“My philanthropic endeavors are every bit as important to me as my design and home building business. It is a critical part of who I am and these passions actually help to fuel my enthusiasm for all parts of my life – bringing more energy, insight, inspiration and empathy to my career at every turn.
To create the most impact for causes I care deeply about, I don’t ever want to simply write checks and walk away. I am dedicated to also investing my time, ideas, energy and leadership where it is most needed, and working hard as a mentor so that I can pass the torch on to new leaders who will continue the progress and create impact for years to come.” – Amanda Precout
Some of Amanda’s most recent and treasured projects include:
Girl PowHER
Amanda was the visionary and founder of this unique non-profit program in the Vail Valley. As part of the Vail Valley Foundation’s Youth Power 365, Girl PowHER’s mission is “To empower young women mentally, emotionally and physically, to prevent high school drop-outs and ensure each girl reaches her full potential in life.”
Amanda explains that she originally wanted to create a program that helped at-risk girls build self-esteem through yoga and sports. Together with the Vail Valley Foundation’s Youth Power 365 she gave the seed money for her idea and also gave her time and shared her love of being active. The program started with 20 girls learning yoga, and expanded to 15 more girls who formed a mountain bike team that competed in bike races throughout the state.
Today, the program includes over 100 young women per year participating in yoga, mindfulness, art, sports, scholastics, homework help, and an ongoing mentoring program. Girl PowHER has reached nearly 400 girls in the past five years.
Habitat for Humanity
Amanda started the International program for Habitat for Humanity of Eagle and Lake County more than seven years ago, served on the Board of Directors for nine and a half years and was Vice President of the executive committee six of those years. The goal of the international program is to take volunteers out of their ordinary lives and expose them to volunteerism on a very intense level with the intention of cultivating a life-long commitment to giving back to their community at home. Volunteers to the program change the lives of a family in need, have fun traveling the world and gain a better understanding of the realities of how people live in impoverished international communities. Amanda has helped lead local volunteers on these life-changing trips and also helped to recruit people and grow donations in Eagle and Lake County. She has been a group leader and /or coordinated trips to Paraguay and Africa as well as Nepal, Cambodia and El Salvador.
Denver Art Museum
Amanda is a trustee of the Denver Art Museum. When she found out that the Denver Art Museum had an amazing collection of furniture sitting in storage, she knew she had to find a way to help them share it with the world. Watch for more information about the Amanda J. Precourt Design and Architecture Gallery at the Denver Art Museum coming soon.
Helen and Arthur E. Johnson Depression Center
Amanda is currently on the board of Helen and Arthur E. Johnson Foundation and is working on a groundbreaking project that will forever change the landscape of mental wellness care in Colorado. We are building a mental health campus, located on the Anschutz Medical Campus, which will include a full spectrum of support including traditional therapy, intensive outpatient therapy, a residential treatment facility and many other mental health support systems. It will be the first such campus of its kind in the west. We are deep in planning mode for the new campus and hope to publically announce specifics for the new facility and break ground in late 2019/early 2020.
Amanda is also involved with and supports the following organizations:
Children’s Hospital Colorado
Denver Dumb Friends League
First Descents
Museum of Contemporary Art Denver
Stanford University
Walking Mountain Science Center
Vail Valley Foundation