Mile High Youth Corps (MHYC) was founded as Year One, Inc. in 1992 by Boulder County Commissioner Josie Heath. Spawned from the tradition of the Civilian Conservation Corps of the '30's, Year One gave youth a chance to earn, learn and serve in their community. During its history, the Corps has successfully transitioned from a small, seasonal, neighborhood-based organization to a comprehensive, year-round, metro-wide program that integrates work experience, education, career preparation and lifeskills training. Year One changed its name to Mile High Youth Corps in 2000 to better reflect its mission and goals. Through partnerships with multiple local and state agencies, MHYC now offers a full range of services to assist youth in meeting their career and educational goals.
MHYC's 15th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION A GREAT SUCCESS
On November 15th, 2007, 200 friends, supporters, alumni, staff and Corpsmembers came together at the East Club Lounge of INVESCO Field at Mile High to celebrate MHYC's 15th anniversary. Guests enjoyed meeting Corpsmembers and learning about current programs during a cocktail reception sponsored by Greiner Electric. Following cocktails, guests were seated for dinner and a fun program sponsored by PCL Construction Services and The Piton Foundation. The program included remarks from Falesha Hall, a Corpsmember from the Corps' first crew in 1992 and Josie Heath, MHYC Founder.
15th ANNIVERSARY EXPANDING HORIZONS AWARD WINNERS
The Expanding Horizons award is presented to individuals and community partners who have made extraordinary commitments to the Corps that have expanded the horizons of our Corpsmembers.
-Colorado Governor's Commission on Community Service
Since 1999, the Governor’s Commission has supported the work of Mile High Youth Corps Corpsmembers by providing AmeriCorps education awards and grant support for the service they provide to the community. Through their investments in MHYC, 435 youth have earned $612,807 for higher education.
-Shanda Vangas, MHYC's Director of Development & Marketing
In her nine years of service at MHYC, Shanda has led crews, set up projects, created new programs, raised money, written grants, and built partnerships that will expand the horizons of youth for years to come.
-Greiner Electric
Greiner Electric became involved with Mile High Youth Corps through the YouthBuild construction training program in 2004. They have been a true partner in helping to develop that program by
providing education and training opportunities for participants, advising staff on program design, providing significant financial support
and most importantly, hiring program graduates and giving them their start in the industry.
15th ANNIVERSARY FOUNDER'S AWARD WINNERS
The Founder's Awards recognize organizations that have made investments in the Corps which have been critical to our success throughout our history.
-City of Denver – Office of Economic Development, Division of Housing and Neighborhood Development
Over the last decade they’ve provided over $750,000 to fund our Summer of Service Program, putting low-income Denver youth to work on projects in Denver neighborhoods. They also selected MHYC to partner with the City to operate the E. Montclair Community Center and most recently, they contributed $250,000 towards the purchase of our building at 1801 Federal Blvd.
-The Helen K. and Arthur E. Johnson Foundation
The Johnson Foundation invested in us early on at a time when we were still trying to prove ourselves. They understand what it takes for youth to succeed and what it takes for nonprofits to thrive. They believed in the concept of the Corps and then helped us bring it to life. They funded our agency throughout our history and we’ve loved their visits with our youth. They recently contributed $100,000 towards the purchase of our building.