🔔 The Village Bell Monthly Update from Gratitude Village Colorado April 2026

🔔 The Village Bell - Monthly Update from Gratitude Village Colorado

April 2026

When the village bell rings, people gather.
This newsletter is our way of ringing the bell — sharing progress, celebrating community and inviting others to help bring Gratitude Village to life.

From the Founder’s Porch

Dear Friend,

This month feels different. For a long time, Gratitude Village has lived in conversations, in shared vision, in the quiet (and sometimes not-so-quiet) belief that there’s a better way to live. And now, we’re beginning to cross a threshold—from imagining what’s possible to actually creating it.

Putting land under contract in Brighton is a big step. Not just logistically, but emotionally. It makes this real in a way that’s hard to fully put into words.

And at the same time, something else has been taking shape—something a little bigger than any one piece of land.

Back in December, our board made the decision to shift from thinking about Gratitude Village to Gratitude Villages. It was a subtle change in name, but a meaningful one in vision. Brighton is not the end goal. It’s the beginning.

If all goes well, this will be our demonstration community—a place where we can learn, refine, and show what’s possible when neighborhoods are designed for connection, sustainability, and belonging. And from there, we hope to bring this model to other places—Golden, Wheat Ridge, Arvada, and, ideally, within the City of Denver itself. Because the need for this isn’t limited to one location.

This work has always been about more than housing. It’s about belonging. It’s about creating environments where people are more connected, more supported, and more resilient together. And if I’m honest, it’s also about challenging some of the barriers that have made communities like this hard to access. We’re not all the way there yet, but every step we take is moving us closer.

I feel incredibly grateful for the people who are walking this path with us—our Founders, Explorers, Board, and broader community. This village is already being built, long before the homes exist.

And it’s only the beginning.

With gratitude,
Suzie Shride
Founder & Executive Director

P.S. Please consider making a donation through our Colorado Gives page and help us be a disruptor in the housing industry and make this type of community available for everyone who wants to live this way!

Land Under Contract in Brighton

After months of searching, evaluating, and envisioning what could be, we are thrilled to share that Gratitude Village has land under contract in Brighton.

This nearly 8-acre site represents more than just a location—it’s the foundation for a new kind of neighborhood. One designed for connection, sustainability, accessibility, and belonging from the very beginning.

What makes this opportunity especially meaningful is that we’ve been able to secure the land at a price significantly below typical Denver-area costs. That opens the door to something we care deeply about: creating a mixed-income, inclusive community where more people have the opportunity to participate.

We’ve already begun working closely with the City of Brighton, and the early response has been encouraging. There is genuine excitement about what we’re creating—not just as a housing development, but as a model for how communities can be built differently.

There’s still work ahead (and it's not a done deal until we close in August), but for the first time, Gratitude Village is no longer just an idea. It’s a place.

Becoming a Founder: A Moment of Transition

As we move from vision into development, the role of Founding Members is evolving.

In the earliest days of Gratitude Village, becoming a Founder was about belief—trusting in a vision that didn’t yet have land, plans, or certainty. Today, that vision is taking shape. And with that progress comes a natural shift.

Starting June 15, 2026, the Founder contribution will increase to $15,000 / household to reflect this next stage of the project. Early Founders have helped make this moment possible, and their commitment is recognized not only in gratitude, but in priority, influence, and financial structure moving forward.

We also want to acknowledge something important: the traditional path into cohousing often requires large upfront commitments. One of our goals has always been to challenge that barrier—to create more accessible pathways into community.

This transition is part of that balance. Honoring early risk, while still working toward broader access.

If you’ve been considering becoming a Founder, this is a meaningful moment to step in—while the opportunity still reflects the early stage of what we’re building. And, if you are a household that is looking to buy one of our affordable units, stay tuned and reach out to Suzie. We are working on a financial structure and pathway designed to lower barriers to early participation!

Meet Our Architectural Partner: Studio Co+Hab

We’re excited to share that the Gratitude Villages board selected Studio Co+Hab as our architectural partner for Gratitude Village.

This decision came after a thoughtful and thorough process, including community member interviews with five outstanding firms followed by two rounds of interviews by our Board of Directors of the top three firm. There was community input and deep consideration of alignment with our values.

Studio Co+Hab stood out for their commitment to sustainable design, their experience with high-performance building, their nimbleness and their collaborative approach to working with community-driven projects. They understand that this isn’t just about designing homes—it’s about shaping how people live together.

Their work reflects a balance we care deeply about: environmental responsibility, beauty, and practicality. And just as important, they bring a spirit of partnership to the process.

Over the coming months, Founders will play an active role in helping shape the design of the community alongside the architectural team. This is where the vision starts to take physical form.

Save the Date: August 12 – Golden Startup Coffee

We’re excited to share that Suzie Shride, Founder & Executive Director of Gratitude Village, will be speaking at Golden Startup Coffee on August 12 between 9-11am.

Golden Startup Coffee brings together entrepreneurs, innovators, and community leaders to share ideas and spark connection. Suzie will be speaking about the vision behind Gratitude Village, the journey of bringing it to life, and why rethinking how we build neighborhoods matters now more than ever.

We’d love to see you there! More details to come as the date approaches!

Upcoming Event: Day in the Village – June 14 (This Event has been postponed to late July/early August due to our Site Design Workshop being held on June 13-14, 2026)

Curious what life at Gratitude Village might feel like? Join us on Sunday June 14 in Brighton for our Day in the Village Experience—an interactive, immersive event designed to bring the vision to life.

This isn’t a typical info session. It’s an opportunity to step into the rhythm of community living through a series of hands-on “stations” that reflect daily life in the village—from shared meals and collaboration to play, sustainability, and connection.

Whether you’re actively exploring or simply curious, this is one of the best ways to experience what makes this model so powerful.

More details and registration information will be shared soon—but for now, save the date.

Gather With Us

One of the most exciting parts of creating a cohousing community is gathering together even before the homes exist.

Upcoming opportunities include:

• Monthly information sessions about cohousing and Gratitude Village

  • Next Sessions:

Tuesday May 5, 2026 5:30-6:30pm (MT) Zoom Info Session - register to get link

Saturday May 16, 2026 9:30-11:30am IN PERSON ONLY Belmar Library (Lakewood)

Thursday May 28, 2026 5:00-6:00pm (MT) Zoom Info Session - register to get link

• Community gatherings where future residents can get to know each other

• Educational workshops exploring sustainable design and community living

These early gatherings help shape the culture and relationships that will eventually define the neighborhood. If you’ve been curious about cohousing, we would love to welcome you to an upcoming event.

Open Board Positions

As Gratitude Village continues to grow, so does the need for strong, aligned leadership. We are currently looking to fill two additional board seats and are especially seeking individuals with expertise in:

• Nonprofit or Real Estate Law

• Energy / Sustainability Systems

These roles are an opportunity to help shape a project that is not only building housing, but redefining what community can look like.

We’re particularly interested in individuals who are collaborative, mission-driven, and excited about contributing to a model that we hope will be replicated beyond this first village. If someone comes to mind—or if you feel called yourself—we would love to connect.

🙏 The Gratitude List

Each month we recognize people helping bring Gratitude Village to life.

This month we are grateful for:

• Warren Johnson & Dee Tribbett. Warren and Dee joined us last fall as Explorers and have been super active in the community since, sharing expertise, thoughts and great advice! They recently became our newest Founding Members and we are lucky to have them in the community!

• Monica Swenson, our newest explorer who joined because "this is exactly the model I've been dreaming about -- a non profit led project, who gets a community set up and then moves on to create other communities!" Monica is excited to share her business acumen and research abilities with us.

• Heidi Majerik, owner of Gauge Land Development, and Ken Mitchell, owner of Mosaic Realty. Heidi and Ken are the keystones of our volunteer development team. They have both dedicated countless hours to evaluating land opportunities, doing the heavy-lifting on the start of our due diligence for the Brighton land and answering the myriad emails I send them daily! They truly are some of the most generous, experienced developers who both have hearts of gold!

It truly takes a village to build a village.

Until the bell rings again, thank you for being part of what we’re building.

Gratitude Village Colorado
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