Stories of Light

Volunteer Programs Mr. Earl (as he is endearingly called) has been volunteering at Volunteers of America Colorado for nearly a decade. He began at the VOA Mission, a daytime shelter that provides clients with food, clothing, resources and a safe place for relaxation. Mr. Earl fell in love with the holiday traditions at the Mission, like making emergency food bags, assisting with cookouts, and making sure no one goes hungry. “As long as I’m helping someone, I’m happy,” Mr. Earl said. Mr. Earl met Carlos when he began volunteering at City Harvest Food Bank, and the pair now work together…

More than just a home Alycia began her story with Volunteers of America as a young single mother, without a stable home for herself and her daughter. With a felony on her record, Alycia found herself feeling hopeless. She had paid her debt to society, but had no job, a 6-month-old, and no home to call her own. Housing applications felt pointless as every background check was followed with a rejection. Alycia’s mother encouraged her to apply to the new Volunteers of America affordable housing unit, Boulevard One. Alycia had low expectations that as a former felon she would be…

Robert can depend on Meals on Wheels Robert is a Vietnam War Veteran and has been a Meals on Wheels client for 4 years. Likemany of our Meals on Wheels clients, Robert has difficulty doing day to day tasks that manyof us take for granted. For Robert, Meals on Wheels means that he can depend on both anutritious meal and a friendly face on a regular basis. Tom is a Meals on Wheels volunteerthat has been delivering to Robert since the beginning. Tom went above and beyond hisduties as a Meals on Wheels volunteer when he recognized that Robert had…

Caring Companion Brightens Day for Older Neighbor and Family Kathryn and Kurt Renick share a love story that is unlike any other – one that has persisted beyond borders, time, and, most recently, memory. They met 17 years ago through a chance interaction over the Internet. Kathryn was renting out her charming lakeside cottage in Nova Scotia, Canada; Kurt was planning a trip with his daughter and son-in-law to celebrate their 5th wedding anniversary. A conversation about rental plans soon developed into one more casual, and after several emails back and forth, the two found that they shared a lot…

Before Oakes and his sister Indigo went to Camp POSTCARD, neither had been away from home. So naturally when their mom, Jenny suggested the idea of a sleep-away camp, both kids – who are 12 and 10 respectively – were nervous. But as is often the case, not long after they arrived for the week-long adventure, the two siblings settled in and began to have the time of their lives! Camp POSTCARD is a free week-long summer camp designed to benefit 5th and 6th graders from the Denver/Aurora metro area who demonstrate leadership skills and might not otherwise be able…

Finally a Place to Call Home Five years ago, 19-year-old Whitney Whitson had a baby on each hip and nowhere to go. Now, 25 years old with an education, a career and two beautiful daughters, Whitson will be closing on her first home Monday thanks to help she found with Volunteers of America. “I wanted better for my kids. I wanted the cycle to stop with me,” Whitson said. After having her second daughter at age 19, Whitson was forced to leave her mother’s house and found a transitional housing program for single parents, Warren Village. There she worked hard…

Home, for the Very First Time Purchasing a home is something that many aspire to do one day. It is a challenge for anyone entering the home buyer’s market and is one of the most stressful things to do. Now, imagine being homeless. Imagine the dream of home ownership not applying to you. That is exactly how Casey felt, but luckily the focus of the Volunteers of America Brunetti Lofts program is to take formerly homeless families and individuals and move them along the path to home ownership. Casey arrived in Denver in 2007, after growing up in a small…