Alpine Achievers Initiative (AAI) began in 2012 with one teacher in Saguache, Colorado who refused to watch her students fall through the cracks
As a math teacher in the Mountain Valley School District, she saw kids struggling not because they lacked ability, but because they lacked access—after-school support, enrichment opportunities, and the kind of consistent encouragement that helps young people thrive. So she started small: staying after class, offering extra help, and inviting a few other teachers and community members to do the same.
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What began as a handful of people giving their time quickly grew into something much larger. With early county grants, those late afternoons turned into coordinated in-school and after-school programs focused on connection, growth, and providing prosocial activities for youth. When AAI received its first AmeriCorps grant in 2015, the idea took off—reaching more schools and more communities. By 2016, AAI had officially become a nonprofit and has continued to evolve ever since.
Today, AAI operates in eight rural Colorado counties, with more than 250 AmeriCorps members having served in schools and communities—contributing over 400,000 hours of service over the past decade. Our homeschool program now engages over 120 students in hands-on learning experiences, while our outdoor education programs foster confidence, resilience, and a deep sense of belonging.
Over the years, our work has stretched far beyond academics. We’ve helped coordinate food access efforts during COVID, opened a new childcare center, invested over $75,000 in supplies for schools and community partners, and created professional learning opportunities focused on equity and access. Through it all, our mission remains the same: to inspire, connect, and nurture youth, families, and communities in rural Colorado.
Our Mission
Alpine Achievers Initiative (AAI) inspires, connects, and nurtures youth, families, and communities in rural Colorado.
our vision
Our vision is to offer relationship-based and clearly defined organizational structure and services that support accessible, transformative experiences for all involved with AAI. We aim to be responsive to partner and community needs through a culture of service quality, expertise, and inclusivity.