BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//CCLP - ECPv6.18.0//NONSGML v1.0//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN METHOD:PUBLISH X-WR-CALNAME:CCLP X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://copolicy.org X-WR-CALDESC:Events for CCLP REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H X-Robots-Tag:noindex X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/Denver BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0700 TZOFFSETTO:-0600 TZNAME:MDT DTSTART:20250309T090000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0600 TZOFFSETTO:-0700 TZNAME:MST DTSTART:20251102T080000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0700 TZOFFSETTO:-0600 TZNAME:MDT DTSTART:20260308T090000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0600 TZOFFSETTO:-0700 TZNAME:MST DTSTART:20261101T080000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0700 TZOFFSETTO:-0600 TZNAME:MDT DTSTART:20270314T090000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0600 TZOFFSETTO:-0700 TZNAME:MST DTSTART:20271107T080000 END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20261112T170000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20261112T200000 DTSTAMP:20261020T192732Z CREATED:20261015T001330Z LAST-MODIFIED:20261020T192732Z UID:24039-1794502800-1794513600@copolicy.org SUMMARY:2026 Colorado Champions Awards DESCRIPTION:Celebrating those who advance the rights of every Coloradan\nCCLP invites you to join us on Thursday\, November 12\, 2026 from 5:00 – 8:00pm for our Colorado Champions Awards. The event will be held at Skylight in Denver’s Santa Fe Arts District. This signature event convenes leaders from across Colorado’s legal\, policy\, and philanthropic communities to celebrate individuals and organizations advancing justice and opportunity for all Coloradans. \nThe evening will feature a cocktail reception followed by an inspiring awards program honoring leaders whose work is driving meaningful change across our state. We will highlight champions whose stories inspire action and show the power of community partnership. Guests will also hear from CCLP leadership and distinguished special guests\, including policymakers and advocates. \nColorado Champions Awards\, our 13th annual awards ceremony\, is more than an evening of recognition; it is a catalyst for change. By honoring the hard work of advocates\, convening diverse leaders\, and raising essential funds for the antipoverty movement\, the event strengthens CCLP’s impact across health care\, food security\, economic justice\, and housing stability. \nThis event is a price ticketed event. If cost is a barrier\, but you would still like to attend\, please contact Bruce Barnum\, by phone at (303) 573-5669\, ext. 312\, or by email at bbarnum@copolicy.org. \nSuggested dress code: business to cocktail attire \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n 2026 Colorado Champions Award Winners\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n 2026 Community Advocate\nof the Year\nJosh Stallings\n(he/him)\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Josh Stallings is a community organizer and advocate. He has been active in Colorado’s immigrant rights movement across Denver metro and Northern Colorado since 2016 after spending a formative year in Tlaxcala\, Mexico working in a migrant shelter. \nJosh’s work with the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition (CIRC) helped create the Fort Collins Immigration Legal Fund and mobilized hundreds of people for immigration reform during a bike ride from Denver to Washington D.C. At Juntos Community\, he led research into barriers to professional licensure for undocumented Coloradans and supported passage of the 2026 “Safety\, Not Status” law\, House Bill 26-1143. \nJosh recently launched Chanz Community Strategies\, LLC to support organizing and advocacy efforts that allow communities to thrive. Outside of work\, he enjoys time with his wife Danie\, their two cats\, and exploring Colorado through running\, swimming\, biking\, skiing\, backpacking\, and camping. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n 2026 Government\nPartner of the Year\nAbby McClelland\n(she/her)\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Abby McClelland is the Division Director of Food and Energy Assistance at the Colorado Department of Human Services (CDHS)\, managing a portfolio of federally-funded food and energy programs\, including Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Since coming to CDHS\, she has managed the significant increase in application processing timeliness in SNAP\, the implementation of H.R. 1\, and is currently focused on managing the reduction of the SNAP payment error rate. \nShe brings extensive leadership experience across public administration\, data analytics\, and policy advocacy. Her career spans executive leadership\, legal experience and deep knowledge of data analysis and quantitative research. She also spent several years as a Supervising Attorney at Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles providing legal and policy advocacy in public benefits for vulnerable populations. Recognized for her collaborative public service\, she was recently honored with the Client Partnership of the Year award from the Colorado Attorney General’s Office. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n 2026 Legislatorof the Year\nSenator Mike Weissman(he/him)\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Mike Weissman is Colorado State Senator for District 28 and is grateful to have previously been elected four times to the Colorado House of Representatives to work for his community. \nThe grandson of a doctor\, a social worker\, a journalist\, and a community activist\, he has long believed that the purpose of public policy and law is to improve our shared condition\, particularly for those who have been less fortunate. As the descendant of Jewish immigrants who fled the pogroms of Eastern Europe and of Irish immigrants who survived the potato famine of the mid 1800s\, he seeks to pay forward and work to keep alive the promise of opportunities that our country has long offered to those seeking a new beginning. \nIn furtherance of this mission he has actively sought legislation in tax policy; consumer protection; civil rights; criminal justice reform; environmental protection; and supporting survivors of crimes; among other subjects. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n More awardees will be introduced in the coming weeks\, so stay tuned!\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Elevating Sponsors\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Ana Fernandez Frank\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Supporting Sponsors\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Contributing Sponsors\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Tom Brinegar\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Sponsorship spots still available!\nFor sponsors\, the Colorado Champions Awards present a unique opportunity to demonstrate visible commitment in advancing justice and to be alongside Colorado’s most committed champions of change and the communities of people they represent. \nNew to this year’s event is the opportunity to elevate your organization’s branding in the title branding of the event itself. This option is available to one sponsor only\, first-come\, first-served\, for our Premier Presenting Sponsorship \nIf you or your organization is interested in sponsoring this awards ceremony\, please review the sponsorship levels in the packet linked below and sign up to be a sponsor today! \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Download the 2026 Sponsorship Packet (pdf)\n \n Or click here to sponsor the event today! URL:https://copolicy.org/event/colorado-champions-awards-2026/ LOCATION:Skylight\, 833 Santa Fe Drive\, Denver\, CO\, 80204\, United States CATEGORIES:Colorado Champions Awards ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://copolicy.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/4.png ORGANIZER;CN="Colorado Center on Law and Policy":MAILTO:info@copolicy.org END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR