Welcome to the
2023 Greenway Current
Dive into our digital review of The Greenway Foundation’s (TGF) year to get a glimpse of the tangible environmental improvements we’ve made through community events and water projects, see how we brought students to the river, and discover what hard-fought victories we won when it comes to protecting our rivers. We have a lot to share, and we’re excited for you to see how 2023 was a year for the books.
Our Proudest Moments from 2023
of federal funding for the City and County of Denver, along with local match funding, has created the single largest financial commitment to the South Platte River ever.
were completed in riverside parks and green spaces as part of The Greenway Foundation’s stewardship projects.
attended South Platte River Environmental Education (SPREE) camps, excursions, and events to make lasting connections to the river.
attended our summer river festival, CROSSCURRENTS.
chose to support our work through over $700,000 in grants and sponsorships.
gave to our monthly giving program, Friends of Greenway.
We are pleased to present The Greenway Foundation’s 2023 Greenway Current
As the Executive Director of The Greenway Foundation, I remain honored to lead an amazing team of talented, motivated, and passionate stewards of our waterways. 2024 marks the 50th anniversary of The Greenway Foundation and as we enter into this important milestone, we want to reflect on our accomplishments last year.
- Advocated for more than 6.5-miles of the South Platte River for it to be restored in Denver and Adams Counties, creating more inviting spaces for plants, animals and people, and reducing flood risks for lower-income residents.
- Championed policies that safeguard the river’s future, like supporting work on the Waterway Resiliency Program, or the Grassroots Leadership Opportunities (GLO) Ambassadors Program, which facilitates youth ambassadors driving community input for local projects.
- Facilitated critical habitat preservation efforts along the South Platte River, protecting its unique ecosystem. In 2023, we hosted over 550 hours of trash pick ups along the river, ensuring over 6,000 gallons of trash didn’t enter our waterways.
- 21% of our programs were taught in Spanish, and we were able to fulfill nearly 100% of Spanish-instruction requests.
- Funded and coordinated public restroom facilities in 3 different Denver parks for over 6 months – because parks should always be clean and accessible public spaces where you can spend lots of time.
- 43% of students in the spring of this year attended their field trip for free in our efforts to ensure cost is never a barrier for students to experience learning outdoors.
We hope to see you on the river in 2024 as we celebrate 50 years of The Greenway Foundation!
Kip Stastny
Board Chairman
Ryan Aids
Executive Director
The Greenway Team
It takes a village (and then some) to steward the river—but day-to-day, it takes the hard work of a small but mighty team. Meet the talented and passionate people of The Greenway Foundation.
Creating extraordinary experiences for all kids
For over 40 years, The Greenway Foundation has introduced tens of thousands of children to the South Platte River through its SPREE program. SPREE aims to develop a positive relationship between the South Platte River and Denver area youth through school excursions, day camps, weekend events, internships, and summer employment.
Educating students through SPREE
Look at all we’ve accomplished in 2023.
Excursions
Our SPREE excursions took place in six different parks along the river! These field trips provide invaluable hands-on, experiential learning opportunities for Denver students. Researchers have found a number of trends demonstrating the positive impact environmental education has on learning, motivation, skill-building, and empowerment.
SPREE’s field trip program served nearly 5,000 children in 2023, from many different backgrounds. 100% of these students receive subsidized pricing to ensure cost is never a barrier to this place-based learning.
Camps
When Denver Public Schools are out… SPREE camps are in session! SPREE Day Camps were in full swing in 2023. We served over 450 campers by the river in Johnson Habitat park over 10 weeks of summer camp and 11 days of school break camp. With unique themes like Extreme Animals, Plantapalooza, and Can You Dig It?, there was no shortage of fun while learning about the environment and the South Platte River. Campers had a blast completing nature-based missions from our beaver boss, Chompers!
River Rangers
To start off the year, SPREE hired 3 River Ranger Interns from Kipp Denver Collegiate High School and partnered with 6 Groundwork Denver high schoolers to teach at our in-person field trips- the first time since the pandemic started! Over the summer, we hired 3 high school River Rangers and 1 college River Ranger to teach full time at our summer camp! All 3 high school River Rangers submitted their Environmental Educator portfolios through The Colorado Alliance of Environmental Education! TGF also awarded four $1,000 Joe Shoemaker Memorial scholarships to current and past Summer River Rangers to help with college tuition!
Greenway Leadership Corps
GLC had over 180 high school students from the Denver Metro Area participate in stewardship and outdoor adventures with GLC in 2023! Some of our favorite experiences included trail building & exploring at The Nature Conservancy’s Phantom Canyon Preserve, practicing survival skills & nature mindfulness at Cal-wood Education Center, stand up paddle boarding at Cherry Creek State Park, and climbing around on Denver Parks & Rec’s Genesee Challenge Course!
