2014 annual letter

REAL-WORLD LEARNING EXPERIENCES Helping to prepare youth for future success.

Y O U T H E N T I T Y

YOUTHENTITY® 2014

WHAT’S NEW?

WRITEON!

YouthEntity has launched a new real-world learning

program. WriteOn! is a workshop for the up and

coming journalist. Ali Margo, Aspen based

freelance journalist, has dedicated her time to

introducing students to various different writing

applications, from newspapers to magazines and

from online journalism to publishing!

“MY CAREER. MY LIFE.”

We are now offering 6th grade students at Basalt

Middle School the chance to get first hand experi-

ence in actual careers! With the help from local

industry professionals YouthEntity has launched it’s

latest program “My Career. My Life.” This program

will help support and guide students by matching

their interests with internships, helping them to

make informed decisions regarding their future

career based on experiential learning.

KIRSTEN PETRE MCDANIEL, PRESIDENT & EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

If you hang around YouthEntity long enough you’ll hear “I have an idea!” often. It’s

that entrepreneurial spirit that keeps us striving to bring new and essential programs

to community youth. Some programs come and go while others flourish but it’s all

part of our process. Each year it gets harder to say goodbye to our graduating

seniors and I wonder how we will be successful without them. I think of them often.

Yet, another group comes in, willing to trust us to take them on a career development

journey. W ithout our exceptionally qualified “staff”, many of which are unpaid

volunteers, and our Board of Directors, we could not be the organization we are

today. Helping to prepare youth for future success ….

Thank you all for your support!

P.S. True to form, this year’s annual letter was written and prepared by WriteOn! students and

YE staffer Naomi Peters, also a ProStart® at YouthEntity graduate and currently pursuing a

degree in business at Colorado Mountain College.

CULINARY ARTS

In addition to YouthChefs, our baking and pastry

arts class, and ProStart, our culinary arts and

business management class, we now offer an Intro

to Culinary Arts Class at Glenwood Springs High

School. Students earn credit and learn the basics of

using kitchen equipment while learning how to

prepare various meals.

I HAVE AN IDEA!

Left: Daniela Chissum (Basalt High School) at

the ProStart State Invitational, Johnson & Wales University

FULLY INTEGRATED STRUCTURE

PROVEN EXPERTISE

LEADING EDGE EXPERIENCE

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Steve Bellotti, Blue Sky Capital; Jack Bergstrom, Board Chair of Toxicology Holdings Corporation;

Robert Blattberg (Chair), Direct of Center of Marketing Technology and Information at the Tepper

School of Business, Carnegie Mellon University; Charmaine Locke, Gerry McDaniel, McD Restaurant

Group; Janis Merrill, Kirsten Petre McDaniel, Bruce Robinson, Alpine Bank; Diana Sirko,

Superintendent, Roaring Fork School District; Lucy Smythe, G100

STAFF

Paul Hilts, Program Manager, “I am financial knowledge.”; Polly Kennedy, Fund Development Director;

Matt Maier, Chef Instructor, ProStart; Kirsten Petre McDaniel, President; Naomi Peters, Accounting &

Administration; Kelly Yepello, Chef Instructor, YouthChefs.

“I am financial knowledge.” Facilitators: Tim Dillow, Ashlie Gammil, Melinda Keeler, Hillary Lyen, Steven

Sand, Gail Shannon, Janet Tharp

2014 VOLUNTEERS

Jody Baehr, Alpine Bank

Carmen Baldizan, Alpine Bank

Shelbi Bauer, Alpine Bank

Jack Bergstrom, Board Chair of Toxicology Hold-

ings Corporation

Wendy Bergstrom

Bob Blattberg, Director of Center of Marketing

Technology and Information at the Tepper School

of Business, Carnegie Mellon University

Rebecca Donelson

Christine Bostick, Alpine Bank

Anne Easterly, Brookwood Hill Group

John Eaton, Telephone System Consultants

Melissa English

Katie Erikson, Community Bank

Carly Gailey, Alpine Bank

John Goodwin, former Police Chief, City of Aspen

Helen Gude, Alpine Bank

Margaret Hammel, Blue Tent Marketing

Noel Hansen, Alpine Bank

Linda Hayes

Danielle Howard, Wealth by Design

Anne Kellerby, Alpine Bank

2014 VOLUNTEERS

Kelly Jenkins

Bill Lederer, Founder, Korman Lederer

Associates

Charmaine Locke

Matt Maier, AspenPrivateChef.com

Ali Margo

Angela Meraz, Alpine Bank

Janis Merrill

Gerry McDaniel, McD Restaurant Group

Tatsiana Miller, Alpine Bank

Lynn Orben

Oneal Peters, DVM, All Pets Mobile Vet

Yvette Powell

Bruce Robinson, Alpine Bank

Gino Rossetti, Rossetti Architects

Bill Sanderson, Alpine Bank

Eric Scharfenberger, Chili’s

Audrey Sevalt, Denver University & BBSI

Diana Sirko, Superintendent, Roaring Fork School

District

Lucy Smythe, FinancialSource.com

Art Smythe, former Police Chief, Town of

Snowmass

Tom Snyder, Alpine Bank

Josh Staskauskis, Hotel Jerome

Kent Wilson, Alpine Bank

WriteOn!

