Fwd: REAL Roller Coaster Ride

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "R.E.A.L. Life Community Services" <rod@realym.org>
Date: Feb 15, 2016 10:14 PM
Subject: REAL Roller Coaster Ride
To: "Phil" <philandkelly@gmail.com>
Cc:

Phil, Wow, what a ride! View this email in your browser Happy New Year! Looking back at 2015   We find it easy to say that this past year has been an amazing ROLLER COASTER ride!  We started out with a vision to impact our community by addressing the needs of families of at-risk youth!  Representatives from the United Way helped us to present an awesome vision for us to collaborate with other organizations to make a difference!  We did not know what that was going to look like, but here we are in 2016 with a new name and new vision for the future!  On one mild January morning Rod was working outside the youth center when a man riding his bike stopped and asked him if he ran this place (pointing to the youth center).  Rod said he did and from that conversation we found his wife, Sandy Thorpe!  Sandy became our volunteer Transitional Home Director and was instrumental in getting the furniture and everything we needed to open up the "Lighthouse Transitional Home for Moms", a 2 bedroom house that provides an additional 12 months of care for moms and their children who are transitioning out of the Good Samaritan Shelter in Ephrata!  In July Rod was diagnosed with Lyme disease and struggled for months to regain his strength and health.  After 4 months of treatment he conquered it and is feeling stronger than ever! In October we started our 3rd year as Affiliate Partner of the Power Packs Project!  We expanded again this year to offer food packs to every family who has a child in the Cocalico School District!  We are now serving 45 families  (over 100 children) two to three bags of food that includes meat, milk, and eggs almost every week!  What we do:   Campus Ministry Youth Center Transitional Home Community Supprt Youth Development Power Packs Projct Youth Empowermnt Ways to Support REAL Great Way to Support REAL Youth Ministry!  It costs you nothing and only takes a Click! 5th Annual REAL Banquet! March 31st FREE Tickets ALL Proceeds support REAL Life Community Services  Click Here for Details! Mail a donation: REAL Life Community Services PO Box 22 Denver PA 17517   This year we'd like to expand out Lighthouse Youth Center outreach to include YouthMAX, a youth development program working with the local John Maxwell Team!  We are also looking to develop an afterschool program and regional youth group! We are now working on our BIGGEST project ever with the D' House acquisition and revitalization project!  We have a team of professionals in the building industry to help work with LHOP (Lancaster Housing Opportunity Partnership) to acquire and renovate the 7,700 sq ft building in downtown Denver to provide low income housing and social services to families in need in our community! Merry Christmas!  Impacting Families It was our first Christmas Party at the Lighthouse and we invited several families to come and celebrate with us!  Thanks to a small group from LCBC-Ephrata for providing the food, gifts, enter-tainment, decorations, and Santa!   We had 8 families, over 25 child-ren, come to the Light-house for an evening of traditional Christmas Carols, the true Christmas story read, a meal, and a chance to get a picture on Santa's lap! Rod's Ramblings   There are some things that I am not very thrilled to do; taking out the garbage, cleaning up after the pets, eating healthy, etc.  But there is one thing that I just can't wait to do each and every week, being a listener to 5 young men at Denver Released Time!  It's so cool to hear how their week went, or what they got for Christmas, or who hung out with who the weekend before.  The coolest thing though, is that I get to hear them recite their scripture memory verses for the week and challenge them to live their life for Christ! We cannot do this without your support! Donate Here THANK YOU! Share Tweet Forward Share Copyright © 2016 R.E.A.L. Life Community Services, All rights reserved. Thank you for your continued support of R.E.A.L. Life Community Services. Our mailing address is: R.E.A.L. Life Community Services P.O. Box 22 Denver, PA 17517 Add us to your address book unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences