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.

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; investigation and prosecution of cruelty violations; and prevention/educational programs. All contributions directly benefit the animals.

The city of Aurora conducts outreach to neighbors living on the streets or in their vehicles via Street Outreach, the Aurora Cold Weather Outreach Team (ACOT), and the Aurora Mobile Response Team (AMRT). 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 outreach to camps and offer transportation to shelter, wound care, and resources such as coats, hand warmers and food.

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.

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 funded essential needs for those experiencing homelessness such as bus tickets, food and water. The funds will also help pay for vital documents such as IDs and birth certificates. Learn more about this campaign at GiveRealChange.org.

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. Corporate sponsorships are available at all levels.

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, a terrific citizen, a high academic achiever or a 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.

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.

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.

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.

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. By doing so, the Partnership serves as a conduit of information and resources to help educate the greater community on any number of issues, cultural experiences and projects that concern the AANHPI communities.

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.

COMPASS provides after-school academic and enrichment programs to young people attending Aurora Public Schools. It is a partnership between Aurora Public Schools, the city of Aurora and several community organizations. Individuals, businesses and community organization partners can contribute funding toward these programs, and help children to succeed and grow into productive citizens and successful adults.

The Water for Life Program promotes water safety and increases basic knowledge of swimming skills for youth via scholarships.

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

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.

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.

Grocery shopping may not always be the most enjoyable chore we do, but to those living in a food insecure home, a trip to the grocery store is the greatest of gifts. 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 provide 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.

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.

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.

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 to $400 per award once every 12 months with a maximum of four total awards per customer lifetime.