Gina Coufal’s biggest worry when she set out to launch a nonprofit to serve people with disabilities was acceptance.
“I knew the greatest risk was that the effort would not be welcomed by the community,” Coufal said. “Our community was not very diverse, and NIMBYism [not in my back yard (NIMBY)] was alive and well. If the effort failed, it could mean an uncertain future for my son and my family. Telling my own story, funding the idea, and establishing a nonprofit ‘business’ dependent on fluctuating Medicaid resources was a huge risk.
“To leave a job to run a nonprofit that may or may not be successful was putting everything on the line. It has been worth it though and incredibly encouraging. With slow, intentional steps, we were able to educate the community, rally their growing support, and create positive change.”
FRIENDS of Broomfield Inc is a nonprofit human service agency, providing home and community-based Medicaid services, such as day habilitation, community connections, residential services and supported employment, to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
The organization’s mission is to “enhance communities by creating opportunities for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities through an innovative and person-centered approach,” the agency said. “Programs are developed based on the needs and interests of the participants who choose to enroll. All programs are designed to promote the acquisition and maintenance of skills for everyday living, the growth of social networks, the establishment of natural supports, self-sufficiency and independence and to encourage contribution to the larger community.”
This is the second time Coufal has been named a titan, and she has attended titan roundtable dinners, boardroom meetings, fireside chats and the Titan University. She also joined a monthly peer group to share leadership lessons with other C-suite executives.
“As a founder of a busy nonprofit organization and a full-time caregiver to two adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, it has always been difficult to find time to focus on personal/professional development,” Coufal said. “As a Titan of Industry, I was motivated to do so and have taken advantage of meeting other Titan leaders representing a variety of industries through the regular social and networking events.
“As a member of the Titan 100, I have learned that it doesn’t matter what industry you’re in, what size your company is, what your budget is or whether you’re for profit or nonprofit. The challenges are the same for every leader,” Coufal said. “We are all tasked with the daily challenges of running a business. Through discussions with other Titans I have been able to see my role and my organization through a broader, more objective lens. … As a mother of a son with disabilities I was determined to make a difference for him, but also for those like him, through our organization. I’ve always been excited by the challenge of seeing possibility when the world sees impossibility.”
