Meet the fellows!
We’re excited to introduce our inaugural class of Early Carer Professionals, a budding group of young leaders in the Denver Metro Area with 2-5 years of work experience and an appetite for creating positive change.
Perla Bustillos is the co-founder and engagement manager at Ednium: The Alumni Collective, a growing coalition of recent Denver Public Schools alumni who want more from their public education system. As a leader of the collective, Perla is helping Ednium collect insights from alumni while offering them a space to develop leadership skills and an advocacy platform to move ideas — like new K-12 financial literacy and ethnic studies curriculums — into action.
1. Helping young adults build leadership & advocacy skills while also earning a living wage
2. Addressing the unequal distribution of nature and access to the outdoors
1. Helping undocumented families purchase property
2. Helping undocumented youth increase incomes
1. Building supportive Latina communities
2. Creating spaces where BIPOC people can feel safe to share their stories
1. Increasing the social, cultural and political power of BIPOC communities
2. Creating bridges of access to education, resources & opportunity for BIPOC youth
1. Addressing trans-generational health inequalities faced by Black communities
2. Connecting academic institutions with local communities
1. Creating better access to digital services & literature
2. Addressing community healing through restorative justice practices
1. Supporting the overall wellness of LGBTQ+ youth
2. Supporting access to quality education
1. Solving issues that stem from a lack of representation and expression
2. Increasing access to resources for youth of color who are struggling in school
1. Pushing for school attendance to be tracked as part of academic achievement
2. Increasing access to quality early education opportunities for underserved communities
1. Creating better access to life-changing resources for underserved communities
2. Building a more accessible world for those with disabilities.
1. Improving access to transformational opportunities for youth and adults
2. Building more diversity on leadership teams at non-profits
1. Increasing the number of minority women in healthcare executive roles
2. Improving oral health disparities among low-income children & decreasing food deserts
1. Creating access to quality higher education & access to support for BIPOC students completing their degrees
2. Combating food deserts by creating access to quality food & providing gardening education
1. Creating innovative ways to improve public education
2. Generating better access to & information about healthy food in schools
1. Increasing opportunities for income-qualifying youth of color
2. Creating a more equitable and representative workforce
1. Combating inequity of access to professional coaching and advice
2. Breaking down barriers between humans across racial, cultural & geographic lines
1. Improving access to healthy environments in low-income & BIPOC communities
2. Generate more leadership opportunities for under-represented communities in the workplace & educational spaces
1. Decreasing gentrification and displacement
2. Improving the immigration law practice
1. Increasing access to health and nutrition resources for youth and families
2. Improving access to outdoor recreational activities
1. Eliminating barriers to accessing services
2. Understanding best practices for serving families who are experiencing homelessness
1. Addressing the housing crisis across Colorado
2. Fostering pathways towards leadership for those most impacted by systemic inequities
1. Addressing inequities in access to postsecondary education
2. Ending cycles of poverty through tools like student debt forgiveness, ending predatory loan practices & affordable housing
1. Increasing student access to mental health resources
2. Addressing the emotional implications of gentrification
Although our initiatives now live under the Gary Community Ventures name, we intentionally chose to honor our history as The Piton Foundation in selecting The Piton Fellowship as the title for this program. We did so because we believe this name tells a perfect story about the idea of ascendency in leadership that Piton has long represented.
There are three cohorts of the fellowship for Youth, Early Career Professionals and Mid-Career Professionals. Designed to accessibly fit into the busy lives of fellows, this free experience allows fellows to continue working and learning while building their leadership skills, networks and potential to create community impact. Upon completion of the program, Gary provides fellows a $1,000 stipend to use towards professional development and career-building opportunities.
Share Your Ideas
I would like to see business people try to solve social problems with the same imagination and energy they use to finance a factory or make a deal. Don’t call it philanthropy; call it corporate social investment. Make it integral to business.