COVID-19 Community Task Force

The Task Force aims to engage Boulder County community members who are most impacted by the pandemic in order to understand how the pandemic is affecting them and incorporate their input and advice to existing and future strategies and actions. Our goals are to:

• Understand how COVID is impacting community members, especially those that are disproportionately affected
• Engage with community members who don’t normally participate in local government processes
• Build relationships and increase trust
• Improve our ability to meet the needs of all community members

The Task Force is comprised of 11 Boulder County residents that represent the following groups:

• Latinx
• Chicano
• Asian-Pacific Islanders
• African American
• LGBTQIA+
• Disabled
• College student
• Older adult/senior
• Unhoused

Task Force members will provide insight on issues related to the COVID-19 Pandemic and other areas of opportunity (e.g., racial equity, climate, etc.)  They are not expected to develop or advocate for policies. However, they are encouraged to:

• Share their everyday experiences of living in the current pandemic
• Act as a liaison with their community 
• Review and provide input on recovery strategies and policies 
• Identify needs, gaps in services, barriers, and opportunities to better serve the most impacted community members 
• Be a resource to local governments and partners throughout Boulder County 

These items align with a larger philosophy of cultural brokerage: coordination across languages and cultures in order to ease or eliminate barriers to resources. Since the 2013 floods and the Longmont Resiliency For All report, BoCo communities have focused on using this framework as a way to co-create change in areas of mediation, resource navigation, mentorship, civic engagement. and more. You can learn more about this initiative by going to bocosuma.com.

Boulder County is a government entity that uses input from the Task Force to guide COVID-19 relief initiatives, allocate resources, and promote safety and wellbeing for all residents. Boulder County staff members:

• Facilitate monthly Task Force meetings
• Support access and effective involvement for each Task Force member 
• Inform Task Force members about the progress of local government and partners
• Respond to issues identified by the Task Force
• Coordinate with other local governments and community partners throughout Boulder County to share Task Force meeting summary reports
• Collect questions and project ideas to pose to the Task Force

Philanthropiece is a fiscal sponsor for the Task Force, but most importantly, we act as a convener, facilitator, and connector.

After 15 years of cultivating relationships with other Boulder County nonprofits, government agencies, universities, businesses, grassroots organizations, and residents, Philanthropiece is uniquely positioned to guide the Task Force in building trust in groups with diverse backgrounds and interests.

Specifically, we:

• Assist with recruitment and selection of Task Force members 
• Contract with Spanish interpreters for monthly meetings and provide closed captioning if necessary
• Reimburse Task Force members for their services
• Keep accurate records, making sure there is proper documentation of Task Force input and recommendations

The Task Force invites local government bodies to participate in any capacity they can: by reading the monthly meeting summary reports, by submitting questions or strategies for Task Force review, or by contacting Carla Colin (the Task Force’s Community Engagement Coordinator) to explore opportunities for direct participation.

• Task Force Coordinator: Carla Colin (ccolin@bouldercounty.org)
• Cultural Brokers Resilience Program Coordinator: Guillermo Estrada-Rivera ([email protected])
• Philanthropiece Foundation Lead: Jake Matlak ([email protected])