DENVER (KDVR) — It’s been a long 44 years since the University of Colorado Boulder football team hosted the BYU Cougars at Folsom Field.
During that nearly half-century period, BYU has started the tradition of partnering with home teams to perform charity work at tailgates through “Parties with a Purpose,” which is part of the school’s “Coug’s Care” program.
Since 2019, BYU has helped out the community of the teams they visit by collecting items from fans that can be donated to a hometown charity, school or cause.
The two schools worked together ahead of their bowl game in San Antonio last year, but this will be the first time the event has occurred in Colorado state lines.
When the Cougars tailgate at Folsom Field, they will be hosting a book drive in collaboration with the Family Learning Center of Boulder.
The items that the school is asking fans to bring can be anything that contributes to bilingual education and increased early literacy for families who speak Spanish at home but are taught in English at school.
Before the first grill has been lit and the first bag tossed for cornhole, fans have already donated 100 books through an Amazon wish list. Fans who attend the BYU tailgate at the Norlin Quad will have the opportunity to buy books, phonics games and other material between 5 to 7 p.m., which will be given to the Learning Center.
BYU has found major success with the program and, in 2024, provided charities with the following collections:
- 2,000 pounds of food for the University of Wyoming food pantry
- 3,000 books for a literacy program in Arizona
- Partnered with the Buffs ahead of their 2024 bowl game to donate 500 pairs of underwear to benefit the unhoused in San Antonio
It also can’t be an official Buffs event without superfan “Miss Peggy” Coppom in attendance.
BYU will tell the story of the 100-year-old, whose life is led by her love for the Buffs, to 70 million households through the school’s national TV, radio and podcast networks.
The schools are partnering with each other to help the Boulder community, but come 8:15 p.m., friends will temporarily become foes when kick-off begins on Saturday.
Anthony Sutton is a business strategist and writer with a passion for management, leadership, and entrepreneurship. With years of experience in the corporate world, he shares insights on business growth, strategy, and innovation through management-opleiding.org.
