In This Issue
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Donate
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Donate Online
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Mission Events
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Dream Dinners
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282 S. Logan St. in Washington Park
Currently serving as a drop-off location for food donations. Also, a portion of all proceeds benefits the Mission.
For more information, please call May @ 303.885.7441, and to check out Dream Dinners’ wonderful dinner offerings, visit
www.DreamDinners.com.
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Denver Rescue Mission Golf Tournament
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Friday, August 28th
7:30 a.m.
Broadlands Golf Course
4380 West 144th Avenue
Broomfield, CO
For more information, please call Lisette @ 303.313.2414.
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Camp Experience™: "Amazing Women Educational Retreat"
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September 15th to 17th
Copper Mountain Resort
All proceeds raised at camp support charity partners, including the Denver Rescue Mission.
For more information, please visit www.CampExperience.com, or call Devany @ 303.313.2415.
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Planned Giving
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Do you have questions about estate planning? Planned giving? Your will? Each month, we feature articles and interactive features that cover such topics. We hope it will be a useful resource for you.
Father/Daughter Generosity Benefits Those in Need at Denver Rescue Mission
Use Your IRA to Help Others
Giving In Tough Times Can Provide More for Your Heirs and Cut Taxes
What to Do After a Loved One Dies
3 Smart Ways to Support Us on a Budget
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Download and Print the Newsletter
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Click here to download
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Quick Links
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Statistics
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How You Help
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YTD
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Meals served
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49,290
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294,467
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Beds
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12,520
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86,179
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Chapel attendance
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4,950
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33,828
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Food boxes distributed
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118
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956
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Furniture (households)
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74
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467
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Clothing (lbs.)
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34,393
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190,398
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Chiropractic
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16
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176
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Dental
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32
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273
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Medical
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129
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1,072
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Optical
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105
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722
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Two years ago, Rodney and Shanarah had it all—a beautiful home, good jobs, and four wonderful children.
Shanarah worked as a leasing consultant for a property management company. Rodney worked in management at a Denver resort, where the family of six made their home. “We thought we were on top,” Rodney says, “living where celebrities live, not having to worry about anything.” Then disaster struck. All of a sudden, everything fell apart.
First, Shanarah lost her job. Then, new management took over the resort, and Rodney lost the position he’d held for eight years. “I was . . . crushed for my kids, because all they had known, their security, was being ripped away in a couple of seconds,” Shanarah says. “I couldn’t protect them.”
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“When I come home, I get the best greeting. There isn’t a man who gets a better greeting than what I get. Every day I come home, it’s like my kids haven’t seen me for a year. Everybody is running. That makes me feel so good after a hard day of work.” – Rodney
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Rodney adds, “I came home crying, ‛Where are we going to go, what are we going to do?'”
First, they moved in with family members, then friends. Eventually, they secured their own apartment, but Rodney’s job at a local hardware store did not pay enough for them to make rent. Once again, the two parents and four children found themselves homeless, clutching nothing but four little bags they took with them when they left the resort. During this difficult time, they coped by “a lot of praying,” Shanarah says.
The turning point came in early 2008 when Rodney heard about the STAR (Strategic Transitional Assistance and Response) program at The Crossing. He and Shanarah knew they could afford the rent at The Crossing, and also find emotional support and tools for self-sufficiency. So they moved in. “Peace came over me,” Shanarah says. “And I haven’t been stressed since I moved here.”
Rodney says that living at The Crossing put homelessness into perspective for him. “It gives you a center to see what is really going on. It’s not winos and bums who are homeless. These are families trying to survive with their kids. These are people who work.”
Rodney and Shanarah believe God has used their time at The Crossing to strengthen their family and prepare them for a better future.
For example, the resumé builder class aided both Shanarah and Rodney in securing steady work. Now, Shanarah works at night and cares for her children during the day. “They let us use the computers. I had two jobs within a month of us being here,” says Rodney, who also took the class.
STAR case managers also helped the family grow spiritually, offering meaningful encouragement and direction. “Any time anything has come against us, they have been right there to say don’t panic,” Shanarah says.
Her children “love the kids’ programs!” Shanarah says. “I really trust [the staff].”
Rodney adds, “Now [our kids] appreciate things a little more.”
