Testimonies
Meet Amber!
Amber was sitting on the stoop of her apartment building one fine day in June 2019 when Sunny and Rod approached her. She had clearly been through something, as she had several horrible bruises all over her body and was wearing a cast on her leg. That’s when we found out Amber had been a victim of domestic violence, and she was worried about paying her rent for that month.
Her then-boyfriend had violently attacked Amber after he threw her out of his house over some money dispute. When she returned to grab her shoes to go home, she suddenly found herself on the floor, unable to get up. The next thing she remembers is crawling down 4th street in Denver from Washinton St. and stopping on the bridge to try and flag down a car. Finally, a gentleman in a van pulled over and offered to take her to the emergency room. Amber, still in a state of shock, insisted that he take her home since she didn’t have any belongings on her. When she returned to her apartment, she called a friend who came in from Reading, and when he arrived, he told her to call the police.
Due to this incident, Amber could not work for over a year. When we approached her, we asked if there was anything we could do for her, and at that time she was most concerned about her rent being paid. We were able to pay her rent for June, and an anonymous donor paid $200 towards her rent for August. Since then, REAL Life has been here for Amber for whatever she has needed. After obtaining the Royer House and becoming Amber’s landlord, we have been able to do things to the apartment that she no longer could take care of such as repairing a water leak and replacing her range and a screen door. In her own words, she says that if she has any problems, she knows she can come over (to the office) and we help. Even if it’s just to talk or ask questions, we are on it. Especially through this entire ordeal, we have been able to help her with any paperwork she has had to fill out and even help her scan and send it to where it needs to be. Similarly, REAL Life even provided Amber with gift cards so that she could get new clothes.
Amber says she has learned that she can ask for help. Even though we knew she drank and smoked, we never condemned her for it. She says with all the advice we gave her; she took some of it and left some behind. But with tears in her eyes, she can proclaim that she hasn’t drank for 8 months. She says she feels so much better with a head so much clearer.
She wants others to know “Don’t be scared to ask for help. If REAL Life can’t do it, they can’t, but I guarantee REAL Life will find a way to help. If they hadn’t been here, I don’t know where I would have been.”
As Amber continues to walk out her story, it hasn’t been easy. With your help, we’ve been able to walk with Amber and encourage her every step of the way! Together we are changing lives and transforming Denver by connecting our community to Hope!
Meet Sheila!
REAL Life Community Services has helped us out in so many ways. We moved here to Denver during the summer of 2020 and the transition wasn’t exactly the smoothest. Our children struggled to get connected in school and we struggled to fit in with the community along with trying to find the money to accommodate the bigger mortgage that came with a bigger house and still being able to provide the basics for family life. REAL Life came and helped us by giving us the training on how to better manage our finances through the financial literacy program. They also helped by providing the needed extra items for school such as the backpack giveaway and the Client Choice program provides us with some needed grocery items that we were able to pick and choose what our family likes.
The Thinking Thursday program provided the community interaction that we needed to help our kids get further connected by providing a safe and laid-back environment for community connections. I can’t rave enough about the Neighborhood Santa program that we participated in during the holidays. I strongly believe that the kids had the best Christmas ever because of the support offered through that program. Also, the Parents as Teachers program is great. Tyler just loves when Ms. Deeann comes to visit, and he gets to play fun games with her and me. All in all, REAL Life is amazing and has helped us really make our house hear in Denver a home that we all love!
Meet Joanne!
In June 2021, my husband with Parkinson’s, Dave, fell, suffered kidney failure, and slipped greatly in his cognitive decline. It was a very difficult week to say the least. After leaving the hospital 8 days later, home health care started, and Dave’s neurologist told me that his cognitive decline was greater than expected. He can no longer be left alone at all – needs someone with him 24/7.” I can still remember his words. I knew what I needed to do – quit my full-time job as a preschool teacher to take care of him. It was all so very sudden and hard. Our main source of income would be gone with me quitting my job.
However, I had said ‘For better or worse’ when we married and meant it. My mom in Denver, PA told me to come and live with her for a while, so I quit my job, sold our small house, and moved to Denver from Warren, MI with my husband. After we moved, we went to a local food distribution event at a neighborhood church and found out about REAL Life. I contacted them, and we met with Chris, a fantastic social worker who prayed with us at the end of our session which certainly meant a lot. She gave us a wooden cross as a small gift which reminds me of Christ’s provision for my sins and also provision for the here and now. Through Real Life, God seemed to say to me, ‘I will take care of you’. And He has!
REAL Life’s gifts of food and toiletries, resources for health care and financial helps and other blessings have encouraged us so very much!Often in the very hardest of times, God enables you to see His care in remarkable ways. REAL Life has helped do exactly that! We will be eternally grateful for the blessings of REAL Life at a very dark time in our lives. I truly believe God had them there for us! A very heart felt THANK YOU to REAL Life and all supporters!!
Meet Donyelle!
I thank you, REAL Life Community Services, for all you have been to me and my 2 boys. I have no family around the area, and I was needing help in some areas, to be able to get on my own 2 feet. REAL Life made a way for that! When I faced certain barriers, they were a backbone and helped me in the best way they could! REAL Life helped keep me going, especially at times when I felt like there was no light at the end of the tunnel! You guys were on my side when I came and began to search for childcare and a job, and now I have both.
Now I am able to support my family. My car broke down and with no transportation I was beyond stressed but they came together, and I can’t appreciate the nice gentleman enough for BLESSING me and my boys so we can go back and forth where we need too. The love and the generosity and the open arms give me beyond butterfly feelings because sometimes when you’ve been working so hard, and you don’t have much support you never expect your village to be complete strangers that you built a bond with. My boys and I, thank you because of you all at REAL Life we were able to feel the love from your village! This car is GREAT!
