The First Minute Project Monthly Impact Report
September has been an exciting month of growth and progress for The First Minute Project. Since launching our nonprofit and receiving our federal 501(c)(3) status, we’ve continued building momentum around our mission to help schools prepare for the critical first minutes of a medical emergency.
September Highlights:
Featured on Denver7 News, helping raise awareness of our mission and school safety efforts.
Working with a U.S. Representative on a nationwide federal effort to advance The First Minute Act.
Working toward a partnership with Jefferson County Public Schools to bring our program to schools throughout Jeffco.
Joined the Colorado Gives Foundation, providing another way for supporters to help advance our mission.
Growing our network of volunteers, community partners, and supporters across Colorado.
We’re incredibly grateful for the continued support and excited about what’s ahead as we work to ensure schools have the training and equipment needed when every second matters.
A Strong Start for The First Minute Project
We officially launched The First Minute Project in September and received our tax-exempt status from the IRS.
The response from our community has been incredible. In our first month as a nonprofit, we raised a little more than $13,000 through community support and through our valued partnerships.
Every donation brings us closer to our goal of helping schools obtain bleeding-control supplies and providing the training needed to use them effectively.
We are incredibly grateful to everyone who has contributed, shared our mission, volunteered, or simply taken the time to learn more about what we are doing.
This is a community effort, and we are just getting started.
Our Community Is Stepping Up
One of the most encouraging parts of launching The First Minute Project has been hearing from parents and community members who believe schools should be better prepared for medical emergencies.
We have received multiple inquiries from parents and community members interested in our program, and several people have stepped forward to become First Minute Community Ambassadors.
These ambassadors are helping us spread awareness about the importance of bleeding-control preparedness and encouraging their communities to learn more about the program.
Why Our Ambassadors Are Getting Involved
First Minute Community Ambassador Kristin Williams, a Parker mother, shared why she wanted to get involved:
Kristin Williams (Parker town council candidate) https://www.kristin4parker.com/
“As a Parker mom, I don't want to just hope my kids' school is prepared; I want to know it is. The First Minute Project turns that hope into real training and real supplies, right in the classroom. That's why I'm proud to help however I can.”
Breanna Cabral, a mother of three children attending public schools in Colorado, also reached out to learn how she could help bring awareness to the program in her community.
She explained:
“As a mother of three children who attend public school in Colorado, the safety and well-being of our school community is incredibly important to me.”
Breanna believes that preparing school staff and students with appropriate lifesaving skills can help communities respond during the critical minutes before emergency responders arrive.
She added:
“I believe that empowering teachers, staff, and students with basic lifesaving skills not only helps prepare us for the unexpected, but also builds a stronger, more informed, and more prepared community.”
We are grateful to Kristin, Breanna, and all of our First Minute Community Ambassadors for helping us bring this message to more families and communities across Colorado.
The First Minute Project Featured by Denver7
Allie Jennerjahn with Denver 7 Interviewing Chris Harrington (President) & Jeremy Garst (VP) in Evergreen, CO.
On September 7, The First Minute Project was featured by Denver7 in a story highlighting our mission and our goal of bringing bleeding-control kits to classrooms across Colorado.
The story helped introduce our organization and our mission to a broader audience and highlighted the importance of having the right supplies available when a medical emergency occurs.
We are grateful to Denver7 and reporter Allie Jennerjahn for taking an interest in our work and helping us share our mission with the community.
Watch the full story here:
The First Minute Act
Another significant development this month was an outreach from the office of a US Representative regarding The First Minute Project and our proposed federal bill called The First Minute Act.
In September, we held a virtual meeting with members of the US Representative’s staff to discuss our organization and our proposed legislation. During the conversation, the US Representative expressed interest in potentially bringing the First Minute Act to the federal level.
Early this month, we had the opportunity to meet with the US Representative in person at Conifer High School, where we were joined by members of our Board of Directors and Mr. Manier, Principal of Conifer High School. We walked through the school together and discussed the work The First Minute Project has already completed at Conifer High School.
During the visit, we were able to show the US Representative what our bleeding-control kits look like inside classrooms and demonstrate how the supplies can be accessed and utilized to provide life-saving care during an emergency, particularly when professional medical assistance may not yet be available.
The meeting went very well, and we are grateful for the time and interest shown in our mission and in The First Minute Act. We look forward to continuing the conversation and finalizing the legislation for introduction in the next session of Congress.
Our Speech at the Jefferson County Board of Education - Regular Meeting
watch the entire board meeting here: https://www.youtube.com/live/k3nHD4Bynn0?si=1xQvyqvcnf7K-TCd
September 10 marked the one-year anniversary of the Evergreen High School shooting, and we had an important message for the Jefferson County School Board.
We reminded the Board that, despite budget cuts across the district and the many challenges facing Jefferson County Public Schools, the safety of our children must remain a top priority.
Although Chris and I have been advocating for school safety within the district consistently over the past year, this was our first opportunity to speak before the Board on behalf of The First Minute Project. We explained our mission as a non-profit and showed the district how our program could be implemented district-wide with zero cost to the district or schools and very little cost to Jeffco families.
We proposed a small, one-time enrollment contribution, roughly the cost of a caramel macchiato at Starbucks. Considering the supplies do not expire, this fee would only need to be required once. This single contribution would help raise the funds needed to equip every classroom throughout the district with life-saving bleeding-control supplies.
And, as a reminder, our training program is completely free of charge.
