$19,449 raised by 17 donors
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$50,000 Goal
Children in foster care are often forced to travel rough, rocky terrain—cobbled streets lined with hidden obstacles, slippery slopes, and dark, unfamiliar places. It is a journey of profound trauma and challenge. This journey becomes less daunting with a guiding hand, a steady presence to light the way, and support to lift them when they fall. This is Cobbled Streets.
Cobbled Streets provides children in foster and kinship care with individualized experiences and enriching opportunities so they can discover, engage, connect, and thrive.
Listen to former foster youth share about the needs of kids in the system and how Cobbled Streets is making a difference...
Problem We Solve
The driving force of Cobbled Streets is to create a more equitable world for foster children, a population that is systematically overlooked, underserved, and underrepresented. Children in foster care carry emotional trauma that is exacerbated by multiple moves, transient relationships, and an overburdened foster care system.
All foster children have been exposed to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), which are strongly linked to negative outcomes later in life. The state is obligated to ensure their healthy development and a path to success, yet only 25% of foster teens in Colorado graduate high school with their class, and 33% of youth who leave the system are homeless by age 21. Up to 80% of children in foster care have significant mental health issues.
These kids often miss out on having “normal” childhood experiences that have a positive and lasting impact on their well-being. Foster families are often too overwhelmed with meeting the basic needs of their children and navigating the unreasonable expectations of the child welfare system to provide these opportunities for their kids.
Children in foster care have a place... "Cobbled Streets is giving not only an opportunity in that moment. They’re creating for [foster kids] a trajectory to show up and to participate and to do things. And beyond that moment of the experience, they’re teaching them that they have a place. What they’re doing is providing an opportunity for these foster kids to feel whole in a space, in a community that doesn’t always see wholeness in them, and the fullness in them, and the possibility in them." -Jae, former foster youth featured in Rebecoming Me
Hockey is so much more than a sport... Ron is a 15-year-old boy in kinship care. During his childhood, Ron has endured frequent abuse, transient relationships, and environmental instability. Cobbled Streets provided hockey gear for Ron because he loves the sport and wanted to join a local league. His kinship mom shared, “We've had our ups and downs throughout this journey but I believe some of his biggest positive changes have come from playing hockey, like relationships, physical & mental health, self-control, respect, and academics. And Ron loves it! He was moved up to the highest level in the skills training class. My brother, who has become a new role model, is 45 and still plays ice hockey, so I'm hoping this is something lifelong for Ron. He has a reason now to want to go to school! He couldn't do this without you and the support of Cobbled Streets.”
Cobbled Streets listens and responds with urgency... “Cobbled Streets is the only organization I am aware of in the foster care system which puts their mission statement into immediate action rather than leaving it out there to look poetic as a "post" or as an idea. The amount of time, energy and effort that is put into assisting children in the foster care system and their families of placement is well beyond any other organization of its kind - it is extraordinary.” -Elle Willis, CASA Volunteer of Boulder County
Cobbled Streets provides children in foster and kinship care ages 5 - 18 with the positive childhood experiences and relationships they need to thrive. These individualized experiences and enriching opportunities help mitigate the long-term impact of trauma and adversity. Inspired by the insight of Dan Heath in his book Upstream, we offer a preventative approach that promotes foster children’s well-being and illuminates a path to a promising future.
Examples of the types of experiences we provide include recreational team sports, art and theater classes, music lessons, cultural & educational trips, equine therapy, tutoring, and much more.
Research confirms that the experiences and resulting relationships we provide promote well-being and provide many holistic health benefits. Most of our activities involve teachers and coaches who offer guidance, encouragement, and a listening ear. Relationships with trusted adults provide a profound sense of security and belonging, nurturing self-esteem and resilience. We cultivate an ongoing, supportive network for these kids who desperately need positive relationships and stability.
Sports promote teamwork, trust, and communication and build confidence, self-esteem, and resilience. They allow children to learn new skills and build friendships. Participation in the arts cultivates creative expression, a sense of self, and stress management skills. These opportunities allow foster youth to have a genuine childhood, providing the essential building blocks on the journey toward adulthood and the chance to imagine a future full of possibility.
Our focus is not just on meeting immediate needs but also on unlocking the potential that foster children bring to the world. Without the right support, this potential remains untapped. By choosing to support Cobbled Streets, you’re choosing to make a lasting impact on a group of youth whose future contributions to society depend on the care and connection we offer today.
Our founder, Shari Shink, dedicated 33 years as the Founder & Executive Director of the Rocky Mountain Children’s Law Center, where she navigated the countless challenges faced by organizations serving abused and neglected children. She witnessed firsthand the harmful effects of a system focused on crisis reaction rather than prevention, which deprives children of the essential foundations of childhood—relationships, a nurturing environment, meaningful engagement, and opportunities for social and emotional growth. She represented thousands of individual children, developed innovative programs, and raised millions of dollars to pursue the goals of the organization.
Shari also spent time as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law where she taught the first class on children's rights and supervised law student interns who represented children in court. She also engaged the community to pursue a public policy agenda in an effort to transform the child welfare system to be child-centered and family-focused. She was inducted into the Colorado Women's Hall of Fame in 2016 for her outstanding child advocacy work.
Shari's work has continued and evolved throughout her extensive career, and although her work and the work of many others has brought about important change, so much more needs to be done. After four decades of advocating for foster youth in a broken system, Shari founded Cobbled Streets in August 2020.
In 2022, Shari received the annual Lifetime Achievement Award at the National Philanthropy Day in Colorado, presented by the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) Colorado Chapter. This prestigious award celebrates the lifetime contributions of an individual who is an inspiration to others. Shari’s passion, unwavering commitment to children, and courageous leadership, have inspired many to give of their time, talent, and treasure. Her legacy of extraordinary work has changed the lives of thousands of Colorado’s most vulnerable children.
Organization name
Cobbled Streets
2020
Tax id (EIN)
85-0607085
Category
Youth Development
Organization Size
Medium Organization
Address
Cobbled Streets 7360 W 28th AvenueMailing
Cobbled Streets 7360 W. 28th AvenueJefferson County, CO, US
Weld County, CO, US
El Paso County, CO, US
Adams County, CO, US
Denver, CO, US