About Us
Who We Are
The Friends of Historic Riverside Cemetery is a non-profit organization dedicated to increasing awareness and promoting preservation of Denver’s oldest cemetery. Volunteer run and supported by donations and membership fees, the members of the Friends of Historic Riverside Cemetery represent a broad spectrum of the community, including local historians, family members, artists, and neighbors.
Board of Directors
Our founding board of directors (in place until our first members meeting May 17th, 2008) is as follows:
Hugh Graham – President
Sandy Marvin – Vice President, Volunteers
Cynthia Del Ponte – Treasurer
Traci Stoffel – Secretary
Lane Ledbetter – Preservation and Environment
Stephen Dawson – at large
Cliff Dougal – at large
Jill Hadley Hooper – at large
(fyi, we’re currently interviewing potential board members if you are interested)
Interested in volunteering? Let us know by email at friends@friendsofriversidecemetery.org or visit our Get Involved page.
Organizational Goals
Here is a description of our organizations goals:
Promoting Awareness of Riverside
The Friends of Riverside Cemetery is dedicated to promoting awareness and education of the historical and cultural value of Riverside through our website (friendsofriversidecemetery.org) and through printed brochures and pamphlets.
Organizing and Promoting Community Events
As part of our mission to increase awareness of Riverside, our organization produces and coordinates educational events at the cemetery, including tours conducted by experts on history, culture, architecture, and horticulture.
Conducting Preservation Activities at Riverside
The Friends of Historic Riverside Cemetery supports restoration and maintenance activities at the cemetery, including headstones, sculptures, and other historical artifacts. These efforts are coordinated with experts in historical preservation and with the owners of the Cemetery, Fairmount Cemetery Company.
Improving and Maintaining the Environment at Riverside
Because Riverside Cemetery has limited access to water, the environment has suffered dramatically in the past several years. The Friends are dedicated to improving and maintaining the horticulture and other environmental features at Riverside. The primary maintenance of the cemetery will continue to be handled by the cemetery’s owner, Fairmount Cemetery Company.
Raising Funds from Private Foundations and Governmental Organizations
Riverside was recently named one of Colorado’s Most Endangered Places for 2008 by Colorado Preservation, Inc., a designation that shows the importance of the cemetery to Colorado’s heritage. Friends of Historic Riverside Cemetery hopes to engage with both private foundations interested in historic preservation as well as local, state, and federal government-funded preservations programs.
As a membership-based, non-profit organization, our activities are primarily supported through generous individual donations of time and money. We encourage you to get involved in whatever way you can.
Contact us through our email address at friends@friendsofriversidecemetery.org
or via our mailing address at:
Friends of Historic Riverside Cemetery
PO Box 16237
Denver CO 80216
