The Voice of La Puente Spring 2014

THE VOICE OF LA PUENTE

SPRING 2014

“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” ― -Mahatma Gandhi

The Voice of La Puente provides an opportunity for the staff and guests to share their stories and reflections.

It is a chronicle of life at La Puente Home, designed to inform and enrich our readers. The primary purpose of this journal is education and inspiration. We do nonetheless, have a year-round need for financial support. La Puente could not keep its doors open without the financial help from our community far and wide.

We at La Puente have worked hard to develop a continuum of compassionate services and are tremendously grateful for the financial gifts, the volunteer hours, and material contributions that make our work possible.

Thank you for joining us.

La Puente is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in Colorado’s San Luis Valley.

“Like” us on Facebook and stay up to date on news and current events! www.facebook.com/lapuentehome

www.lapuente.net

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info.lapuente@gmail.com

The voice of la puente

719.589.5909

Contents Brandon Silver..................................................... 4 Dominik Mehlem..................................................5 Caitie Ryan-Norton...........................................5 Stacey Hoang.......................................................6 Michelle Philli ps....................................................6 Jasmin Solis............................................................7 Erin Wieland...........................................................7 Alyssa Scott.........................................................8 Kaytee Kinsey......................................................9 Jaime Peca.............................................................9 Lance Cheslock.................................................10 Kristin Mulcahy..................................................12 Andrea Preciado...............................................12 Sarah Scott..........................................................13 Rahel Tekle.............................................................13 Where We’re All From...............................14 Kyle Brine................................................................15 Vax Podsiadlo.......................................................15 Dores Jay-Pang................................................16 Weston McConnell.........................................18 Ashley Weiss.......................................................18 Anna Woelk..........................................................19 John Whalen........................................................19 2013 statistics.................................................20 Cody Robson......................................................22 Brittany Kilmer...................................................22 John Dale...............................................................23 Program Needs................................................24 Seth Lejeune.......................................................26 Supporting Us....................................................27 Legacy Fund.........................................................28 Prayer.......................................................................29

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brandon silver

Through my eyes

Four weeks before accepting my Americorps position with La Puente, I didn’t know what Americorps OR La Puente was. I had never heard of either.

I had actually been planning a road tri p across America, and when the finances for it fell through, I was recruited, for lack of a better word, into the position by a couchsurfing host I was in contact with about the tri p. She is now my supervisor here at La Puente.

A year ago, I never would have guessed that I’d be joining a group of service members from all parts of the country in serving a community of homeless and impoverished individuals in the San Luis Valley of southern Colorado for a combined 68,000 hours this year. Serving others has always been something I’ve wanted to spend my life doing, but I never thought it would be in this form or fashion. I’m a rather introverted photographer and film-maker, yet here I am; leading large groups of volunteers to serve in a very direct and apparent way, designing and producing entire newsletters, and traveling all over the state to speak to large congregations of people about the service La Puente does for its community. It has been a huge learning experience both internally and externally. I’ve been challenged to face things I never saw myself even considering.

Americorps and La Puente have

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had a huge influence on how I look at life; not just my own, but everybody’s. I’ve learned things about myself I may have never known had I not come to Alamosa, and met some amazing people from all walks of life that I know I would never have met had it not been for La Puente.

Surely, I will never forget my time and experience with this place, with these people. The things I’ve learned, people I’ve met, and scenarios I’ve witnessed will always stick with me. And my service year is only halfway over.

I am excited to grow in my relationshi p with this organization and further my knowledge of, and compassion for serving others. We have an amazing group of Americorps members and volunteers that I am able to call my friends here at La Puente, and to honor our yearly tradition, I’m excited to be able to introduce you to all of them in this edition!

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Dominik Mehlem Rainbows end, Milagros

- Merzbach, Germany I came to America because I want to see the world someday.

I am deeply passionate about social justice and aim to influence the places I go. I’ve learned more life skills by coming to La Puente instead of going straight to college.

I don’t know what the future will bring, but I’m confident it will bring me fulfillment through my actions.

-St. Paul, MN “The simple things are also the most extraordinary things, and only the wise can see them.” This quote by Paulo Coelho in The Alchemist reminds me to slow down and observe the things around me as they are happening and not to dwell too much on the past or look too far into the future.

When I grow up I want to be the kind of person that can help to shape the path of those around me through individual actions and interactions.

caitie ryan-norton

volunteer coord.; community ed.

