For more than 25 years, the Colorado Emerald Society has brought together people committed to Irish and Irish-American heritage, public service, community, and education. One of the most meaningful ways we carry that mission forward is through scholarships supporting the children and families of Colorado’s firefighters, law enforcement officers, EMS personnel, and other public-safety professionals.

The Colorado Emerald Society Scholarship Legacy Fund is our commitment to ensuring that support continues for generations.

Each year, CES awards scholarships through our annual Scholarship Fund. The Legacy Fund has a different purpose. Rather than financing only the scholarships awarded this year or next year, it is being built as a permanent, long-term source of scholarship support. Our vision is straightforward: build a substantial pool of protected capital, invest it responsibly, and ultimately use its growth to help fund scholarships while preserving the underlying principal for the future.

We have begun with an initial $10,000 community fundraising campaign, and a small group of generous early donors has already provided significant momentum.

This first $10,000 is about more than reaching a fundraising milestone. It demonstrates that the people closest to CES believe in the Legacy Fund enough to invest in it themselves.

That matters as we begin approaching businesses, corporations, charitable foundations, and other potential partners. We want to show prospective partners that we are not asking them to build something for us. We are building it ourselves and inviting them to build it with us.

Our longer-term objective is to grow the Legacy Fund to $100,000 and beyond. Proposed governance protections are designed to preserve the fund's principal until that initial $100,000 threshold is reached and provide responsible stewardship as the fund grows.

You do not need to make a $1,000 gift to make a meaningful difference. Broad community participation is itself important. A gift of $25, $50, $100, or $200 adds to the fund while demonstrating that this effort has support beyond a handful of large donors.

We are especially grateful to the early donors recognized on this page who chose to associate their names publicly with the campaign. Their generosity has helped transform the Legacy Fund from an idea into something tangible. We also recognize donors at several giving levels, from Legacy Supporters at $100+ through Legacy Champions at $1,000+.

There are other ways to help as well. Share the campaign with family, friends, and colleagues. Ask whether your employer offers charitable matching. Introduce CES to a business or organization that supports education, first responders, veterans, or Colorado communities. A single introduction can sometimes be as valuable as a donation.

The families we serve understand service and sacrifice. Our responsibility is to make sure the educational support CES provides today does not depend solely upon what we can raise in any particular year.

The Scholarship Legacy Fund is an opportunity to build something different: a resource designed to outlast individual officers, Board members, donors, and even generations of CES membership.

Our first destination is $10,000. From there, we build toward $100,000 and a permanent scholarship legacy.

Give. Raise. Inspire. Build the Legacy.

Pride in Service, Honor in Heritage.