About Us
About Callie’s Backyard Foundation
“Callie’s Backyard” is a unique 501C3 Foundation. We are passionate about addressing the problems of sex trafficking, drug and alcohol addiction, and homelessness among Colorado youth ages 18-27 years old. These are issues that ravage our Colorado communities.
There are no simple solutions to counter the negative impacts of sex trafficking, homelessness and addiction. We are sure that we will always have young people who fall victim to these conditions. HOWEVER, the continuing loss of young lives in our communities is unacceptable. The fact that many young people seek help that is unavailable is unacceptable. We cannot tolerate the lack of resources being directed to solve these problems in our backyards. We at “Callie’s Backyard Foundation” accept that we have a responsibility to raise awareness, raise, money, increase resources, and save young lives. We are determined to bring those who CARE together with those who CAN help end the cycle of tragic loss of young lives in Colorado communities.
Our Approach
- We link compassionate, caring people who want to serve and make a difference as a financial donor, hands on volunteer, or in-kind service provider to an organization those individuals feel will make the best use of their donation of time, treasure, or talent.
- We bring those who are concerned about this age group and these issues together with service providers who have the ability to meet the needs of struggling Colorado young people who are victims of sexual predators, homelessness, or struggling with addiction.
- We leverage the resources of those who care with the ability of those who serve to save these young people.
Our Heart Felt Intention
We provide in-depth descriptions and assessments of the service providers we know to be caring, compassionate, competent, and responsible providers of services to young people.
Our system enables supporters to participate at arm’s length or hands on depending on their level of comfort. We understand that all giving is personal. It is effective and sustainable when relationships are developed during the giving process. We rely heavily on technology at the front end of our process to connect with and educate potential donors. Once a donor makes the decision how they are comfortable interacting with one of our partner organizations, then personal connections are facilitated between the donor and our partner organization. We insure that our donors have the type of giving experience that touches them and energizes them to continue their support in whatever way they feel most appropriate.
Our History
Callie’s Backyard Foundation was initially founded in 2009. The initial focus was the creation of a Federal Task Force to combat sex trafficking. In 2010, founder Jackie Long galvanized Denver Metro organizations, Denver police department & FBI, lawmakers, and government leaders to create Colorado’s first sex trafficking task force, now known as the FBI Rocky Mountain Innocence Lost Task Force. This task force has rescued more than 300 young people from trafficking rings in the last 3 years, 2013-2016.
Clearly, the issues of sex trafficking, homelessness and addiction go hand-in-hand, and the mission of Callie’s Backyard Foundation is to address this triage of issues. In addition to funding the initial sex trafficking task force, Callie’s Backyard has also provided substantial funding for local non-profits such as Attention Homes, Save Our Youth, and Urban Peak. Following Callie’s death in Dec. of 2013, Callie’s Backyard Foundation reorganized and relaunched in 2015. One of the greatest operational changes has been the evolution from a single major donor to a community wide donor effort to address the 3 issues of Sex Trafficking, Homelessness, and Addiction.
Callie’s Backyard launched our first food delivery van in September of 2016, delivering free sandwiches and resource information cards for direct and indirect help to homeless youth. Food connects! Callie’s Backyard Foundation has also gone full circle in our efforts – we now hire homeless youth to make and deliver sandwiches, allowing them to transition into the workforce to find their balance and value in society.