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Colorado Garden Foundation grants and scholarships surpass $10M

The Colorado Garden Foundation will present its 2020 grants at the Colorado Garden & Home Show, on Friday, Feb. 28 at 1 p.m.

DENVER — Content Provided by the Colorado Garden Foundation. 9NEWS is a sponsor of the 2020 Colorado Garden and Home Show.

The Colorado Garden & Home Show is one of the largest events of its kind and is also one of the largest economic drivers to Colorado's economy, producing an economic impact of $60 million and resulting in 600 jobs annually.

But that’s not all the show produces. One hundred percent of the ticket proceeds from the Colorado Garden & Home Show and the Colorado Fall Home Show support horticultural grants and scholarships in Colorado.

To date, the Colorado Garden Foundation has contributed more than $10 million to students and programs across the state.

The 2020 grants total more than $540,000 including matching grants of $27,500 provided by show sponsor Bellco Credit Union. The two largest non-profit grant winners this year are the Denver Art Museum and the Denver Botanic Gardens.

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“We look forward to seeing what the Foundation’s support allows these, and our other grant recipients to create for future generations,” said Colorado Garden Foundation Executive Director Jim Fricke.

The Colorado Garden Foundation will present the grants at the Colorado Garden & Home Show, on Friday, Feb. 28 at 1 p.m.

The ceremony, which is open to all attendees, will include the presentation of a $50,000 check to the Denver Art Museum in support of its sensory garden. The Denver Botanic Gardens will be presented with a $50,000 check in support of the completion of the Freyer-Newman Center for Science, Art and Education.

Additional 2020 grant award winners include the following nine statewide organizations:

  1. Anchor Center for Blind Children, of Denver, in support of its horticulture therapy program.
  2. Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Denver, of Denver, in support of its garden program.
  3. Colorado Future Farmers Association Foundation, of Greeley, in support of its agricultural education programs.
  4. Centennial Mental Health Center, of Sterling, in support of its Garden to Table program.
  5. Valley Educational Gardens Initiative (VEGI), of Alamosa, in support of its renovation of Boyd Community Garden.
  6. Fort Sedgwick Historical Society, of Julesburg, in support of its interpretive and educational garden.
  7. D51 Career Center, of Grand Junction, for reclamation of land around the greenhouse.
  8. Douglas County High School, of Castle Rock, in support of its agricultural education programs.
  9. Cloud City Conservation Center, of Leadville, in support of community garden improvements.
Credit: Colorado Garden Foundation

One common theme in this year’s grant awards is projects and programs that promote physical and mental well-being through green spaces or community gardening.

The public is invited to learn more about these programs and more at the 61st annual Colorado Garden & Home Show, Saturday, Feb. 22 to Sunday, March 1, 2020 at the Colorado Convention Center.

Tickets and more information can be found at ColoradoGardenFoundation.org.

RELATED: Colorado Garden & Home Show runs through March 1 at Colorado Convention Center

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