The Colorado Health Foundation recognizes and rewards long-term, respected nonprofit leaders throughout the state through our Nonprofit Sabbatical Program. Each year, sabbatical grantees step away from their professional responsibilities and rest. This time off allows our sabbatical grantees to come back to their work restored and with new ideas for serving their communities.
This year, The Colorado Health Foundation has granted six nonprofit leaders with the sabbatical award: Aaron Miltenberger, Angeles Ortega, Imani Latif, James Douglas Thomas, Luke Yoder, and Yoli G. Casas.
Aaron Miltenberger, Boys and Girls Clubs of the San Luis Valley
Aaron Miltenberger has served as the Executive Director of the Boys & Girls Clubs of the San Luis Valley (BGCSLV) since 2018. Today, he and his team lead eight rural Club sites where young people and families find safe places to belong, build hope for the future, and access opportunities that strengthen their lives and communities. Through this work, BGCSLV fosters cultural pride, strengthens protective factors, creates pathways to opportunity, and empowers youth to thrive. Aaron plans to use his sabbatical to learn from other rural communities across the country, nurture his inner life, and return to BGCSLV with renewed perspective as he helps shape the organization's next chapter
Angeles Ortega, Mi Casa Resource Center
Angeles Ortega has served as Chief Executive Officer of Mi Casa Resource Center in Denver since 2021. Previously, she’s held leadership roles at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science and the Latin American Coalition. Mi Casa Resource Center serves those facing systemic barriers to economic mobility by simultaneously helping program participants access opportunities and by working to reduce those barriers. Angeles plans to use her sabbatical to practice creative expression, learn, by immersion, about the impact of familial and economic structures on migration decisions, and prioritize her long-term well-being
Imani Latif, It Takes a Village
Imani Latif founded It Takes a Village in 2002 and has served as their executive director since then. It Takes a Village aims to reduce health and social disparities among people of color in the Denver metro area by addressing root causes of inequity with programming that encourages community building, healthy relationships, and physical health. While they are open to all, It Takes a Village primarily serves people of color, those living with HIV, and members of the LGBTQ community. Imani plans to use her sabbatical to travel to her “happy places,” spend time with extended family, and write.
James Douglas Thomas, The Road Called STRATE
James D. Thomas founded The Road Called STRATE in 1998 and has been the executive director for the past 26 years. The Road Called STRATE empowers justice-involved individuals and supports other communities who have been marginalized by systemic inequities, including BIPOC, LGBTQ+ individuals, and youth, by providing comprehensive wrap-around services that lead to employment, stability, and renewed senses of purpose. James plans to use his sabbatical to prioritize rest and personal renewal, experience other cultures and create new memories with his wife, and spend meaningful time with his great-grandchildren.
Luke Yoder, Center for Restorative Programs
Luke Yoder has served as the executive director of Center for Restorative Programs (CRP) since 2010. Based in the San Luis Valley, CRP helps their community utilize restorative practices in several different ways, including in the justice system, schools, and creating personalized plans of care. During Luke’s leadership tenure, CRP has gone from serving 50 people per year, to 500 people per year. Luke plans to use his sabbatical to spend meaningful time with his family, reconnect with loved ones around the country, and prioritize physical and mental health.
Yoli G. Casas, ViVe Wellness
Yoli G. Casas founded ViVe Wellness in 2015 and has served as executive director since its inception. ViVe Wellness works to eliminate the physical, social, and emotional inequities faced by low-income, immigrant, Latino, and multilingual families through culturally responsive programming that includes youth wellness and enrichment programs, mental health services, family resource navigation, physical activity and recreation, and workforce development. All programming is offered in both Spanish and English and is guided by bicultural, bilingual staff. Yoli plans to use her sabbatical to spend time in Peru with family, prioritize joyful movement, and volunteer in and learn from rural communities.
Learn more about the Nonprofit Sabbatical Program at coloradohealth.org.