Introducing Grossman Scholar: Ella Douglas
Alex Schupp • June 14, 2018
Introducing Grossman Scholar: Ella Douglas
Thanks to the generosity of former Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado (VOC) Board Member Rick Grossman and his wife Susie, VOC is now able to offer two $5,000 scholarships each year to help make educational dreams possible for those involved in outdoor volunteer stewardship!
The first scholarship is reserved for graduating seniors or currently enrolled college students who have participated in VOC's high school Cairn Youth Program, and we are proud to introduce Denver South High School's Ella Douglas
as our very first Grossman Scholar!
Ella has participated in the Cairn program since 2016 and her strong academic skills, commitment to restoring and protecting the outdoors, and plans to pursue a career in an environmental-related field qualified her as an excellent recipient of the scholarship.
She was a straight-A student and will be attending the University of Colorado at Boulder in the fall to study Environmental Science and/or Environmental Engineering. In addition to VOC’s Cairn Youth Program, Ella has been involved in numerous volunteer programs throughout her high school career including Colorado Young Leaders and Denver South High School’s Unified Gym Games.
With Colorado Young Leaders, Ella maintained trails, hiked 14ers, and provided volunteer support for the Xterra Marathon; for the Unified Gym Games, she performed a variety of childcare work, which she credits with teaching her what it means to be a successful and influential leader. Ella’s involvement in VOC’s Cairn Youth Program is where her love for the environment grew. As Ella explained, “The environment is an area that I have been passionate about for a long time, and when I joined Cairn it became even more important to me. Cairn inspired me to want to do something in the environmental field.”
Ella’s overarching goal is to use the Grossman Scholarship to expand her love of learning and her knowledge of the environment in order to make the world a better place - and we have no doubt that she will succeed in doing so!
With Ella’s exemplary academic background, her impressive volunteer work, and her genuine love for the environment, we at VOC are proud of Ella’s accomplishments and know she will do great things for the outdoors in her future endeavors!
High school students interested in participating in the Cairn Youth Program can submit applications for the 2018-19 school year at www.voc.org/cairn; applications will close on July 31.
VOC has also opened applications for the second Grossman Scholarship, to be awarded to a non-traditional student who is pursuing postsecondary education in an outdoor-related field at an accredited 2- or 4-year college in Colorado. Applications will close on September 16.
Grossman Scholar Kace reflects on their path in conservation biology and how VOC’s scholarship is helping them pursue hands-on research and fieldwork at CSU.
After three meaningful decades, Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado (VOC) will be saying goodbye to our longtime home at the Dos Chappell Bathhouse in Denver's beloved Washington Park. In the early 1990s, VOC signed a 30-year lease with the City of Denver to transform the historic bathhouse in Washington Park into a headquarters that could support our growing mission. With generous support from our community, we launched a capital campaign and raised $700,000 to complete the initial renovations, which were finalized in 1996. Altogether, including the original renovations, VOC has invested more than $1 million in improvements and ongoing maintenance, creating a space that is enjoyed by our staff, volunteers, and the broader Washington Park community. In 2000, the building was renamed in honor of Dos Chappell, VOC’s former Executive Director (1988–1999), whose vision and leadership left a lasting legacy on our organization and Colorado’s outdoor stewardship movement. This space has been more than just an office—it’s been a gathering place, a launchpad for thousands of volunteers, and a visible symbol of our commitment to caring for Colorado.
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