12 4 Y E A R S O F S E R V I C E
DenverRescueMission.org
Finding
October 2016
Hope At HARVEST FARM
But God will never forget the nee dy; THE HOPE OF THE AFFLICTED
will never perish. PSALM 9:18 (NIV)
FROM HAYRIDES TO THE CORN MAZE, petting zoo and pig races, there are fun activities for everyone to enjoy at the Harvest Farm Fall Festival.
Behind the fun and games of the Harvest Farm Fall Festival is the life-changing experience of our New Life Program. The hard work of the men in our program is what makes the Fall Festival possible, and on top of building good work habits, program participants learn important life skills and build healthy relationships that help them work their way out of homelessness and addiction.
Join us at the Harvest Farm Fall Festival this year and celebrate how lives are changed thanks to your support!
Finding
Hope At HARVEST FARM
In July, Monty
celebrated his one-year
anniversary of graduating the New Life Program ...
Look for more photos of Monty on our Facebook page: Facebook.com/DenverRescue.
“We didn’t know much about the Mission before all this happened,” Alice and Joe say together, describing how their son went from a successful career to nearly killing himself through alcohol abuse. “It was terrible,” Alice says.
Their son, Monty, is 54 years old and says he was lucky to have the support of his family. “So many of the guys at the Farm either don’t have parents or have bad parents,” he explains. “Having my family behind me was huge.” His career in the restaurant business started when he was just 15 years old. He worked through college, became a bartender and was a manager at a popular sports bar in Denver. But working at a bar meant alcohol was constantly in his life. “It built a foundation that drinking is just what you do, whether you’re having fun or not,” he explains.
Eventually, his life began to spiral out of control.
“I started drinking so much that I didn’t care about my relationships, my job or my family,” he explains. In a short period of time, he got a DUI, his girlfriend left him and he lost his job and house. Before long, he was locking himself in his apartment with a bottle of alcohol, unsure how to end the cycle of destruction. “We had to take him to detox twice,” his mother remembers. Finally, Monty came to a point of desperation. With his lease running out and his probation officer demanding that he find a program to join, he reached out for help.
Unfortunately, the first place he found wasn’t a good fit. “I tried a 30-day program at a rehab facility, but it was too quick. I was drinking the day I got out,” he admits. He continued searching and eventually found Denver Rescue Mission’s Harvest Farm.
However, with only 72 beds at the Farm, there’s not always an opening for someone to join the New Life Program immediately. In fact, it would be three months before space would be available for him. Desperate, he returned to the rehab facility. “I was there for two more months,” he says. “It was terrible. I couldn’t talk to anyone. It almost felt like a jail.” When his parents were finally allowed to see him, they all agreed he needed a better solution.
Alice called the Mission to see if Monty could join the New Life Program at Harvest Farm a month earlier than expected, and there was an opening! “It was a relief to drop him off at the Farm,” Alice says. “It was sad, but it was great.”
As he expected, Monty liked the Farm from the moment they pulled into the dusty driveway just off I-25 in Wellington. “It’s always tomorrow that you’ll get better,” he says, “but tomorrow never comes. But when you’re at the Farm, you have tomorrow to do it, and you have today.”
Monty liked the Christian foundation of the New Life Program, and the Bible studies, work therapy and church on Sundays helped establish a routine that had been absent from his life for a long time. He was able to be honest with himself and found solace in speaking with a counselor about his past. “It was a relief to get off my chest how destructive my addiction had been,” he says. “I really liked the Farm. Everyone there treated you like they were on your side instead of just waiting for you to mess up.”
In July, he celebrated his one-year anniversary of graduating the New Life Program, and today, he works at the Horsetooth Retriever Kennel a few miles away from the Farm. He enjoys working with the black labs, training them for competitions that test their skills as hunting dogs. His bosses, Kenny and Marcy, have hired men from the Farm to work at the kennel for 15 years.
Support lasting change at Harvest Farm today! Use the enclosed envelope to make your gift, or donate online at DenverRescueMission.org/Donate.
“It’s a great job—probably the best I’ve had,” Monty says. “My boss is great, and the dogs always like seeing me. That’s always rewarding. I go back to the Farm sometimes to visit.”
But Monty’s life wasn’t the only thing changed because of Harvest Farm. Thanks to this experience, Joe and Alice have a new outlook on what it means to help those in need. “It changes your perspective,” Alice explains. “When I see someone on the street, I realize how close Monty came to being in that situation. Before, I would think things like, ‘Why can’t they do something to help themselves?’ But I look at it in a totally different light now. These people need somebody to help them.” Joe went on to explain why they continue to support the Mission; “You get things in the mail every day, but when it starts affecting you, that’s when it starts to open your eyes,” he says. “It’s easy to wonder what makes one organization more deserving than another, and we see why now because we were affected by it. Thank goodness he went to the Farm. It fit just right.”