Family Events
SPREE led and participated in ~20 community family events this year. These events were free, and all encouraged families to get outside and create connections with nature, whether it be through an arts and crafts project, going fishing, or cleaning up a local park.
SPREE in the Community
SPREE consistently showed up for our community in 2023. With a particular focus on historically marginalized-Denver communities, SPREE participated in events like HarvestSHARE in the Cole neighborhood and Westwood Family Nature Club meetings. We held our annual Family Camp Out in Johnson Habitat Park, where we made dinner – and s’mores – over the fire, and taught families how to set up tents before sleeping under the stars. The Family CookOut was just as successful, with games and crafts and critter crawl – and of course more s’mores!
Stewardship
Taking care of the watershed that takes care of us is not only rewarding, it’s necessary to our future. There are so many ways to be good stewards. Whether you volunteer time, share your knowledge, donate resources, or all of the above—the good news is that every effort counts. Take a look at some of our stewardship projects from 2023.
Volunteering
TGF hosts two large Stewardship Days- one in the spring and one in the fall- plus numerous smaller volunteer events each year! During these programs, hundreds of volunteers work in riverside projects to collect trash, spread mulch, protect park fixtures, and more! This year, volunteers donated 980 hours protecting and cleaning our riverside parks!
Clean Water Challenge
This spring The Greenway Foundation partnered with two teams from Colorado School of Mines for the Clean Water Challenge. Both teams spent two semesters researching and designing a solution for elevated E. coli levels in our creeks. Check out the solutions the teams presented in April 2023! In the fall 2023, TGF partnered with a new team from Colorado School of Mines to brainstorm ways to reduce/remove road salts from our local waterways. Check back in spring 2024 to see what they designed!
Grassroots Leadership Opportunities (GLO) Ambassadors Program
This year, The Greenway Foundation assisted in the evolution of the Grassroots Leadership Opportunities (GLO) Ambassadors Program. The aim of the program is to recruit traditionally underrepresented youth to lead community outreach efforts on projects in their community. In 2023, GLO Ambassadors worked on two projects: Riverdale Regional Park and a section of the High Line Canal in Green Valley Ranch.
Celebrate the South Platte River
The river is for everyone! From galas and festivals to family fishing and stewardship opportunities. Gather with The Greenway Foundation and enjoy all your river has to offer.
CROSSCURRENTS
TGF had its most successful CROSSCURRENTS to date welcoming over 7,500 attendees to Confluence Park for a day of rafting, tubing, SPREE activities, and so much more. Bands and deejays rocked out all day, leading to an electric performance by DRAMA. We look forward to building on this success when the event returns to Confluence Park on Saturday, July 13th 2024.
Gala on The Bridge
2023’s Gala on the Bridge saw the highest attendance for this event ever! Over 500 attendees enjoyed a night of amazing food from Michelin Star Chef Hosea Rosenberg, great music, and an opportunity to enjoy being on the river with other generous supporters of The Greenway Foundation’s work. TGF was proud to present Jeff Shoemaker with the Hero of the River award for his passionate work advocating for the South Platte River over the past 40+ years. This event remains TGF’s largest fundraiser of the year and we look to continue that success in 2024.
Reception on the River
TGF hosts the Mile High Flood District Reception on the River, an annual networking and celebration event for all things water! This outdoor event features heavy hors d’oeuvres, drinks, and live music! In 2023, TGF hosted 300+ attendees from all facets of the local water community, and were honored to have Joshua Laipply, Chief Projects Office for the City and County of Denver, as our featured speaker.
Revitalization Projects
The Greenway Foundation is honored to be engaged in several revitalization projects, all of which have four benefits- environmental, recreational, water quality, and flood control.
The Waterway Resiliency Program brings $350 million of federal funding to the City and County of Denver. This, along with local match funding, creates the single largest financial commitment to the South Platte River ever! This project aims not only to restore the South Platte River, Weir Gulch, and Harvard Gulch but to revolutionize these waterways for future generations to enjoy while providing critical habitat and flood protection.
Our Supporters
Thank you so much to our generous sponsors and grant providers.
We couldn’t do what we do without their incredible support and we’re honored to serve our local community and environment with the help of these dedicated entities and individuals.