WriteOn! is a new writing workshop coached by YouthEntity volunteer and

writer Ali Margo. Students explore applications for writing about the topics they

are passionate about and then publish them online in a student-produced blog/

website called TakeAnotherPeak. Students meet professional journalists,

novelists and other writers from the Aspen area. They also explore college writ-

ing programs and look at successful teen blogs. Students learn about writing

outside of the classroom in a non-academic context with the goal of finding

one's true voice. At the end of the semester, each student creates their own

personal blog for future use.

Their first assignment was to interview each other and to write the bio of a per-

son they just met the first night of class. Some of their bios are on the right.

Enjoy!

Below: WriteOn! Team meets with Aspen Sojourner's Michael Miracle.

“TakeAnotherPeak”

Into The Staff….

ELANA NEILY

“Focal cortical dysplasia … try saying that five

times fast,” says Elana about the disease that put

her in the hospital. Elana values life after her strug-

gles with epilepsy. The 18-year-old Glenwood

Springs High School senior spent her junior in a

children’s hospital room. The room she had spent

many days and nights in was not made for a six-

teen year old girl. The room had been intended for

a much younger child which made Elana feel un-

comfortable. Elana remembers very little about

being in the hospital. Her memories are vague … a

chocolate cake, making a family tree … Still, she

still pushed through, surviving the unsurviva-

ble. Solely looking at Elana you couldn’t see her

strength. She’s petite but she is not weak in her

soul or in her heart. There’s a girl who walks

around the halls of a tiny high school in the moun-

tains. Seeing her just isn’t enough to fully under-

stand. There’s so much she hides behind her green

eyes and so many people don’t even know. Elana

doesn’t share what she hides beneath the surface

because she doesn’t want sympathy. Elana wants

to write about how life should not be taken lightly

and about how morals have become lost within

societies idea of happiness. She’s one girl you

don’t want to overlook in the halls.

FATIMA MARTINEZ

Since emigrating to the U.S. from a small ranch

outside of Puerto Vallarta Mexico when she was 4,

Fatima Martinez has always felt like she was lost in

translation. “I got bullied for not being fluent,” she

says. I had a translator then and he would always

get it wrong. He would tell me it was snack time and

it was actually naptime and then the kids would

laugh at me.” She says writing is what helped her

cope with tough times, and it helped her learn Eng-

lish, too. “I started writing because of something I

saw on TV, a character that had a diary. So I got a

diary, and I started writing.” By second grade, she

was already hooked. “I loved writing. The stories

were about me, but I’d make stuff up so it wouldn’t

be so personal. It really helped me when I was feel-

ing out of place, just to sort through stuff.” For a 16

year old, Fatima has already had her fair share of

challenges: her parents divorced on her eighth birth-

day and her mother remarried. Her father went to

prison when she was in eighth grade and remains

incarcerated today. He gets moved around a lot and

there are times when the family does not know

where he is. These tough times have made Fatima

shy and are sometimes hard for her to accept. But if

one good thing came out of it, it was her love for

writing—not to mention plenty for her to write about.

BROOKLYN PAIGE KOSKI

Brooklyn likes to write fictional stories. She has

been creating characters and trying to write books

since kindergarten. She is inspired by many things,

but when it comes down to it, the love of the pro-

cess of storytelling and writing is what drives her to

write. Her ideas stem from the things in her day to

day life – her three younger brothers, her four cats,

the books she reads, good music, chocolate, and

life in Colorado. Brooklyn published her first book

through Kindle at the age of fifteen. This was a

result of years of trial and error in writing books,

eventually working up to novel length. The Weather-

man was her second novel, written and edited over

the course of two years. The unexpected amount of

success The Weatherman has generated has reaf-

firmed her goal to continue writing books. She

hopes to continue writing and develop her skills.

BROOKLYN PAIGE KOSKI

LILLIE HARDEN

FATIMA MARTINEZ

Below: WriteOn! Team meets with Aspen Sojourner's Michael Miracle.

ELANA NEILY

quis nost rudiaus exerci erattation as pluriu

ullamcorper lorem dolore sit amet. Ipsum dolor

sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit, sed diam

nonummy nibh terius euismod tincidunt ut erat

laoreet dolore magna aliquam.

