Our Mission

The PLAY Boulder Foundation supports excellence in parks and recreation by mobilizing community support through education, philanthropy and advocacy.


 

Our Goals

The PLAY Boulder Foundation was founded in 1976 to work alongside the Boulder Parks & Recreation Department. These are the goals we strive to achieve each and every day:

  1. Engage the residents of Boulder in enhancing our city and improving our quality of life.

  2. Ensure that there are adequate resources to provide safe, quality recreation opportunities for all.

  3. Embody a reputable and dependable organization that fosters outstanding recreational programs and public spaces.

Our Values

Accessibility

Ensure that residents of all ability, age and means can access the best programs Boulder has to offer and feel valued in their community.

Health & Wellness

Promote and encourage the health and wellness of our community, both its members and the environment around us.

Sustainability

Implement responsible environmental standards in all parks, recreational facilities, and public spaces.

Collaboration

Foster mutually beneficial relationships in the community to make change possible and achieve powerful results together.

Connection

Cultivate connections through volunteerism, engagement, and communal investment.

Fiscal Stewardship

Earn the respect of the public and donor trust in all financial transactions.

 

Board of Directors

Our Team

Angie jeffords
Executive Director

We are happy to introduce you to PLAY Boulder Foundation’s newest Executive Director, Angie Jeffords. Having lived in Boulder since 1974, Angie comes to the PLAY Boulder Foundation with a deep personal and professional knowledge of the Boulder community and its resources. Angie is excited about establishing quality programs to bring people together, build community, and advocate for equity through PLAY Boulder’s collaboration with the Boulder Parks and Recreation Department.  As a successful non-profit events and fundraising management business owner, board member and community partner we look forward to having Angie on PLAY’s Team. 

Integrity, Community, Partnership, Equity, and Fun! Are Angie’s buzz words!


Sophia Zisook
Internal Consultant - Strategy & Operations

Sophia is a strategic leader in the social sector with partnerships, strategy, programs, and management experience spanning more than a decade. Her focus has been on equity and access to opportunity. From her work at collaborating with governments and corporations to make a more inclusive economy for entrepreneurs, to the small business - Negotiate with Sophia - she runs that leverages social science research to support women, Queer folk, BIPOC folk, and others to negotiate higher incomes, to her work advocating to change tech policies to be inclusive of women's health, Sophia devotes all her energy and expertise to building a more equitable future for everyone.

Sophia is a Licensed Social Worker who graduated Summa Cum Laude with her Master's in Social Work from the University of Chicago. She is an Ariane de Rothschild Fellow at the University of Cambridge, an Accenture Innovate for Good finalist, an #EmpowerHerAccess awardee from Women in Cloud, and a recipient of DePaul University's Women of Spirit and Action student award and the Women of Substance alumni award.

Through each of her ventures, Sophia works to dismantle the systems that disenfranchise communities.


Greta J. Sandberg
Playpass Program Manager

Greta Sandberg is a Denver native who obtained her Bachelor of Science in Social Work and is currently pursuing her Master’s in Social Work. She has a passion and focus for helping people in her communities and beyond. Since 2014, Greta has been working in youth-focused non-profits throughout Colorado, hoping to inspire and serve her community to the best of her ability. Greta has been with the PLAY Boulder Foundation since May of 2021, serving as the Program Manager for the PLAYpass program. Her aim is to make PLAYpass services as useful to PLAYpass participants as possible, and align its goals with the needs of the people PLAYpass intends to serve. She plans to do this by applying social work values of social justice, empathy, and integrity to the program to ensure that participants are able to find a sport that they are passionate about and improve the overall health equity in the City of Boulder!


pAOLA gARCIA bARRON
playPASS outreach intern

Meet Paola, a passionate advocate for equity and social issues. She is a Colorado native, born and raised in Boulder, forty-five minutes northwest of Denver. Currently taking a gap year at The University of Denver, Paola's sights are set on returning as a junior to complete her degree in Sociology and Socio-legal Studies and use her education to make a positive impact. In her free time, you will find her lacing up her running shoes, volunteering for the causes close to her heart, diving into a good book, or cherishing moments with her family. Paola has great enthusiasm as she embarks on her internship with PLAY Boulder. She is eager to bring her perspective as a Boulder native with bicultural and bilingual skills to the table, act as a bridge-builder, help expand the organization's reach, and ensure that recreation opportunities are accessible to all.


In memory of Stephanie Fewsmith

Steph's influence on our organization and the community is immeasurable. Steph was passionate about equity, natural climate solutions, and the impact that an open mind and an open heart can have on people’s lives. Each day, we are reminded of her contributions as we carry on with our work, and we hold her incredible family in our thoughts. Steph will be dearly missed, but her vision for the work that PLAY can accomplish in our community will continue to inspire us!

Mike Reichert
Tree Trust Program Manager

Mike grew up in the Midwest and spent a lot of his time outdoors. He loves living in the Rocky Mountains with his wife and their four-legged children. He has a passion for education, environmentalism, sustainability, and community building. Mike earned an MA in Teaching and worked as an ESL teacher both domestically and internationally. He most recently enjoyed developing community partnerships for a non-profit in Boulder County where he rekindled his love for the intersection of nature and education. Mike is excited to help build and grow the Tree Trust in 2023 and beyond. He sees the Tree Tender volunteer program as a catalyst to empower the community to protect the urban canopy in the City of Boulder for generations to come.


Daniel Hanson
TREE TRUST PROGRAM MANAGER COMMUNITY FOREST CORPS

After high school, Daniel took a gap year and spent three months traveling, volunteering, and exploring Latin America through a gap year program. During this program, Daniel found his passion for the environment after witnessing the wonders of nature - but also its neglection and destruction. This realization led to his commitment to the University of Colorado, Boulder, and his decision to pursue a degree in Environmental Studies and a minor in Geography. After his graduation in the spring of 2022, Daniel served as an AmeriCorps CivicSpark Fellow, placed with the City of Boulder, Nature-based Climate Solutions team and Cool Boulder Campaign. During this service with the City of Boulder, Daniel began to focus more on urban forestry initiatives, particularly initiatives centered in community mobilization and empowerment.

In the spring of 2024, Daniel joined the PLAY Boulder Foundation to lead the newly launched Community Forestry Corps, after helping to design and launch the program with partners from the PLAY Boulder Foundation, the City of Boulder, Boulder County, and Classrooms for Climate Action. Daniel is excited to be a part of a program that offers local youth an opportunity to take part in actions that build community resilience through the planting, growth and care for urban trees. Although much needs to be done to prepare our communities for the escalating impacts of climate change, Daniel is inspired by the dedication of everyday people to learn about and take part in climate action, and is honored to have the opportunity to support the growth and empowerment of future climate ambassadors!

Contact Us

Please direct your questions to info@playboulder.org