Imagine yourself at age 15. What were you doing during that year? Starting high school? Anxious about how well you would perform at tomorrow night’s basketball game? Wondering who was going be your date to the dance?Now imagine not having a warm bed or food at the age of 15. It’s kind of hard to picture. The sad truth is that for over 2,000 youth in Denver homelessness is a reality. The basic needs to survive and thrive are luxuries that may never happen for some of our youth.
This is where Urban Peak comes into play. A unique non-profit right in the heart of our city and they know these youth firsthand. If you have ever wanted to support a cause and improve somebody’s quality of life, here’s an easy way how. We all know Cirque du Soleil as a performance of exhilarating acrobats and thrilling stories. But you may not know that Cirque du Soleil reserves seats to its performances around the world to help benefit non-profits helping youth. This year Urban Peak has been fortunate enough to be reelected by Cirque du Soleil, who has graciously donated 700 seats to Urban Peak to sell as a fundraiser to their captivating show, Amaluna–The newest touring show of wonder, lovers and poetry, a definite must see. Urban Peak describes the sponsorship with Cirque du Soleil as an “opportunity of a lifetime,” since 100% of each ticket sold will be directed back to Urban Peak to support youth suffering from destitution. For an organization like Urban Peak the enormity of an event like this will truly impact the youth in Denver.
Urban Peak is truly one of a kind. They are the only non-profit organization in Metro-Denver that provides a 40 bed overnight shelter for youth 15-21, a daytime drop-in center, three transitional housing, education and employment services, case management, life skill courses, mental health evaluations, meals and more. All of this is funded through state and federal grants– grant monies, received by private foundations and corporations– and proceeds from events like Cirque du Soleil, as well as individual donations. This is much needed for an organization that has experienced cuts at the federal and state level amounting to $500,000 in fiscal year 2013. It is the world to Urban Peak and the youth they encounter every day, to have support from an accredited company such as Cirque du Soleil.
Event Details
Cirque du Soleil: Amaluna
Date: July 19 and July 25
Time: 8:00pm
Where: Pepsi Center
1000 Chopper Circle
Denver, 80204
Purchase tickets: urbanpeak.org
Looking for an additional way to give back to the community? Spend a morning or afternoon at Urban Peak. Volunteers are needed on a recurring basis. At this time Urban Peak has a need for volunteers to serve breakfast at their drop- in center Monday through Friday. As well as their “Welcome Wagon,” volunteers help out by lending a hand to prepare and ready transitional housing apartments for new residents. Prospective volunteers can visit UrbanPeak.org for additional information.