We believe the message was heard. We are now in discussions with Jefferson County Public Schools about a potential partnership and pilot program, which we explain in the next section of this newsletter.
A Potential Jefferson County Pilot Program
We are also excited to announce that The First Minute Project is currently working with Jefferson County School District on a potential pilot program involving multiple schools in the foothills area.
We are currently in discussions with the district and working toward moving the program forward.
This is an important opportunity for The First Minute Project. A pilot program would allow us to demonstrate our approach across multiple schools while continuing to build a model that can potentially be expanded to other communities.
We appreciate Jefferson County School District's continued efforts toward making schools safer for students and staff, and we look forward to continuing our conversations.
The First Minute Project Joins Colorado Gives
We’re excited to announce that The First Minute Project is now officially registered as a Colorado charitable organization and has joined the Colorado Gives Foundation, giving our supporters another trusted way to support our mission.
Donors can now choose to make a tax-deductible donation directly through our website or through the Colorado Gives Foundation. Every contribution helps us provide schools with bleeding-control supplies and training to help save lives during the critical first minutes of an emergency.
Mark Your Calendar: Colorado Gives Day — Tuesday, December 8
Early giving begins November 1, giving supporters an opportunity to start making a difference before Colorado Gives Day.
Colorado Gives Day is the biggest 24-hour giving movement in Colorado and one of the most successful giving days in the nation. In 2025, more than $56.6 million was raised through Colorado Gives Day to support Colorado nonprofits.
Colorado Gives Foundation, with presenting sponsor PNC, launched Colorado Gives Day in 2010 with the goal of increasing charitable giving to Colorado nonprofits. Since then, the initiative has helped raise more than half a billion dollars for nonprofits across the state.
This year, we invite you to join us on December 8 and support The First Minute Project through Colorado Gives. Your donation can help us equip more classrooms, train more school staff, and expand our mission to help schools be prepared for the critical first minutes of an emergency.
If you would like to partner your business with us through the Colorado Gives Foundation, please reach out to us and we will help you get set up to give through a partnership. You can learn more about this opportunity on the CO Gives website here: https://coloradogivesfoundation.org/corporate-philanthropy/
Give on Colorado Gives Day. Help us put lifesaving training and supplies where they are needed most.
A Big Thank to Jeffco Kids First
Lindsay Datko with Jeffco Kids First donated $1,000 to The First Minute Project to help bring life saving supplies to the classrooms of Jeffco Schools.
Lindsay’s support both monetarily and through Jeffco Kids First means the world to us. Without support from people like Lindsay, our mission wouldn’t be possible. Thank You Lindsay Datko and Thank You Jeffco Kids First!
https://www.jeffcokidsfirst.com/
And a Big Thank You, Stand Evergreen!
Stand Evergreen is led by Kim Halligan and Emily Whitaker
We are incredibly grateful to Kim Halligan and Emily Whitaker with Stand Evergreen for their continued support of The First Minute Project and their commitment to making our schools safer. Through their partnership with The Evergreen Strong Foundation, Stand Evergreen received $6,500 in funding to support school safety and partnered with The First Minute Project to purchase hundreds of tourniquets that will be placed in schools throughout Jefferson County Public Schools. This generous contribution will help us continue our mission of ensuring that classrooms are equipped with essential bleeding-control supplies so that teachers and staff have the tools they need to respond during the critical first minutes of a life-threatening injury.
The partnership between Stand Evergreen, The Evergreen Strong Foundation, and The First Minute Project demonstrates what is possible when members of our community come together with a shared commitment to protecting students and educators. By helping provide these life-saving resources, Stand Evergreen is playing an important role in expanding access to emergency bleeding-control supplies in schools across Jefferson County.
Thank you, Stand Evergreen, for standing with us, supporting our mission, and helping bring life-saving resources into our schools. We are incredibly grateful for your generosity, partnership, and commitment to protecting our students, teachers, and communities.
https://standevergreen.org/
Looking Ahead
September has been a month of tremendous momentum for The First Minute Project, but this is only the beginning.
In the weeks ahead, we will continue working to:
Establish a formal partnership with the Jefferson County School District and begin to train Jeffco staff and students on bleeding control measures.
Finalize The First Minute Act with our US Representative.
More meaningful partnerships to come that will help accelerate our mission
Begin a pilot program for the Conifer articulation schools and hopefully the Evergreen articulation schools.
Expand awareness of the importance of bleeding-control preparedness
Continue our efforts to raise money and awareness for our bleeding control program.
Work with our community ambassadors to get bleeding control training and supplies throughout all of Colorado.
Thank You
None of this would be possible without the people who have supported The First Minute Project since its launch.
To everyone who has donated, volunteered, shared our posts, contacted us, become an ambassador, introduced us to a school or organization, or simply taken the time to learn about our mission:
Thank you.
The response we've received in our first month has shown us that there is a strong community of people who believe our schools should be prepared to respond when every second counts.
We are proud of the progress we've made in September, and we are excited about what comes next.
Together, we can help make sure that when an emergency happens, our schools are ready for the first minute.
Support The First Minute Project
The First Minute Project is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Your support helps us work toward our goal of training school staff and equipping classrooms with bleeding-control supplies.
Consider making a tax deductable dontation today through our website or through the Colorado Gives Foundation. Every penny helps.
Give through our website here:
https://www.firstminuteproject.org/donate
Give through the Colorado Gives Foundation here:
https://www.coloradogives.org/organization/The-First-Minute-Project/welcome
Become a First Minute Community Ambassador by signing up on our website here:
