Our Top Charitable Picks for March 28-April 3

Events to Attend

Beautiful Junk Sale: As the sun comes out for spring (and then retreats behind winter storm clouds, and then comes out again), we’re (optimistically) feeling ready to spruce up our wardrobes and home décor. Cue the Beautiful Junk Sale, an annual swap meet of sorts where you’ll find 10,500 square feet of jewelry, collectibles, vintage odds and ends, sporting goods, seasonal decorations, and more. The much-anticipated event draws crowds—but you can pay $30 for first dibs via early admission on Friday morning. Proceeds will benefit The Action Center, a Jefferson County-based nonprofit that provides emergency necessities like food, clothing, and shelter to residents and homeless, as well as intervention services, pathways to self-sufficiency programming, and seasonal programming (back to school, Thanksgiving, and Christmas help). Friday, 7 a.m. (early bird, $30), 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Jefferson County Fairgrounds, 15200 W. 6th Ave.; $4 or $3 with two non-perishable food donations, free for 15 and under

Wild Awakening: Countless men, women, and children have benefited from Wild Bear Mountain Ecology Center‘s ecology and conservation educational programming, as have Boulder’s open spaces. You can support the county’s only nonprofit nature center this weekend by jamming out with local acoustic songstress Ellis, who will play eTown Hall while you enjoy hors d’oeuvres and a silent auction. Proceeds benefit Wild Bear, and by the same token, Boulder County’s beautiful spaces. Saturday, 5–9 p.m.; eTown Hall, 1535 Spruce St.; $45–$125

Pink Vail: If you’re planning on hitting the slopes this weekend, head to Vail for this day-long benefit for the Shaw Regional Cancer Center. You’ll be joining about 3,000 other skiers and snowboarders dressed in pink garb, grooving to live music, skiing down the hill together in an rosy-hued avalanche, and maybe trying their hands at the Checkpoint Challenge (hit all three themed mountain decks for a chance at end-of-day prizes). Since its founding in 2012, Pink Vail has raised nearly $1.8 million for cancer patients at the Shaw Regional Cancer Center. They aim to raise another $750,000 at this year’s Pink Mountain day—and have a great time doing it. Saturday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Vail Ski Resort; $25 (does not include lift ticket)

Causes to Care About

C.U.R.E. Coffee: Denver roasting company Boca Java has teamed up with Project C.U.R.E., a nonprofit that connects facilities in developing countries with surplus medical supplies from the United States. To give back to the communities Boca Java sources their raw coffee beans from, they will contribute $3 from each pound sold to C.U.R.E.’s programming in those areas. It all started with Boca Java’s single-origin Nicaragua line about seven years ago, and they’ve seriously expanded since then, launching World Blend a few years later and a brand new single-origin Kenya program just a few weeks ago. Get yours at curecoffee.org (you can subscribe to a monthly roast-to-order delivery) or at the Boyer’s Coffee in Thornton. 7295 Washington St., Thornton