DIRECT RESPONSE

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adip-

iscing elit, sed diam nonummy nibh minim veni

am, quis nos a trud exerci tation ullamcorper

suscipit lobortis nisl ut aliquip ex ea commodo

consequat. Et iusto odio dignissim qui blandit

praesent luptatum zzril delenit augue duis

dolore te feugait nulla facilisi.

BRAND AW ARENESS


iscing elit, sed diam nonummy nibh euismod

tincidunt ut wisi laoreet dolore magna aliquam

erat volutpat. Ut wisi enim ad minim veniam,

quis exerci tation ullamcorper suscipit lobortis

nisl ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Lo-

rem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adip-

iscing elit, sed diam nonummy nibh minim ve-

niam, quis nos a trud exerci tation ullamcorper

suscipit lobortis nisl ut aliquip ex ea commodo.

DATABASE MARKETING

Consectetuer adipiscing elit, sed diam nonum-

my nibh minim veniam, quis nos a trud exerci

tation ullamcorper suscipit lobortis nisl ut

aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Et iusto odio

dignissim qui blandit praesent luptatum zzril

delenit augue duis dolore te feugait nulla facilisi.

os a trud exerci tation ullamcorper sus-

cipit lobortis nisl ut aliquip ex ea commodo con-

sequat. Et iusto odio dignissim qui blandit prae-

sent luptatum zzril delenit augue duis dolore te

feugait nulla facilisi Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet.

INTERNET SOLUTIONS

Ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing

elit, sed diam nonummy nibh euismod tincidunt

ut wisi laoreet dolore magna aliquam erat volut-

pat. Ut wisi enim ad minim veniam, quis exerci

tation ullamcorper suscipit lobortis nisl ut aliquip

ex ea commodo consequat.

Design team students from left to

right: Gus Anderson (Basalt High

School), Jacqui Henriquez (Basalt

High School), Devin Williams

(Basalt High School), and Lindsay

Hoffmann (Glenwood Springs High

School).

<<<

Over the past four

years the design team

has completed projects

for the Town of Basalt

including the Basalt Com-

munity Campus project, a

proposal for a performing

arts center, a master plan for the town, and now

the redevelopment of the town center, coached

by YouthEntity volunteer, American Institute of

Architects Fellow, and all-around rock-star and

good guy Gino Rossetti.

< < <

Design Team

Above: Design Team Coach Gino Rossetti and the 2013 Design Team

DATABASE MARKETING

Consectetuer adipiscing elit, sed diam nonum-

my nibh minim veniam, quis nos a trud exerci

tation ullamcorper suscipit lobortis nisl ut

aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Et iusto odio

dignissim qui blandit praesent luptatum zzril

delenit augue duis dolore te feugait nulla facilisi.

os a trud exerci tation ullamcorper sus-

cipit lobortis nisl ut aliquip ex ea commodo con-

sequat. Et iusto odio dignissim qui blandit prae-

sent luptatum zzril delenit augue duis dolore te

feugait nulla facilisi Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet.

INTERNET SOLUTIONS

Ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing

elit, sed diam nonummy nibh euismod tincidunt

ut wisi laoreet dolore magna aliquam erat volut-

pat. Ut wisi enim ad minim veniam, quis exerci

tation ullamcorper suscipit lobortis nisl ut aliquip

ex ea commodo consequat.

LEADING EDGE EXPERIENCE

Gus Anderson is a Basalt High School graduate and is currently

studying architecture at Washington University in St. Louis.

Devin Williams is a three-time participant on YouthEntity’s Design

Team and a Senior at Basalt High School. She will major in archi-

tecture and environmental design at California Polytechnic State

University next year.

This year YouthEntity’s Design Team developed a strategic plan and architectural model for a new

Village Center in Basalt. See the team’s work on our YouTube channel WeAreYouthEntity.

Jacqui Henriquez is a Senior at Basalt High School.

Lindsay Hoffman is a Glenwood Springs High School graduate

who participated on YouthEntity’s design team for four years and

is currently studying architecture at the University of Colorado in

Boulder.

“Thank you Gino for being an incredible mentor. I'm so grateful to have had the opportunity to be in your class and be exposed to your passion for architecture and your guidance. It's what has lead me to where I am. I cannot thank you enough.” - Devin

Above: Expo participants compare the colors of

their career code bracelets which give insight

into their personality and the work environments

they may enjoy most.

Left: “My Career. My Life.” volunteer Lynn Orben

engages students about the exciting life of being a

chef.

Above Left: Students chat with entrepreneur Bill

Lederer about what it takes to start your own

business.

- Jeremy Voss, Principal, Basalt Middle School

“Basal t Middle School i s thr i l led to announce a new col laborat ive ef fort

wi th local nonprofi t YouthEnti ty that wi l l al low s ixth -grade students the

chance to explore r eal wor ld jobs dur ing Ear ly Rel ease W ednesdays t im e

in January and February. W e are very exci ted about th is partnership and

the oppor tuni t ies i t wi l l provide our students to begin th inking about future

career opt ions. ”

“My Career. My Life.”

PROM

AND GRASS ROOTS

MARKETING


iscing elit, sed diam nonummy nibh minim veni-

am, quis nos a trud exerci tation ullamcorper

suscipit lobortis nisl ut aliquip ex ea commodo

consequat. Et iusto odio dignissim qui blandit

praesent luptatum zzil delenit augue duis dolore

te feugait nulla facilisi.

PUBLIC RELATIONS


iscing elit, sed diam nonummy nibh euismod

tincidunt ut wisi laoreet dolore magna aliquam

erat volutpat. Ut wisi enim ad minim veniam,

quis exerci tation ullamcorper suscipit lobortis

nisl ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Lo-

rem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adip-

iscing elit, sed diam nonummy nibh minim.

PAWS DOC

In this internship students get the chance to

learn what is going on inside man’s best friend.

With the assistance of Dr. Oneal Peters, DVM

from All Pets Mobile Vet, students learn about

the anatomy of dogs, cats, and horses. After

practicing wellness exams on our mannequin

dog “Sarah” the students will get to practice their

newly learned skills on volunteers dogs!

FOODIES

In this introductory course students will learn

what it takes to be a Chef. Along with learning

different delicious recipes they also learn the

basics of nutrition. Chef Lynn Orben is here to

offer her expertise to these young aspiring

cooks.

LADY JUSTICE

Students get an insider’s look into the field of

law enforcement. With help from locals John

Goodwin, former Police Chief, City of Aspen,

and Art Smythe, former Police Chief, Town of

Snowmass, students learn about the important

role that law plays in our society as well as

learning how the law helps maintain a healthy

community.

LAUNCH

Students who may want to grow up to be entre-

preneurs can get their start with Launch. With

the assistance of Bill Lederer, Founder of Kor-

man Lederer and Associates, students will learn

how to turn an idea into action. Once the stu-

dents have developed a solid business plan

they will be able to present it for a potential in-

vestment from YouthEntity.

DESIGN TEAM

6th graders with a creative side have the oppor-

tunity to explore what it takes to make a room

look great. Students will learn how colors work

together and how to make the space function in

the best way possible. On top of this the stu-

dents learn how to understand customer’s

needs, basic design rules, and how to work on a

budget. The students are working with Interior

Designer Kelly Jenkins to give Principal Voss’s

office a make-over that is perfectly suited for

him!

ARTISTIC, ENTERPRISING, CONVENTIONAL,

INVESTIGATIVE, SOCIAL, REALISTIC

“My Career. My Life.” is a program designed to guide students in the di-

rection of careers that are most suited for them. This winter of 2014, Basalt

Middle School 6th grade students partook in an online interest-based

assessment in which they discovered which three career codes they most

identify with. The six career code possibilities developed by Dr. John Holland

are Artistic, Enterprising, Conventional, Investigative, Social, and Realistic.

By learning which three career codes best fit their personality, students are

pointed in the direction of what careers they may enjoy the most. Once the

students received their results, they attended an expo where they were able

to meet industry professionals from five different fields. After meeting with

these professionals the students decided which internship they were most

interested in, and are now participating, once a week, in these internships to

gain real-world experience.

“The world is your oyster.”

Right: Paws Doc interns perform a leg examination on their patient. At the end of their internship, students will give free wellness exams to volunteer pa-tients and report the results to their humans under the oversight of DVM and YouthEntity volunteer Dr. Oneal Peters.

- Julian, 5th Grader

COMMON CENTS

"Thank you for educating me about financial planning and how to keep your money safe."

“I have had teachers come up to me and tell me if they had had this class in fifth grade they wouldn’t be in

such trouble,” said Paul Hilts, organizer for the YouthEntity program “I am financial knowledge.”

“I am financial knowledge.” is a program for fifth to eighth graders and was set up four years ago. Coinci-

dentally the program was set up around the time Colorado mandated all elementary and middle schools to

offer financial literacy. However, according to Hilts most of the teachers were not equipped to teach a finan-

cial literacy class, so they turned to YouthEntity. Now volunteers go around to the valley’s elementary and

middle schools and teach fifth and eighth graders how to spend money wisely.

However, the mentors don’t lecture the kids about the right way to spend money--the kids play games to

learn.

“One game we had to save 10 percent, share 10 percent, invest 10 percent and spend 70 percent,” said

fifth grader Shawntelle Bennett. According to fifth grader Alexis Dukes, another game fifth and eighth graders

play is one where they have to decide whether they would rather have million dollars given to them at the

beginning of the month or a penny that doubles every day of the month.

“Most people raise their hand for the million dollars right off but then change their mind as we talk through

it,” added fifth grader Julya Sitton. This shows the power of interest.

Of course, the kids get something out of the course too. According to Kirsten McDaniel the kids take an

end of course test to see if they have actually retained anything. For every question they get right they get

paid a small sum. At the end of the test, they receive a “paycheck.”

“It’s a way of showing your parents that you thought you did well on the test,” Bennett said. It’s solid evi-

dence a kid paid attention and learned something in the class.

But the kids don’t realize they are getting more out of the course than just a paycheck.

“Financial literacy calls on several skills: ethics, consequences of your actions, and responsibility.” Hilts

said, all factors people need in everyday life. “I am financial knowledge.” is not only a course in finances—it’s

a course in life.

400 5TH GRADERS

From schools from a variety of schools

consisting of Rifle Middle School, Glenwood

Springs Elementary School, and Sopris

Elementary School has completed Level One of

“I am Financial Knowledge.”

MORE THAN $3.800

That’s how much money YouthEntity awarded to

over 400 5th grade students for their post test

scores.

10, 10, 10, 70

ELANA NEILY, STAFF WRITER, TAKEANOTHERPEAK

Above: ProStart at YouthEntity Chef Instructor Matt Maier reviews recipe costing numbers crunched by ProStart student

Garrett Hiser (Basalt High School). Below: YouthEntity’s ProStart team at the 2014 state invitational.

ProStart & YouthChefs WE ARE ELITE

Every year, graduates from Sullivan University’s National Center for Hospitality Studies pursue successful careers in virtually every corner of the globe and eve-ry aspect of the hospitality industry. “But the foundation for those successful careers lies with programs like yours that instruct and inspire the hospitality success stories of tomorrow. ” - Carrie Shain, Sullivan University

YouthEntity was the only Colorado program to be selected as a Top 50 Pro-gram in the country by Sullivan University. The Elite 50 list is comprised of high schools and tech centers that excel in the areas of culinary arts, baking and pas-try arts, and/or hospitality management. Sullivan University also conducted re-search to establish schools with strong hospitality enrollment and influence in their community. Our program not only met this

criteria but was also considered because of two student essays about “Why you want to pursue a career in this industry?” and the catering ser-vices that we offer. YouthEntity has produced consecutive award winning Culinary and Business Management teams. When we attended the 2014 Annual ProStart State Competition hosted at Johnson & Wales University in Denver, our teams worked together to place 4th in Culinary, 2nd in Busi-ness Management and 3rd place all around. By the time you sit down to read this publica-tion, we will have cooked for the Alpine World Cup ski team from Albania, fueling their athletes with breakfast and dinner during their stay in Beaver Creek, CO.

"Thank you for educating me about financial planning and how to keep your money safe."

“I have had teachers come up to me and tell me if they had had this class in fifth grade they wouldn’t be in

such trouble,” said Paul Hilts, organizer for the YouthEntity program “I am financial knowledge.”


dentally the program was set up around the time Colorado mandated all elementary and middle schools to

offer financial literacy. However, according to Hilts most of the teachers were not equipped to teach a finan-

cial literacy class, so they turned to YouthEntity. Now volunteers go around to the valley’s elementary and

middle schools and teach fifth and eighth graders how to spend money wisely.


learn.

“One game we had to save 10 percent, share 10 percent, invest 10 percent and spend 70 percent,” said

fifth grader Shawntelle Bennett. According to fifth grader Alexis Dukes, another game fifth and eighth graders

play is one where they have to decide whether they would rather have million dollars given to them at the

beginning of the month or a penny that doubles every day of the month.

“Most people raise their hand for the million dollars right off but then change their mind as we talk through

it,” added fifth grader Julya Sitton. This shows the power of interest.

Of course, the kids get something out of the course too. According to Kirsten McDaniel the kids take an

end of course test to see if they have actually retained anything. For every question they get right they get

paid a small sum. At the end of the test, they receive a “paycheck.”

“It’s a way of showing your parents that you thought you did well on the test,” Bennett said. It’s solid evi-

dence a kid paid attention and learned something in the class.


“Financial literacy calls on several skills: ethics, consequences of your actions, and responsibility.” Hilts

said, all factors people need in everyday life. “I am financial knowledge.” is not only a course in finances—it’s

a course in life.

MORE THAN $3.800

That’s how much money YouthEntity awarded to

over 400 5th grade students for their post test

scores.