Shanarah compares her family’s situation to that of Job, saying, “Job was being tested. Rodney and I were being tested too because the Lord had blessed us so much, but we did not follow through with our promise to Him. God tested Job to see where his heart truly was at, and he continued to stay on the faith road with the Lord. In the long run, when the rewards came . . . it was a tidal wave. He was blessed, his family was blessed, his kids were blessed, everything was just blessed. And I feel the same way. Losing all that stuff was difficult, but in the long run, we regained it all back and then some. We regained better friends, a better emotional and physical life for our kids, and a spiritual stability for our kids.”
Shanarah, Rodney and the kids will be moving into their own housing this month. Please remember them in your prayers, as well as the hundreds of Denver families seeking self-sufficiency and hope during this time.
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From the CEO
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Dear Friends,
Just a few days ago I was chosen (out of many, I am sure, more qualified people) to serve on a jury in a criminal case. As I was sitting in the jury box, feeling a little sorry for myself I must confess, I thought about how no one really wants to be on a jury. There are a lot of things that are on my “to-do” list before I get to the Serve on a Jury line. For me, that is way at the bottom!
I think the thing that I dislike the most about it is that, ultimately, I have to judge someone. Listening and then using our best judgment, the jury makes a decision as to someone’s guilt or innocence. My vote, my understanding, my judgment, leads to a result that will have far reaching implications for whoever the defendant is.
That being said, serving on a jury is my civic duty. It is something that must be done by someone. The quote that comes to mind is, “If not me, then who? If not now, then when?”
But the person who least wants to be there is the defendant. As I listened in this trial, I could see how one mistake led to another and soon the slippery slope of poor decisions made in reaction to life’s circumstances had ultimately led to this courtroom.
Working with the poor and needy, like serving on a jury, is not glamorous, and it is certainly not always easy. But someone needs to do it. I believe Jesus calls us to reach out our hand to the poor, to be that person who answers the question, “If not me, then who?”
Today, as you think about all of the things on your “to-do” list for this beautiful Colorado summer, I hope you will keep in mind the poor and needy who come to us for help. The truth is, they wish their circumstances were different and that they did not have to be at the Denver Rescue Mission; but they are so appreciative of the help. They are so thankful that we answered the question, “If not now, then when?” with the phrase, “We want to help right now. “
Please join us in making this a Summer of Hope for all who seek our help.
God bless,
Brad Meuli
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News
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Camp Experience
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Denver Rescue Mission is proud and honored to be a charity partner of the fourth annual Camp Experience, a retreat designed exclusively for women. This year, one hundred percent of on-site activities at the retreat benefit the camp’s charity partners, including the Mission!
If you are a woman interested in attending, please contact Devany @ 303.313.2427, or visit www.CampExperience.com for more information.
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A 'Little Broncos' Training Camp
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This summer, the Denver Broncos Organization partnered with the Grandview High School football team and the Mission to hold a football camp for inner-city kids. The Denver Broncos/Gatorade Jr. Training Camp provided motivational and team building instruction, football basics, and health and fitness training for children from Lowry Family Center and Denver Rescue Mission facilities—The Crossing and Champa House. Thank you Denver Broncos for caring about needy children, and for inspiring the next generation to pursue wellness and excellence, both on and off the field!
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Feed Your Family, Feed the Needy! Dream Dinners Fundraiser
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Dream Dinners is a business committed to helping families gather around the dinner table to enjoy healthy meals together. In an effort to support struggling families, Dream Dinners in Washington Park has generously offered to donate a portion of any order a customer designates in support of the Denver Rescue Mission! For more information about Dream Dinners’ unique offerings, visit www.DreamDinners.org. For more information about the fundraiser, visit http://www.DenverRescueMission.org/missionevents.html.
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Care for Your Skin—And Help the Homeless!
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Patricia Scarr Skin Care Professionals will donate 50% of all fees for services performed during August to the Denver Rescue Mission. Patricia’s goal is to raise $3,000! All progress will be tracked on her Web site:
www.PatriciaScarr.com, where you can also see her list of services. PSSC is located at 2010 W. 120th Avenue Suite 204, Westminster, CO 80234. Call 303.590.5412 today to make your skin care appointment and help the homeless!
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