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STACEy hoang food bank

- Boston, MA “Hope is the thing with feathers That perches in the soul And sings the tune without the words And never stops at all.”

- Emily Dickinson When I grow up, I want to somehow run my own non-profit while seeing and experiencing EVERYTHING in the universe.

-Ventura, CA After working toward a Master’s degree in Social Work with an emphasis in Policy and Community Development, my long term goal is to open a non-profit homeless shelter that connects people to job training, counseling and health care.

I am thankful for the opportunity to serve the San Luis Valley with love and compassion.

“A man’s heart plans his way, but the LORD directs his steps.”

- Proverbs 16:9

michelle phillips shelter, Rainbows end

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jasmin solis

adelante

- Greensboro, NC I want to continue learning no matter how mature and developed I think I am. I don’t want to tie myself down to one specific path because there are so many and you never know where they will take you.

“We rise from lifting others”

-Robert Ingersoll

-Albany, New York Life has always been about human connection, learning through experiencing, and loving our planet, ourselves, and each other.

When I grow up, I want to be a Unicorn.

“The Earth has music for those who will listen.” - Shakespeare

Erin wieland

volunteer coord.; community ed. spring 2014

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ALYSSA SCOTT

PALS

Following Christmas vacation, we decided to take the PALS kids on a field tri p before the start of the second term, and the Explora Children’s Museum was our destination. It was a long drive from Alamosa to Albuquerque, but we knew the maze-like museum was well worth it.

At some point, I found myself on the rooftop of the museum preparing for a group photo with Kristin and about eight of our kids. Kristin bent down to scoop up a precious little kindergartener to have him in a better spot for the photo. He had both of his legs on one side of her body, and together they looked quite awkward. I heard her say to him as she wrestled to get him into a “proper” position, “Come on, don’t you know how to be held?” She wasn’t trying to be harsh.

She was just simply curious and seemed to say the words only to herself. I was able to hear his faint but frustrated reply of “No!”

So there I stood, facing another one of those moments all too common when working at PALS; those moments when I am pulled away from the sweet, innocent, fun world of children, and tossed into a more stark reality that most, if not all of our kids experience on a daily basis. I waited about ten minutes before I walked over to him and asked if I could pick him up.

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He said yes, and I held him out in front of me so that I could see his face and I asked him, “Your mother doesn’t pick you up and hold you?” He replied with, “Oh, no. My teacher had to show me how to be held.” I know his teacher very well and felt a great burst of

admiration for her, but also a deep sadness for one of my littlest PALS. I looked him right in the eyes and I said, “I will pick you up and hold you whenever you want.” I put him down a few minutes later with a heavy heart but lifted spirit.

It is sad what most of the kids at PALS have experienced, but my staff and I get to be the ones to hold them, to care for them, and show them how to be loved.

I have moments everyday when I feel filled up with gratitude that PALS exists and that I get to be a part of it.

I want my life to be a challenging and rewarding gift to others. I want to keep changing lives in a positive way and help as many children see how beautiful, special and capable they are. My greatest wish is to forever keep my playful, childlike spirit and to help others fully experience and enjoy the the wonders of life.

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Kaytee Kinsey Outreach

-Durham, NC The state motto for North Carolina is “esse quam videri,” which means “to be, rather than to seem (to be).” I believe that it is important to be authentic and true to who you are as an individual - and I know that is how I try to live my life.

What I want to be when I grow up: I’ll let you know when I find out.

-West Chester, PA When I grow up I want to be exhausted from all the insane amounts of fun I had when I was young or in a job that involves me being around baby lions for the majority of the day.

“All men dream: but not equally.

Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dream with open eyes, to make it possible.”

-T.E. Lawrence

Jaime Peca

shelter, Milagros

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Lance Cheslock Director

In a village hidden far away on the edge of a dense forest in northern Europe, there lived a small, contented little community. There was no crime and no policeman. Nothing much ever happened there, so there were no newspapers. Still, a night watchman used to walk around the village every night, just to make sure that no danger was lurking. Imagine the consternation, therefore, when one morning the villagers awoke to find the watchman lying in a pool of blood, his bones crushed and his body half eaten.

“A wolf!” the villagers cried. “Surely this can only be the work of a wolf.”

They buried the night watchman and weeks passed by. Eventually the villagers became less vigilant. Until, that is, the wolf visited them again one night and seized an old granny who had been out late to bring in her washing. A few weeks later, a young mother was eaten on her way back home one night after visiting a friend. And finally, a little child was lost, who had been playing after dark too close to the forest.

The villagers called a meeting. Now it happened that there was a wise old man who lived in a hermit’s cave, just outside the village. The people called upon him for help.

“Please rid us of this terrible scourge,” they begged him. They had their own ideas about how this might be done.

“Kill the wolf for us,” some asked him.

“Show us how to surround ourselves with high fences so that the wolf won’t be able to reach us,” others pleaded.

“Turn the wolf into a cuddly lamb that we can tame and pet,” was the request of the third group of villagers.

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“I’ll see what I can do,” the wise hermit promised, and that very same night he waited until it was dark and then ventured all alone into the dense forest.

He walked and walked until he could feel the wolf very close to him. He could hear its breathing and see the green glint of his hungry eyes. For a moment, the wolf and the hermit seemed to be having a deep conversation. Then the hermit returned to the village unharmed.

The next day the villagers crowded around him. “Did you kill it?” some of them asked.

“Will you show us how to build our fortress?” others pleaded.

“Have you turned it into a wooly lamb?” demanded the rest. The hermit shook his head. “It’s much simpler than that,” he told them. “You only need to feed it!”

At first, the people were aghast. “How can we feed it?” they asked.

“Why should we feed it,” they complained,“after all it has done to harm us?”

After a while, at nightfall, when they heard the pad, pad, pad of the wolf prowling through their streets, they would push bowls of food outside – at first fearfully and resentfully, and then more confidently. Soon, the wolf was a nightly guest. He never again harmed a hair on their heads and they were proud to be known throughout the land as the village that feeds its wolf.

-A Franciscan story retold

by Margaret Silf

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Imagine if the wolf was fed before anyone was hurt. Poverty should never be romanticized. Poverty is often ugly. Its biting gri p starves the body and spirit and can force uncharacteristic and extreme behavior. When people are so desperate that their only concern is just making it through the day, they take to certain behaviors in their desperation to survive.

If all the moral means within their abilities fail to give them what they need to survive, people will often resort to more desperate measures. To survive, people may stretch the truth, mani pulate others, or steal. We can’t condone such actions, but through eyes of compassion we can look below the surface of the individual situations for an understanding of the poverty which prompted such behaviors.

Volunteers that come to serve at La Puente are eager to help do what they can to put the lives of others back together.

Their time of service is spent in performing basic, simple tasks, while learning about the depth of the brokenness that many people live with.

Over time, by listening to people’s stories, practicing non-judgment, and by doing the day-to-day caring and tasks, most volunteers grow to understand the complexity of poverty and therefore the complex response that compassion requires in each situation.

By the end of their time of service, most volunteers are wiser and more capable of honoring each person’s story, and holding in their heart the worthiness of each individual, even when La Puente is not capable of providing the services needed to redirect their lives.

We celebrate the hundreds of volunteers who engage in exercising their compassion and who play a significant role in our village’s goal to “feed our hungry wolf.”

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Kristin Mulcahy PALS

- Berea, OH “When I am old, I will say that I lived for something bigger than my insecurities. I promise myself that.”

- Jed Jenkins When I grow up I want to be a person continuing to live a life of adventure, love, and wonder.

-Yakima, WA “Will the impossible; expect the inevitable.” That has been and always will be my life motto. As young adults, we strive to be the best individuals that we can be, but life does not always work in our favor. Learning to adapt in the face of adversity is imperative to our survival, but our personal growth as well. Growing up in a low-income household, one learns to choose life’s battles, but to never give up on the dreams and ambitions to succeed.

What I want to be when I grow up: It is a work in progress.

andrea preciado 12

Outreach

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Sarah scott PALS

-Dillon, MT “Living simply makes loving simple”

-bell hooks I want to be a play therapist when I grow up.

-Wuppertal, Germany

I try not to see people so much from the outside, but more from the inside. If I like you, it’s because of how you treat other people and how you use the power that is given to you. I believe that every day we can make this world a little bit better. I want to be someone others look up to and say, “I respect this person for her actions. For her contentment. For her happiness. For the path of life she has chosen. For what she has succeeded in.”

“It is our choices…that show what we really are, far more than our abilities.”

-J.K. Rowling milagros, Rainbows end

Rahel tekle

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Where are We all from?

Our Americorps Members and volunteers hail from all over the place. There are even two of us from Germany!

Sarah

Andrea

Brandon

Vax Caitie

Kristin Erin

Kyle

John Stacey Ashley

Jaime Brittany Seth Jasmin Kaytee Alyssa

Michelle

Dominik

Rahel Germany

Cody

Anna

Weston

The whole gang gets together for a La Puente Family Photo!

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Kyle Brine outreach

- Pawling, NY “We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.”

- T. S. Eliot No matter what I am when I grow up, I want to still be Kyle Brine.

- Omaha, NE “All courses of action are risky, so prudence is not in avoiding danger (it’s impossible), but calculating risk and acting decisively. Make mistakes of ambition and not mistakes of sloth. Develop the strength to do bold things, not the strength to suffer.”

—Niccolo Machiavelli When I grow up, I want to know what love is.

vax podsiadlo

Volunteer Coordinator

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Dores Jay-Pang Adelante Director

The values and duties of civic responsibility included in the Constitution of the United States of America result in equality, freedom, justice, diversity, privacy, due process, property, partici pation, truth, patriotism, human rights, rule of law, tolerance, mutual assistance, self-restraint, and selfrespect. We are bound to uphold these values through our collective civil responsibility lest the hard work and sacrifices of our parents and ancestors be in vain.

Recent information has indicated that in the last four decades there has been a decline in civic responsibility.

Through partici pation and volunteerism in civic organizations, citizens learn and reap the benefits of such activities as: voting, responsible consumerism, volunteering, responsible consumption of natural resources, civil disobedience, etc. Real life examples of some initiatives created by civically engaged citizens in the SLV are: Valley-Wide Health System, Lion’s Club, Rotary Club, SLV Environmental Ecosystem, SLV Local Foods Coalition, Boys and Girls Club, Habitat for Humanity, Immigrant Resource Center, Hospice del Valle, Alamosa Elk Lodge, Kiwanis, and Adelante (one of La Puente’s programs).

Adelante is the only program in the six rural counties of the SLV that offers a two-year program for families to move away from homelessness to

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self-sufficiency. Adelante provides transitional housing together with supportive services and an intensive case-management component. This

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model enables families to become financially stable by gaining life skills experience and support that will improve their and their community’s quality of life. Families learn how to give back to the community that supports their journey to self-sufficiency.

Adelante families collaborate with community events. For example, they sort and wrap gifts and bake cookies every year for the community Christmas celebration, they help local thrift stores sort and distribute clothes, assist with commodities distribution, attend awareness meetings and walks for social justice, and share resources among each other.

During a fiscal year, Adelante provides housing to at least 70 homeless families and children. More than 5,000 self-sufficiency services such as life skills, family budgeting and credit development, parenting skills,

family, individual, and group counseling are provided to Adelante families. By the time of graduation, some families are able to purchase a house, or move on to better housing and increased income and educational opportunities.

Private foundations and individuals of all financial statuses civically engage to support Adelante’s efforts to reduce or eliminate family homelessness.

Educating families and the public in the necessity and benefits of civil responsibilities will increase the willingness of individuals to partici pate in volunteer civil organizations, especially those that are of a direct impact to themselves, families, neighbors, and communities. Here in the San Luis Valley, we believe that it makes sense to become civically engaged to solve the problem of homelessness through transitional housing and supportive services.

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Weston Mcconnell veterans program

-Springfield, MO I visited La Puente 3 years ago to volunteer with a friend who was an AmeriCorps member here. It was such amazing work that I knew I would one day return to volunteer long term. I came hoping to learn about how to help people get on social services and cook meals. What I have learned are the stories and resilience of the people we are trying to serve.

When I grow up, I would like to work with at risk urban youth teaching environmental education as it relates to food consumption and options.

-Long Island, NY “Joy can only be real if people look upon their life as a service, and have a definite object in life outside themselves and their personal happiness.�

-Leo Tolstoy I want to do work advocating and helping homeless individuals in the nonprofit sector.

Ashley Weiss

Shelter, Rainbows End

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Anna Woelk

adelante

-Hillsboro, KS “I don’t believe in charity. I believe in solidarity. Charity is vertical, so it’s humiliating. It goes from the top to the bottom. Solidarity is horizontal. It respects the other and learns from the other. I have a lot to learn from other people.”

-Eduardo Galeano I want to be an activist or social work advocate.

-Portsmouth, NH I think that learning about different people and places may eventually enable me to bring the world closer together in some way.

When I grow up, I want to be a father, a husband, a novelist, and a professor of either Linguistics or English at a school close to where I grew up.

