Bradley Wood doesn’t have children of his own, but he has a special place in his heart for each of the roughly 75 families that pass through the Central Visitation Program in Denver metro area each week.

Because of his nonprofit, families that otherwise couldn’t afford supervised visitation with their children – because of a divorce or other judicial intervention – can see their children. That glue can help families maintain a bond of some sort, which is critical to how children from broken families heal, Wood said.

Though the program gets the support of county governments, federal grants and a number of churches, the public support is critical, too, Wood said, as he prepared for an online fundraiser on Dec. 3. Ashley Rhodes-Courter, a New York Times best-selling author of “Three Little Words,” will share her story about spending almost a decade in the foster care system as a child.

“I saw Ashley speak a couple years ago at a conference,” Woods said. “She is an amazing speaker and her story of her personal experience through the system shows individuals exactly what these kids go through. We are excited to have Ashely speak about her experience in the foster system.”

Tickets are $50 each and available at www.cvpdenver.org. There is also an online silent auction open from Nov. 26 to Dec. 3. The link is sent to those who RSVP.

Wood has been in the nonprofit arena for 25 years, including the last seven as executive director of the Central Visitation Program, which started in 1993 with the help of Central Presbyterian Church in Denver, though other houses of worship that have supporting families as their mission have since joined in, often providing their facilities for visits.

“I really like the one-on-one impact we’re having with the kids,” he said. “It’s really personal. These kids are undergoing trauma, and we’re helping repair that trauma by making sure they get to see their parents, no matter what.”

We caught up with Wood as he planned the online fundraiser, and here’s what he had to tell us:

Colorado Politics: Tell me about the Central Visitation Program. Why do we need it?

Wood: Central Visitation Program’s goal is to enhance relationships of low-income families by providing supervised visitation, safe exchanges, and parenting support. Visitation services usually cost anywhere from $60 to over $100 per hour. CVP offers its services on a sliding scale based on income with the majority of clients fall at our lowest rate of $30 per hour. CVP is here to serve the parents and children who are victims of a crime. Without our services, they would be forced to have these services in a less safe environment or not have them at all. CVP also offers free and court-certified parenting classes aiming to break the cycle of negative parenting and provide individuals the necessary skills to provide a nurturing and loving home to their children.

CP: Your caseload is 100 families a week. Is there a through line, a common denominator among the folks you help?

Wood: The common denominator is children who still need a relationship with their parent despite whatever has caused their parent to be ordered to supervised visitation.

CP: What’s the biggest misunderstanding about families working through complicated domestic situations, and how do you manage the stigma from society and expectation from the courts?

Wood: One of the biggest misunderstandings is that only dads get ordered supervised visitation. We have several mothers that are required to have visitation services, as well. Another misunderstanding is that the parents that require supervision are bad people. However, [for] most of these people, their children are the most important thing in the world to them. They are trying to own up to their mistakes and do whatever it takes to stay in their child’s life. Most people don’t think about these parents’ neglected or abusive upbringing, which is why CVP offers a free and court certified parenting class to break this cycle.

CP: You’ve been at this for seven years now. What have you learned that you didn’t know before about children, parents and our system for holding families together as best as they can be held?

Wood: What I’ve learned is that children are incredibly resilient and despite what may have happened to damage the relationship between the child and their parent, that child still desperately wants to continue that relationship because it is critical for a child to have both parents in their life for a healthy development.

I definitely have seen the system fail families and I have seen it really work to support families. It is important to remember that our systems are not infallible. They are going to make mistakes, but their goal is always to do whatever is in the best interest of the child. And it is important to have organizations like CVP to be there for families in need.

CP: Part of your job is to find money. Is the government doing enough, and what’s your pitch to private donors? What’s the ROI for society?

Wood: The government does provide financial support, but it comes with a lot of requirements that are difficult for small nonprofits to manage. The pitch to private donors is that we are providing a unique service that can have a tremendous impact on a child’s life and development. And understanding that everyone comes from a different background and culture and to help those less fortunate than you.

The ROI to society is that research shows it is healthy for a child to have a relationship with both parents and helps them grow into a successful member of society.

CP: How much has the pandemic affected fundraising and the way CVP operates?

Wood: The pandemic has caused CVP to have every event virtually since 2019. This has resulted in a lower amount of funds raised. It has made it harder to connect with our donors, which is why we booked Ashley who has a story that connects with our mission and will show donors exactly the children we help.

CP: I see you have a background in faith-based organizations. Is there a moral calling in your current role? Does the fact you’re helping lower income people mean something to you spiritually?

Wood: I do feel called to help those in need. I live by the guidance of Micah 6:8: “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy. And to walk humbly with your God.”

Going back to my one year of volunteer service, it has taught me to help people in need, and I’ve tried to do that throughout my career.

CP: Anything on CVP’s horizon that you can tell me about?

Wood: We are very excited to be moving back into our newly renovated office space and are hoping to decorate and refresh our visitation room to improve our client experiences. CVP plans on doing an open house for its Spring Fundraiser in 2022, which will be its first in-person event since November of 2019.

Fast Facts:

Where did you grow up? Anamosa, Iowa, small town, a population of 5,000

What brought you to Colorado? I did a year of volunteer services through the Urban Servant Corps and decided to stay after that year.

Why did you choose this line of work? I chose this line of work because after my year of volunteer service, I decided I wanted to stay in the nonprofit field to continue to serve the community and those in need.

Who is your mentor? Christie Doherty is my mentor. She is our HR strategic planning consultant and has been involved in the nonprofit field for a very long time.

What did you want to be when you were 8? When I was a kid, I wanted to either work at a grocery store or a bank.

Concert hall, ball field or the great outdoors? Concert hall.

Tell me about your family? My parents both were government workers who had jobs serving the community. My father was inspector for the roads and bridges for the county and my mother was the food service director for our school district.

Why do you like board games?  Because it is social and you get to interact with friends but it also requires strategy.