Record-Setting Gift Advances Women’s Athletics
Bohemian Foundation, CSU share common goal in gender equity
Mike Brohard
Conversations which began three years ago between CSU Athletics and Bohemian Foundation have culminated into the perfect confluence of action.
The two organizations’ shared goal of gender equity led to a record-setting gift from Bohemian Foundation. It’s a gift which will have a transformative impact on multiple women’s athletic programs at Colorado State. Today’s gift announcement both commemorates the 50th anniversary of Title IX legislation, as well as celebrates the future of women’s athletics at Colorado State.
The $5 million gift is not only the largest toward women’s programs at Colorado State, but also in the history of the Mountain West.
It is no surprise to Brooke Bohlender, who grew up in Fort Collins, that the foundation will make a major impact on the lives of young women, because she’s seen it time and again.
“I’ve been involved with and known what Bohemian Foundation has done for our community over many, many years and I think it’s extremely incredible, especially being in women’s athletics, and this gift being particularly for women’s athletics, it is super important,” said Bohlender, a catcher on the softball team who attended Poudre High School. “Gifts like this are extremely important for us, and I think it’s really awesome to see people in our own community supporting us and giving back to us.”
The gift will advance women’s athletics on campus through facility upgrades. Plans for enhanced women’s facilities progressed alongside plans for the gift announcement during Title IX’s 50th anniversary year.
“We have these critical projects that are going to directly impact women’s sports, it’s a year where we could tell a powerful and authentic story and hopefully motivate others to get involved and continue to support our women’s sports teams,” said CSU Director of Athletics Joe Parker. “This gift, we now realize after some research, is the single-largest gift in the history of the university for women’s sport initiatives and also the single-largest gift in the history of our conference for women’s sports initiatives.”
The foundation’s gift will provide additional funding to upgrades for soccer and softball facilities, projects which are currently underway after initially being delayed by the global pandemic. The remainder will go toward facility improvements which will impact additional women’s programs, including funds for the second phase of locker room upgrades that will expand locker room spaces inside Moby Arena for volleyball, softball and soccer, as well as create a locker room for teams who train away from Moby Arena (golf, tennis and track and field) to use for weightlifting sessions. These investments in turn will enhance CSU Athletics’ ability to recruit and retain students and coaches.
This is the most recent of many Bohemian Foundation gifts that have directly impacted Colorado State athletic and academic programs, and this partnership helps tell a story of values shared by both organizations.
“Every student should be guaranteed an educational experience free from discrimination,” said Bohemian Foundation Executive Director Cheryl Zimlich. “This is the promise of Title IX. We have come a long way since 1972, but we still have a long way to go to uphold the promise of Title IX.”
Community partners like the Bohemian Foundation are vital. I can’t imagine trying to do the work we do without the foundation.Joe Parker
Bohlender knows in most communities men’s sports hold a higher influence. However, she said she’s always felt supported in Fort Collins, and most importantly, she sees women’s sports programs are valued.
Colorado State volleyball coach Tom Hilbert, who has always been active with his teams in Fort Collins, has felt a strong bond created through his more than two-decade tenure with the Rams. This gift is one which he said will help tell the story of how valued women athletes are at the university and by those in their hometown.
“It does a number of things. One, it shows there is genuine interest from people in the community who value helping develop and empower women. To me, that’s really what the gift means,” he said. “As we try to continue to advance as a volleyball program and show we’re a program of excellence, this also shows the people we’re recruiting, the people in this community – all of our constituent base – that women’s athletics is important, and people care.
“People walk into Moby Arena, and they see a large crowd, great facilities and great support and they know this is a town where there is a culture where they care about women’s sports. Bohemian Foundation has really stepped forward with this gift. The fan base here for volleyball, they care about volleyball players. The community has always been like that, but I think Bohemian Foundation has stepped forward in helping us with resources to continue to support things in this manner.”
Just as Title IX was intended to create a brighter future in terms of gender equity, the gift will very much have the same effect, supporting women for years to come, prospective student athletes who are still a handful of years away from representing Colorado State. As is the nature of Bohemian Foundation, its gifts come with the promise of a lasting impact.
“Title IX has made an incredible impact on women’s and girls’ lives,” Zimlich said. “And it continues to promote gender equity. Title IX is known for its requirement for gender equity in athletics. It also applies to all aspects of the school’s system. This gift both recognizes Title IX at 50, and it looks to the future of Title IX as well.”
As important as it is for Parker to have his vision for the Colorado State athletic department, he knows it is just as vital to have valued partners who hope for the same future as he does. Starting his eighth year leading the program, he cannot overstate the importance of having a partner like Bohemian Foundation, both for the university and Fort Collins as a whole.
“Community partners like the Bohemian Foundation are vital. I can’t imagine trying to do the work we do without the foundation. Bohemian Foundation and many others not only have provided resources for decades for all of our programs, but also take great enjoyment from the experience,” Parker said. “They are fans like everyone else; they participate in our programs. They are here to support our teams and it was incredibly special to see the foundation focus on making a difference for our women’s programs.”
Kendra Gipson, a soccer player and a Presidential Ambassador on campus, has seen the generosity of others create positive change across campus and it’s exciting for her to hear about the changes coming to her program and others in the athletic department.
She realizes some of them she may not experience herself, but the realization it will propel the program she represents is all she needs to know.
“A gift like this is a game-changer for all of women’s athletics,” Gipson said. “I know athletics in general is trying to grow. As a Presidential Ambassador I see all of these gifts go to all these amazing places, and that’s cool to see it being contributed to something I am a part of.
“People ask me about the complex being built and if I’m sad I won’t be able to experience it, but I’m just as excited for all my teammates and the people who come through this program to experience it. I know it’s such a big step in the right director for soccer and women’s athletics.”
In this particular moment, Bohemian Foundation’s timing added to an ever-growing story in the history of women’s athletics at Colorado State.