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How to Give to Spirit of Aurora

By donating to Spirit of Aurora, you’re directly impacting programs that enhance the quality of life in our vibrant city. Choose from a variety of city department initiatives (listed on this page) or make a general donation to help fund grants and sponsorships for local community nonprofits.

How to give

  1. Directed Donations: Contribute to specific city of Aurora programs
  2. General Donations: Help fund grants for nonprofits and community programs

Payment Options

  1. Please make checks payable to:
    • Spirit of Aurora and include your project or program of choice in the memo line and mail your tax-deductible donation to: Spirit of Aurora, 15151 E. Alameda Parkway, Fifth Floor, Aurora, CO 80012.
  2. If you would like to donate online:
Zeffy QR Code

Together, we can uplift our community, support local organizations and make Aurora an even better place to call home.
Your support matters—thank you for making a difference!

What are our current initiatives?

Click on any of the initiatives below to learn more about them. To give, go to the Spirit of Aurora Zeffy site and select the initiative you'd like to support from the dropdown menu or mail a check to the address listed above.

Aurora Fire Rescue

Two young women prying open a door

Aurora Fire Rescue runs an immersive three-day camp in the summer each year for middle to high school age young women (ages 11-19) at no cost to the participants. We have the ultimate goal of spiking interest in these young women to join the fire service, a career that is composed of only 8% women. More importantly, we look for the young women to leave our camp as stronger leaders within their families, friend groups, schools, and communities. Camp is held the last weekend in July and includes a firehouse visit and an overnight stay at the city of Aurora Public Safety Training Center (CAPSTC), maximizing the time spent with the young women.

Housing and Community Services

Family with dog

Help our furry friends find safe, loving forever homes by supporting the Aurora Animal Shelter. Your donations support veterinary needs, medical treatment, food, and shelter for homeless animals as well as investigation and prosecution of cruelty violations and prevention/educational programs. All of your contributions directly benefit the animals.

 

The city of Aurora conducts outreach to neighbors living on the streets or in their vehicles via Street Outreach and Aurora Cold Weather Outreach Team (ACOT). Proceeds will go toward items such as socks, hygiene kits, nonperishable food, and coats. There is also an Amazon Wishlist in which you can purchase items that will help stock the outreach teams.

Street Outreach is contracted with nonprofits in Aurora that specialize in working with people experiencing homelessness; they go to camps seven days a week to provide resources and make referrals.

The Aurora Cold Weather Outreach Team is a collaborative of social workers, mental health clinicians, Aurora Police Department officers, and Aurora Fire Rescue paramedics. When the weather is life-threateningly cold, this team is activated. They will outreach to camps and offer transportation to shelter, wound care, and provide resources such as coats, hand warmers, and food.

Three members of the Aurora Mobile Response Team in front of a vehicle

The Aurora Mobile Response Team pairs a mental health clinician with a paramedic or EMT to provide trauma-informed crisis intervention and de-escalation services on the scene to individuals experiencing a behavioral health crisis related to mental health, depression, homelessness, poverty, and/or substance use issues.

Give Real Change Logo

The Give Real Change campaign aims to curb panhandling in Aurora and supports those in need in a meaningful way that fosters long-term change toward self-sufficiency. Proceeds from the campaign will support Aurora's homelessness programs and help fund essential needs for those experiencing homelessness such as bus tickets, food, water, and vital documents. Learn more about this campaign at GiveRealChange.org.

 

Details coming soon. You can be introduced to the campus on the Engage Aurora website.

Library and Cultural Services

Aurora Fox Marquee

The historic Aurora Fox Arts Center is the home of a professional Equity Theatre Company that hosts the area’s top performing artists and outstanding theatrical shows. Donations support programming and capital improvements and corporate sponsorships are available at all levels.

Aurora Scholars staff and students

The Aurora Scholars Program publicly recognizes students in Aurora schools who strongly contribute to their school and community. They might be a stellar student athlete, terrific community member, high academic achiever or dedicated volunteer. But most importantly, they go above and beyond in whatever they do best. Your donation continues to award these efforts and invests in the future of Aurora.

Smiling boy with books

Give the gifts of reading and learning to a child through the Summer Reading Program. This popular program reaches an average of 6,000 children each summer and is funded solely through gifts and donations, which are used to purchase supplies, books, and prizes for participants.

Office of Emergency Management

Circle containing four quadrants with arrows shwoing continuous progression between Preparedness, Response, Recovery and Prevention-Mitigation

The mission of the Aurora Office of Emergency Management is to lead the city through disasters and emergencies by comprehensive preparedness, mitigation, response, and recovery efforts. If a disaster were to impact the city and financial assistance is needed for community members, donating is one great way to help. The Office of Emergency Management uses Spirit of Aurora as the donation management site for those wanting to (financially) assist their community members in rebuilding after a disaster or emergency.

Office of Experience and Engagement

Black and white image of Martin Luther King Jr. looking to his right with hands folded in front of his face

The city's annual Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration brings together community members from all walks of life to celebrate and remember King's legacy.