Thank you for supporting the life-changing work at Denver Rescue Mission. Because of supporters like Joe, Alice and you, people struggling with poverty, addiction and homelessness are able to work through their hurts, hang-ups and hardships to build a better future. Whether it’s through Harvest Farm or at our other locations in Denver, you help change lives every day when you donate and volunteer to help the broken and hurting. Monty says his family’s support was a huge part of his lifechanging experience at Harvest Farm. His parents, Joe and Alice (left), and one of his two sisters, Judy (middle), were able to join him at his graduation celebration in July 2015.
Letter from the CEO
Dear Friends,
Recently, I spoke about our work at Denver Rescue Mission with a gathering of generous donors. A man raised his hand and said, “The numbers you have just given us for meals and beds are great, but tell us more about Jesus’ impact on people’s lives at the Mission. That’s why most of us give.”
His words really gave me a reason to pause and think, because the numbers are BIG. We served over 830,000 meals last year, and this year, it could be as many as a million meals. ONE MILLION. Wowzers! How is that even possible? We also provided more than 350,000 nights of shelter last year. That’s 350 thousand times we provided beds inside a building—a dry, warm and safe place, away from the dangers of the street.
But it’s ultimately about more than all of those numbers. Because of the love we have for Jesus Christ, because of our belief in him and his call on our lives, because of his example of love for the poor and for all people, and because we believe Jesus can change lives now and for eternity, our staff and volunteers work every day to share meals, beds, clothing, and especially the gospel. In short, Jesus is our hope!
Next year we will celebrate our 125th year of existence. Wowzers again! Since the Mission was founded in 1892, Jesus has been the bedrock of our work, and this remains the case today.
Loving up on people with Jesus’ love is our legacy, and I assure you that we plan to continue sharing his hope for as long as our doors are open. We cannot do this work without you. Thanks for letting us share not only a meal or a bed with people who are experiencing homelessness, but also the Good News of Jesus. I love this work! God Bless,
Brad Meuli President/CEO
Do you find it difficult to make time for rest in your busy life? Finding rest is different than sleeping. It’s being able to have peace in your heart despite the circumstances, and in today’s world, peace is something many of us struggle to find in our lives. Request a FREE copy of our latest brochure, “3 Keys to Finding Rest in a Chaotic World,” to learn how to start creating rest in your life today. Check the box on the enclosed reply card to receive your copy.
4th Annual Sporting Clay Classic Do you like shooting clays? Then come join other shooting sports enthusiasts at the Mission’s 4th Annual Sporting Clay Classic on Thursday, October 13, at the Kiowa Creek Sporting Club in Bennett, Colorado. The event includes lunch and a day of fun competition to help our homeless and struggling neighbors. Contact Josh for more information at JLittlejohn@DenRescue.org. To register, please visit DenverRescueMission.org/SportingClayClassic. This year’s event is proudly sponsored by:
Mission Events
Statistics
14th Annual Harvest Farm Fall Festival
How You Help August
When: Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays in October
Meals provided
Learn more at HarvestFarm.net. Use the coupon to the right for $2 off admission!
75,592
4th Annual Sporting Clay Classic Where: Kiowa Creek Sporting Club in Bennett, Colorado
28,769
Contact Josh for more information at JLittlejohn@DenRescue.org.
Clothing distributed (lbs.)
Celebrate the 40th anniversary of the iconic concert film at The Last Waltz Revisited.
25,223
47,417
Clinic services provided
When: Wednesday, November 23 at 7 p.m. Where: The Fillmore Auditorium Bring canned food items to the concert and receive a commemorative poster! For more information, visit LastWaltzRevisited.com or contact Stacy at SParker@DenRescue.org.
Denver Rescue Mission Outreaches
Harvest Farm Rural rehabilitation program for men near Fort Collins
4,275
2,175
The Last Waltz Turns 40!
Champa House Residential facility offering long-term help toward self-sufficiency to single mothers with dependent children
57,174
Chapel attendance
To register, please visit: DenverRescueMission.org/ SportingClayClassic.
Lawrence Street Shelter Overnight shelter for men, chapel and health clinic
149,271
Nights of shelter provided
When: Thursday, October 13
Lawrence Street Community Center Meals, restrooms, showers, washing machines and dryers, clean drinking water, and access to Mission staff for encouragement and guidance
YTD (fiscal year)
Fort Collins Rescue Mission Meals, shelter and transitional programs for men and women The Crossing Transitional program for families and rehabilitation program for men
325
708
Changing Lives is the monthly news publication of Denver Rescue Mission. Director of Communications: Christine Gallamore Designer: Rachel Titus Writer: Robert Bogan
Ministry Outreach Center Central warehouse facility including food, clothing and furniture distribution Administration & Education Entry point for Mission programs and home to the Mission’s administrative and development staff Family Services Transitional program, assistance for permanent housing, and mentoring
P.O. Box 5164 • Denver, CO 80217 • 303.297.1815