Thursday, September 29, 2011

Words of Encouragement from a Ministry Partner


Atlantis Community Center is a center for adults living with disabilities that we work with in Denver. They have many programs from helping people relocate from nursing homes into independent living, wheelchair repair and their Learning Center. Our groups will work in their community garden as well as spend time with the clients in the learning center. Here is a note we recently received from the staff:
"I just want to make sure you all know how much we appreciate what you do.  I about cried everytime I looked at the yard and saw what the Texas group did.  Then St. Louis was here and pulled all the weeds out of the river rock and spent time in the Learning Center with clients.  Amazing folks you have.  This has been a really hard year for us; I can't remember ever needing help like this before, so you group has been my rainbow.  Please make sure they know what a valuable service they provide."
-Keysha Boggess, CSM Denver City Director 


Learn how YOU can serve with CSM in Denver!

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Food Stamp Challenge

I recently ran across this article on CNN.com where the author took the "Food Stamp Challenge" - to live on $30 worth of food that would be covered by food stamps for a week.
What stuck out to me was not the lack of affordable fruits and vegetables or limited variety in food options, but how in only one week the author was already feeling the social effects of being on a limited budget.
"It's clear food has been on my mind more than usual this week. I think when you have a limited budget and fewer choices; you’re forced to do more thinking and planning around meals. I’m so very conscious, too, of all the things I have to forego. I can’t just grab a coffee or go to dinner with friends. I feel a bit isolated. Not having enough money for food affects not just your mood and health, but also your social life."
Could you take up the same challenge?  How would it change your life and eating habits?

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

New Report Finds Food Pantries Stretched to the Max

A new report shows that 49 million Americans have trouble putting food on the table. A recent article talks about how food pantries are meeting those needs, but finding themselves stretched to the max...

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Friday, September 23, 2011

Art club brightens Denver shelter


Joshua Station is a transitional housing program, but they are providing homeless families with more than just a room.  Here is a story about an art club provided for the children and teens living in the shelter. Art is a great way for kids to express themselves while being creative. This club gives the youth an avenue for imagination and dreaming, which is vital when your life is in a state of transition Click here to read the story!  
-Keysha Boggess, CSM Denver City Director

Learn how YOU can serve with CSM in Denver!


Thursday, September 22, 2011

Sage advice

“You don't think your way into a new kind of living. You live your way into a new kind of thinking.”
 - Henri Nouwen

How will you live differently today?

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Couple goes against all odds


"After spending more than half a year surrounded by drugs and violence in a homeless shelter with their two tots, a Queens couple is turning their lives around.
Their first step - obtaining college degrees.
Rosse Mary Savery, 36 and her husband, Gilroy Savery, 40, will both graduate this summer after years of financial hardship that forced them to drop out of school numerous times and enter the ranks of the city's homeless.
"Getting to this point is a blessing and the push we need to keep moving forward," said Rosse Mary, who will graduate from Queens College in August with a degree in sociology."

Check out the rest of this inspiring story about a couple in Queens turning their life around.

Learn how YOU can serve with CSM in New York City!

Thursday, September 08, 2011

Pizza with a Purpose!

Pizza Fusion is a brand new restaurant that opened in Denver this summer, but what makes them so unique is that all of their employees are formerly homeless.  The Colorado Coalition for the Homeless opened this restaurant at the bottom of a brand new mixed income residence, where 50% of the tenants pay rent on a sliding scale and the other half pay market value. All 23 employees are individuals who have recently been homeless and are now making a steady paycheck with their new job.  Check out it out here!


Learn how YOU can serve with CSM in Denver!

Wednesday, September 07, 2011

CSM to phase out of ministry in Toronto

It is with heavy hearts that we announce that CSM will be phasing out of ministry in the city of Toronto. Please read our News Release for further details.

Tuesday, September 06, 2011

Remembering 9/11 - A Resource for Youth Workers

Every Student, Every School has shared a fantastic video and companion discussion guide called No More Fear.
As we enter the week where we remember to the 10th Anniversary of 9/11, this is a great tool to discuss what it means to find your strength in Christ - even amidst disaster and loss.

Thursday, September 01, 2011

Denver Justice Conference

If you are in or around the Denver area then the Denver Justice Conference is where you should be! Check out the video for the second annual Denver Justice Conference happening on Saturday, November 5, 2011. CSM will be there!

Denver Justice Conference from Benjamin Dewey on Vimeo.


Learn how YOU can serve with CSM in Denver!