Community Compassion Outreach, Inc.
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    • EVENTS >
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      • VOLUNTEER OPPS
      • TEAM CCO
      • 2020 FORUM ENDING HOMELESSNESS
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CCO Management

Effective March 29, 2018, CCO is a 501(c)(3) Public Charity and has operated since January 2017. Cofounder Donna Mae Baukat continues to manage day-to-day operations as Executive Director, creating programs for unmet needs to serve people in homelessness and poverty in our region of La Plata County in Southwest Colorado. 

Baukat Enterprises LLC is contracted to manage CCO's operations and programs on Pro Bono basis in accordance with CCO's Bylaws and a signed written agreement dated August 14, 2018. As one of our founders and minority owner of her company, Donna Mae is the visionary of our organization. Our Board of Directors work closely with her to establish direction and policies. However, she has voluntarily signed and submitted to the board a Conflict of Interest Acknowledgement (A copy is available upon request). 

"Donna Mae" Baukat

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Cofounder, President & Executive Director

Hello! I like to be called Donna Mae. I was born in Honolulu, Hawaii,
three years after Japan surrendered at Pearl Harbor.
I was  raised by Filipino parents who were in poverty -- basically, we were homeless.

I can admit this now as I recall never understanding the meaning of being poor.
Everyone around us were equally poor, which seemed normal as a child.
I have thirty cousins on dad's side of the family plus fifteen from mom's.

Yes, I recall eating rice with soy sauce when there wasn't a can of Spam in the cupboard.
One of my aunts dropped by when I was babysitting my sister and brother.
She found me at the tiny kitchen table eating nothing more than a cup full of rice.
It is how I remembered those simple "forgettable' times when Spam, eggs and rice
were steak and potatoes to me (an occasional full meal).

​ I ran away from home, on every school day, to escape physical and emotional abuse.
Perhaps, neighbors wondered of my playing far from home without supervision.
It was safe back in the old days!

The 14-mile bus ride to Sacred Hearts Convent School for Girls
helped me to be first on the honor roll -- my homework always turned in on time!
I was inquisitive, played hard and a tomboy.

School was safe and sane where I found
​respect and loving kindness 

As I look back to the subsidized housing where I was raised until age 13,
I recall adventures I created on the long walks home from school.

Those years built a capacity in me to look upon a person — recognizably
poor and hungry — with compassionate eyes and a welcoming heart.

Circuitous long walks home and carrying a
load of books (sometimes in bare feet) is when I gained
the stamina and energy that keeps me going strong, even in my advanced years.
​
I persevere in whatever task I've undertaken. Actually, I know
​it to be for the mercies and grace of a loving God who created me as I am.

He has given me courage to confront unrighteousness with the perseverance to pursue against
all odds with the boldness to challenge wrongs — all for the sake of those less fortunate than myself.

​In California, I enjoyed sharing God's word with a prison ministry group at medium security
institutions for men, women and youth.

Self-condemnation of individuals in confinement for deeds committed
against society requires forgiveness of self.

It is why I cannot condemn someone's bad choices.
It is why CCO's policies are "inclusive" and not exclusive!

Homelessness issues have been troubling to me over the past two years
when I came upon the hardships of people in Durango who live in tents and vehicles.

My husband Stephen Baukat and I will have been in Durango for five years this November 2018.
We never knew of the type of maltreatment of souls by leaders
​of the community, as we are seeing here.

Yet, we know there are more God-loving folks who will walk alongside with us and the people we serve to show lovingkindness and mercies to those who have made terrible choices. 

​We want to provide safe and dignified housing for people experiencing homelessness and poverty. 

In my retirement years, Steve and I have committed to find a way to end homelessness.


Nobody should die in the depth of winter's bitter cold -- just because, they live outside and there is no shelter!

I share my story to be transparent and honest about my own life of struggles.
Someone put it this way, When you look at me, you don't see who I am.”


It is humbling when I think of where I've been, and how I arrived in the moment of today.
Thank you for allowing me to share my heart this way!


Aloha! Mahalo Nui Loa!

Aloha is the value of unconditional love. 
Nui Loa "very, very"

Ike Loa Pono is the value of learning, growing and expanding into greater Aloha/Love/Harmony
​as "We" walk up the Mountain of Life!


Mahalo
 "thank you" is a way of living in thankfulness.
​
As a student of the Bible, I am thankful for knowing God's will and timing is better than mine. It brings peace beyond understanding...even in times of trouble.


