Meet Tamara Valdez | President | Richard Reed Foundation

We had the good fortune of connecting with Tamara Valdez and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Tamara, can you share the most important lesson you’ve learned over the course of your career?
Gratitude. After working in the corporate sector for over twenty-five years, the non-profit world has given me a new perspective on working and living with purpose. Going from profit-driven culture to one that is ripe with selfless individuals looking to make a positive impact in their community has been humbling. For example, one woman we work with started her organization in her early twenties, nearly 20 years ago, out of a bus. Now, they are one of the bigger organizations in Denver supporting underprivileged youth. This one woman has dedicated her entire life to serving others and enriching her community. I am honored to be working in this field, to learn from those who dedicate their lives to bettering their communities and to help organizations move forward with their vision.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
We are a private Foundation but, in addition to providing grants, we strive to learn more about our grantees. We want to know their operational challenges, marketing issues and any other obstacles that they face. My background is in marketing and advertising, and I worked in a field that rarely valued my opinions or ideas. Now, we are in a space where we can implement our skills and creativity to provide additional resources for non-profits. Our goal is to be more than a Foundation that solely provides grants. We want to start conversations with our community to find where we can help fill the gaps in marketing, advertising, fundraising and more. We are working on creating a resource network where non-profits can communicate with each other and share ideas that will help in the areas of fundraising, volunteer recruitment and retention, social media marketing, events and more.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I live in Breckenridge so there is a lot to do here in every season. We have a lot of visitors, and we tailor each visit to interest and activity level. From outdoor activities like skiing Breck and mountain biking to hiking trails like the Burro trail and Mohawk Lakes, to snowshoeing or paddle boarding at Lake Dillon. There are in-town historical tours, mine tours, events at Riverwalk center and Breck Create. There are a lot of great places to eat here but some of our favorites are Cool River, Rootstalk, Mountain Flying Fish, Piante, Giampietro’s, Empire Burger, Peak of Asia and Aurum. Breckenridge is a tourist town but has a slow, small-town vibe that we love.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I wouldn’t be where I am today without the support of my father. He taught me the value of hard work, the honor of truth, the importance of giving back and the impact of empathy. He worked tirelessly throughout his career and, in his later years, to give what he could to support non-profits looking to make their communities a better place. He is the founder of the Richard Reed Foundation, and I am honored to carry his torch.

Website: www.richardreedfoundation.org

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/richardreedfoundation/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/richardreedfoundation