The car line is a sacred place. Is there any other stretch of pavement so dormant most of the time, yet so quickly a pivotal logistics ground for twenty minutes twice a day? During the school year, at set times, cars descend. And with the cars come neighbors overlapping lives. Neighbors cutting each other off, yielding, and goodbying. Neighbors who hold fully aligned hopes for those twenty minutes: that this day will be a good one for our children, that they will be loved, safe, and developed.

In the heart of the Sunnyside neighborhood is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the well-being of youth in Denver. Save Our Youth was founded in response to the tumultuous "summer of violence" in Denver in 1993. It provides one-to-one mentorship to young people ages 10-17 as a pathway to help them overcome adverse experiences and learn to embrace hope. To cultivate the belief that they can have something better, and they have a role to play in making it better. With over three decades of faithful presence and practice, Save Our Youth has walked alongside thousands of youths, providing mentoring relationships that nurture spiritual, emotional, and economic hope. 

A football field is a sacred place. It is where strength and stamina are required, and regardless of the outcome, a deep respect is forged between those who have battled one another on the field.

The classroom is a sacred place. More than just a place where students learn, it is where children form core memories that will stick with them throughout their lives. The classroom is place of encouragement as well as challenge, both a cradle and crucible for the important, weighty work of “growing up.”