Pronounce the letter
"i" (ee) and "e" (ehh) 

Donna Mae 9/13/2018


Background & Experience -- BAUKAT ENTERPRISES, LLC
Donna Mae Baukat, CEO/President
Background
I initiated some projects during the time CCO was a church program (January 2017 to March 2018). We continue to serve people experiencing homelessness and poverty with survival provisions. Some of the activities that were started are:
  • Prayers & Handcrafting – stuffed crochet animals for disadvantaged children at the La Plata Family Center
  • Day Work Project “Give Us Dirty Work” – finding day jobs for the Homeless
  • Project ID – assisting individuals with documentation for Colorado ID or Drivers License
  • Critical Supply Bank - winter protection gear (sleeping bags, clothing, coats, tents)
  • Collaboration with Fort Lewis College Engineering Design and Practice Class in Spring 2018 to assess commercial shelter options and Humanitarian House International PVC/Insulated Panel Structure
  • Forum ENDING HOMELESSNESS: How We Can was initiated by Baukat to educate and inform the Public locally and regionally
  • Coordination with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty (NLCHP) to protect the constitutional rights of people experiencing homelessness and poverty
Experiences
After high school (1962-1975) my first job was stenographer at what is now known as Boeing in the Contracts Department. During the years I was raising three children, I moved upward as legal secretary, administrative & executive assistant and office manager with various small businesses and computer manufacturing firms. From 1975-1986, I was the first woman to sell Printed Circuit Boards in the electronics components industry. In 1977, I became the first woman in outside sales & marketing in chemically machined substrates for the Semiconductor and Magnetic Tape Head Industries for Vacco Industries.

After purchasing a new home in 1989, my husband Stephen Baukat and I discovered major defects with rain damage to walls and flooring. I spent three years organizing homeowners (60/80) in a Construction Defects Litigation, the name of the textbook our attorney wrote and taught at a university. 

Between 1999-2005, a civil engineering professor and author of “Seismic Repair and Rehabilitation System (SRRS) for Bridges and Highways“ (Fiber Reinforced Polymer Composites) made me a partner. I marketed and promoted the SRRS at various universities across the country. My company, Advanced Structural Overlay, Inc., represented the SRRS product when I introduced it to civil engineering professors, FEMA, DOT, and Public Works. In addition to the SRRS, we needed an equipment to detect strains during laboratory tests of sample bridge decks. I added a product manufactured in the UK for that purpose. The Smart Fibres Fiber Optical Bragg Sensors and Test Equipment was introduced at the Henry Samueli School of Engineering at the University of California Irvine Campus. However, the fiber optical sensors were proven to be more efficient in composite materials for aircrafts than on bridge decks. 

​My husband Steve and I have served meals at Manna Kitchen since the end of 2016. I've been working with ACLU and the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty to help the homeless to understand their human rights protection under the Constitution. Although some saw this to be a threat, it helped to educate the public about the criminalization of sleep. Some of the homeless have received citations for not putting down their tents every morning before the City of Durango's temporary overnight camping adjacent to Greenmount Cemetery was closed on August 25th.  Criminal defense attorney Brian Schowalter recently represented the homeless group in court for trespassing citations received in July when they were evicted from the camp for protesting. I am happy to report the case was dismissed by the prosecutor, informing the judge to drop all charges. The defense would have been on the basis of the 8th Amendment for cruel and unusual punishment of people who have no where to go. ACLU and NLCHP wrote a strong letter on August 24th to the City of Durango. As enforcement of the camp ban and destruction of properties have been continuing, ACLU sent another email  to the City of Durango with reference to the Martin vs. City of Boise 9th Circuit Court decision of September 4, 2018, which denied the city's motion to ban sleeping on sidewalks when there is no place for the homeless to legally camp. We are grateful for ACLU and NLCHP for taking on this matter on behalf of Durango's homeless community! 

