September 2026 News
The First Minute Project Monthly Impact Report
September has been an exciting and meaningful month for The First Minute Project. Since launching our nonprofit and receiving our federal 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status, our community has rallied around our mission to help schools prepare for the critical first minutes of a medical emergency.
From community members stepping forward to volunteer as ambassadors, to conversations beginning with school districts and elected officials, September has been a month of significant progress.
Most importantly, we are seeing growing interest in our mission to help ensure that schools have both the equipment and the training necessary to respond when every second matters.
A Strong Start for The First Minute Project
We officially launched The First Minute Project in September and received our tax-exempt status from the IRS.
The response from our community has been incredible. In our first week as a nonprofit, we raised more than $2,000 to support our mission.
Every donation brings us closer to our goal of helping schools obtain bleeding-control supplies and providing the training needed to use them effectively.
We are incredibly grateful to everyone who has contributed, shared our mission, volunteered, or simply taken the time to learn more about what we are doing.
This is a community effort, and we are just getting started.
Our Community Is Stepping Up
One of the most encouraging parts of launching The First Minute Project has been hearing from parents and community members who believe schools should be better prepared for medical emergencies.
We have received multiple inquiries from parents and community members interested in our program, and several people have stepped forward to become First Minute Community Ambassadors.
These ambassadors are helping us spread awareness about the importance of bleeding-control preparedness and encouraging their communities to learn more about the program.
Why Our Ambassadors Are Getting Involved
First Minute Community Ambassador Kristin Williams, a Parker mother, shared why she wanted to get involved:
Kristin Williams (Parker town council candidate) https://www.kristin4parker.com/
“As a Parker mom, I don't want to just hope my kids' school is prepared; I want to know it is. The First Minute Project turns that hope into real training and real supplies, right in the classroom. That's why I'm proud to help however I can.”
Breanna Cabral, a mother of three children attending public schools in Colorado, also reached out to learn how she could help bring awareness to the program in her community.
She explained:
“As a mother of three children who attend public school in Colorado, the safety and well-being of our school community is incredibly important to me.”
Breanna believes that preparing school staff and students with appropriate lifesaving skills can help communities respond during the critical minutes before emergency responders arrive.
She added:
“I believe that empowering teachers, staff, and students with basic lifesaving skills not only helps prepare us for the unexpected, but also builds a stronger, more informed, and more prepared community.”
We are grateful to Kristin, Breanna, and all of our First Minute Community Ambassadors for helping us bring this message to more families and communities across Colorado.
The First Minute Project Featured by Denver7
On September 7, The First Minute Project was featured by Denver7 in a story highlighting our mission and our goal of bringing bleeding-control kits to classrooms across Colorado.
The story helped introduce our organization and our mission to a broader audience and highlighted the importance of having the right supplies available when a medical emergency occurs.
We are grateful to Denver7 and reporter Allie Jennerjahn for taking an interest in our work and helping us share our mission with the community.
Watch the full story here:
Beginning Conversations With School Districts
A major focus of September has been reaching out to school districts and beginning conversations about implementing bleeding-control programs.
The First Minute Project has reached out to several districts and school leaders, including:
Clear Creek School District
Gilpin County School District
Park County / Platte Canyon High School
We are currently waiting to hear back from several of these districts, but we will continue reaching out and working to establish conversations about how a bleeding-control program could be implemented in their schools.
Our goal is simple: to help schools become better prepared before an emergency happens.
US Representative Brittany Petterson
A Conversation With Representative Brittany Pettersen's Office
Another significant development this month was an outreach from the office of U.S. Representative Brittany Pettersen regarding The First Minute Project and our proposed First Minute Act.
On September 14, we held a virtual meeting with members of Representative Pettersen's staff to discuss our organization and our proposed legislation.
During the conversation, Representative Pettersen expressed interest in potentially bringing the First Minute Act to the federal level.
We are grateful that her office took the time to learn about our work and our vision for improving bleeding-control preparedness in schools.
We are scheduled to meet with Representative Pettersen's team at Conifer High School on October 2, where we will walk through the school, demonstrate our bleeding-control kits, discuss the work already completed at Conifer High School, and talk about the next steps in our mission.
We look forward to continuing that conversation.
A Potential Jefferson County Pilot Program
We are also excited to announce that The First Minute Project is currently working with Jefferson County School District on a potential pilot program involving multiple schools in the foothills area.
We are currently in discussions with the district and working toward moving the program forward.
This is an important opportunity for The First Minute Project. A pilot program would allow us to demonstrate our approach across multiple schools while continuing to build a model that can potentially be expanded to other communities.
We appreciate Jefferson County School District's continued efforts toward making schools safer for students and staff, and we look forward to continuing our conversations.
Looking Ahead
September has been a month of tremendous momentum for The First Minute Project, but this is only the beginning.
In the weeks ahead, we will continue working to:
Establish additional relationships with Colorado school districts
Expand our First Minute Community Ambassador program
Equip more classrooms with bleeding-control supplies
Provide training to school staff
Build partnerships with community organizations and supporters
Continue developing the First Minute Act
Expand awareness of the importance of bleeding-control preparedness
We are especially looking forward to our October 2 meeting at Conifer High School and the opportunity to continue conversations about expanding this work.
Thank You
None of this would be possible without the people who have supported The First Minute Project since its launch.
To everyone who has donated, volunteered, shared our posts, contacted us, become an ambassador, introduced us to a school or organization, or simply taken the time to learn about our mission:
Thank you.
The response we've received in our first month has shown us that there is a strong community of people who believe our schools should be prepared to respond when every second counts.
We are proud of the progress we've made in September, and we are excited about what comes next.
Together, we can help make sure that when an emergency happens, our schools are ready for the first minute.
Support The First Minute Project
The First Minute Project is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Your support helps us work toward our goal of training school staff and equipping classrooms with bleeding-control supplies.
Consider making a tax deductable dontation today.
