By Collin Lessing, JVA Consulting

How often is it that the President of the United States is in your own front yard? For me that’s never happened—until today.

President Barack Obama has spent much of his week in Colorado—debating Mitt Romney at University of Denver on Wednesday and bringing his campaign tour to Sloan’s Lake on Thursday, which is directly across the street from JVA Consulting’s headquarters in Northwest Denver. Usually, Sloan’s Lake serves as the setting for a quick gaze from the window in between grant proposals or strategic planning sessions for the JVA team. This morning, however, several of us crossed the street to join thousands of other enthusiastic members of the Denver community who were interested in hearing what the President had to say. During his speech, the President shared his visions for health care, Medicare, education and reducing the deficit.

President Obama walks on stage for his speech at Sloan’s Lake in Denver.

It’s definitely not typical for most of our team to take a group field trip from the office like that, but this morning was different.

That’s the glove of JVA associate Angie White Ph.D. shaking hands with President Obama.

For many of us at JVA, the significance of this election reaches well beyond our personal lives—it is an extension of the work we do and the change we collectively seek in our community. It brings to mind the phrase Why I do what I do. In partnership with our amazing clients, we work everyday to create progress in our community that involves many of the issues that have become central in this election, including:

  • Access to health care
  • Safety nets for older adults, people with disabilities, children
  • Hunger and access to nutritious food
  • Women’s reproductive rights
  • GLBTQ
  • Environment
  • And more

JVA research associate Laura Morales and social enterprise intern Shaina Bauman stop for a photo at the speech at Sloan’s Lake.

Having the privilege to work with incredible, committed social innovators and community change-makers in the nonprofit sector as well as across sectors gives us a unique perspective on these issues because we get to witness, or even measure, the impact that related services and programs have on our community. It’s that impact that underscores the importance of this election for us. That impact is why we do what we do. And we hope that in the coming years, that critical, community-strengthening impact will continue to reach those who need it most.