Today we’d like to introduce you to Ally Hilgefort.
Hi Ally, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
My husband and I knew we wanted our kids to grow up in a community with access to amazing natural elements offering outdoor activities galore, but we didn’t want to sacrifice that very important “community” element.
Evergreen is a dream of a place in and of itself, with our natural surroundings seeming downright surreal on a daily basis. Anyone would fall in love with one scenic drive (and we did). But when we realized EPRD existed in this space, too, we knew it was solidified- We’d found the most perfect little spot on earth.
With Evergreen Park & Recreation District running a couple of rec centers with classes and programming, and managing several parks and other community spaces, raising kids in Evergreen seemed ideal. Our kids could participate in sports or other recreational activities they may be interested in, while also hiking and biking the trails and growing up in this serene atmosphere. With EPRD around, it seemed likely a community existed within the landscape (And oh DOES it!). We were set: We needed to be in Evergreen.
We lucked out and landed a home within walking distance of one of the rec centers, near Buchanan Park. Coming out of the pandemic, we loved watching EPRD really blossom its programs, community events, and overall offerings to the area. In elementary school meetings, I listened to EPRD’s new Executive Director excitedly introduce himself. I thought that was pretty neat, to see the crossover from parks&rec to schools. We took the surveys going around about how EPRD could grow even better. In the spring of 2024, we heard a “Walk The Park” was scheduled for anyone to join in hearing about improvements planned for Buchanan Park.
Reading about the projects in the works got us even more excited about this wonderful place. My husband and I made our way over with our then-2-year-old in the wagon, while our then-6-year-old rode her bike with us. The 6yo, Jesselin, couldn’t believe these new park elements were coming to her stomping ground. An adventure playground?! A new swimming pool?! The toddler, Raelin, had trouble staying quiet enough for us to hear the proposed elements in each spot, but I saw the vision. I saw the future, when my kids would stop over at this park after middle school let out. I saw them playing with their friends in a safe and central area. I saw them making new friends in these third spaces. EPRD staff seemed to have thoughtfully planned what the community needed out of the park enhancements. We were thrilled.
A few months later, some neighbors spread the word about attending EPRD Board meetings about the new projects. I began attending monthly, and found myself yearning to speak up on behalf of all of the other growing families we had come to know in Evergreen. EPRD’s Board and staff seemed to be heading in a great direction, but the urge grew to help give even more perspective to the major decisions they were making. Once-in-a-Lifetime decisions, shaping Evergreen for generations to come.
I learned that EPRD is a Special District of the State of Colorado, with the Board of Directors consisting of five elected district residents. An election was coming up, in May 2025, where three seats were up for re-election. To be honest, I think I knew the answer as soon as I heard about that election.. But I began contemplating whether I should run.
I wasn’t one to put myself out there for many things. Sure, my very extroverted first child forced me to come out of my shell to strangers a bit, but could I really show enough people why they should vote for me? I am not one to toot my own horn. I’ve never had a desire to go into any sort of elected office. But there I was, a stay-at-home-mom with a passion for the parks & rec things happening where we live. Since my first daughter was born in 2017, parks & rec things had become our lives. We chose our kids’ hometown because of these parks & rec possibilities within the mountain area. I was set: I needed to run in the election for a seat with the EPRD Board of Directors.
To my surprise, even before announcing my candidacy, a fellow mom reached out to me when she heard there was an upcoming EPRD election: “You should get on the Board!”
In that moment, everything seemed like it had fallen into place. I replied, “I submitted to run back on New Year’s Day :)”
My nerves began settling and I was even more inspired to give it all I had. Other people were counting on me.
Running for the Board actually accomplished more itself than I ever dreamed it would. A mom becoming a candidate inspired families to get involved and pay attention and to care so, so deeply. And that support sparked a flame with other generations and other sectors of our community, too. I found many long-established leaders of Evergreen were excited for the interest they were seeing from these parents-of-growing-families here.
And I really can’t describe well enough how meaningful meeting and getting to know those superheroes of Evergreen has been. I love learning more about Evergreen’s history and I feel so grateful for all of the players that have been in the game, working for what they knew was right for this area, and still shaping the Evergreen we embrace today.
Election Day came, and I stood out in the rain and accumulating heavy snow in Buchanan’s parking lot from 7a – 7p. All of the support that day and along the way had me hesitantly optimistic, but this wasn’t the first time a mom-of-littles had tried to win a seat on EPRD’s Board. And she very narrowly lost.
The polling booth closed and I sat at Sushi Win with my family and a friend, when unofficial results rolled in. I had received 507 votes. FIVE HUNDRED AND SEVEN! The total voter count was 1,050 residents participating in the election. So nearly half of that year’s voters had voted for me! THAT was a wild realization. I really never dreamed I’d receive that many votes.
