Colorado Garden Foundation Sends Graduation Senior to Colorado State University of Full-Ride Scholarship This Fall, Brings 2019 Giving Total to more than $720K

DENVER (April 23, 2019) – Colorado Garden Foundation (CGF), a non-profit that funds horticultural-specific projects and scholarships throughout Colorado, announced today its 2019 scholarship recipient, Clarissa Dukeminier of Cortez, Colo., who will receive a full four-year scholarship to Colorado State University, starting as an incoming freshman this fall.

A love of plants, digging in the dirt and spending time outdoors has inspired Dukeminier to study Botany at CSU, with a minor in environmental horticulture.

“I have been raised to believe that without education, you will not be able to go anywhere in life,” said Dukeminier in her application. “With my degree I will have endless opportunities to make the world a healthier place by doing something that I love. I want to be able to travel and find solutions to many of the world plant epidemics and then most likely settle back in Colorado to open my own nursery.”

Clarissa joins the ranks of 14 other current students and alumni who have benefitted from Colorado Garden Foundation’s scholarship program since its inception in 2007. Additionally, Colorado Garden Foundation contributes grant funding annually to support various horticultural endeavors across the state, helping fund projects from educational and healing gardens to food banks, parks and trails. This year, Colorado Garden Foundation celebrates its 60-year anniversary and its legacy of contributing more than $10 million across the state to date. The 2019 grant awards total more than $513,000, including two major grant winners: the Denver Botanic Gardens and the WOW! Children’s Museum in Lafayette.

“I have the greatest job in the world, at least that’s the feeling I get when I award grants and scholarships to deserving organizations and individuals, using ticket proceeds from our shows each year,” said Jim Fricke, Executive Director for Colorado Garden Foundation. “Awarding a full-ride scholarship to Clarissa was especially rewarding for me and for everyone on our board this year. We’ve never met a young person quite like Clarissa. Her internal drive to succeed despite financial and personal challenges is something to witness. We’re going to see great things from Clarissa and it’s an honor to be able to contribute to her journey and her future successes.”

Fricke and members of Colorado Garden Foundation’s board traveled nearly 1,000 miles to interview candidates around the state for its annual scholarship program. After narrowing an exceptional list of candidates, the board made the decision to award a full ride at Colorado State University to Clarissa this year.

Colorado residents who are high school seniors and intending to pursue a horticultural area of study are encouraged to apply for the scholarship program each year, which places an emphasis on need of students applying. Colorado Garden Foundation grants, which are also awarded annually, are considered through an application process as well, and range from $200 to $15,000 and greater, with funds supporting community gardens, greenhouses, a horticulture therapy program, a healing garden, a children’s reading garden, landscape and trail improvements, a bird habitat and educational gardens and programs, just to name a few.

Since the 1970s, Colorado Garden Foundation has awarded more than $10 million to more than 425 organizations in Colorado, using ticket proceeds from the Colorado Garden & Home Show and Colorado Fall Home Show, both taking place annually at the Colorado Convention Center. To learn more please visit ColoradoGardenFoundation.org.

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About Colorado Garden Foundation

Colorado Garden Foundation, a nonprofit corporation, 501(c)(3), provides funds for horticultural-related grants and scholarships for the benefit of Colorado. To date, the Foundation has awarded more than $9 million for horticultural projects and scholarships throughout the state. Colorado Garden Foundation presents the Colorado Fall Home Show focusing on home renovation, remodeling and sustainable living and the Colorado Garden & Home Show, the Rocky Mountain region’s largest, oldest and most prestigious consumer garden and home improvement show west of the Mississippi in February. For more information, visit ColoradoGardenFoundation.org, facebook.com/coloradogardenfoundation or Twitter @cogardenfdn