The Community Foundation serving Southwest Colorado has granted $7,200 to the participating nonprofits of the 2021 Community Concerts in the Rochester Hotel’s Secret Garden. The following organizations received $1,800 each:  Bear Smart Durango, Dogster’s Spay & Neuter Program (D-SNiP), La Plata County Humane Society, and Wolfwood Refuge. The concerts were held in the Secret Garden on Wednesday evenings in August, charging a $10 cover to enjoy the talents of local musicians.  

Over the past seven years the Community Concerts have provided the La Plata County nonprofit community with $134,090 in grants, thanks to the support of dedicated concert attendees. The model for the events is to promote Durango’s local music scene by pairing a different nonprofit with live music each week. Sponsors pay for event expenses, including the bands’ stipends. At the end of the series, all proceeds from the entrance fees are pooled and donated equally to the featured organizations.  

The concerts are an opportunity to raise funds and awareness about each organization in a collaborative environment, with multiple nonprofits supporting each other’s successes. This year’s concerts supported the animal protection sector in La Plata County. 

“It was fabulous to be able to gather safely outside again this summer, after so many changes to our events in 2020,” says Briggen Wrinkle, Executive Director of the Community Foundation serving Southwest Colorado. “These grants demonstrate how significant an impact we can make when we all work together through community-oriented collaborations.”  

The Community Foundation’s Community Concerts are sponsored by the Rochester Hotel, Four Corners Community Bank and Tito’s Handmade Vodka.