Fiona Forward: Q3 2023 Impact
In Q3, Fiona Forward ignited our curiosity by rolling out their education initiative! Along with the 2,661 Dollars donated and 46.5 Hours served, Fiona Forward shared 4 articles to help deepen our understanding of the barriers to housing stability. The team also hosted their first Committee Member meeting where any employee could join to learn about Fiona Forward’s vision and brainstorm future events and how to engage remote employees.
Debunking Myths About Homelessness
The team summarized 4 articles by including a Myth / Fact section to help debunk myths and stigmas about how people become homeless. Fiona Forward believes this open dialogue around the real barriers to housing stability can direct our efforts to the right causes. As an example, here’s our Myth / Fact tidbit from Elevated Denver:
- Myth: People choose to be homeless. They aren’t interested in finding a stable living situation.
- Fact: In a survey conducted of unhoused people in Colorado in 2023, only 8 out of 825 (less than 1%) respondents said that they would be uninterested in housing if it was provided to them. The assumption that people “choose” to be homeless is often used to shift the blame from what we know has the biggest impact on homelessness: a lack of affordable housing.
In-Person Events: From Denver to Wisconsin
In the Mile High City, the Fiona Forward team was busy coordinating a taco dinner for House of Hope, serving customers at our pay-what-you-can neighborhood joint Cafe 180, and packing weekend meals for kids with Food For Thought. Meanwhile, in America’s Dairyland, Arden Murphy and her Mom kicked off our first-ever remote event including an in-kind donation! They spent their day shopping for food pantry items and dropping the load off at a local school. The school’s outdoor donation cabinet went from slim pickings to fully stocked with non-perishable goods thanks to this daughter-mom dynamic duo.
Donation to our Community Spotlight
This quarter’s partner shoutout goes to Food For Thought, a volunteer-based Denver initiative to provide schoolchildren with reliable meals over the weekend. Fiona Forward has attended countless Food For Thought Friday mornings where the humble, albeit lively, Bob Bell pulls at everyone’s heartstrings before the crowd commences the food packing. Fiona Forward has officially become a Bronze Sponsor for this inspiring, impactful organization!
Reid Wicoff, CEO, volunteering at Cafe 180 food prep and serving event, giving two thumbs up
Looking Ahead
Quarter 4 will be another chance to serve the community, donate to our partners, and learn about housing instability with Fiona Forward. The team also plans to present their finalized Vision Tracker Organizer during their October Lunch ‘N Learn and launch their brand new website page!
About Fiona Forward
Want to partner or learn more about Fiona Forward? Contact [email protected] for partnership opportunities.
Fiona Forward is an employee-driven volunteer initiative at Digible aimed at addressing the barriers to housing stability in the Denver community through community service and in-kind donations.
Written By: Taylor Norberg
