$15,000 Gift Helps High School Teens Prepare for a Career in Healthcare
July 17, 2020
Denver Health partners with Denver Public Schools on Faces for the Future (FACES) to identify at-risk students at Manual and West High Schools.
In FACES’ two-year program, students from both schools receive job training, science education, and experiential learning in Denver Health’s clinical settings. In 2020, program administrators are also working with their Denver Health colleagues in nursing to make sure students can earn a CNA certification during the program so that they can begin their work experience as they continue their education. This helps ease the challenge that many of these students may face between choosing to continue their education or starting a job to provide needed income.
The program is so successful at promoting better futures for students that 100% of those enrolled graduate from high school, 92% enter post-secondary training, and 90% pursue a career in healthcare. Additionally, one out of six kids in the program are the first in the family to complete high school and one in two are the first in their family to attend college.
In addition to providing immediate benefits to students, the program has an important long-term goal to advance health equity in our community through education and is intentionally designed to diversify the healthcare workforce and to improve the health of our community. More than 80% of FACES students are bilingual and more than 90% identify as persons of color and come from low-income families.
This year, DPS faced a historic decline in their budget and asked if Denver Health Foundation could help make up the difference to keep the program running. When you give to Denver Health Foundation, you directly impact the lives of students enrolled in this program, enabling them with life skills for a better future.
Thank you – you are the foundation of Denver’s health.