Denver Rescue Mission Changing Lives Dec 2013

121 Years of Service

DenverRescueMission.org

December 2013

The Gift of Life God sh on owed how d only S n a e n o m s i uch he loved us by sending h . into the ough him world so tha r h t e f li l a n t we might have eter 1 John 4:9 (NLT)

Each Christmas, families gather together to eat a delicious meal, reminisce about the past year and open presents.

These traditions are warm and comforting, familiar and constant.

But not everyone is privileged to walk into a home, snuggle up next to a fire and feel part of a family.

The Gift of Life Jesus’ birth was the ultimate gift of life from the Father, inviting us all into his family.

This December, we want to help create that sense of family for Denver’s homeless. Together with your support, we can humbly serve them by providing meals, gifts and relational support, demonstrating God’s life-giving love.

Please fill out the enclosed card and mail your donation today to help Denver’s needy this Christmas!

Adopt-A-Family The Adopt-A-Family program will connect people that may otherwise never have the chance to meet. Families in need are nominated by community members to have Christmas brought to their door, and sponsors will purchase, wrap and hand-deliver gifts to families. Children will have the opportunity to bless other children, mothers will bless mothers and entire families will bless families in need.

This program is made possible through your generous donations and our participating Adopt-A-Family sponsors. Thank you all for giving hope to those who need some extra encouragement this holiday season!

Christmas Meals Can you imagine spending your Christmas wandering the streets? With nowhere to go and no one to celebrate with? We can’t imagine this either. Everyone deserves a warm meal, a smile and a loving atmosphere. The Mission will host a Christmas feast for all the hungry and hurting on December 20th. Each guest will receive a blanket and thermal socks to help fend off the cold. Thank you to our loving supporters for caring about the people who come to us on this special day.

Holiday Party at The Crossing The Denver Broncos are coming back to The Crossing for the annual holiday party this December. The party will give children in our STAR Transitional Program a chance to meet the players, share a holiday meal and decorate gingerbread cookies.

From the CEO Dear Friends, This Christmas, like every year, there will be hundreds of men and women in our programs at Denver Rescue Mission. Within all of our facilities, there will be over 900 people who spend the holiday with us. They come to us for various reasons: the loss of their job, a family breakup, alcohol and drug abuse, medical issues, domestic violence, or simply the difficult life circumstances that result from making bad decisions.

No one looks to the future and plans to spend Christmas at a homeless shelter, or in a rehabilitative program. But we are so glad to have these men, women and children with us at the Mission.

We feel blessed to be able to offer them not only food, clothing, a place to stay, refuge from the storm, but also hope. Hope for a second chance, for a better life. Hope for their children—that they might not only be in a safe environment, but that somehow these kids’ lives will be changed and the cycle of poverty will be broken. Our desire is to share the love of God with these 900 participants and for them to become productive, self-sufficient citizens through our various programs.

When I talk with our participants, they are thankful; they feel blessed to be with us at Christmas. They say things like, “I did not know where else to go. No one else would help me. I know I am lucky to be here. Thank you.”

It is humbling for me to see such gratefulness for the opportunity to be at a rescue mission.

Thank you for allowing us to offer the hope of Jesus in a very practical way, with our servant towels wrapped around our waists, on our knees, sharing the love of Jesus by giving of ourselves.

You make it possible. “… And on earth, peace, good will toward men.” Have a very Merry Christmas!

God Bless,

Life-Changing Christmas Gifts Purchase life-changing gifts on behalf of everyone on your list from the Mission’s online Christmas Catalog. Any gift of shelter, food and comfort helps homeless men, women and children in our community. Your generosity can also inspire your friends and family to help those in need.

To buy your gifts and print cards online, visit our catalog at DenverRescueMission.org/catalog. If you don’t have internet or printer access, you may make a donation in honor of a loved one over the phone, and we will mail a certificate to your home so you can deliver the gift yourself!

For more information, please call 303.297.1815.

4th Annual Evening of Exploration Banquet Presented by our Visionary Sponsor: LONG Building Technologies On November 1st, more than 200 members of our community joined together to support Denver Rescue Mission at the Evening of Exploration event. The theme was Beauty in Unexpected Places, which was reflected in three testimony speakers: David Bloom— long-term Mission friend and volunteer, Don Fulbright—New Life Program graduate of The Crossing and Krystol Swank—New Life Program graduate of Champa House. The Mission would like to sincerely thank LONG Building Technologies and the support of all our other sponsors and attendees for making this event possible.

