Please enjoy our winter newsletter featuring spotlights on our people, recent events, other news, and blog spotlight. |
|
|
|
|
Colorado at 150: A Legacy of Caring. A Future Purpose |
|
|
|
Colorado is a state with huge heart. Generosity is part of who we are. Watch this new short film – a high- energy celebration of giving across our state and a challenge to find our own ways to give back. Please watch, share, and submit your own stories of generosity. |
|
|
|
|
|
Trustee Updates for 2026 and Staff Promotions |
|
|
We recently said farewell to Nechie Hall, whose term as a Trustee and position as Vice Chair ended in 2025, and welcomed Paul O’Brien as a new Trustee. Dave Palenchar was re-elected as Chair and Andrea Aragon was elected as a Vice Chair. Thayer Tutt also continues to serve as a Vice Chair. The Board will also say farewell to Mike Edmonds and Emily Robinson when their terms come to a close in March. Our enormous thanks to each of these individuals and the entire Board for their invaluable contributions to the Foundation.
The following staff promotions were also recently announced: Kyle Boyle, I.T. Systems Administrator Sharie Dodge, Grants Associate and Receptionist Heather Kelley, Senior Vice President and Fellowship Program Officer Erica Oakley-Courage, Vice President of Grants Leighton Pacheco, ELD Program Manager Semin Park, Staff Accountant Shelby Pauka, Regional Partnerships Program Director Sarah Woods, Vice President of Collections
|
|
| El Pomar President & CEO, Kyle Hybl, celebrates 25 years at El Pomar Foundation |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Kyle Hybl has been President & CEO of El Pomar since 2019 following a 19-year career at the Foundation as General Counsel and then Chief Operating Officer. We are fortunate for Kyle’s depth of experience, including at the Foundation, as a JAG in the Air Force prior to that, an elected official on the University of Colorado Board of Regents, and a seasoned nonprofit board governance authority across the community and nationally. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
William J. Hybl Paralympic Contributor Award (U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Endowment) |
|
|
During the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Endowment’s recent conference in New York, the organization presented an inaugural award named for Bill Hybl, who is a long-time champion and supporter of the Olympic & Paralympic Movement and served as the Endowment’s Chair from 2002-2025. The William J. Hybl Paralympic Contributor Award honors individuals whose exemplary and prolonged service has made a significant and positive impact on the U.S. Paralympic movement, a movement that Bill passionately advocated for over the course of his career. The inaugural recipient of this award, Dr. Cheri Blauwet, was honored at the ceremony in December, along with honorees for the Endowment’s three other prestigious awards. |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
ELD Hosts Annual Reception |
|
|
|
Elevating Leadership Development (ELD) members, as well as ELD advisory board and council leadership, convened at Penrose House to celebrate the year’s successes and share plans for 2026. Senior Vice President and ELD Program Officer, Stella Hodgkins, announced programming and training opportunities for the new year. Fellows, Gabe Trujillo and Bec Ainsworth, congratulated members on notable awards and accomplishments in 2025. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Upcoming Events and Programs |
|
|
Celebrating Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s 100th Anniversary |
|
|
|
To celebrate the Zoo’s 100th anniversary, Penrose Heritage Museum will unveil a new exhibit on March 17 chronicling the early and unique history leading up to the Zoo’s 1926 founding by Spencer Penrose. The exhibit showcases historic photographs, artifacts, and a short documentary film. It will be on display throughout 2026 so stop by and see the exhibit on the way to your next trip to Cheyenne Mountain Zoo! Mark your calendars for our Family Exploration Day, June 6, from 10 a.m.–2 p.m., featuring an abundance of family-friendly activities including the ZOOMobile. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
ELD and local leadership development organizations invite you to Get on Board on Tuesday, April 1, from 4:30–6:30 p.m. at Penrose House. The event is a board fair at which participants can connect with nonprofits and civic organizations looking to attract members for their boards and commissions. Come and go as you please and explore ways to make an impact in Colorado Springs. RSVP here! |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
PeOPLE Application Opening Soon |
|
|
| The application for the 2026 Penrose Organizational and Professional Leadership Experience (PeOPLE) is opening soon! PeOPLE is a customized four-day leadership workshop offered in partnership with the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL), designed to develop exceptional leaders, equipping them with the skills to effectively manage and lead.
The next session will be September 29-October 2, in Colorado Springs. Applications open March 27. Visit our website here to learn more and apply! |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Grantee Spotlight Prairie Family Center |
|
| Prairie Family Center works to provide its community with the tools and resources to build, support, and educate healthy families through comprehensive support services to strengthen at-risk and underserved families across Kit Carson County and surrounding areas. El Pomar recently provided a $10,000 general operating support grant to help strengthen community partnerships, expand outreach and visibility, support vulnerable families, and enhance its role as a trusted resource for addressing local challenges. To learn more click here! |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
History Bit: Mrs. Penrose’s Poodles |
|
|
Mrs. Penrose’s French poodle Pitty Pat is well known, but it is not well known she had two other poodles, sisters Mannon and Yalla. This historic photograph was recently added to our collection. The newspaper clip below shows Mrs. Penrose with her poodles at the Dog Dress-Up show in Colorado Springs. The event was sponsored by the Dog Training center under the direction of dog trainer and handler Josephine Tutt, who was also director of The Broadmoor stables from 1954 to 1962. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| | The Heart of Penrose House By Caroline Monberg |
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
