
- Celso White | Celso and Maria White Family Foundation
Campus Committee
- Eric Buchanan
- Anthony Albanese
- Ivan Anaya
- Alex Farren
- Jeff Gott
- Bryan Schmidt
- Jesse Steinert
- Neville Teagarden
- Boyd Williams
Ready to Be Part of This?
We are eight million dollars in. We need seven million more. And we need partners who understand what is at stake, not just for this building, but for the thousands of students whose lives will be shaped inside it.
If you are ready to invest, we would like to talk.
Nicole Wirtz, Director of Revenue and Strategic Communications | nwirtz@coloradouplift.org | (303) 830-6615
coloradouplift.org/campus
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