by Ann Butler, the Durango Herald
Since the earliest days of La Plata County, when founders were forming a community from scratch, people have been raising money for civic improvement. Pastors were passing the hat to build churches. Members of the Reading Club of Durango were organizing balls and lectures to build a public library and open a soup kitchen. And the Sisters of Mercy were going door to door to raise money to build a hospital and school, while the ÒMenÕs QuartetteÓ held a singing fundraiser for the cause. A newspaper account of the festivities is silent about whether there was a silent auction. Fast forward 132 years, and raising money for civic improvement has exploded, with local residents supporting causes ranging from feeding and housing the needy to supporting the arts, sports and education; and to helping people in the world beyond our countyÕs Ð and nationÕs Ð borders. How many nonprofits are there in La Plata County? How big a part of the local economy is this sector? How much do area residents donate? How does Durango compare with the rest of Colorado? How many hours do residents volunteer? What is it like to work with the hungry, with artists, with abused animals? What does the future hold for this dynamic sector of the community? View from afar Eleven major funders from the Front Range have given more than $10.2 million to La Plata County nonprofits in the past five years. As organizations that work with nonprofits across the state, they are in a unique position to analyze the sector in La Plata County. ~1@BODYURL[id=114jbcurl1248]@