Office of International and Immigrant Affairs

A family gathers around a table eating at an open market

The Steering Committee of the Aurora Asian/Pacific Community Partnership consists of leaders from the greater metropolitan community who have an interest in promoting the wellbeing, cultures, and businesses of Aurora’s diverse Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander (AANHPI) communities. Members initiate projects for which they are passionate and by doing so, the Partnership serves as a conduit of information and resources to help educate the greater community on issues, cultural experiences, and projects that concern the AANHPI communities.

Parks, Recreation and Open Space

Older adults at Aurora Center for Active Adults

The Aurora Center for Active Adults serves active 50+ adults with programs and services. Your generous donation helps fund classes in fitness, health, dance, computers, arts, crafts, and other hobbies, as well as day trips, hikes, social activities, and events. These programs engage the mind, enhance creativity, and encourage an active lifestyle.

Teens smile while sharing drinks around a table at an outdoor shopping center

Youth Services Programs help build positive life-enhancing skills, attitudes, and behaviors in our youth. These qualities are developmental assets, and we build these advantages in youth through the Aurora Youth Commission, America’s Promise, and Summer Youth Activities. Donations go to fund these various life-changing programs.

Police Department

Aurora SAVE Standing Against Violence Every Day

Aurora SAVE is a focused-deterrence strategy and a collaboration between the Aurora Police Department (APD), Youth Violence Prevention Program (YVPP), and community partners with strong support from Aurora leaders to intervene with high-risk groups and individuals to reduce future crimes. The city's current efforts are focusing on reducing gun violence. 

Logo of Aurora Police Employee Support and Wellness Unit, with icons of a shield, a heart, a mind and a helping hand

The Employee Support and Wellness Unit was created to assist all Aurora Police Department employees by providing assistance and resources from either within or outside the organization to care for members’ physical, emotional, psychological, and spiritual well-being. A key focus of the ESWU is building resiliency, which equips both officers and professional staff to better handle the daily stresses of their demanding roles. By fostering resiliency, all personnel are not only able to care for themselves but are also better prepared and more focused in their service to the community.

Your donation will directly support initiatives that strengthen both officers' and staff's ability to remain calm, clear-headed, and effective, ensuring they can continue to provide the highest level of care and protection for the public.

Police dog

The Aurora K9 Unit uses Spirit of Aurora Funds to supplement the financial support of the Police Department. The donated monies are used to purchase specialized equipment to outfit the K9 team so they can effectively and safely assist in resolving dangerous situations. The funds can also be used in purchasing safety and comfort items for the dogs, maintaining safe kenneling areas, ensuring the vehicles used to transport them are safe and reliable, and supporting the high level of training necessary to provide exceptional service to the community.

People lined up outside a mobile food market

SECORCares, in partnership with the Aurora Police Department’s (APD) Community Relations Section, hosts a wide-range of mobile food events throughout Aurora to benefit seniors, community members experiencing homelessness, school children, victims of crime, and immigrants and refugees.

Through SECOR’s free mobile food market, guests are able to shop and put food on their tables, without concern for payment. Community members are provided with fresh produce, meats, dairy, fresh breads, canned and dry goods, and even desserts. On average, community members are provided with enough food to last 10 to 14 days. Learn more about SECORCares’ work in the community: SecorCares.com.

100% of all donations received by Spirit of Aurora to benefit SECOR’s Mobile Food Market are used to purchase food.

Glass awards on a table

The Aurora Police Awards Board proudly honors the dedication of department members through an annual awards ceremony. To support this event, the board will use funds to cover costs such as medals, ribbons, awards and items that enhance the celebration. These funds help create a festive and welcoming atmosphere for honorees and their families, with additions like balloons, kids’ activity bags and a photo booth. This highlights our appreciation for the families who support our members both at home and in the field. We are proud to present honors such as the Medal of Honor and Distinguished Cross for sworn officers, and the Superior and Excellence Awards for professional staff—recognizing their values, courage, and commitment. Through this ceremony, we give back to those who give so much to our department and the Aurora community.

APD logo with the words Victims Assistance Fund

The mission of the Victim Services Unit of the Aurora Police Department is to provide timely, effective crisis intervention, support, information, and resources to victims of crime within the city of Aurora. Victim advocates are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to respond to calls for service along with patrol officers on crimes that fall under the Colorado Victim Rights Act to provide support and resources. Victims of crime and their families often experience financial hardships in the aftermath of their victimization. The Victim Services Unit hopes to lessen this burden by providing gift cards for things like food, clothing, and/or hygiene items to victims—for example, a domestic violence and their children who are forced to flee from their home. We also provide assistance to victims with transportation needs in the form of gift cards for gas, ride-share companies, and/or bus passes. Any funds received would be used for these purposes, and in accordance with the Victim Rights Act in Colorado.

Water

Aurora Water

Aurora Water Cares provides bill payment assistance to families and individuals struggling financially due to a personal crisis or emergency. This income-qualified program is open to Aurora Water customers and provides up to $400 per award once every 12 months with a maximum of four total awards per customer lifetime.

Spirit of Aurora General Donations

If you wish to make a general donation to Spirit of Aurora, the SOA board will allocate your donation to other programs or local community nonprofits based on need. Select "SOA General Donation" from the dropdown menu on Zeffy or add "General" in the memo field of your check.

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