The Broe Group, Great Western donate to Colorado children's programs
Private investment and management company The Broe Group holds a multi-billion dollar portfolio of real estate, railroads, energy, and tech investments. With its headquarters in Denver, and its oil and gas portfolio company Great Western Oil & Gas Company LLC operating a significant drilling program in the Denver-Julesberg basin, The Broe Group is deeply rooted in Colorado.
Both The Broe Group and Great Western Oil & Gas Company are investing in the future of the community in which they live and work. Recent donations have been made with the goal of enriching the lives and education of children in northern Colorado.
Earlier this year, The Broe Family Foundation donated $25,000 to the Colorado town of Windsor for the creation of The Broe Family Foundation Windsor Scholarship Fund, a program that subsidizes fees for qualifying children to participate in town recreation services.
The program is being developed and will be available for the summer season.
"The Broe family and all of our colleagues are very pleased to be able to offer these scholarships to our neighbors in Windsor who require a little help accessing the worthwhile and fun sports, arts and other activities offered by the town. We continue to be committed to the region and believe that commitment goes beyond the jobs created and taxes generated to supporting those who really need assistance," said Sean Broe of The Broe Group.
The Windsor Parks, Recreation & Culture Department is administering the reduced rate scholarship program, which is also funded by donations from multiple sources including the Windsor Town Board and United Way of Weld County. Scholarships are available to Windsor residents meeting guidelines for income and household size. Each child can qualify for up to $225 per year. Last year, children from 50 families received scholarships under the program.
The Town of Windsor and The Broe Family Foundation will establish the endowment fund and a board to administer the expanded program under the name The Broe Family Foundation Windsor Scholarship Fund. The board is expected to include Melissa Chew, director, Windsor Parks, Recreation & Culture Department; Eric Creed, senior surface landman at Great Western Oil & Gas Company, and Jenni Stanford, director of industrial development at Great Western Development Company.
Programs offered through the Windsor Parks, Recreation, & Culture Department attract over 70,000 participants annually to sports including baseball, basketball, football, soccer, lacrosse, softball, fencing, cheerleading, tennis and golf, plus dozens of arts, music and dance classes.
Windsor town manager Kelly Arnold expressed gratitude for the support. "The Town of Windsor truly appreciates The Broe Family Foundation and the support companies affiliated with the Broe family continue to provide to the citizens of Windsor."
In February, The Broe Group affiliate Great Western Oil & Gas made a gift of $21,000 to the Windsor Charter Academy. The donation is helping fund comprehensive learning environments for a math classroom, learning lab, and the school's Special Education suite.
"Supporting our local schools and helping build a better future for our children is a great way to give back to a community that has welcomed us and given us so much," said Great Western CEO Rich Frommer.
The gift followed Great Western's 2014 donation of $20,000 for the purchase of Android tablets for two Tozer Primary Schoool classrooms in the Weld Re-4 School District.
Great Western senior surface landman Eric Creed was present at a work session in which Windsor Mayor John Vazquez and Sean Ash, president of the school board, discussed budget constraints felt by Weld Re-4, setting the donation in motion.
"I firmly believe that our children only make up 20 percent of our population, but they're 100 percent of our future, and it takes a community to work together and to grow together," said Weld Re-4 Superintendent Karen Trusler.
When presenting the donation to the district, Great Western CEO Frommer cited his own career as a geologist as an example of the need to introduce technology at an early age. When he started in his field, he said, everyone used graph paper and slide rules, but now, everything is done on laptops. "We need to get kids started today in getting comfortable with technology," he said.
"We are honored to be able to make this investment in our future, which is our children in this community," he continued. "We want to be good neighbors. We want to do the best thing we can with the smallest impact on the community, and with the greatest upsides."
Mikaila Adams | Managing Editor - News
Mikaila Adams has 20 years of experience as an editor, most of which has been centered on the oil and gas industry. She enjoyed 12 years focused on the business/finance side of the industry as an editor for Oil & Gas Journal's sister publication, Oil & Gas Financial Journal (OGFJ). After OGFJ ceased publication in 2017, she joined Oil & Gas Journal and was named Managing Editor - News in 2019. She holds a degree from Texas Tech University.
