Denver Broncos cornerback Patrick Surtain II cut the ribbon on a newly renovated classroom at Columbia Middle School in Aurora, unveiling a space packed with 25 professional cameras, fresh wall graphics and new school supplies for students to use. The room was part of a roughly $50,000 project funded by his foundation with help from Wings Credit Union and the Campos Foundation, and it marks the fourth of these so-called Inspiration Rooms the organization has built across the Denver area.
According to Denver7, Surtain told those gathered that the initiative brings digital arts together so children can enjoy it, and he added that he lacked many of the resources now available to Columbia students when he was in middle school himself. Eighth-grader Brooks Richards got to try out the new equipment for the first time during an interview with Surtain, and told the outlet he had already started experimenting with the tools. Richards said the foundation's gift will provide hands-on learning opportunities for his classmates going forward.
How Columbia Middle School Landed the Room
Columbia was selected after presenting at the Patrick Surtain II Foundation's Game Plan Pitch Day in September 2025, where school representatives laid out their vision for expanding opportunities in graphic design and digital art. The room itself was designed with input from both educators and students at the school, the station reported. Surtain said the goal behind the project is to make sure kids who might otherwise lack the resources and tools needed to take the next step get that chance.
Columbia Middle School sits in Aurora, Colorado, and serves roughly 630 to 660 students across grades six through eight, according to the Colorado Department of Education. Between 70% and 75% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch. Despite those economic headwinds, SchoolDigger data shows the school has posted real academic gains, while chronic absenteeism stood at 33.8% in the 2025-2026 school year.
Fourth Room in a Growing Regional Push
The Columbia installation follows Inspiration Rooms the foundation previously opened at Denver's George Washington High School and Manual High School in September 2024, then a third at Arvada High School in September 2025, according to the Patrick Surtain II Foundation. Wings Credit Union contributed $35,000 to the Patrick Surtain II Foundation to create an Inspiration Room in Colorado, per Ent Credit Union. The Campos Foundation also helped fund the Columbia space; its media page documents a BIG STEM Kickoff on April 24 with more than 1,000 attendees, according to Campos Companies.
Surtain founded his nonprofit in 2023, modeling it in part on the charitable work of his father, Patrick Surtain Sr., a three-time Pro Bowl cornerback who played 11 NFL seasons for Miami and Kansas City and ran his own foundation during his career, per Wikipedia. The younger Surtain deliberately expanded a standard STEM curriculum into STEAM, adding arts education so students could train in graphic design, photography and music production, according to Denver Life Magazine. Beyond building physical classrooms, the foundation also runs the Give2Inspire Dreams Grant Program, which awards up to $2,000 to Colorado middle and high school teachers for STEAM tools, with a focus on Title I and low-income schools.
A Foundation Backed by a Record Broncos Contract
Surtain's ability to fund this kind of community investment traces back to his standing on the field. Selected ninth overall in the 2021 NFL Draft, he went on to win the 2024 NFL Defensive Player of the Year award. He signed a contract extension with the team, and his foundation's philanthropic footprint has continued to expand as the Inspiration Room initiative remains part of the foundation's stated mission to level the playing field for students across Colorado.