Want to see more ministry impact like this?

WANT TO BLESS YOUR FAMILY AND DENVER RESCUE MISSION?

We’ve created a complimentary Christian Wills Guide that can help to simplify the process of preparing to create or update a God-honoring Will.

Request a free copy of our new brochure: Visit ChristianWill.org/Denver to get started today!

This simple guide will help you:

“7 Habits of Highly Effective Believers” • Prayerfully think things through at your own pace • Gain confidence and peace about your decisions • Save money (working ahead means lower attorney costs)

 Check the box on the enclosed reply card to receive your copy.

“New Quote."

– Name and Name

For more information, please contact Alice at 303.313.2487 or visit our website at DenverRescueMission.org/LegacyGiving.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Alice Cavanaugh Legacy Giving Officer P.O. Box 17984 Denver, CO 80217 Phone: 303.313.2487 ACavanaugh@DenRescue.org DenverRescueMission.org/LegacyG

iving

Brad Meuli President/CEO

7 HABIT S OF HIGH LY EFFEC TIVE BELIE VERS

Learn How to Apply Scriptural Secrets for Wise Living

Mission Events

Statistics

(Fiscal Year) How You Help

Christmas Banquet Lawrence Street Shelter 1130 Park Avenue West, Denver, CO 80205 Friday, December 20th, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.

All current volunteer needs are met.

Community Support Providing Warm Beds During the month of December, Mattress King will contribute $25 from every sale until they donate 100 mattresses to the Mission. Visit any Mattress King location or visit NobodyBeatsTheKing.com.

Greatest Needs Champa House: Paper towels, toilet paper, bleach, laundry detergent, dish soap, antibacterial hand soap, Clorox wipes, all-purpose cleaner, sponges and dish scrubbers, size 4 diapers, pull-ups, and wipes.

For more information, please call Amy at 303.294.9961.

Family Rescue Ministry: Seven mentoring teams or congregations. For more information, please call Andrew at 303.331.2902.

Vehicle Donations: Vehicles, running or not! For more information, please call Pierce at 303.331.2938.

Clinic: Dentists with dental assistants; over-thecounter medications such as Advil, Tylenol and cough drops; volunteer optometrists and medical doctors; new reading glasses; new eyeglass frames; eyeglass cases. For more information, please call Melanie at 303.294.0157 x2103.

OCTOBER

YTD

Meals served

53,073

199,022

Beds

24,697

91,913

Chapel attendance

3,512

18,418

Food boxes distributed

138

460

Furniture (households)

43

156

Clothing (lbs.)

19,903

71,539

Clinic services

1,380

4,803

Our Outreaches Client Services: Mattresses (twin, full and queen), blankets, and all basic hygiene items. For more information, please call Tanner at 303.331.2934.

Harvest Farm: Winter clothing for our participants, including: coats, pants, heavy clothing, boots, and gloves. Also, books and classroom furniture.

For more information, please call Duncan at 970.568.9803.

Lawrence Street Shelter: Eggs, breakfast meats, ground beef, syrup, oatmeal, grits, fresh produce, and forks.

For more information, please email Jeremy at JQuattlebaum@DenRescue.org.

Family Services: Mentors for homeless men, women, youth, families, and refugees.

For more information, please call Tom at 303.953.3939.

LifeSkills, Education and Career Center: Pocket-sized dictionaries.

For more information, please call Mark at 303.953.3918.

Lawrence Street Shelter: Emergency care: meals, overnight shelter, free health care, food box and clothing distribution.

Fort Collins Rescue Mission: Emergency care: meals, overnight shelter; and transitional program.

Champa House: Residential facility offering long-term help toward self-sufficiency to single mothers with dependent children.

Harvest Farm: Long-term New Life rehabilitation program, farming and ranching operation, food and clothing distribution, and Fall Festival.

The Crossing: Long-term New Life rehabilitation program, transitional program for New Life graduates and homeless families, temporary housing for interns and visitors.

Ministry Outreach Center: Warehouse facilities; food, clothing and household goods distribution.

Family Services: Transitional program; assistance for permanent housing; mentoring for homeless working families, seniors and refugee families.

Global Ministry Outreach: Consultation, resources and support to city/rescue missions around the world.

Changing Lives is the monthly news publication of Denver Rescue Mission.

Director of Communications: Christine Gallamore Designer: Rachel Vigil Writer: Rachel Greiman P.O. Box 5164 • Denver, CO 80217 • 303.297.1815

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