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Voices for Children, CASA of Boulder County raised $470,000 at Night of Hope on Wednesday evening. Read more below:

Boulder County, CO — May 1, 2026 — For children navigating the court system after experiencing abuse, neglect, or instability, having one trusted adult advocating for their best interests can be life-changing. That belief was at the center of Night of Hope, Voices for Children, CASA of Boulder County’s annual event held during Child Abuse Prevention Month—a time dedicated to raising awareness and strengthening efforts to protect children and support families.

More than a fundraiser, the evening served as a reflection of what is possible when a community comes together on behalf of its most vulnerable members.

Board President, Sarah Reynolds, opened the event with a powerful reminder of the organization’s mission: to build a healthier community by delivering services, support, and advocacy to children who have experienced trauma. Her remarks grounded the evening in the reality that every child deserves someone firmly in their corner.

Margaret Bachrach, CEO, shared that all CASA programs are independent 501(c)3 organizations governed by an independent board of directors serving their own judicial districts; Voices for Children serves the 20th judicial district in Boulder County. She followed with a clear call to action, speaking to both the urgency of the moment and the broader landscape facing child advocacy organizations. With potential federal funding challenges on the horizon, she emphasized the essential role of local support in ensuring that children who have experienced abuse and neglect continue to receive the services they need, not just in times of crisis, but as part of a broader commitment to prevention and stability.

District Attorney Michael Dougherty reaffirmed the importance of CASA’s work within the legal system, while keynote speaker Tad Boyle shared a personal connection to the mission through his mother’s experience as a CASA volunteer. His story highlighted a central truth of the organization’s work: one consistent adult can have a lasting impact on a child’s life.

That impact was brought to life through the story of Tristan and Nia—two individuals brought together under unlikely circumstances who built a relationship that has endured for decades. Their story reflected the kind of long-term connection and support that not only helps children navigate difficult moments but also contributes to stronger, healthier futures.

At its core, the evening was about community. And that collective effort led to a meaningful outcome: Night of Hope raised $470,000 to support children and families across Boulder County.

But the significance of the event extends far beyond a single night. The funds raised help ensure that children have someone showing up for them consistently.

As Child Abuse Prevention Month promotes creating safe, stable, and nurturing environments for children, Voices for Children, CASA of Boulder County continues to rely on the dedication of volunteers, donors, and community partners to make that vision a reality.

Voices for Children extends its deep gratitude to all who contributed to the success of Night of Hope. Their continued commitment ensures that more children in Boulder County have a voice when it matters most.

About Voices for Children, CASA of Boulder County

Voices for Children recruits, trains, and supports volunteer Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) to represent the best interests of children who have experienced abuse or neglect, ensuring they have a voice in the court system and a consistent advocate during critical times in their lives.

To learn more, volunteer, or support the mission, visit vfcboulder.org.

Media Contact:

Jessica Schultz

Development Officer

Voices for Children, CASA of Boulder County

Jessica@bouldervfc.org

(303) 495-5078

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This article is a Community VOICES contribution by Nicky Yollick. Thoughts and opinions expressed are strictly his own and do not necessarily represent the view of Yellow Scene Magazine. You can convey questions, thoughts, or opinions to editorial@yellowscene.com.

Screenshot, DPS “Fun” Board of Directors

In 2019, the voters of Denver were led to believe they had “flipped” the Denver Public School Board. Progressive activists worked tirelessly to elect three new School Board Members promising a progressive new direction in contrast to their predecessors who sought to privatize the District and run DPS like a corporation.

That is what makes the DPS Board’s selection of the Alma Advisory Group as the recruiting firm to identify candidates to replace recently resigned Superintendent Susana Cordova puzzling. 

Shortly after last Friday’s announcement, I began looking into Alma’s history of involvement with other organizations in national education advocacy, and the results of my research show the firm’s deep ties to the national movement to privatize public education. 

Alma lists nine members of staff on its web-site. A quick Google search of each member and their ties to the privatization movement revealed that five of those nine staffers had worked two-year residencies for a national advocacy group called the Broad Center. The Broad Center is named for Eli Broad who, along with the Waltons (of Wal-Mart fame) and Bill and Melinda Gates, is one of the top three funders of education privatization advocacy nationwide. 

Alma details on its web-site its past recruiting work, none of which includes recruiting for a position of Superintendent-level seniority. 

Alma has, however, recruited three national positions for an organization called CityFund, as well as two national positions for CityFund’s political arm, Public School Allies. CityFund is financed largely by Netflix founder Reed Hastings, who has spent hundreds of millions of dollars of his personal fortune to dismantle public education across the country. 

CityFund has donated tens of millions of dollars to leading privatization advocates. An extended list of their grants can be found on their website, but examples provided to privatization groups include $21 million to RootED, over $2 million to 50CAN, $1.5 million to Teach for America, and $500,000 to the Relay Graduate School of Education. RootED also funds many privatization advocates, including Education Reform Now, Stand for Children Colorado, and Transform Education Now. 

The association between Alma and the privatization movement is clearly neither tangential nor coincidental. Furthermore, the partnership between Alma and the Broad Center remains alive and well, as Alma has recruited two leading positions for the Broad Academy, the wing of the Broad Center which oversees the residency program of which five Alma staffers are alumni. 

On Saturday, I shared a post to social media tagging the seven sitting DPS Board Members and asking how they could so blatantly ignore the will of Denver voters as expressed in the last two round of DPS elections which overwhelmingly mandated an end to privatization policies. Not one community-elected Director has offered any explanation addressing the connection between Alma and the national privatization movement. 

Denver’s communities and education stakeholders are starving for authentic engagement from the District. Many Denver activists believe that DPS was uninterested in understanding and fulfilling the community’s will during the last SuperSearch, instead manipulating the community into reaching decisions already predetermined behind closed doors. 

With this decision, the community has already been set up to expect inauthentic community engagement as the choice of firm to lead the selection process itself suggests that the Board disregards the voters that put them in power. 

For any elected School Board Director, the selection of a superintendent is likely the most important decision they will make in their tenure. This is even more true for a Board, like the one overseeing DPS, which operates on a “policy governance” structure, essentially ceding all power to execute Board policy to the Superintendent. Therefore, community members should be able to expect that no decision would be more representative of a Director’s policy agenda than their choice of Superintendent. 

We must demand accountability. 

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