Meet Emily Crouse-Joo | Community Engagement Enthusiast

We had the good fortune of connecting with Emily Crouse-Joo and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Emily, can you talk to us a bit about the social impact of your business?
Broomfield FISH, the local food bank and Family Resource Center, is known as a food bank and we do so much more than just food to help our neighbors in need. We help residents of the City and County of Broomfield by providing a dignified, self-shop marketplace to end hunger and we can help pay rents and utilities for those in need. Food, rent and utilities are important basic needs services but we take it a step further as FISH partners with more than 30 other organizations to offer multigenerational, whole family success programs. Hunger and housing insecurity are symptoms of more serious issues and we are committed to get people get back on to the path of self sufficiency and transform their lives. With the onset of the pandemic, the number of people we help has sky rocketed. We now serve 1 in 7 Broomfield residents. We could not do what we do without the generous support of our donors and volunteers. We have over 220 regular weekly volunteers and we are able to ensure .93 cents of every dollar given to fish goes directly to people in need. We have been a backbone organization for the City and County of Broomfield and we love being able to provide for those who need us.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I have always been a fundraiser for as long as I can remember. Starting with Trick-or-Treat for Unicef with my church, The United Church of Broomfield, then to the University of Northern Colorado Alumni Center and on to my current job with Broomfield FISH, I absolutely love to connect people with opportunities to make a difference in their local community. There is so much to gain from giving and it has been a calling in life for me to connect the dots between those who can give and those who have need. I am most proud of the connections I have built through networking with business owners and the strength that I have brought to the Broomfield community by helping form deeper collaborations across industries. When I started with FISH almost 4 years ago, I relied heavily on the personal relationships I already had formed from growing up in Broomfield but since that time, I have grown to know who are the movers and shakers in the business and civic landscape. I have grown my expansive and valuable network by showing up at every opportunity I can find to meet new people. I enjoy the Broomfield Chamber of Commerce, my BNI group Winning Edge as well as the Westminster Polka Dots; I am energized when I can be the friendly face to introduce new comers to our town and I love when my contacts come to me for advice and connection with others. My passion is to be a community connector and a glue that brings people together especially to grow small business and local philanthropy. I believe that together as entrepreneurs we yield the greatest power in shaping our communities. It all starts with meeting your neighbor and asking the right questions to get to learn more about who they are and then sharing opportunities about ways to invest their time and treasure to make the most significant impact possible. We vote with our dollars everyday for the community we choose. The Givers Gain mentality sustains me in my fundraising efforts because I know that each time I am able to help a friend, they will be there for me when I need their support for one of my projects. To me, the meaning of community is “We are in this together.” Broomfield, nestled at the base of the Rocky Mountains, is an incredibly generous community and for those lucky enough to live or work here, we need to be thankful for the gifts of striking views, friendly faces and well planned infrastructure by taking an active role in serving others.

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?
Broomfield is smack dab between Denver and Boulder with easy access to both major cities. With a visitor in town, we would have to certainly take a day trip to each of our bigger cousins, but we will find plenty to do in Broomfield. I sure hope that my guest brings their bicycle as Broomfield has more trails than roads which meander through our expansive open space. We can take our bikes out west for an afternoon of shopping at Flatirons Mall. While we are there we can drink Boba Tea from Dragon Bubble in the food court and grab a good meal at P.F. Changs before we catch a movie at the AMC. The following day, we better work-out at the new state of the art Community Center and enjoy one of the three pools. A quiet rest can be had across the street at the Broomfield Public Library while we read our books in the amphitheater overlooking the small pond before we visit the emotionally moving 911 memorial. It wouldn’t be a complete day without lunch at Infinitus Pie, my family’s pizzeria and 8 time winner of Best of Broomfield before we have a tour of the food bank, Broomfield FISH. Hopefully a good show will be in town at The First Bank Center in the heart of the Arista Development. We can grab a glass of wine with a fresh European ambiance before we grab dinner at Hickory and Ash, known for the brussels sprouts. Lastly, Broomfield has a vibrant art vibe and a walk in the sculpture garden in Broomfield commons park will be enjoyable with our dogs who can play at the dog park there. Driving around we can spot all of the colorfully decorated electrical boxes and enjoy a meal just outside of Broomfield at GQue BBQ. Undoubtedly the weather will be sunny to highlight the beautiful views from Anne Crouse park by the water towers and will fade into a picturesque sunset.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I dedicate my success to my dad. There have been so many wonderful educators, leaders like Dayna Scott the ED of FISH and cheerleaders like my mom along my path but my dad is always the first one to say “Hell yea, Em, You can do this, Superstar!” Along side my mom, he was the one who pushed me on to the airplane headed to Sao Paulo, Brazil for my Rotary Exchange Trip and he was the one who took me down to City Hall to sign the papers when I ran for City Council in 2019. As I look forward to the next big steps in my life, my dad is the man who keeps my spirits high, reminds me of who I truly am, and challenges me to take it a little bit further. My grandmother, Anne Crouse, founder of Broomfield, Colorado, runs thick in my blood and my daddy never lets me forget it.

Website: www.broomfieldfish.org

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/emilycrousejoo

Other: Our family’s restaurant: www.infinituspie.com

Image Credits
Tim Sierbert, Flatirons Pro Media