Alexander Foundation provides LGBT community the gift of giving
By Noelle
Leavitt
November 16, 2011
The holidays can be financially difficult, especially in a tough economy – a reason why Colorado nonprofit The Alexander Foundation gives holiday grants to people within the LGBT community in need.
Annette Thomas and cancer survivor Ronda Coverston.
“This is definitely a time when a lot of people are tightening their belts, but our organization is still giving,” said Patrick Oakes, director of marketing and communications of The Alexander Foundation.
Not only does the foundation provide holiday grants, it also has three other programs to help LGBT people throughout the year, including catastrophic and emergency grants and educational scholarships.
The process of giving and receiving is what the foundation is about. The Alexander Foundation celebrated its 30th anniversary in August. In the last 30 years, the organization has given around $2.5 million to those in need in Colorado.
All of the money comes from donations.
“I give $20 a month instead of buying a bottle of wine or going to the bars,” Oakes said. “Just a little bit helps.”
Cancer survivor Ronda Coverston is one of those people who was able to fight breast cancer with financial help from The Alexander Foundation.
Coverston was diagnosed with breast cancer in January 2010, and that March she applied for the catastrophic grant, which is given to people with chronic illnesses throughout the year.
She was awarded $1,500, which was broken down into $250 payments for six months.
“I wasn’t able to work because of the chemo, and that’s when my patient navigator actually found The Alexander Foundation,” Coverston said. “They helped me out. I was able to pay for rent. I was able to get gas in my car. Things you wouldn’t think about like my prescription medicine. That’s when The Alexander Foundation was very, very helpful. I’m very grateful.”
Coverston, 36, had a right mastectomy and 12 lymph nodes removed from under her
right arm. She found out in September 2010 that the surgery and chemo therapy
had worked, as her doctor told her the good news that there was no longer any
signs of cancer in her body.
“Out of it all, I’ve actually gained a wonderful, beautiful relationship with a
girl,” Coverston said. “She has a son, and that’s important to me because after
the chemotherapy treatments, I am not able to have kids.”
She and her partner, Annette Thomas, live in Fort Collins.
“I just want my story to be heard,” she said. “If I could tell one person my story, I’d be happy.”
Coverston is just one example of hundreds who have been helped by The Alexander Foundation.
The organization also offers the emergency grant that goes to those who are
having a difficult time paying rent or their bills.
In addition, the Foundation also offers educational scholarships to deserving
candidates needing help with college.
Jim Steen has donated money and volunteered with the foundation for the last 20 years. He gives roughly $30 a month and has sat on the scholarship committee.
He taught high school in Colorado for 38 years, and is very invested in helping the LGBT community further its education – it can’t be done without help from others, he said.
“It’s important that we all step up to the plate in the GLBT community and donate. Not everyone has a job. I don’t expect people without a job to be donating, but those who are fortunate enough to have steady monthly income should really be thinking about helping their fellow people in the GLBT community,” Steen said.
Donations are down, which is a result of the slumped economy, said Kent Webb, the co-chair of the Foundation. In 2006, the Foundation was able to give roughly $136,000 to the community. Last year, that number went down to $74,000 – the same amount its able to give in 2011.
Regardless, the Foundation is still helping community members out – a notable charity that Coverston will remember for the rest of her life, she said.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you. I am so grateful – so grateful,” she said. “I just want to pay it forward.”
Miracles needed in our community ... today & everyday!
Miracles happen every day and those miracles are generated by what our hearts tell us to do. So we ask: will you do what your heart is asking you to do? Whether you have five dollars or five thousand dollars to give, each dollar represents a glimmer of hope for those who have none.
CLICK HERE for a few of the compelling pleas & appreciation for assistance that we receive 365 days of the year!
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Bill Leavel, Founder, The Alexander Foundation: "All of the people who have been involved in the organization take pride in the fact that we have been able to fill some very real needs in the GLBT community … and a variety of needs at a taxing time. One of the unique things about The Alexander Foundation is that from the very beginning we decided this would be an all-volunteer organization and that we would avoid putting anyone on expenses or payroll. We were counting on and found that it was there – tremendous talent within the community and a tremendous willingness to contribute! This means that our administrative expenses are only about 8% of our budget leaving the rest to go and serve the community." |
Our Mission
"The Alexander Foundation exists to enhance the lives of gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender people by providing financial assistance to those in need throughout Colorado. We are an all-volunteer organization and through the spirit of giving, it is our mission to build a community of strength and dignity."
Our Vision
Our vision is to focus on a healthy, strong and vibrant GLBT community that is able to contribute to the community at large and society as a whole. Our vision focuses on the principle of helping others less fortunate than ourselves, and that through a tradition of caring we better ourselves as well as others. Our vision includes the idea that through small miracles we can build better community relationships, alliances and partnerships that enhance the gLBT community as an integral and productive part of an contributors to society as a whole.
Our Overview
How many times have we heard that big things come in small packages? Founded in 1981, The Alexander Foundation is a non-profit, philanthropic organization that shows every day how small sums of money can turn someone’s life around. For over 30 years, The Alexander Foundation has been helping gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people throughout Colorado change their lives for the better. From emergency grants and educational assistance to programs for seniors, we've created a tradition of caring that goes far beyond fabulous social events.
The Alexander Foundation sponsors programs which provide financial assistance to ensure the well-being and personal growth of individuals in the GLBT community throughout Colorado. Through your generous contributions and continued support over the years, we have been able to assist thousands of Colorado gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people who have found themselves in need of financial assistance for a variety of reasons.