Winnner
www.intercambioweb.org
4735 Walnut St., Suite B, Boulder, 303.996.0275,
515 Kimbark St, Suite 103, Longmont, 303.776.7070,
1412 W. 38th Ave., Denver, 303.433.0190
Lee Shainis
Intercambio de Comunidades fosters cultural interchange between immigrant populations and English speakers in the community. Volunteers teach English to immigrants, and out of this interchange, friendships are formed. Lee Shainis co-founded the independent nonprofit organization in 2001 with his friend, Shawn Camden, and since then, 6,000 students and 3,000 volunteers have participated. Its mission is to build respectful communities and broaden opportunities for immigrants through language education, cultural exchange and friendship. Shainis is motivated by “seeing our work in action – the classes, the friendships building between teachers and students. These are all good people. So many people want to do this; we train 30 new volunteers a month. We’re also motivating our partners – housing organizations, schools, parenting organizations. People are super-committed. Our donors are great, too. My satisfaction comes from hearing how people’s lives are completely changed – getting a job, getting citizenship. They say: ‘I can not only survive here, I can succeed!’ This is pretty intense work, so we balance it with a lot of fun. I’m known as the fun guy in the community. It’s important for the immigrant community to de-stress, because their lives are often heavy. I think I got this award because of the people who are part of the organization and do amazing things; it makes me look good. The award belongs to the organization – I‘m just the face of it.”
Runner Up Runner Up
www.cpwd-ilc.org
1675 Range St., Boulder, 303.442.8662
www.commfound.org
1123 Spruce St., Boulder, 303.442.0436
