[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 135 (Tuesday, September 13, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Page S5531]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                      COMMUNITY SHARES OF COLORADO

 Mr. BENNET. Mr. President, today I wish to honor Community 
Shares of Colorado, a philanthropic organization that is celebrating 25 
years of supporting Colorado's communities. In its years of service, 
Community Shares has demonstrated a tireless commitment to supporting 
Colorado's nonprofits and providing individuals with an opportunity to 
do the same.
  Community Shares strives to connect Coloradoans of any economic 
background with organizations that inspire them. The organizations 
staff and supporters firmly believe that philanthropy should not be 
restricted to the most affluent, but rather should be extended to 
include any and all who are willing to give. Using this approach, they 
have brought together average gifts of $5 a week for a total of nearly 
$20 million in support of more than 100 nonprofits.
  Furthermore, Community Shares has recently begun a program entitled 
``My Colorado Project'' aimed at encouraging our kids and young 
Coloradans to develop the habits of philanthropy and social 
responsibility. This innovative program expands traditional donation to 
include elements of social media and creates an engaging virtual 
community that involves our young, emerging philanthropists in 
supporting their communities and causes they care about with a 
geographic, age-accessible online tool.
  The organizations that Community Shares supports are local and 
dedicated to the issues that define Colorado, from protecting our 
abundant natural resources to improving health care and promoting 
community leadership.
  I join the State of Colorado in thanking the staff of this 
organization for their hard work and dedication, and I look forward to 
its continued success.

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