John Whalen

Food Bank, Shelter spring 2014

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2013 Statistics 3700

Pounds of food distributed

by Alamosa Food Bank every week.

46310

Meals served by La Puente Shelter.

714 Unduplicated number of individual guests served by La Puente Shelter.

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2013 Outreach Applications

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Number of families served

by Adelante.

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Number of paid staff running and operating the 13 Food Banks across the San Luis Valley.

2692

Number of applications to Outreach Services that were denied due to lack of resources.

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12881

Unduplicated number of individuals who used one of the 13 food banks across the San Luis Valley.

3680

Hours of lessons provided to children through the Gardens Initiative

8928

Hours of volunteering accumulated at La Puente Shelter.

388 Number of shelter guests who left La Puente employed

1221

Number of Households which were provided with Outreach Services.

69420 Hours of service provided by Americorps Members, full-time and community volunteers, and work groups

165 Number of Shelter guests age 55 to 80 years old.

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cody robson vegi

- Athens, TX I believe there is no one right way for all people to live, but many.

“Every culture’s lunacy seems like sanity to the members of that culture.”

-Daniel Quinn When I grow up I want to own my own international business that builds Earthshi ps (houses that power themselves, provide their own food, recycle all water they harvest, and are built with recycled materials).

- Julian, PA When I grow up I want to be content with all that I have.

“Speak the truth, even if your voice shakes.” --Maggie Kuhn

brittany kilmer food bank, shelter

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John Dale

shelter, Outreach

Working the overnight shifts at La Puente’s shelter sometimes offers me incredible opportunities to have conversations with guests. One night while talking with a guest who was having some difficulties, I was offered some rare insight into who I am becoming.

The subject of success came up and as we were talking, and I shared some of my family history, the incredible legacy of a family of Navy men, educators, and people who have dedicated their lives to the betterment of others. As I was speaking, the young man stopped me and said, “You may not earn very much money, but you are doing what your forefathers want you to be doing.” So simply stated, yet so profound.

Though I was caught off guard at the time, I have had some time to sort through the conversation we had that night. I realize I am exactly where I am supposed to be at this time in my life. I will never forget that conversation and his kind words.

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PROGram Needs Shelter:

New microwave for the guest area New microwave for the kitchen New 100 Cup coffee maker Television and DVD player for children’s play room Spices - pepper, beef/chicken base, vanilla extract Refrigerator for guests’ personal perishables Meat/Pasta

Adelante:

Cars for family transportation Phone Cards (Straight Talk or Verizon) Gas Vouchers (Safeway, City Market, Alta, or Monte Vista Co-op) School supplies Life Skills Class Presenters (new topic suggestions welcome!)

Bicycles in good condition Inexpensive or free car repairs

Volunteer Coordination: 2-drawer locking file cabinet Economy car for service members Speakers and presenters for Community Nights

Enterprises:

Washer/Dryer for Milagros Coffeehouse Thrift Stores: House Wares Furniture Quality Clothing

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PALS:

Kitchen Cabinets Children’s Books Children’s School Supplies Field Tri p Sponsorshi ps

PROGram Needs Gardens: Cordless Drill

Outreach: Folders

Measuring tape Lumber Organic soil/compost Organic straw bales Volunteers

Hanging File Folders Staplers Pens Paper Cli ps Copy Paper Paper Shredder

Admin: Stamps Black and Blue Pens Kleenex Copy Paper Office Chairs

Community Education: Pop up tent for events DSLR camera with video capabilities Folding chairs for events Plastic bins for storage Paper Cutter

Food Bank:

Gas cards to cover deliveries to satellite pantries Dry bulk items Oats, Rice, and Beans in bulk Gift cards to City Market/Kroger

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Seth LEjeune Shelter, Food Bank

During the fall, our food bank director, Mel Huss, tasked each of her staff to come up with and implement a fundraiser for the Alamosa Food Bank.

Almost immediately I knew it was going to have a “sports” theme. I decided to organize a Super Bowl party where the entire community could come to enjoy each other’s company and cheer on the Broncos. About three weeks before the Super Bowl, I found out the host site I had chosen was experiencing major technical difficulties due to renovations to their facility. I unfortunately didn’t have a back up plan, so it was back to the drawing board!

I grew up as a member of the United Methodist Church and an event that often engendered a strong response was something called the “Souper Bowl”. The concept is simple; everyone brings cans of food to church that Sunday, which would be collected to benefit the local food bank. While I do regret not having enough time to develop a plan that involved partici pation of the entire San Luis Valley, I considered this a pretty successful fallback and was blown away by the support of the local church here in our small community.