But there were three seats to vote on. Top three win. And there were six candidates total.
Two incumbents received around 750 and 850 votes, respectively. The other incumbent received *six* more votes than me. 513, after the official count. I received 507. I very narrowly lost.
A weird mix of excitement and pride and wonder and disbelief and if-only’s and should-haves, could-haves, would-haves… All swirling at once. And also, though, optimism.
A few weeks prior, an EPRD Board member had resigned, vacating her seat that wasn’t up for re-election until 2027. The Board had decided it was too close to the 2025 election to add a fourth spot on the ballot. They had decided they would wait until after the election, to choose who they would appoint to that vacated seat.
Surely such a close fourth, would warrant appointing.
It was an anxious several weeks that followed. The Board couldn’t decide nor discuss until their monthly meeting.
I of course went to that meeting, where my kids and my husband got to hear the board members express why they were delighted to appoint me to EPRD’s Board of Directors. I remember the feeling, but I’m not sure I could wholly take in the words they were saying. It was a surreal, world-spinning moment to feel the weight of that accomplishment, albeit via appointment as opposed to election.
And the weight of that responsibility. While the candidacy had me feeling inspired because people were counting on me, becoming an official representative of this district has compelled me to work through difficult conversations to get the result I know our community needs. I’ve met with concerned constituents- And that phrase alone would baffle the me from a few years ago. I’ve proposed and helped implement some changes to increase transparency and accessibility of the Board. I’ve encouraged expanding our youth programming, and those opportunities are increasing more and more. I’ve upped my communications about EPRD happenings so that more people are aware of all of the amazing offerings available to them, and all that is to come. I’ve helped along our Buchanan Improvement Projects, and our groundbreakings all have me in complete awe that I get to be a part of this.
That the community gets to be a part of this. Because I am trying my absolute best to embody the community in every discussion and every decision, which is a delicate balance of consideration and compromise. Everyone out there in our district fuels my courage to speak up for what’s best.
And I absolutely love the opportunity to do so. Looking back, I’ve started realizing it all sort of makes sense. EPRD was a large part of what drew us to the Evergreen community. And now I get to serve the Evergreen community through EPRD.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Overcoming my hesitancy to put myself out there- It was like ripping off a bandaid. As soon as I sat down to write out a description of who I am and why I care so much about this community and EPRD, to begin sharing with the community that I thought I could serve them well through EPRD.. I actually felt much more comfortable. I realized that talking to the community about something I’m passionate about on their behalf, even meetings full of people I had never met, seemed much more natural to me than I feared it would beforehand. And I think that’s because it is something I truly care about, and want to do the right way.
I have also never much practiced public speaking. I’ve given a couple of Maid Of Honor speeches- Some went fine, others bombed. I spoke in front of college classes when needed and got through it, but it has certainly never been a skill of mine. And if you had told me a couple of years ago that I’d speak at multiple groundbreaking ceremonies, in front of leaders of the community.. in front of people who have poured years and years into the projects I’m speaking about.. I just flat out would not have believed you. But it is such an honor to thank everyone and express how grateful the community is for these park features and spaces. And that is what moves me to stand up there and hope my voice doesn’t shake in the gravity of the moment.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m most proud of standing up for our kids in Evergreen, in a few different ways. We are an aging population, without a doubt. But for that reason, it is even more important to nurture the kids who are growing up here, so they’ll want to stay here and continue the amazing history and evolution of Evergreen. They have our mountainsides, meadows, and water to explore and adventure through, and I am absolutely grateful for that. But they also need accessible and safe third spaces where they can meet together, grow new friendships, develop skills with peer interaction and encouragement along the way, and feel supported and heard. To feel that sense of belonging that increases confidence, and increases care for one another. We have projects that have long been in the works but never more needed than now, after the shooting at Evergreen High School last September.
As an example of standing up for our kids, EPRD’s All-Wheels Skatepark planned for Buchanan Park was questioned by a small minority in my first year on the Board. I did not waiver in my support. This was something the Board promised even before I joined, and much of its funding came from the community or via grants- showing a widespread backing and need for this project. And again, our kids need these third spaces. I straightened out miscommunications that led to some of the opposition. And at a board meeting, I read a letter of support from a group of elementary students who were actually conducting a Destination Imagination project based on EPRD’s skatepark project. The culmination of their project demonstrated a clear understanding of the path to get this physical project going, and that school project showed me that EPRD’s skatepark project did wonders for our youth before even breaking ground. They’ve watched adults in the room keep them in mind and grant them a space to play, learn, and grow together. And that’s the beginning of building confidence and care through support and belonging.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://eprdally.com/
- Other: https://www.evergreenrecreation.com/buchanan-park-and-recreation-center-improvements