10, 10, 10, 70


SMELLS LIKE TEEN SPIRIT

SUPER SWEET

LILLIE HARDEN, STAFF W RITER,

TAKEANOTHERPEAK

Today we stopped by the evening pastry

YouthEntity class to chat with professional Chef

Kelly Yepello and her students about the course

and all its extensive advantages. They looked like

regular high school students when we first walked

in, but once the class started they busted out their

chef coats and the atmosphere changed. They

didn’t look so much like kids as they did profession-

al chefs. The environment added to the feeling of

professionalism. It looked just like an actual profes-

sional kitchen with all the necessary tools to make

anything they desire. After the ovens got cooking

and the sweet the smell of warm sugar wafting

through the air, I finally got a chance to sit down

and talk to Kelly.

Tucked away behind a heavy door that’s reminiscent of prison bars in the back corner of Bridges High

School, high school students from around the valley bustle around an industrial grade kitchen. They

wear jackets with their names embroidered into them, adding to the unexpectedly professional scene.

The students move around the kitchen with confidence and focus, working together to prepare compli-

cated dishes. Knives seem to fly as vegetables are diced, sauce simmers in a pan on the oven starts to

sizzle. The students smile and talk as they go about their work, enjoying themselves.

“I’ve always loved to cook but I never knew if I loved it enough to make it a career. This class has solidi-

fied that for me,” said Karla Enriquez, a senior at Basalt High school participating in her second year

with ProStart. The course is a business entrepreneurship and culinary arts program for high school

students interested in careers in the Hotel & Hospitality Industry. From culinary techniques to manage-

ment skills, ProStart’s industry-driven curriculum provides real-life experience opportunities and builds

practical skills and a foundation that will last a lifetime. The two-year program includes 400 hours of paid

mentored work experience in order to achieve ProStart certification.

A focal part of the unique course is preparing for a state culinary and business management competi-

tion.

“If the students place well in the competition,” said Kirsten McDaniel, Executive Director of YouthEntity,

“they receive money in culinary scholarships. For first place, each student receives $50,000, second

place is $25,000 per student, and third place is $12,500.” Beyond the potential scholarship money, the

students are learning business management and to cook. Their instructor is Chef Matthew Maier, a

private chef based in Aspen, Colorado, who has cooked for a long list of VIPs and celebrities, including

Nelson Mandela, the Dalai Lama, Al Gore, Oprah Winfrey, Colin Powell, Bill Gates, and Martha Stewart.

Still, he finds the time to teach high school students for three hours every Monday and Tuesday about

the art of cooking. They learn about the fundamentals of cooking as they prepare complicated dishes

with his guidance.

“In addition to six hours of class every week the students have reading to do for homework,” McDaniel

said, explaining the stack of textbooks near the door. “The last couple of months of class are entirely

devoted to competition prep.”

“We do a lot of training for the competition and boot camps and stuff. In February we are going to get up

early and cook for some pro skiers,” Enriquez added as she skinned a large pile of carrots for the vege-

table sauce for the braised short ribs that would be served with coulis, and cream puffs for dessert.

“I had been on the fence about whether or not to pursue cooking before this, but now I know for sure

that I want to. This class will really help with getting into the culinary schools that I want to get in to. I

would like to pursue a career in pastries after that. I love how hands-on this program is. I appreciate the

experience we are getting from it,” said Lilly Orben, a junior at Basalt High.

Enriquez said she would recommend ProStart to “anyone who has an interest in business or culinary

arts or anyone who likes to try new things.”

Lily Janssen a sophomore at Bridges High School, participating in her first year with ProStart, looked up

from chopping strawberries for the pastry cream when she was asked if ProStart had changed her mind

about what she would do in the future. With a sparkle in her eye she said, “Yes! I have discovered my

love for cooking.”

WHAT WAS YOUR INSPIRATION TO BE A CHEF?

I like to think of food as edible art. I love it because

it’s beautiful but also temporary. You make it, you

look at it, you eat it, and then it’s gone.

WHERE DID YOU ATTEND COLLEGE AND DID YOU

ATTEND FOR CULINARY ARTS?

I attended culinary school in midtown Manhattan

across the street from the Empire State Building in

New York, New York.

ARE YOU FROM NEW YORK?

No, but I am from the East coat, specifically Jersey

Shore, like the show on MTV.

THAT’S REALLY COOL. SO WERE YOU CLOSE TO

SNOOKI?

I was actually born in the mid century, last millennium

so I don’t hang with Snooki. I suppose Snooki’s cool

if you are from that area. I am more comfortable in

Colorado.

ProStart & YouthChefs BROOKLYN KOSKI, STAFF WRITER, TAKEANOTHERPEAK

WHERE IN COLORADO DO YOU ACTUALLY LIVE?

