Message

Bryon J. Pulte

Dianna L. Kunz

Dear Friends,
In 1896 Colorado was a very rough place to earn a living
and raise a family. The officers and soldiers of the
Volunteers of America were there in remote mountain
camps providing food, shelter, clothing and spiritual support
to homeless individuals and families. In the then remote
and rugged towns of Boulder, Denver, Leadville and Pueblo
Volunteers of America served those who came to Colorado
to find their fortune in the gold and silver mines. Most did
not strike it rich and many found themselves and their
families destitute and in need of the very basics needed to
sustain life.
For over 110 years Volunteers of America has
been on the frontlines of the efforts to end homelessness,
one individual and one family at a time. As the stories of
those needing assistance have changed the programs and
the approaches of the Volunteers of America have changed
as well. Now we are among the organizations supporting
the efforts by the City of Denver to end homelessness in
our community over the next nine years.
Toward that end, Volunteers of America is working on
a new endeavor to utilize an already proven model to provide
additional permanent supported housing for 25 chronically
mentally ill formerly homeless women. If all goes as
planned, the facility will be located in Southwest Denver
in a facility that will become home to single women who
have struggled for years with homelessness in part due to
chronic mental illness. In addition to a safe, secure shared
living situation, the program will be a safe haven for women
who have been repeatedly homeless and will include
individual and group counseling, literacy and GED classes,
job readiness training, medical services, legal assistance
and other services designed to stabilize the women and
help them to achieve their highest possible level of
independence.
All of our efforts to serve homeless individuals and families
in Colorado have only been possible because of the
support of our friends and supporters. Thank you for your
faithful partnership over the years. Together we will take
this next step to replicate a highly successful approach
that has demonstrated it is possible to reach a positive
outcome under the most difficult of circumstances for
women struggling toward a new life. It is hoped that this
program will be operational in the early months of 2007.
We will keep you informed of our progress.
Thank you.

Bryan J. Pulte, Chairman of the Board

Dianna L. Kunz, President & CEO

Fresh Air Camp For Children
Lookout Mountain, Colorado
Circa 1935

Christmas Campaign, Spokane, WA

Volunteers of America
Sidewalk Santa
Location and Date
Unknown