Carina Martin

Carina Martin made diversity, equity and inclusion a priority at A Precious Child, and progress has been made at the nonprofit in terms of staff and leadership diversity, but the nonprofit’s CEO and founder acknowledges there is still a way to go.

Recent additions to the board of directors have met the organizational goal to have 50% female board members and 24% people of color. Two-thirds of the leadership team is female, and within the staff of 33 employees, 55% are white, 24% Hispanic, 9% Native American, 6% Black, 3% Asian and 3% multiracial.

“I strive to provide an environment of belonging and inclusion for all families, employees and volunteers,” Martin said. “I want each person to feel valued and respected regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, national origin, background, religion, age, sexual orientation, education or disability.” She acknowledged that her board and leadership team are still underrepresented from a race/ethnicity perspective, and she will continue to seek new, qualified, diverse members, Martin said.

In 2021, A Precious Child provided basic essentials to more than 52,000 children and their parents, creating a record-breaking year of service and meeting each program goal in the nonprofit. A Precious Child has helped more than 382,000 children in Martin’s 12 years as CEO and founder. In 2019, Martin created supports for families that included social-assistance food service programs. In 2021, she expanded to open a food pantry in partnership with Food Bank of the Rockies, providing 68,430 meals to low-income children and their families. A Precious Child projects a 15% increase in children and families served during 2022.

“I am happy to report that we have had two record-breaking fundraising years and provided 42,124 individuals with specific resources during COVID that helped them keep their families safe and healthy,” Martin said.

In 2021, Martin implemented focus groups to help A Precious Child collect program specific data and learn how the nonprofit can assist in ensuring communities have the opportunities and resources required to stabilize and reduce socioeconomic inequalities. In 2020, Martin added the pilot Precious Mentor program, providing educational and professional mentoring for middle school students and high school students working toward academic achievements and social-emotional development alongside young adults looking to begin their professional careers in the workforce. The approach provided traditional mentorship with case management services to help the mentees’ families find stability, such as housing, transportation and food. The program was expanded in 2021 to reach more youth locally.

Martin was honored as a titan for the first time in 2020. “Being honored as a Titan 100 recipient has helped me and A Precious Child, as a nonprofit, gain credit and esteem,” Martin said. “Thanks to this additional community recognition, we have been able to work with the state of Colorado to provide multiple vaccine clinics in the community. Titan 100 has meant the world to the organization and to me, helping me expand and double our impact.”