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It’s a great year for the Denver Rescue Mission in 2017. The DRM won the award for Large Nonprofit of the Year at the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce Business Awards and a new 228-bed shelter for the city’s homeless will be completed by year’s end. The facility, which will provide permanent beds, bathrooms, and showers to men experiencing homelessness in the Denver-area, is expected to open just in time for winter.
The DRM non-profit provides a wide variety of services for Denver’s vulnerable community including emergency food and shelter; life skills and education support and counseling; and transitional and permanent housing.
The graduation ceremony was held Friday morning, June 16th at The Crossing transitional living facility at 6090 Smith Rd, Denver. This year’s DRM spring graduation featured several speakers who were past alumni, DRM leadership, and city representatives including the city of Denver’s housing czar Erik Soliván, director of the city’s Office of Housing and Opportunities for People Everywhere or HOPE. Also speaking were: Board Chair Ted Snailum; Anthony Gladu, Education Coordinator Kindra Ford; Emergency Services Senior Director Josh Geppelt; Director of New Life Program Mark Miller; Director of Family Services; Seth Forwood, Director Harvest Farm; Tom Leavitt, Director of Family Services; Ft. Collins Rescue Mission Director Tom Konstanty; and Chaplain Jeremy Conrad.
Emcee and Education Director Mark Siegrist greeted graduates and their friends and family in the audience and President/CEO Brad Meuli presented diplomas to students in several program areas for the spring graduation ceremony 6 including six receiving GED and more than a dozen grads receiving affordable housing.
Receiving GEDs during the ceremony were Jacob Bradley, James Bouque, Ryan Bouque, Bryan Moore, Adam Palmier, Samuel Sojourner. Debrah Baker and Tiffany Martinez received STAR Transitional Program certificates. The STAR Transitional program participants live in affordable housing units to avoid substance abuse and attain stability and permanent housing through case management, emphasis on education and career goals, structure, healthy lifestyle, and youth development.
This year, The Denver Rescue Mission celebrates 125 years of service to some of the most vulnerable people. For more information please visit the web site at: www.denverrescuemission.org or their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/DenverRescue
- Tom Konstanty presented Steps to Success Certificates
- Demond Taylor, Alexxa Gagner
- Diplomas ready to go for some 100 grads
- Administrators gathered to honor graduates
- Emcee and Director of Education Mark Siegrist
- President/CEO Brad Meuli congratulated the students
- NLP Grad Anthony Gladu shared his own struggles and victories with grads
- Guest Speaker Erik Solivan of the Office of HOPE
- Guest Speaker Erik Solivan of the Office of HOPE
- Denver Rescue Mission Chair Ted Snailum
- Josh Geppelt, Senior Director of Emergency Services
- Anthony Gladu and John Ware
- Tom Konstanty, Tiffany Martinez, Esther Warner
- Stephanie Gonzalez, Brittany Kurtz, Chrissie Pearson with Slade
- Stacy Parker, Yolanda Greene Sanders
- The roots of the Denver Rescue Mission began in the 1890s under various locations and buildings
- John Ware, Reggie Brown
- Leadership of the Denver Rescue Missions Administrators
- A beautiful graduation day shared with Denver Rescue Missions Administrators
- Denver Rescue Missions Administrators pose under the tent
- Tom Konstanty congratulates recent graduate
- Tom Konstanty congratulates recent graduate
- Graduate Doris Gillespie in purple is a recent graduate of the STAR program, with sister Patricia and grandson Cameron
- Donna Brooks and Gabi Duran Dean of the mentoring programs
- Dominique Lopez, Alicia Woodside with Amaya and Brian
- Guests applaud recent graduates
- More than enough pastries, drinks and other sweets were available for guests