CNDCC and RiseUP: Connecting Community Inclusion With Workplace Opportunity
A welcoming community should make room for different ways of thinking, communicating, learning, and contributing. That principle belongs in workplaces as much as it belongs in recreation. Through the RiseUP Elevation Challenge, we are bringing it into focus with the Colorado Neurodiversity Chamber of Commerce, also known as CNDCC.
For Colorado employers, entrepreneurs, and community members, the September campaign offers a practical starting point: learn about the organizations involved, choose a personal movement goal, and invite others to support a more inclusive community.
Meet the Colorado Neurodiversity Chamber of Commerce
The Colorado Neurodiversity Chamber of Commerce connects business and community efforts around neuroinclusion. Its website highlights employment, entrepreneurship, leadership, networking, and opportunities to engage with neurodivergent professionals and organizations.
The chamber’s perspective expands the conversation beyond whether someone can enter a workplace. It invites attention to how people are recognized, connected, and included in business life. Our fundraising partnership brings that perspective to an audience that may first encounter it through a hiking or distance challenge.
Why workplace opportunity belongs in this conversation
RiseUP’s Supported Employment program offers individualized support such as job coaching and exploration of work aligned with a person’s interests and strengths. CNDCC’s business-community focus and RiseUP’s direct support services are different contributions to a larger conversation about opportunity.
That distinction matters. Neurodivergence is not synonymous with intellectual disability, and a person does not need a disability-service referral to benefit from a more inclusive workplace. This partnership recognizes overlapping values without assuming identical needs or audiences.
A supporter in Denver may first learn about RiseUP through the chamber. A RiseUP family in Colorado Springs may discover CNDCC’s business network. The collaboration gives both communities an opportunity to learn, connect, and support work beyond their existing circles.
Use your September goal to start a useful conversation
The RiseUP Elevation Challenge invites participants to work toward 5,000 feet of elevation or 15 miles of distance during September 1-30, 2026. The campaign includes walking, hiking, running, climbing, strolling, and rolling, with participation guidance available through registration.
Select Colorado Neurodiversity Chamber of Commerce from the participating partner options when you register. Under the campaign’s fundraising structure, half of the proceeds raised through your participant page support the nonprofit you select.
Your page can explain why this matters to you. Perhaps you value workplaces that recognize individual strengths, or you want colleagues to learn more about community inclusion. That personal reason gives people something meaningful to respond to.
An invitation for Colorado workplaces
An office or professional group could organize a voluntary challenge team, invite people to choose their own routes, and share the campaign through an internal newsletter. Offer options to donate or share instead of requiring physical activity. Participation should not depend on an employee disclosing a diagnosis or personal circumstances.
Keep fundraising invitations similarly flexible. Celebrate involvement without comparing donation amounts, and ask consent before sharing team photos or personal stories. These are practical ways to make a team initiative reflect the inclusion it promotes.
For help shaping your invitation, read our fundraising outreach guide. A clear introduction, personal purpose, and working fundraising link are enough to begin.
Keep the connection going beyond September
The campaign can be an introduction rather than the end of the relationship. Explore CNDCC’s work, learn about RiseUP’s programs, and consider what inclusion looks like within your own organization.
Families looking for disability-service guidance can talk to a RiseUP guide. Supporters ready to participate can visit the Elevation Challenge. Whatever your role, there is value in making more room for people to contribute.