In the very few spare moments of my time, I will grab one of my crochet hooks and make stuffed animals for disadvantaged children. It is my favorite pastime as artist of wearable fiber art. God blessed me with the talent to create without patterns vests and other crochet items. I am honored to receive  Two 1st and one 2nd place ribbons from the New Mexico Crochet Guild at the Albuquerque FiberArts Fiesta 2017. My first entry in 2015 got 3rd place. I hope to teach crochet at the La Plata Family Center in October/

​
Studies
I graduated from Western High School in 1962 in Anaheim, CA. While working as a stenographer, I studied Psychology at Fullerton Junior College. After a divorce, I married Stephen Baukat in 1981; some years later, I studied the effects of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) on memory loss at Saddleback Junior College.  At the age of 65, I enrolled at Hope International University in the bachelors program for Business Management & Marketing (2000-2004). An untimely illness kept me from acquiring a degree. I continue to research subjects Online for knowledge, as I have studied homelessness and poverty for causes, practices and solutions since January 2017 and continuing. I've attended workshops and seminars to continue my education at age 73+. 
Personal
Steve and I will celebrate our 37th anniversary in November 2018. We reside north of Downtown Durango with our six year Miniature Schnauzer, Dolly Tres. I am mother of a son and two daughters from a previous marriage -- grandmother of three boys and four girls, and great grandmother of two lovely girls ages 6 and 5.

Stephen Michael Baukat
Vice President & Quality Assurance Director 
Baukat Enterprises, LLC
Technical Adviser to CCO Board

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Steve's career as Director of Quality Assurance, Quality Assurance Manager, Quality Engineer are roles held over 40 years in electronics manufacturing. Because of his capabilities in accomplishing the goals expected by each of the companies he worked for, his peers and senior management teams influenced my promotions.

His career began in the 1970s with Navy Radar Training; power supply manufacturing as receiving inspector; assembly of High Speed Tape Drive Systems; manufacture of VME computers for U.S. military UAV flight hardware; and, Satellite Power Supply computer testing. The past 15 years have been to establish ISO 9000 and AS9100 QMS in several companies. Methods used:
  • Typical SPC tools.         
  • CAPA investigative technologies to determine root causes.
  • Utilizing adequate analyses with thorough understanding of the failure mechanisms that initiate Corrective Action and follow-up to insure effectiveness.
  • Manage data using SPC, Gage R&R, Pareto and other tools.
  • Write and perform environmental test, using various Thermal Cycle, Thermal Shock, Burn-in, Vibration, and EMI-RFI equipment.
  • Thorough knowledge of :
    • ISO 9001:2008 • AS9100:2009 • Mil-Q-9858 • IPC-600-610, 620 • Mil-Std750 •
    • Mil-P 2009 • Mil-Std 810C • Mil-Std 460-461 • UL • ANSI J Std. 001-005.
​
All technical and quality-related matters are the responsibility of 'Steve' Baukat. His expertise in electrical, mechanical, and chemical analysis is enhanced by keeping up with current world economics. 

Education
Computer literate: Microsoft Windows and most Linux distributions.
United States Navy, Surface and Air Search Radar Systems
Bachelor of Arts, Economics:
  • University of California, Riverside, California - 1967-1968
  • Sophia University, Tokyo, Japan for 3 Years​
Personal
Steve married Donna Mae (Goles) in November 1981. 
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Our mission is to assist individuals & families to prevent, to survive and to exit homelessness with warm clothing, camp provisions, food, referrals to vital resources and connection to housing. We designed a small 560-sq.ft. Essential House for permanent and supportive housing in a Village of Hope development.

Check out our new address!

Ph | Voicemail 
10am - 4PM
by
APPOINTMENT ONLY
-MASK MANDATORY-

970-236-2313

Email

Admin@CCOHome.org
We are located at 255 E. 11th St., Durango, CO 81301. At this time, our office hours are limited due to short staffing and the COVID pandemic. Volunteer professionals are available by appointment only. 

Hours

In-Person Meetings by Appointment Only:
Mon., Tues., Weds., Thurs. (effective 9/21/2020) between 10:00am - 4:00pm.
Friday - CLOSED
  • SATURDAYS -- Schneider Park near the entrance, we hold COFFEE & CONVERSATIONS starting at 12:30 p.m. until food is gone...come early.
  • HOME
    • Contact Us
    • WE'VE MOVED!
    • IN THE NEWS
    • Our Board
  • STREET OUTREACH
    • COFFEE & CONVERSATIONS
    • ROOM4ANITE
    • OUR Response to COVID-19 >
      • APPLY FOR COVID RELIEF FUNDS
    • CRITICAL SUPPLY BANK
  • DONATE
  • VILLAGE OF HOPE
    • LEARN MORE
  • RESOURCES
    • Links
    • What is Homelessness?
    • Homelessness in La Plata County
    • ADAY'SWORK(TM)
    • BLOG
    • Know Your Rights
    • EVENTS >
      • Special Events
      • TESTIMONIALS
      • VOLUNTEER OPPS
      • TEAM CCO
      • 2020 FORUM ENDING HOMELESSNESS