My day started at a joint EpiscopalUnited-Methodist worshi p service where canned food and monetary donations were given to me along with a hefty portion of cake and other snacks. I brewed some coffee and set

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out around town! For the next three hours I drove to about six or seven different local congregations collecting food. There were some where I wasn’t able to communicate my thankfulness to the church because their congregation was in service, but I was still able to communicate and interact with several congregations around town. I was excited to see the reaction of our community as well as a sense of pride in the outpouring of generosity we can have for one another.

I possess a desire for a thriving community and for each person in it to feel dignified and included. I saw this frequently growing up in the church and it was that place that this princi ple was instilled. That is the reason I find my work so meaningful.

I have no idea what I want to do with the rest of my life. However, one thing that consistently rings in my thoughts is that I need to serve people.

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interested in volunteering?

Full-Time Volunteer: During a year of service, Full-Time Volunteers and Americorps Members work 40 hours every week obtaining firsthand experience working at a nonprofit organization.

Community Volunteer: Volunteers of all ages and abilities enjoy volunteering for one-time, weekly, or monthly intervals at many different programs at La Puente.

Work Group Service: Interested in bringing a group down for a mission tri p or on-site service learning? Groups come for short times from all across the nation to work with La Puente in its efforts. Work Groups work on many things from gleaning fields during the harvest season, to special construction projects, to everyday activities and goings on in the organization. This assistance aids La Puente in providing services that are greatly needed in the San Luis Valley.

Please visit La Puente’s website (www.lapuente.net) or call Volunteer Coordination at (719)-587-3499 for more information on volunteer opportunities.

Unique Tax Program to Benefit La Puente!

Contributing to La Puente can give you much more than the traditional tax deduction! If you pay Colorado State taxes, a monetary gift through Enterprise Zone (EZ) can net you an additional 25% tax credit!

What’s a tax credit? A Colorado State tax credit is like a check payable to the Colorado Department of Revenue. It’s as good as cash when you are paying taxes.

Even if you never use “deductions” on your tax return, the tax credit will help you.

When the 25% Colorado State tax credit is combined with the impact of tax deductions, the results are substantial.

For Example: A $500 donation through EZ provides:

$125 returned to donor in EZ Tax Credit

$140 (28%) saved from Federal Tax deduction

$23 (4.8%) saved from State Tax deduction

Total = $288 saved/returned. This means a $500 donation costs the donor only $212!

To benefit from Enterprise Zone, all you need to do is: 1. Make your donation of at least $100 payable to “Enterprise Zone” 2. Designate “La Puente” in the lower left corner of the check That’s all! After we receive your donation, we will send you a certificate of tax credit you can use for your Colorado Income Tax return!

For more information, call Lance or Julie at (719)-589-5909.

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The La puente Legacy Fund

A gift designated to La Puente’s Legacy Fund will provide on-going support for the provision of emergency food and shelter through La Puente’s diverse services. The princi ple amount of each fund contribution will not be touched, and through investment, the interest gained from the gift will help afford critical services for the years and decades ahead.

Consider writing a clause in your will or trust that identifies “La Puente Home, Inc.” as a beneficiary to any portion of your estate. Mention your intention to direct your gift towards the La Puente Legacy Fund. This is a simple way to arrange for a significant gift in support of our service to others, while leaving you in control of you assets during the entirety of your lifetime.

A gift card acknowledgement will be sent to the family you are honoring with a remembrance gift. Call Lance at (719)-589-5909 for more information.

We are extremely grateful for all the helping hands that have crossed our path since our beginning.

Thank you all for your support.

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The Prayer of the volunteer I thank Thee, Lord, as a volunteer For the chance to serve another year.

And to give of myself in some small way, To those not blessed as I each day.

My thanks for health and mind and soul, To aid me ever toward my goal.

For eyes to see the good in all, A hand to extend before a fall.

For legs to go where the need is great, Learning to love—forgetting to hate.

For ears to hear and heart to care, When someone's cross is hard to bear.

A smile to show my affection true, With energy aplenty—the task to do.

And all I ask, dear Lord, if I may, Is to serve you better day by day.

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Change service requested www.lapuente.net 719-589-5909

La Puente Home PO Box 1235 Alamosa, CO 81101

Nonprofit Organization U.S. Postage Paid Alamosa, CO 81101 Permit No. 27