June 2026 Purpose Forum

🚗 Free parking available on-site + nearby street options

What helps a community truly thrive?

Not sameness.

Not agreement on everything.

But the willingness to see one another more fully—and recognize that every person plays a role in the health and future of a community.

This month’s Purpose Forum explores what it means to build common ground across differences through storytelling, civic engagement, relationship-building, and everyday human connection.

Through a thoughtful fireside conversation, two community leaders will share how collaboration, listening, and visibility can strengthen trust and deepen belonging in Western Colorado.

Featured Speakers

Iriana Medina Leo — Executive Director of La Plaza, a nonprofit organization serving and empowering the Latino and immigrant community in Mesa County. Originally from Venezuela, Iriana brings both lived experience and community leadership to her work. Her journey—from immigrant volunteer to executive director—reflects a deep commitment to inclusion, leadership development, and creating spaces where people feel seen, valued, and empowered to contribute.

Alex Forsett — Director of Statewide Civic Engagement at Rocky Mountain Public Media, the parent organization of Rocky Mountain PBS, KUVO Jazz, and 104.7 THE DROP. Alex leads community-centered initiatives focused on dialogue, storytelling, and civic participation across Colorado. Through collaborations with local partners and institutions, he helps create opportunities for people to connect across perspectives and engage more deeply in community life.

Though they come from different professional backgrounds and life experiences, both speakers share a belief that stronger communities emerge when more voices are welcomed into the conversation—and when people work together across sectors, cultures, and lived realities.

💡 What you’ll take away

✨ A deeper understanding of how visibility, listening, and connection strengthen communities

✨ Insight into how storytelling and civic engagement can build common ground

✨ Real examples of collaboration across differences and sectors

✨ A broader perspective on leadership, belonging, and contribution

✨ New relationships with people who care about the future of the Grand Valley

🪑 What to expect

🍽️ Lunch in a welcoming, relaxed atmosphere

🔥 A thoughtful fireside-style conversation grounded in real community experience

💬 Facilitated dialogue with opportunities for reflection and shared insight

🤝 Meaningful connection beyond your usual circles—where nonprofit, business, civic, and everyday community life intersect

No expertise required.

No perfect words required.

Bring curiosity, openness, and a willingness to explore what’s possible when people come together.

🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Who Should Attend:

• Community members interested in strengthening connection and belonging
• Nonprofit leaders interested in meeting values-aligned community members
• Retirees and working professionals curious about civic engagement and local collaboration
• Newer residents looking for genuine on-ramps into community life
• Longtime locals invested in the future of the Grand Valley
• Students exploring leadership, service, and civic engagement

✨ Why Attend:

• Experience a hopeful, solution-centered community conversation
• Hear perspectives that may expand how you see your neighbors and community
• Connect across differences in a space designed for trust and dialogue
• Grow your network in ways that feel natural, human, and aligned with your values
• Discover how everyday people contribute to a healthier, more vibrant community
• Experience a space where people show up for the good of the community
• Leave with renewed perspective, meaningful connections, and practical inspiration

💬 From Our Community:

“Connect for Good has been one of the most positive Netweaving™ experiences I’ve had in Grand Junction. I’ve made connections I would not have found elsewhere and leave every gathering with meaningful takeaways, new perspectives, and genuine relationships. It’s a heartening, expansive experience every time.”

— Purpose Forum Attendee

Connect for Good offers a different kind of gathering.

Instead of asking “What’s in it for me?” — we ask “What’s possible for us?”

Through Netweaving™, we help people build genuine relationships, discover opportunities to contribute, and strengthen the social fabric of our community.

We believe communities become healthier and more resilient when people build relationships across differences and recognize the value each person brings.

Whether you’re new to the area, deeply rooted here, or simply looking for more meaningful ways to engage, the Purpose Forum offers a welcoming place to connect, reflect, and contribute.

🤝 About Connect for Good

Connect for Good is a community impact collective creating welcoming spaces where people build relationships, discover local opportunities, cultivate everyday leadership, and strengthen the social fabric of the Grand Valley.

Connect for Good creates welcoming spaces that strengthen relationships, cultivate belonging, and spark civic joy through meaningful participation in community life.

Through Purpose Forums, Board Connect, leadership initiatives, and Netweaving™, Connect for Good fosters trust, civic engagement, and hopeful collaboration across sectors and communities.

We believe service takes many forms.

You can contribute through time, lived experience, expertise, volunteering, board service, mentorship, storytelling, advocacy, informed participation, or simply showing up with openness and care for others.

Every role matters. Every person strengthens the whole.

Rooted in Western Colorado, Connect for Good is weaving goodness into community through purpose, positivity, and possibilities everywhere.

Communities become extraordinary when people show up to do good.
Live here. Do good here.

🌱 Community Access Tickets
A limited number of Community Access tickets are available to help keep this gathering accessible and welcoming to a wide range of community members.

🎟️ Space is intentionally limited to help create a more connected and comfortable experience.

Refund Policy

If your plans change, just email us at [email protected] by midnight on the Saturday before the Forum and we’ll be glad to issue a refund. After that, tickets are non-refundable. Processing fees are non-refundable. Eventbrite processing fees are applied at checkout. These standard fees support the infrastructure that allows Connect for Good to host sustainable, high-quality gatherings.

We align with community-minded organizations who are investing in collaboration, belonging, and everyday leadership in the Grand Valley.

📩 By registering for this event, you agree to receive organization updates and event information from Connect for Good.

Connect for Good events may be photographed or recorded for promotional purposes. By attending, you acknowledge and agree that your image may appear in our publications, website, social media, and other promotional materials.

If you prefer not to be photographed or recorded, please inform our staff upon arrival, and we will do our best to accommodate your request. However, please note that media coverage by external organizations is beyond our control.

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