Skip to content
Roadrunner Community

PHOTOS: Employees engage with community for Roadrunners Give Back 

University partnered with 13 organizations across the Denver metro area during this year’s volunteer initiative.

Over the past week, Metropolitan State University of Denver employees volunteered with community organizations across the Denver metro area during Roadrunners Give Back

Organized by the Office of University Strategy and External Affairs, this year’s initiative connected Roadrunners with 13 organizations from Sept. 7 through today, leading into Homecoming week. 

Participating organizations included new community partners, as well as nonprofits with existing MSU Denver connections, including Denver Botanic Gardens Chatfield, Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Denver, Fill a Plate, The Family Tree, Metro Caring, The Gathering Place and returning partners Denver Inner City Parish, Greenway Foundation and Denver Health. 

Roadrunners Give Back relaunched in 2025 in response to employee interest in more opportunities for workplace volunteerism and civic engagement. Participating organizations are selected for their relationships with the University, alignment with MSU Denver’s mission and values and impact in the community. 

Check out photos from this year’s volunteer activities: 

Provost Matt Makley, Ph.D., and Bridget Arend, Ph.D., volunteer for Roadrunners Give Back by supporting the Fresh Food Market at Metro Caring.

Provost Matt Makley, Ph.D., and Associate Director of Teaching and Learning Bridget Arend, Ph.D., volunteer for Roadrunners Give Back by supporting the Fresh Food Market at Metro Caring. Photo by Josh Geurink

Hands grab apples

MSU Denver employees and alumni volunteer for Roadrunners Give Back by supporting the Fresh Food Market at Metro Caring. Photo by Josh Geurink

Assistant Vice President of Student Success Nahum Kisner volunteers at Metro Caring.

Assistant Vice President of Student Success Nahum Kisner volunteers at Metro Caring on Sept. 14. Photo by Josh Geurink

MSU Denver staff members take part in Roadrunners Give Back Day in the Tivoli

McKenna Stevens (left) and Emalie Whan-Traylor stock shelves at Rowdy's Corner for Roadrunners Give Back on Sept. 10. Photo by Amanda Schwengel

MSU Denver staff members take part in Roadrunners Give Back Day in the Tivoli

Volunteers partnered with Rowdy's Corner for Roadrunners Give Back on Sept. 10. Photo by Amanda Schwengel

MSU Denver staff members take part in Roadrunners Give Back Day in the Tivoli

Adrienne Randol and Alex Morales sort clothes for the Auraria Sustainable Campus program as part of Roadrunners Give Back on Sept. 10. Photo by Amanda Schwengel

MSU Denver staff members take part in Roadrunners Give Back Day in the Tivoli

Jacque Williams sorts clothes for the Auraria Sustainable Campus program as part of Roadrunners Give Back on Sept. 10. Photo by Amanda Schwengel

Three men holding equipment for picking up trash are pictured while walking in a park

From left: Matt Bohn, Abel Salinas and Roberto Olivas pick up trash for the Greenway Foundation during Roadrunners Give Back on Sept. 10. Photo by Ben Lasseter

Three people pick up trash with garbage bags and tongs on a strip of land next to a highway and neighborhood road.

From left: Tim Carroll, Caitlin Burnett and Silu Cheng pick up trash for the Greenway Foundation as part of Roadrunners Give Back on Sept. 10. Photo by Ben Lasseter

A woman gives a thumbs-up sign while holding a trash bag next to a creek.

Valeria Quiroz picks up trash for the Greenway Foundation as part of Roadrunners Give Back on Sept. 10. Photo by Ben Lasseter

Nineteen people stand around a heaping pile of full trash bags under a park awning.

Roadrunners Give Back volunteers stand with the trash they collected in partnership with the Greenway Foundation at City of Cuernavaca Park on Sept. 10. Photo by Ben Lasseter