Individual Donors
Emily A Grant
Thomas Abbott
Liz Adams
Ryan Aids
Ashlie Aids
Brenda Aids
Ruby Aids
Ernie & Rachel Aids
Hilarea Amthauer
Anonymous Anonymous
Elaine Appel
Joe Appel
Alice and Marc Applebaum
Brent Applebaum
Tyler Atkinson
Karen Aviles
Lindsey Ayers
Carlo Balleria
Carrie Baron
Gordon Baron
Wayne Barrett
Gail Barry
Jenny Bassham
Jeff Battiste
Megan Beal
Amy Beatie
David Bennetts
Anne Bensard
Courtney Benson
Lauren Berent
Daniel Bettinger
Corey biddle
Nancy Birge
Autumn Bjugstad
Susan Bjugstad
Councilwoman Kendra Black
Andrea Bobotis
George Roger Bock
Kelly Bossley
Jonathan Bridges
Ryan Brown
Charlie Brown
Collin Burgess
Audra Burkhart
Brannon Burnley
Anna Cafaro
David Carlson
James Carr
Bar Chadwick
Tamar Chang
Will Chesser
Jennifer Chrystal
Kate Cihon
Emily Clark
Joe Clark
Jolon Clark
Kendra Clark
Steve Cohen
Rebecca Colbert
Bruce Colburn
Jennifer Cole
Debra Colias
Gregory Craig
Gina Cristiano
Kristine Csavina
Anthony Curcio
Katie Dake
Margaret Danuser
Cristin Davis
Joyzelle Davis
Chrissy Deal
Eleanor Deaton
Aly Debastiani
Dan DeLaughter
Helena DeMarie
James Richard Devlin
Melissa Dickard
Sarah Dominick
Mary Donachy
Beth Dorsa
Sandy &Tim Drago
Britte E Notzold
Marcia Eldridge
Kitty Elkins
Larry & Barb Elrod
Michelle Elsasser
Jack Fahres
Richard Farley
Ardythe Fasano
JP Fasano
Beth Ferguson
Lorienne Fisher
Simon Foot
Melissa Ford
Joseph Fowler
Elizabeth Fraker
Kristi Franko
Sigrid Freese
Rebecca Fuhrman
Paul & Rose Gagnon
Julianne Gagnon
Joe Gagnon
Kimberly Gagnon
Theodore Gagnon
Declan Galvin
Rachel Gillette
Patrick Gillette
Kate Gillette
Allison Gleichman
Katie Glesne
Hipolita Gomez
Anthony Gonzalez
ANDREA GORDON
Lyndsey Grae
Jeffrey Grana
Bethany Gravell
Julia Gray
Sasha Gubser
Linda Hamlin
Hugh Hanna
Lucy Harrington
Elizabeth Harty
Elisabeth Hawksbee
Laurie Helmick
Lisa Herbert
Laurie Herivel
Kelly Hersh
Brian Hiatt
Cheryl Higashida
Fabby Hillyard
Robert Hodges
Martha Hoffman
Rebecca Holman
Brandon Hunt
Ramsay Huntley
Mai-lan Huynh-Smith
Emily Hypnarowski
Shelley Jewell
Jeffrey Johnsen
Sara Johnson
Jonathan Kahn
Kate Kalstein
Daphna Kapnik
Cassie Kaslon
Rodney Kazenske
Molly Killinger
Mira Killmeyer
Claudia Kim
Michele Kinshella
Oza Klanjsek
Robert Kochevar
Julie Koehler
Christy Koerth
Laura Kroeger
Amy Krosky
R Kent Landmark
Joseph Lara
Tamara Larsen
Jacob Larson
Mark and Betsy Larson
Lauren Laustsen
Rainy Laventure
Deirdre Lee
Zoe Lefkimiotis
Alex Lewis
Linda Lipsius
Michelle Loader
Lester Lockspeiser
James Lovejoy
Larraine Lucero
Grace MacDonald
Megan MacHatton
Christina Mahoney
Evan Makovsky
Donielle Markel
Andrea Martin
Jana Mathieson
Lisa May
Kathleen McGlynn
Peter Merrion
Andrea Michels
Marisa Migliore
Landon Millsap
Gregory Miscikowski
Beth Mongold
Brin Moore
John Moran
Suzanne Morgan
Nathaniel Morrison
Linda Morrison
Lawrence Moskow
Barbara Moskow
Maria Mota-Ramirez
Holly Murtaugh
Jenna Neeley
Joanna Negler
Roseann Niemeyer
Bruce O’Donnell
Amy & Bill O’Connor
Christopher Oneil
Elise Osenga
Sorola Palmer
Trent Peaker
Aviva Pearlman
Rob Pell
Alexander Person
Barbara Peterson
John Pflaum
Brooke Pike
Al Polonsky
Megan Post
Susan Powers
Ronald & Barbara Pred
Emily Ragan
shayne ravin
Randy Ray
Aaron Ray
Judi Recht
Barry Reed
Justine Reed
Don Reichelt
Sara Reynolds
Pamela Ricci
Gregg Rich
Carol Riggs
David Riordon
Jayme Ritchie
Melissa Rodriguez
Jeff Rollins
Lesley Roper
Keir Roper
Joyce Roper
Geoff Roth
Curtis & Ruth Rueter
Ana Ruiz
Phil Russell
Rocio Salazar
Melanie Salniker
Haley Sammen
Paula Sandoval
Gregg Saunders
Joan Schneider
Larry Schoenwald
Brian Schroder
Ira Selkowitz
Rosemary Shanley
Roger Sherman
Mimi Shim
Jeff Shoemaker
Jim Shoemaker
Dana Shriberg
Eliza Slayman
Tracy L Smith
Lauren Snee
Brenda Snider
Kip Stastny
Tiana Stastny