I live in Glenwood Springs. I have three children but

I suppose I shouldn’t call them children anymore

since they are in their thirties.

THEY’LL ALWAYS BE YOUR BABIES. WHAT WAS

YOUR FIRST EXCITING JOB AS A CHEF?

I worked at The Little Nell Hotel as a Pastry Chef in

Aspen. That was cool.

WHY DO YOU TEACH YOUTHENTITY CLASSES?

It’s really a worthwhile organization. I enjoy teach-

ing high school students to follow their dreams.

WHAT DO YOU HOPE YOUR STUDENTS WILL

LEARN FROM YOU AND THIS COURSE?

The passion. I never want them to wake up one

morning and realize they aren’t happy with what

they are doing.

Below: Kelly Yepello, YouthChefs Instructor

“I am financial knowledge.”

“Thank you so much for allowing us to learn about how to save, share, invest and spend (10,10,10,70) our money. It was so nice of you to donate your time and money to the whole 5th grade. The money was very nice of you because that is the first and only field trip that gave us money. I can’t believe we went all the way to Carbondale, took a quiz, got money, and came back to our school. Thank you so much for everything. We hope to come back and have you teach us again.” - Jaclyn, 5th grader

Above: Father and son celebrate “earning for learning”.

Below: 5th graders from Rifle Middle School celebrate their paychecks for learning at YouthEntity’s Center in Carbondale.

COMMON CENTS

“I have had teachers come up to me and tell me if they had had this class in fifth grade they wouldn’t be

in such trouble,” said Paul Hilts, organizer for the YouthEntity program “I am financial knowledge.”


dentally the program was set up around the time Colorado mandated all elementary and middle schools

to offer financial literacy. However, according to Hilts most of the teachers were not equipped to teach a

financial literacy class, so they turned to YouthEntity. Now volunteers go around to the valley’s elemen-

tary and middle schools and teach fifth and eighth graders how to spend money wisely.


learn. “One game we had to save 10 percent, share 10 percent, invest 10 percent and spend 70 percent,”

said fifth grader Shawntelle Bennett. According to fifth grader Alexis Dukes, another game fifth and eighth

graders play is one where they have to decide whether they would rather have million dollars given to

them at the beginning of the month or a penny that doubles every day of the month. “Most people raise

their hand for the million dollars right off but then change their mind as we talk through it,” added fifth

grader Julya Sitton. This shows the power of interest.

Of course, the kids get something out of the course too. According to Kirsten McDaniel

the kids take an end of course test to see if they have actually retained anything. For

every question they get right they get paid a small sum. At the end of the test, they re-

ceive a “paycheck.”

“It’s a way of showing your parents that you thought you did well on the test,” Bennett

said. It’s solid evidence a kid paid attention and learned something in the class.


“Financial literacy calls on several skills: ethics, consequences of your actions, and re-

sponsibility.” Hilts said, all factors people need in everyday life. “I am financial

knowledge.” is not only a course in finances—it’s a course in life.

10.10.10.70.


Just so you are in the know, the 10.10.10.70 principle guides students to save 10%, share 10%, invest 10% and spend 70% of every dollar they earn or are given.

