By Chanel Ward
Democratic U.S. Senate candidate, two-term governor and two-term mayor of Denver, John Hickenlooper visited Mi Casa Resource Center recently; touring the just over two-year-old facility and sitting down with staff.
Mi Casa Resource Center has served Denver for over 40 years, creating pathways to opportunities and success for economic achievement and family prosperity in unique and nationally recognized programming. In 2017, they served over 3,000 people, with 88 new businesses launched, nearly 300 youth served in afterschool and summer programs and 65 work-seeking graduates out of their Customer Service Training program.
Hickenlooper visited Mi Casa on January 17th, where he toured the facility and met with Chief Development Officer of Mi Casa, Dale Flanders who led the tour, while Chief Operating Officer, Tammy Mulligan, Director of Business Pathways, Denyse Airheart, Director of Strategic Initiatives, Andrea Stiles Pullas and Press Associate, Nico Delgado followed and answered questions pertaining to their expertise along the way.
Mi Casa Resource Center in Denver offers valuable opportunities.
“What I did as mayor, what I did as a governor, I plan to do as a senator and I was hoping that maybe I can get a tour and hear a little about the health of the enterprise,” said Hickenlooper. “I know [Rob] Salazar and was following as this building was being built off the notion of Latino philanthropy.”
The Salazar Family Foundation donated $1.5 million to Mi Casa, which was key to the resource center moving its headquarters to the Westwood neighborhood in July of 2017 and naming their headquarters “The Salazar Center for Family Prosperity” in honor of Rob and Lola Salazar and the generous contribution their foundation afforded them.
Some of the other donors include, the Morgridge Family Foundation, Comcast, Denver Urban Renewal Authority and the Daniels Fund to name a few.
“Our building is two parts,” explained Flanders, “there’s our staff part, then our participant area.”
Equipped with a full kitchen, computer lab, consulting room, a designated kid zone and classrooms they also have a recognizable van adorned with their name and parts of their slogan.
“We create pathways to opportunity. We envision a community where all people have the power to achieve their economic goals and realize their dreams.”
After the tour, Hickenlooper sat with staff in the board room that is wrapped with a beautiful, hand-painted mural by Carlos Frésquez, artist and professor of art at Metropolitan State University of Denver.
Director of Business Pathways, Denyse Airheart explained the broad programs offered at Mi Casa.
“We offer career coaching and we have three staff go through the governors coaching core” said Airheart. “We also do training, so we have a life skills class that teaches you what you need to know to find and job and keep it. That you can take in ten days and they’ll support in finding you a job and they’ll support you for a year after you start your job.”
“We create pathways to opportunity. We envision a community where all people have the power to achieve their economic goals and realize their dreams.”
Their financial services training program has been operating for 10 years and is an industry-focused program that, “teaches you everything you need to know to get a job and keep it in the financial services industry, and in the last year we‘ve worked on aligning that now to higher education,” said Airheart.
“If you take that class, not only will we connect you to a job, but you can earn up to nine college credits in that class that’s stacked into a certificate program that we built in partnership with CCA,” pointed out Airheart. “That then eventually stack into an MBus and banking degree that Metro [Metropolitan State University of Denver] has just launched.”
To learn more about Mi Casa Resource Center, or to inquire more information about their services visit their website at Mi Casa Resource Center.org , call (303) 573-1302 or visit their Salazar Center for Family Prosperity headquarters at 345 S. Grove St. Denver, CO 80219.
Chanel Ward is an Independent Reporter for The Weekly Issue/El Semanario.
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