Gary & Leslie Stiefler
Cyndi Stovall
Steve Stretz
John Sulak
Grant Swanson
Melinda Teiken
Andrew Thomas
Elana Thomas
David Thorpe
John Tone
Kathleen Travis
Peter Tripp
Molly Trujillo
Jenna Tully
Eric Tupler
Lauralee Veenstra
Carrie Wack
Peter Wall
Tobi Watson
Tanya Weinberg
Bradley Weinig
Eric Weisman
Steve Welchert
Pete West
Annalee White
Ellen Wilensky
Jennifer Williams
Riley Williamson
Stefanie Winfield
Mike Winn
Charlotte winzenburg
Donna Witonsky
Dita Wohlauer
Claire Wolcott
Natalie Wood
Ben Woolf
Quinn Yawger
Marykate Zukiewicz
Pinyon Environmental
Richardson Agency
River Collective CO LLC
The MacMeier Foundation
River Mile Foundation
Cherry Creek Shopping Center
The Connolly Family Charitable Fund
Open Flow
KSE Elitch Gardens Revesco Second City, LLLP
Back To Motion Physical Therapy
CRL Associates
Kroenke Sports & Entertainment
DJCA LLC
Turner Construction
AECOM
wenk associates
Grand American, Inc.
Westside Investment Partners
Sewald Hanfling Public Affairs
Shears Adkins Rockmore Architects
Trammell Crow Company
Power Design
Capitol Representatives
Martin/Martin
Stantec
Denver Water
Alpine Bank
HDR, Inc.
Virginia W. Hill Foundation
Amy L Scott Family Foundation
Tributary Real Estate
GSSG Solar
GEI Consultants
Shrewsberry
Crescent Real Estate
Xcel Energy Foundation
The Nature Conservancy
The Beacon Fund
Kroenke Sports Charities
Jacobs
Cypress 16
The Mayor’s Office of National Western Center
Conscience Bay Company
Speedland
Hiratsuka & Associates
Xcel Energy
Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck
Industry
Piper Sandler
The Kenney Group
ERO Resources Corporation
First American Title Insurance Company
Muller Engineering
University of Colorado at Denver
Metro Water Recovery
GBSM Inc
Life Purpose Shaman
The Thomas Edwin Greenbaum Charitable Foundation, Inc.
Summit Street Group
Mile High Flood District
Sasaki Associates Inc.
NINE dot ARTS
Asana Partners
Collegiate Peaks Bank
Chatfield Reservoir Mitigation Company
Aurora Water
Revesco USA Properties LLLP
DSST: Byers High School
Dominion Water & Sanitation District
Naranjo Civil Constructors
Arbor Force
S2o Design & Engineering
Otak
Westside Investment Partners, Inc.
Otten Johnson Robinson Neff & Ragonetti PC
JE Dunn Construction
Central Colorado Water Conservancy District
Urban Ventures
Banshee House
OZ Architects
Pacifico Preserves
Wenk Associates Inc
Carollo Engineering
Valerian
Stream Landscape Architecture and Planning
M Moser Associates
MyFly
Parkwell LLC
DDPHE – City & County of Denver
Allen Vellone Wolf Helfrich & Factor P.C.
Architerra Group Inc
Molson Coors
CSU Spur
Perkins & Will
Calibre Engineering
Chevron
Iron Woman Construction
ECI Site Construction Management, Inc
Cherry Creek North
Shana Glassman Foundation
HealthONE
The Chotin Foundation
MDC/Richmond American Homes Foundation
Cory Elementary
PCL Construction
JV Denargo LLC
Weifield Group Contracting
RiNo Art District
Janus Henderson
Rocky Mountain Huts LLC
The Children’s Museum of Denver
Olsson
Whiting-Turner
Shaw Construction
East West Partners
Slalom Inc
ZF Capital
Schlessman Family Foundation
Moody Insurance
Colorado Rapids
Livable Cities Studio
The Mahoney Family Foundation
GE Johnson Construction Company
Shears Adkins Rockmore
Regional Air Quality Control
Garden Club of Denver
Platte River Recovery Implementation Program
Riverfront Park Community Foundation
Don Lloyd Financial
REMS
McGlone Elementary
Elitch Gardens
Inspire Elementary
Joe Shoemaker School
The Pedicord Family Fund
Teller Elementary – Denver Public Schools
Leave Your Mark
All of our progress is only possible thanks to the ongoing support, generosity, and belief of people like you. Help build a healthier river, a happier community, and a more sustainable tomorrow.