“I initially started running because it was a great way to keep in shape.  Then I found out about the Matthew’s House.  I was excited about being a part of something bigger than myself and putting my feet to good use.  It was an amazing experience and I am already looking forward to doing it again next year.”   Jennifer, Runner #6 Just Passin’ Thru

“A great feeling of accomplishment”, ” a real blessing”, and ” a uniquely wonderful running experience!” were all ways this year’s runners described their Wild West Relay adventure. Kristin, who has run with us two years says “I have really enjoyed running the WWR both years that I did it. It is a challenge, but the challenge is well worth your effort when you finish one of your legs at 2am with your van full of teammates cheering you on. I don’t know if I would do the WWR if I wasn’t running for a cause, like with the Matthews House. It gives every step of training, fundraising and actual race added purpose.”   And Natalie, who ran for the first time this year says, “I loved the relay!  Every bit of it; and I know how cheesy that sounds, but its true!  I liked running under the moon late in the night the best I think.  I really wasn’t sure what to expect coming into the race… but the organization of the Matthew House and the WWR volunteers just blew me away!  I will definately go again next year…”

This has been the overwhelming sentiment of our teams over the past 3 years, “I loved it, sign me up for next year.” This year we had 10 repeat runners and 14 first-timers which allowed us to field two complete teams. In addition to training to run between 11 and 19 miles over the course of about 30 hours, each runner took on the additional responsibility of raising money for the Matthews House. This year that fundraising took the form of a community yard sale, a dining event at Cafe Mexicali and a benefit concert/silent auction at Everyday Joe’s in addition to many letters to friends, family and coworkers. Through all these efforts our runners raised over $7,700! Thanks to all our runners: Brian Hansen, Seth Daire, Steve Griffin, Missy Larson, Jennifer McLoudrey, Gail Doesken, Linda Maher, Teresa Schoger, Lauren Wylie, Kristin Higgins, Anna Baldwin, Joyce Dickens, Erin Gladu, Steve Redder, Randy Stinson, Mindy Murphy, Amanda Helfer, Katie McGrail, Jonathan Splittgerber, Todd Howe, Yale Norris, Isaac Howe, Natalie Scholander and Mahala Proch and drivers Jerri Howe and Mike Maher.

Although this is the third year that The Matthews House has participated in the Wild West Relay, this year we made a serious addition. For the first time we took advantage of an opportunity to have a non-profit exchange through Volunteers with a Purpose, an official relay partner. This allowed us to have 16 volunteers assist as race marshals AND help raise over $1800 for the Matthews House in the process. Sometimes this involved directing an occasional unruly runner or moody van driver. But in general, I think our volunteers encountered great people and had a good time being involved. We also had 8 other volunteers help with a pancake and coffee fundraiser at the exchange that raised around $600 to benefit the Matthews House. One of our volunteers commented that she had so much fun volunteering she may even want to run the race next year!

Thanks to our race marshalls: Joel and Tina Vosberg, Craig and Lotta Vollmer, Brian Lindecker, Eileen O’Malley, Laura Harris, Scott and Mary Gordon, Greg and Becky Kendall, Keah Redder, Wes and Elissa Hoffert, Cathy Rotman, and Linda Wright.

Thanks to our Pancake and Coffee team: Jill and Curt Bear, Nicole and Zach Armstrong, Jennifer Sory, Danielle Sardi, Chad Price and Kory Nickell.

We are so grateful that you were willing to make a significant contribution of your time and efforts on behalf of the Matthews House. Thank you for caring and desiring to make a difference in the lives of at-risk youth!

Thanks for joining together to raise over $10,000 for the Matthews House!

And thanks again to our sponsors!

Periodically, groups from the community come alongside the Matthews House to plan and put on events for our youth. These are great, fun activities for our youth with the added invaluable benefit that they are done on a completely volunteer basis by people who share this community with our youth. No ulterior motives, no one getting paid, these are people who genuinely care about our community and our youth. This unconditional compassion has a huge impact on our youth. For them to recognize that there are people in their community who want to invest time in them not because there’s a monetary incentive, but because there’s a true belief in the value and potential of each individual regardless of past events or circumstances. This is incredibly powerful for many of our youth who have seldom had anyone really believe in them.

This summer, a group from Emmaus Road Church came to the Matthews House to hang out with kids and provide a BBQ meal. This group got to know some of our youth through conversation and some games of bocce ball.

We’d like to thank Andy & Amy Lucas, Marie Evans, Ken Snyder and Wendy Thompson from Emmaus Road for their time and compassion and of course the food they brought to grill out

Thanks also to the following Matthews House volunteers for adding a collection of sides and dessert to provide quite a nice spread of food for the afternoon!

Doreen Miller, Tina Morris, Linda Maher, Gail Follett, Cathy Rotman, Christine Christman, Kelly Mapes, Denise Thompson, Vickie Mitchell, Courtney Craig and Denise Birdsall

The Wild West Relay is finally here!

Tomorrow morning, 1560 runners will start outside the Budweiser tour center and head towards Steamboat Springs Middle School, 200 miles away. Each team is made up of 12 runners who will each run three separate times, rain or shine, up and down mountains, across the continental divide, through the night – nothing short of an adventure to be sure.For our two teams, this is a trek that will take between 25 and 30 hours. We’re not going to win any medals, but we will be enjoying a chance to run in amazing scenery, enjoy the company of great people, and raise some money for a great cause.
Now that all the preparations have been made, there is just the actual event to come. Before the sun even thinks of coming up tomorrow, we will be piling in the vans that will be our homes for the next day and a half. Once Runner #1 sets out around 6:30am, the trek is on and everyone will take turns running until we reach Steamboat, sometime Saturday afternoon.

I want to thank all our dedicated runner/fundraisers and all those who have generously donated to the Matthews House by supporting these runners. We’ve reached nearly $6,000 already, with one more week for donations to continue flowing in. (Please join us by making a donation.)

Join us at Everyday Joe’s Coffee House tomorrow night, July 29th at 7pm to hear some great music, eat homemade desserts and bid on fabulous silent auction items. This event is being put on by the runners on the Matthews House Wild West Relay teams to raise money for the Matthews House.

Music – Eva Holbrook and Aaron Strumpel

Desserts – a variety, homemade by Matthews House friends and volunteers (just fyi – our volunteers make amazing food!!)

Silent Auction – learn to play the piano, get a massage, acquire some new art for your home…

And all to support the Matthews House and the youth of our community.

Everyday Joe’s Coffee House, 144 S Mason St, Fort Collins

Wednesday, July 29, 7pm

$10 suggested donation

With sadness we are saying goodbye to Kristin Higgins, Transition Facilitator as she moves on to the next phase of her life. Kristin has been an amazing asset to the Matthews House over the past 2 and a half years, both for her hard work and her incredible compassion and love for the “kids” in our program. Change is difficult but many times empowering as our youth so aptly teach us every day. We will certainly miss you Kristin. We wish you and Dave the very best!

Here’s what Kristin would like to tell you:

After 2 ½ amazing years at the Matthews House, the time has come for me to move on. At the end of July, I will be moving with my husband, David, to Denver, so that he can fulfill his dream of attending medical school. While we are excited for adventures that lay before us, we are sad to leave Fort Collins and the community we have become so connected with.

My time at the Matthews House has contributed so much to the person I am today. I will always be thankful for the opportunity I have had to walk alongside young people who missed out on the love, support and protection of a family and share life with them. I challenged youth to take risks and allow me to be a part of their lives and their hearts and in turn, I was challenged to love in a way that was indiscriminate and without condition. It was amazing to see the lasting and profound effects of simple words such as “I care about you” or “I believe in you.” I watched compassion bridge impossible canyons and lead to incredible relationships built on trust and hope. Thank you to every one of you who demonstrated in a very real and very beautiful way what community is supposed to look like when you wrapped your arms and hearts around the Matthews House youth and staff. You are changing lives.

I will always cherish my time here and will miss the Matthews House staff, board members, volunteers and youth dearly. Farewell for now,

Kristin

This weekend at 921 N Taft Hill Rd in Fort Collins there will be a gigantic yard sale to benefit the Matthews House. The sale will run Saturday and Sunday (July 25 & 26) from 7am to 2pm – please plan to stop by.

Thanks to all who have donated their gently used items to the cause and thanks to all who will come by to search for treasures.

On June 4th, thanks to the generosity of Mountain Whitewater Descents, we were able to take 6 youth along with 3 staff members for an exciting half-day rafting trip on the Cache la Poudre River. The water was high and fast and the rafting was excellent.

This was the first whitewater rafting experience for most if not all of the youth – and once we all got over looking silly in our wetsuits and the few butterflys that had congregated in our stomachs after seeing all the rapids on the bus-ride up the canyon – a great time was had by all. This was a great chance to see the importance of working together and to face and overcome fears.

In April, the staff at the Matthews House began a new monthly habit in order to recognize some of our most amazing volunteers. Each month the staff will nominate and vote on a Volunteer of the Month.

So, for our very first honoree, we’ve chosen Stefanie Womack. (Incidentally, we also nominate our choice as a potential United Way of Larimer County Volunteer of the Month and both Stefanie and May’s honoree, the Ignite Leaders Challenge group from Fossil Ridge High School, were also chosen by United Way of Larimer County as their Volunteers of the Month.)

