Jul 23, 2026 — Tilly Gibbs: BCOS We Care for Our Community

Bulletin for July 23, 2026

Featured Speaker: Tilly Gibbs

President, BCOS We Care for Our Community — BCOS We Care for Our Community

OPENING

Jeff Gaddis led the prayer and Paula Linares led the Pledge of Allegiance.

"You are alive today and have been blessed with this opportunity of life. Don't waste it. Leave a life worth living, full of meaning and purpose, and one that will make the fallen who are looking down on us proud."

— William K. Carpenter, United States Marine Corps Medal of Honor

Frank livened the meeting with several jokes — clean and funny.

CLUB BUSINESS

• Annual dues: $100 for July 1–June 30. Please pay if you haven't already.

• Rodeo billing: Outstanding rodeo payments will be invoiced.

• Board Meeting: Tuesday, July 28 at 4:00 PM at the Bank of Bob.

• Lower Arkansas Valley Field Trip: Wednesday, July 29. No club meeting on Thursday, July 30.

• Member news: Interest in organizing a Nixon power plant visit. Kiwanis recently delivered 995 boxes of peaches. A large breakfast event under Colorado Avenue near Sierra Madre supports a ministry for homeless youth, with new apartments near 19th and Yorktown.

• Buffalo Soldiers: Recognition of the memorial and Ring of Honor at Memorial Park.

• Guests: Marty introduced Heidi (independent mortgage broker and Walter's niece), who helped resolve a post-closing real estate issue for a client. Mark introduced his wife Jolene, a longtime volunteer at BCOS We Care.

KEYNOTE: TILLY GIBBS — BCOS WE CARE FOR OUR COMMUNITY

About the Organization

BCOS We Care for Our Community is the recently rebranded name of the former Assistance League of Colorado Springs. The organization separated from the national Assistance League to gain full autonomy over its programs and direction. It is 100% volunteer-run with approximately 135 members and an annual budget of $400,000–$450,000. Approximately 65% of income goes directly back into the community.

The primary revenue source is The Bargain Box — a roughly 10,000-square-foot thrift store on Nevada Avenue. The store resets on Mondays and typically generates $1,500 on Tuesdays and approximately $1,000 on other days, with special sales sometimes exceeding $6,000. Quality control is a priority: visibly damaged items are not sold. Unusable goods are recycled, shredded, or routed to partner organizations — including Lions Clubs for eyewear. The organization owns two aging buildings (the store and a service center) and supplements sales revenue with grants including United Way support.

Who They Serve

Customer segments include homeless individuals seeking warmth, families, quality-seekers, and resellers. Staff handle requests for free items with care, reinforcing that items are for sale while maintaining dignity. Children's books are curated due to scarcity. SNAP cuts have increased food bank reliance and overall demand across the community.

An advisory council formed after the separation from the national organization helps assess emerging needs. The group has consciously decided to focus where it can deliver impact — clothing, food, and hygiene — while acknowledging that housing and transportation exceed its current capacity.

Core Programs

Beyond the Classroom (formerly Operation School Bell): The largest program — serving approximately 5,000 schoolchildren annually with clothing, hygiene items, and shoe gift cards. The program emphasizes dignity and student choice. Several schools will receive expanded support this year.

Literacy: Volunteers read one-on-one with young students in the fall and provide new books. Last year the program reached approximately 650 children.

Pre-K Hearing Screenings: Informal checks to flag potential hearing issues and provide referrals for follow-up.

Sweet Dreams: For roughly a decade, this program has provided new beds, bedding, and essentials to teens exiting foster care or experiencing homelessness. Last year the organization supplied 55 rooms at the opening of Launch Pad and distributed 25–50 King Soopers gift cards to promote autonomy and budgeting.

Sexual Assault Survivor Support: In partnership with the UC Health system, the organization provides new clothing sets for patients whose clothes are retained as evidence.

Trafficking Support: The Lotus Foundation was added as a partner following insights from the advisory council.

Homeless Veterans: The organization participates in Mount Carmel's annual stand down, contributing targeted items such as solar chargers.

Community Closet at The Bargain Box: Offers vouchers for clothing, housewares, bedding, and hygiene items. Clients most frequently prioritize hygiene products — toilet paper, shampoo, toothbrushes, toothpaste, deodorant — citing them as foundational to dignity and social acceptance.

Food Security: Volunteers collected approximately 1,000 pounds of shelf-stable food for the Family Success Center's Sunnyside Market — a co-located hub coordinated via United Way's 211 service, offering ESL classes, daycare aligned with class schedules, and benefits navigation. The scale of need was described as "mind boggling."

Men's Workforce Reintegration: Business attire (suits, ties, a range of sizes) is provided to a local step program not well served by typical thrift purchases. Volunteers have also cooked onsite dinners for participants. The program involves dorm stays, resume instruction, and daily job-seeking requirements.

Philosophy

BCOS We Care programs are built around dignity, choice, quality, and minimal waste, with ongoing refinement based on community feedback. Gift cards are provided without micromanaging purchases — natural consequences are viewed as part of the learning process. The organization draws inspiration from collaborative models like Tri-Lakes Cares and Tri-Lakes Kiwanis in Monument.

CONCLUSION

Mother Teresa said: "Poverty doesn't only consist of being hungry for bread, but rather it is a tremendous hunger for human dignity. We need to love and to be someone for someone else." BCOS We Care for Our Community is doing exactly that — one neighbor, one child, one family at a time.

Kevin and John won the meeting prizes. Congratulations to both.

No meeting next Thursday, July 30 — see you on the road in Rocky Ford instead.

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