PAUL HILTS

FOUNDER

$10,000 +

Aspen Glen Club

Anschutz Family Foundation

Steve & Carrie Bellotti

Doug & Peggy Briggs

Cordis Foundation

Eagle County Board of Commissioners

Embrey Family Foundation

Garfield Country Board of Commissioners

Bruce & Janis Merrill

Roaring Fork School District

VISIONARY

$5,000 - $9,999

Alpine Bank

Bill Corliss

City of Aspen

Robert Blattberg & Rebecca Donelson

Coulombe Family Foundation

Al & Sandy Henry

Richard & Marianne Kipper

Pitkin County

The Summit Foundation

The Thrift Shop of Aspen

Hugh & Nan Williamson

J Robert Young

PATRON

$2,500 - $4,999

Randy Colman & Lisa Olson

Bill & Marianne Lederer

Charmaine Locke

Mason Parson Family Foundation

Gerry & Kirsten McDaniel

Tom McMahon

Parker & Carolina Montgomery

LEADER

$1,000 - $2,499

Art & Carolyn Ackerman

Allegria Pasta, Salad & Vino LLC

AspenPrivateChef.com

Colorado Restaurant Association

Educational Foundation

Aspen Glen Club

Bob & Sue Hess

Holy Cross Energy Round-Up

Foundation

John G. Duncan Charitable Trust

Asa & Barbara Jones

Joe & Ann Kasparek

Richard & Linda Keister

Michael Lipkin & Jody Guralnick

Don Martin

McD Restaurant Group, LLC

Ronald & Bonnie McLean

Janet and Rick Orrison

Wes & Yvette Powell

Tom & Lois Sando

Tom Van Straaten & Nadine Asick

Robert Pew & Susan Taylor

The Aspen Rotary Club

The Women’s Foundation of Colorado

Felix & Sarah Tornare

US Bancorp Foundation

Walmart

MENTOR

$500 - $999

Above it All Balloon Ride

Aspen Ski Company

2014 DONORS

Allen & Stephanie

Brunner

David & Sandy Burden

Tania Clark

Phil & Lydia Clay

Gayle Embrey

Paul & Mary Fee

Louis & Nellie

Sieg Fund

Judy Haptonstall

Danielle & Mark Howard

Steve & Wewer Keohane

Leslieann Gallagher &

Jack McKay

William & Deborah

Montgomery

Pan & Fork Supper Club

James & Hensley

Peterson

Don & Sue Powell

Gino & Donna Rossetti

Kenneth Robinson

Sebastian Vail

The Sky Hotel

Town of Basalt

Gayle Waterman

Kevin Patrick & Andrea

Wendel

Wells Fargo Foundation

Roaring Fork Club

Michael & Suzanne

Vernon

Susan Welsch

Westin Snowmass Resort

FRIEND

Up to $499

Paul & Nancy Adams

Blazing Adventures

Jon & Fran Blum

Paul Bushong

Don & Cindy Butterfield

Tom & Carol Carnish

Richard Carter

William Corliss

Lee & Donna Dale

William & Martha Drake

Anne Easterly

Bob & Bee Elmore

Lynne Engel

Harvey & Carol

Federman

Mark Fischer, Town

Donald & Marcia Flaks

Flower Mart

Paul Freeman

Stanley Gertzbein &

Glenwood Springs

Adventure Park

Marianne Antoniak

Kelly & Linda Hayes

Paul & Marjorie Hilts

Lester Houtz & Valerie

Anderson

Dave Iverson

Jazz Aspen Snowmass

Polly Kennedy

Jim & Carolyn Kent

Christopher & Monica

Latkiewicz

Debra Lewis

Janette & Robert

Macaulay

Matt Maier

Scott Marr

Dan & Chrissy McCaslin

Frank McGuirk & Linda

Huntsman

Thomas Neel

Jim Noyes

Lynn Orben

Linda Palevsky

Mark Petre

Mike & Sandy Policare

Robert & Joyce Rankin

Ted Reisman

Dr. Gerry & Mary Reis

James & Judy Rifkin

Bruce & Dayle Robinson

Laurel Schweitzer

Dave Scruby

Dorothy Segel

Herb & Earlene Seymour

Art & Lucy Smythe

Gary & Sharon Snooks

William & Ann Stevens

Bertalou Schafer &

Raymond Stiles

Richard & Nina Stumpf

St. Regis

Elizabeth Sullivan

Susan’s Flowers

Neil & Judy Thompson

Robin Tolan

Trecento Quindici

Decano

Douglas Turner

Rob Van Pelt & Julie

Wyckoff

Charles & Libby Walker

Jon & Connie Warnick

Richard Wells

Larry & Nancy Wilhelms

John & Johnne Winter

Jeffrey Wisch

Judy Wrigley

Bruce & Pam Wood

IN THE PRESS & MORE GOOD STUFF

Each year edibleASPEN invites the public to vote for those who are making a difference in the local food community. For 2014 YouthEntity won the honor of Local Hero in the nonprofit category.

Below: ProStart at YouthEntity catered for various events through-out the year including a Trunk Show in Snowmass.

EVERYWHERE WE REACHED IN 2014 Basalt Middle School– “I am financial knowledge”, “My Career. My Life.” Basalt High School– Design Team, ProStart, WebEntity, YouthChefs Bridges High School– ProStart ,YouthChefs Carbondale Community School– “I am financial knowledge.” Carbondale Middle School– “I am financial knowledge.” Frisco Elementary School– “I am financial knowledge.” Glenwood Springs Elementary School– “I am financial knowledge.” Glenwood Springs Middle School– “I am financial knowledge.” Glenwood Springs High School– Design Team, Intro to Culinary Arts, ProStart, YouthChefs Rifle Middle School– “I am financial knowledge.” Roaring Fork High School– ProStart, YouthChefs Sopris Elementary School– “I am financial knowledge.”

Left: ProStart at YouthEntity was featured in The Aspen Times Weekly during preparation for the 2014 ProStart State Invitational.

Y O U T H E N T I T Y

970.963.4055 P

[email protected]

P.O Box 1989

Carbondale, CO 81623

WWW.YOUTHENTITY.ORG

WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/YOUTHENTITY

2014 annual letter

Documents

Transcript of 2014 annual letter