History of the Foundation

Lola and V. Robert (Rob) Salazar were raised to be grateful and to give back to their communities. Coming from modest backgrounds, and married at young ages, they knew that they first had to focus on their marriage and their children.

“I got married young,” says Lola. “I was 18. Rob and I took turns putting each other through school and making sure that our two children were our first priority.”

Lola taught for Jefferson County Schools, a career she loved because she was able to influence so many students. Rob became a CPA and real estate investor.  Then, after eight years as a teacher, Lola says she “realized that the two people I needed to influence the most were under my own roof.”

Since Rob’s business was flourishing, Lola stayed home to raise their children.

Then, the Columbine High School tragedy occurred in April 1999.  The Salazars’ son was in the school, but safe.  The event led them to help the Columbine community.

“We were blessed financially and we knew we had to give back to Columbine,” remembers Lola. She and Rob gave a large gift to the Jefferson Foundation, which was the pass-through funding organization for all Columbine gifts.

That gift “felt so good” that Lola and Rob also made gifts to the Denver Public Schools Foundation, because they both attended DPS, and to the Latin American Educational Foundation, because Rob had received a scholarship from that organization.

“I realized that I got such pleasure from giving!” says Lola.  So, she and Rob established the Salazar Family Foundation in December 1999. Lola is the organization’s President.