Guided Walks
Time on trails and across the ranch, paced for the needs of each group.
Heart-J Center ELEVATE
ELEVATE
A Free Nature-Based Mental Health DayNature-Based Mental Wellness for Colorado Communities
A free day outdoors for people who spend their days caring for others.
April - October · Tuesdays and Thursdays · 9:30 AM - 2:30 PM · Sylvan Dale Ranch · Free. Bring your own lunch.
A Heart-J Center Initiative
Heart-J Center
Funded by
What is ELEVATE?
A free day outdoors, with room to slow down
ELEVATE is a free day outdoors designed to give people room to slow down, connect, and care for their mental well-being.
Hosted by Heart-J Center at Sylvan Dale Ranch, each ELEVATE day brings a group together in the foothills for guided wellness experiences, time in nature, connection and reflection, and access to mental health resources. A therapist is part of the experience, and participants leave with practical tools they can carry into everyday life.
ELEVATE is especially intended for community organizations, college students, and people whose work centers on serving others. The program is offered at no cost to participants and partner organizations through funding from The Colorado Trust.
Days run April through October, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 9:30 AM to 2:30 PM. Bring your own lunch. Everything else is covered.
BelongingResilienceConnectionHealingPreventionLeadershipCommunity
Grant Support
Powered by The Colorado Trust
ELEVATE is funded through a multi-year Community Resilience grant from The Colorado Trust, a statewide health equity funder. The grant supports an investment in Colorado communities, made by a partner who believes access to wellbeing should not depend on income, language, occupation, or zip code.
- 2024
- Funding began
- Through 2027
- Programming currently supported
- Beyond the grant
- Designed to become a sustainable Heart-J Center program
Impact
The scale this initiative was built to reach
2,700
Participants
Grant-period service goal, 2024 to 2027
52
Organizations served
Partners who have brought groups out so far
15-30
People per experience
Small enough that no one disappears
2×
Sessions each week
Tuesdays and Thursdays, April through October
Español
Spanish-language access
Interpretation services are available for Spanish-speaking and bilingual participants and groups
Statewide
Replication vision
Designed to be shared beyond Northern Colorado
Figures reflect verified ELEVATE and Heart-J Center program materials and the service scale described in the initiative's grant planning documents.
Who We Serve
Designed with organizations, for the people inside them
Healthcare Workers
Rest for the people who hold the hardest hours.
Teachers & Educators
A day to refill before the next school year.
Social Workers
Recovery for those carrying other people's crises.
Veterans
Belonging, quiet, and a landscape that asks nothing.
First Responders
Practical tools for stress that does not clock out.
College Students
Support for students far from home or first in family.
Community Organizations
Custom days for the people you already serve.
Agricultural Workers
Built around the rhythms of working land.
Service Industry
For restaurant, retail, and food-service teams.
Underserved Communities
No cost barrier. Everyone is welcome here.
How an ELEVATE Day Works
From first email to a standing invitation
- 1
Inquiry
One email starts it. Tell us who your people are and what they are carrying.
- 2
Planning Meeting
We meet with your team to shape the day around your group's real needs.
- 3
Customized Outdoor Experience
Five hours on the land with a facilitator, a therapist, and wellness practitioners.
- 4
Reflection
Closing circle, gratitude, and a Mental Health Field Guide to take home.
- 5
Continued Connection
Monthly email and text outreach so the day does not end at the gate.
- 6
Monthly Outdoor Experiences
Alumni are invited back for ongoing outdoor recreation.
- 7
Resources & Community
Bilingual resource guides, provider network, and a standing invitation to return.
Featured Experiences
No two days are the same. These are the pieces we build them from
Activities are selected with each group and vary from day to day.
Mindfulness & Reflection
Breathwork, meditation, body scans, and quiet time to slow down and notice.
Creative Expression
Creative writing and art may offer another way to reflect and connect.
Mindful Movement
Gentle movement practices help participants reconnect with their bodies outdoors.
Nature Connection
Guided attention to wildlife, habitat, water, and the changing landscape.
Group Connection
Interactive activities and facilitated reflection make room for teams to reconnect.
Trusted by Communities
Fifty-two organizations across Northern Colorado have brought their people out here
School districts, hospitals, shelters, recovery communities, veterans groups, libraries, and neighborhood nonprofits. Each one shaped a day around what their people actually needed.
013 Hopeful Hearts
02Alternatives to Violence
03Aspire NoCo
04Be Free Healing
05Big Thompson School District
06Big Thompson Watershed Coalition
07Boys & Girls Club
08CASA Larimer County
09Foss Yoga
10Global Village Museum
11Homeward Alliance
12La Familia & ISAAC
13Lighthouse
14Loveland Community Kitchen
15Matthews House
16MCR
17MCR Trauma Support Group
18Mi Casa Resource Center
19Mwebeza Foundation
20No Barriers
21Northern Colorado Wildlife Center
22Outreach Fort Collins
23Poudre Library District
24Poudre School District
25Project Self Sufficiency
26Recovery Cafe
27Resilient Soul Yoga
28Respite Care
29Rocky Mountain Equality
30Splash NoCo
31The Warrior Princess Foundation
32The Yarrow Collective
33Trimble Court
34UCHealth Stroke Support Group
35United Way
36Veterans Community Project
37Vindeket Foods
Meet the Team
A facilitator, a therapist, and wellness practitioners. Every single day
Laura Hershiser, B.S.
ELEVATE Program Manager
Read biography →
Henry McLaughlin, M.S.
Lead Facilitator, ELEVATE
Read biography →
Cecily Kreager
Therapist & Wellness Provider
Read biography →
Jess Erickson
Soul-Restoration Practitioner
Read biography →
Brian Yoder
Licensed Professional Counselor
Read biography →
Brad Conner
Licensed Clinical Social Worker
Read biography →
Gigi Perkins
Bilingual Facilitator & Interpretation Support
Read biography →
Parker Horsch
Sound Healing Practitioner
Read biography →
Resources
Everything you need to register, refer, or join us
ELEVATE Community Resource Guide
A bilingual-friendly guide to mental health support, crisis lines, and outdoor opportunities is in preparation.
Coming Soon →
For Organizations
Bring ELEVATE to your organization
Organizations across Colorado schedule customized ELEVATE experiences for their staff, clients, students, members, and community groups. We start with a conversation about who your people are and what they are carrying, then build the day around that. There is no cost to participating organizations.
Laura Hershiser · ELEVATE Program Manager
laura.hershiser@heartjcenter.org
laura.hershiser@heartjcenter.org
Beyond the Grant
Help shape the future of ELEVATE
The Colorado Trust grant supports ELEVATE programming through 2027. That was always the beginning, not the plan. Heart-J Center is building the long-term partnerships that will let ELEVATE keep serving Colorado communities well past the life of the grant.
Sponsorship is direct and legible: a supported cohort puts an entire staff, classroom, or community group on the land for a full day, at no cost to them.
We invite conversations with
- Healthcare systems
- School districts
- Foundations
- Businesses
- Philanthropists
- Community organizations
Heart-J Center is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.
PO Box 2736, Loveland, CO 80539