Building Belonging on Good Days and Bad: A Message from Our CEO

This morning, I woke to find a thick, white wonderland outside my window. As I sipped my coffee and walked my dog in the peaceful stillness, I couldn’t help but think how fitting it is that the world looks as different as it feels today. In just one turn of the sun, so much feels like it has changed. In moments like these, when concerns for our safety and well-being arise, I feel an even deeper gratitude for being part of a diverse and cherished community—one where everyone, regardless of background, identity, lived experience, politics, or ability, is welcome and valued.

Over the past twenty-four years, with the support of so many of you, The Delores Project has created spaces of belonging, giving some of Denver's most marginalized individuals the opportunity to secure permanent housing, heal, and thrive. Together, we build belonging on good days and bad, on snowy mornings and sunny afternoons. Three hundred and sixty-five days a year, twenty-four hours a day, we are here, helping people find their way to safety and a place to call home.

In my nearly ten years with Delores, I’ve seen our community weather every kind of storm, and each time, we’ve emerged stronger because we’ve chosen to stand with one another. May this moment in history be no different. Let us never forget the healing power of community and the profound ripple effect that small acts of love can have, reaching far beyond what we can see.

Sending so much love and gratitude today to everyone who has and will continue to love us and those we serve through the storms. When we remember that we belong to each other, in both good times and bad, we create the world we all want to live in.

Peace and Love,

Emily Wheeland
Chief Executive Officer