We asked Stefanie a few questions about herself and her volunteering experience. Here’s what we found out.

What are your name, age and occupation?

Stefanie Womack, 30, Engineer

Where did you grow up?

Albuquerque, NM

In what ways do you like to volunteer?

I feel I am doing exactly what I should be doing, loving on people.

What made you choose to volunteer at the Matthews House?

I liked how the Matthews House helped the kids in the community.  The approach taken to do this is refreshing.

What do you like best about volunteering?

Being involved in so many lives in so many different ways.  I hope that I can be the loving adult in these kids lives that I had in my life at their age.

What’s the best/most fun thing that’s ever happened while you were volunteering?

The friendships I have formed with the kiddo’s is the best part.

Stefanie, thank you for giving back in your community and truly impacting the lives of youth. Your ability to listen and be intentional with youth is wonderful and you have been a significant support to many of them.  We need more people like you!

For May, we chose a Volunteer Group of the month rather than an individual:

Ignite Leader’s Challenge (approximately 16 members) from Fossil Ridge High School

Here’s what they told us.

Why did Ignite choose to volunteer at Matthews House?

Due to a strong desire to positively impact fellow youth in their community. They especially wanted to help impoverished and disadvantaged youth.

Where else has Ignite helped out in the past year?

Nursing homes such as Chateau Desmons and Columbine Health, spreading awareness for the Invisible Children movement

What has Ignite done for the Matthews House?

In the past couple of months Ignite has contributed over 300 hours collectively to help gather in-kind donations and organize an awareness and fundraising barbecue. Ignite has helped us collect many household and office items that we would have had to pay for otherwise. In addition, they planned, marketed and implemented a barbecue that helped raise money and spread awareness. In all, Ignite helped raise over $300 cash for the Matthews House.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank the Ignite Group for their hard work and dedication to impacting youth in our community. We appreciate your desire to help in areas where there are actual needs. You guys did a great job and I encourage you to keep pursuing opportunities in your community. Thanks!

On April 26th we were able to celebrate with 19 youth in the Matthews House program who have or will  soon be graduating from high school, GED and trade school programs!

photos by Courtney Craig

Please join us in honoring the graduates!!

Brittney is expecting to get her GED at end of May

Chris will graduate from Mountain View HS in May

Delissia will graduate from Fossil Ridge High in May

Dustin completed his GED last July

Elvira will graduate from Poudre High School at the end of May. Elvira will  attend college at Front Range Community College and transfer to CSU to study child psychology.

Isabella will be graduating from Loveland High School at the end of May. Isabella will be attending the University of Northern Colorado to study business. Isabel has been awarded a full ride to the University  and also a $8,000 scholarship to help with living expanse for the next four years.

Jaquy earned her GED in October 2008; received a special state waiver to take the GED early at the age of 16 (CO requires youth to be 17)

Jay will be obtaining her GED in the next couple of months and she will be attending CSU in the Fall or Spring to study engineering. Jay has already been awarded an $8,000 scholarship to help her with her schooling.

Kat graduated from the Poudre High School and currently enrolling to attend Front Range Community College in the Fall. Kat has also been working part-time.

Katie graduated from Ferguson High School in Loveland a year and half after she her projected graduation due to family issues. Katie is working full time right now and will be attending college in the Fall.

Kenny will receive his diploma from Loveland High

McKayla completed her GED last July

Michael graduated from the Aims Diploma Program and has entered the work force.

Nathan is getting his diploma from Thompson Valley high school

Norma Jean is expecting to earn GED by May through the Youth Link Program

Shane is expected to graduate with his GED at end of May

Shannon is expecting to earn her GED by May

Talisha graduated from Centennial HS in April

Tiffany graduated from Centennial High in April

Congratulations to all!

We’d like to thank the following people for celebrating with our youth and making the graduation party happen:

Everyday Joes/Timberline Oldtown for the use of their space and media/sound equipment

Diakonos Brotherhood for planning the event, preparing the food and providing a card and gift for each youth.

Outkast Redeemer for providing rockin’ music.

Thanks for loving our youth!

Do you enjoy a motorcycle ride on a beautiful Colorado day?

Are you concerned about neglected and abused children and youth in Larimer County?

Want to have fun and make a difference at the same time?

Consider joining Realities for Children on the Realities Ride this weekend.

It’s a blast…you WILL enjoy yourself.

“Realities For Children hopes to draw more than 3,000 people and raise more than $40,000 during this weekend’s eighth annual Realities Ride and Pre-Ride Rally.
The event is one of the largest charity motorcycle poker runs; it benefits abused and neglected children in Northern Colorado. Last year’s event drew 3,000 and raised just less than $40,000, said Holli Milenski, Realities promotional coordinator.”  Read more