Fr om t he C EO Dear Friends, I have been asked, “How long do you keep trying to help people? If someone keeps coming to Fort Collins Rescue Mission for a meal and a bed, how long do you keep feeding and housing them?” My answer is always, “As long as it takes.” When is a person not worth saving? We’ve had men join our New Life Program at Harvest Farm in Wellington who had been on the street for over eight years! Some of the men we are helping in Denver had been drinking for over 50 years! Year after year they’ve been coming to us for a meal, with our staff and volunteers offering encouraging words for them to take the first step to a changed life, a life of self-sufficiency in Christ through our program.
People matter to us at Fort Collins Rescue Mission, because they matter to God. So, whether someone is 21 or 85, or somewhere in between, we want to help. Thanks for coming alongside of us as we Change Lives in the Name of Christ! God Bless,
Brad Meuli, President/CEO Denver Rescue Mission/Fort Collins Rescue Mission
Worth Saving continued back to drugs. At Christmastime, he broke his seven years of sobriety. “Within a few months, I was a full-blown addict again. I wasn't paying my bills. I managed to keep my apartment for a year, but like everything, I lost that too. I became homeless in December 2012 and it was a real wake-up call,” he recalls. But then came the moment that saved his life. After a couple weeks of living outside, he went to Lara’s house. In his mind, he envisioned a warm welcome with hugs and smiles. “I knocked on the door and felt an uneasiness. I remember Celia was hiding behind Lara. She acted like she didn't even know me. It crushed me,” Galen recalls sadly. Days later, he decided to go to Fort Collins Rescue Mission. Seeing his niece look at him like she would a stranger gave him new resolution. He wanted to do everything he could to be a part of her life again. “I heard about the Steps to Success program and got involved as quickly as possible. I got reconnected
with my church,” says Galen. He loved the program and going to chapel each night before dinner. “I came here quite broken, but within a few weeks Lara said that she could see the old sparkle in my eye,” he says. Galen celebrated 90 days of sobriety on April 1st. He found permanent housing and moved out of the Mission last month after completing three steps of the program. “Chaplain Tom and Jim didn’t just give me a handout, they gave me a hand up. That means all the difference in the world. They looked inside me and saw a person worth saving,” says Galen gratefully. Galen cannot believe he has lived long enough to see his 54th birthday next month. “Through the program, I've reconnected with God, bringing me to a new level of my faith. He has saved me from myself countless times,” says Galen. To post a note of encouragement for Galen on the Mission's Facebook page, visit Facebook.com/FortCollinsRescue.
February
Statistics: How You Help Change Lives Meals Served
Beds
Churches Involved
4,227
2,031
20
Changing Lives is a news publication of Fort Collins Rescue Mission. Director: Jim Carmack Director of Communications: Christine Gallamore Designer: Rachel Vigil Writer: Rachel Greiman | 316 Jefferson Street • Fort Collins, Colorado 80524 • 970.224.4302
facebook.com/FortCollinsRescue