Published: March 24, 2008

The Daniels Fund has donated $196,500 to two University of Colorado programs, one to support a K-12 engineering education program at the CU-Boulder campus and one for an addiction research and treatment program at the Anschutz Medical Campus.

The fund has allocated $100,000 for an engineering education program at CU-Boulder's College of Engineering and Applied Science and $96,500 for the Addiction Research and Treatment Services program at the School of Medicine and department of psychiatry.

"The Daniels Fund has been a continued supporter of many diverse initiatives and programs throughout the University of Colorado system," said J. Wayne Hutchens, president and CEO of the University of Colorado Foundation. "We are thankful for their support of these two very important CU programs, and always proud to work with such an excellent organization."

The CU-Boulder engineering program, called TEAMS, focuses on the future by guiding students in curriculum choices they need to make during middle school to be able to pursue engineering degrees in college. The TEAMS program targets groups underrepresented in engineering including low-income youth, first generation college-bound students, diverse students and women.

Support from the Daniels Fund will allow expansion of the TEAMS program in 2008, reaching more than 1,700 Colorado K-12 school children weekly including children on the western slope. The TEAMS program (Tomorrow's Engineers Create Imagine Succeed) works with high-need schools to reach students before doors to an engineering career are closed.

The ARTS substance abuse and addiction treatment program at the School of Medicine and psychiatry department is geared toward recovering addicts who are referred from the correctional system. The program gives patients the tools they need to improve their family and social lives, increase employability, reduce criminality and diminish the risk of HIV infection and other alcohol and drug-related medical problems.

To enhance their post-treatment quality of life, patients are given opportunities to earn their GED and enroll in job preparation programs, with special opportunities to train as addiction counselors for therapeutic communities. The Daniels Fund grant will support operating costs for the program.

The Daniels Fund operates the Daniels Fund Grants Program and the Daniels Fund Scholarship Program in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming, as well as funding programs with a national impact in the categories of aging, alcoholism and substance abuse, amateur sports, disabilities, education, the homeless and disadvantaged, and youth development.

The CU Foundation is the non-profit partner of the University of Colorado that raises, manages and invests private support for the benefit of the University of Colorado. For more information visit www.cufund.org.