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Kindness Can Change the World The days of pedaling down the highway with my road family are now complete. For the past 1-1/2 months, I have cycled 6-8 hours and 80+ miles daily, and it has been both exhilarating and exhausting. Many experiences have changed me along the way, but one of the most significant ones was the kind and gentle way of the South. As we journeyed down rural roads, people waved and shouted, “Ya’ll be safe!” They chased us down in cars and ATVs to offer water bottles. Countless friends with names unknown smiled and waved while perched…

3/30 – Fredericksburg, TX to Navasota, TX 3/28 – Fredericksburg to Buda – While the morning was overcast, a carpet of blue bonnets and other wildflowers lined the road for miles and brightened the day! As scenic as this ride was, I had to dig deep to get myself down the road. I started the day feeling depleted because I didn’t rest enough while in Fredericksburg. And the relentless crosswinds and headwinds over 88 miles and 4,700 ft. elevation made the entire ride even more exhausting. I was so tired, more than a few times, I seriously thought about jumping…

They answered the call. There seems to be nothing a dedicated team of early childhood educators cannot accomplish. When the “Stay at home orders” closed the Volunteers of America Early Childhood Education Center, a place of learning, play, growth, discovery, and safety for young children, also a place of refuge, security, safety, support, community and resources for families in an already complicated world, the Family Service Workers rallied. While many efforts have been made to reach and support families through phone, desk, front porch visits, YouTube videos, online classrooms, education kits, and lending libraries, the Friday Drive-Thru distribution has proven…

Dr. Percy H. Lyle is a man of many distinct talents. He has worked as a producer in television, acted in movies, served as a radio personality and performed in live theater shows across the country. He earned his PhD in Human Communications from the University of Denver and has taught Theater and Communications at several community colleges and universities in Colorado. More recently, Percy added a new title to his long list of career and life accomplishments: volunteering in Denver as a Volunteers of America Senior Corps Foster Grandparent at Cherry Creek’s Place Bridge Academy. Place Bridge, like Percy,…

“Did you two ever perform music for a living?” Liz started to say no, but after a laugh admitted, “There was that one year we did 156 shows in Texas.” Liz is a volunteer for the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) and a member of Volunteers of America’s resident band, The Wild Coyotes. The band played beloved classics like “On the Road Again” and “Sweet Home Alabama” before drawing raffle tickets for a small audience sitting all the way up front. She travels from Centennial to play with them at Sunset Park every Thursday between 1-3pm. However, that wasn’t…

Rodney Pigford rises before the sun most days, hoping to get a jumpstart on his day before heading to work with the rest of Denver. During lunch breaks, he attends to personal business, and spends his evenings relaxing or watching a movie he rented at the local library. Rodney lives modestly, occasionally taking small jobs to make ends meet, and enjoys giving back to the community through volunteering. After years working in landscaping, Rodney said he’s ready to try something new. It’s an ordinary routine for some, but it’s a routine he’s grown accustomed to. Rodney grew up in Park…

For all our loyal social media followers, we have an easy way for you to help support Volunteers of America programs. Volunteers of America is currently in the running for a grant from Xcel Energy and all we have to do to winis have the most social media posts. The contest leads up to Xcel Energy’s Day of Service, Saturday, September 10th, where volunteers will be hosting an event with brunch, bingo and free energy efficient light bulbs for seniors at Volunteers of America’s senior center. Post according to the below rules as many times as you can September 6-10…

The end of the summer has been busier than usual at Volunteers of America! We began the summer with our inaugural Camp POSTCARD, once again hosted Youth Summer Institute, and wrapped up the summer with a record size school supply drive. For the last 15 years, Volunteers of America and 9News have teamed up for Stuff for Students. Thanks to great support from the community, this year we collected over $60,000 worth of supplies and donations, distributing over 40 industrial pallets of supplies to 15 different schools districts across the Denver Metro area. On top of the supplies that went…

Last year, over 3,000 students in Denver were homeless. This year Volunteers made sure some of those students experiencing homelessness were able to head back to school with the supplies they need. The Volunteers of America Guild, an auxiliary volunteer group, hosted a Back to School Barbecue Saturday August 13, outfitting more than 75 homeless students with the supplies they need for the coming school year. “There are so many anxieties surrounding that first day back at school and having the right supplies doesn’t need to one of them. With their families in crisis and without a home, these students…

High school students from across Denver traded time hanging out with friends this summer for volunteering at Volunteers of America’s Summer Institute, July 18 through 22. “Yes, spending time at the pool or just hanging out is fun, but no feeling in the world compares to the feeling I get when I volunteer,” participant Abi Bosworth said. Eighteen young people came together for a week of serving meals, spending time with seniors, and playing with kids, each clocking 40 volunteer hours. For many students, working with homeless and poverty-stricken families and individuals was a new experience. “While going through the…