life 2018 - wyomission.org€¦ · dear friend, when we first opened our doors in 1978, our...

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On Page 3, read how challenges become changed lives through your gifts and God’s love. On Page 3, read how challenges become changed lives through your gifts and God’s love. Don’t miss… A Message from Brad Hopkins Go Fishin’ for the Mission 1 + YOU = TWO 2 2 4 restoring hope, transforming lives wyomission.org 2018 L ife T HE N EWSLETTER OF W YOMING R ESCUE M ISSION wyomission.org Summer Volume 13 | Issue 2 Volume 13 | Issue 2 Shannon needed a ray of hope to overcome dark times. After facing a lifetime of challenges…

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Page 1: Life 2018 - wyomission.org€¦ · Dear Friend, When we first opened our doors in 1978, our outreach to the area’s hungry and homeless included a soup kitchen and emergency

On Page 3, read how challenges

become changed lives through your gifts

and God’s love.

On Page 3, read how challenges

become changed lives through your gifts

and God’s love.

Don’t miss… A Message from Brad Hopkins

Go Fishin’ for the Mission

1 + YOU = TWO2 2 4

r e s t o r i n g h o p e , t r a n s f o r m i n g l i v e s

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2018LifeT h e N e w s l e T T e r o f w y o m i N g r e s c u e m i s s i o N • w y o m i s s i o n . o r g

SummerVolume 13 | Issue 2Volume 13 | Issue 2

Shannon needed a ray of hope to

overcome dark times.

After facing a lifetime of challenges…

Page 2: Life 2018 - wyomission.org€¦ · Dear Friend, When we first opened our doors in 1978, our outreach to the area’s hungry and homeless included a soup kitchen and emergency

Dear Friend, When we first opened our doors in 1978, our outreach to the

area’s hungry and homeless included a soup kitchen and emergency shelter. Today, generous gifts from friends like you enable us to serve over 120 nutritious meals daily, in addition to providing long-term program residency, clothing, life recovery, job training, and more services and resources than our founders ever imagined.

Yet more people throughout Wyoming are finding themselves in need – and that’s the challenge we face each day. Feeding them. Sheltering them. Caring for their immediate and long-term needs. Sharing God’s love with them.

Here’s a great way to help them right now: Some wonderful friends of our ministry are challenging you to match their generous $100,000 gift with an additional $100,000. (Read the details on Page 4.) That means throughout the month of May, your gifts will go twice as far!

I hope when you read Shannon’s story on Page 3, you’ll see how tremendously her life has been changed by gifts like yours. Now imagine doubling that impact to touch the lives of others who are hurting and homeless.

This ministry has always existed to help people facing huge challenges in their lives. I’m grateful for your continued partnership in restoring hope and transforming lives for those who turn to us today, tomorrow and beyond.

Thank you,

Brad Hopkins Executive Director

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CONNECTING WITH YOU . . .

PO Box 2030 • Casper, WY 82602-2030 (307) 265-3002wyomission.org

Executive DirectorBrad Hopkins

Rescued Treasures Thrift Store2935 E. 2nd Street (Next to Hobby Lobby)

On Thursday, June 7, Wyoming Fly Fishing will partner with Wyoming Rescue Mission to present their fifth annual fly fishing

tournament benefiting WRM. The festivities begin the night of June 6 with dinner and a casting contest. Participants will also be given instructions and assigned guides for the tournament the following day. Coffee and breakfast items will be provided

at sunrise as contestants set off on their half-day fly fishing

adventure. The event concludes with lunch and an awards ceremony.

The sponsorship fee is $1,000, which includes rods, reels, boat rental and a professional guide, as well as the activities described above. Call (307) 265-3002 or visit wyomission.org for details and sponsorship opportunities. See you on the water!

Executive Director Brad Hopkins is grateful for the support and partnership of those who have enabled WRM to serve the community for 40 years.

GO

Page 3: Life 2018 - wyomission.org€¦ · Dear Friend, When we first opened our doors in 1978, our outreach to the area’s hungry and homeless included a soup kitchen and emergency

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We’re so grateful for your generosity and prayers, which allow men and women like Shannon to overcome their challenges and build stable and meaningful lives.

God bless you for your gift today and your continued support.

“ I can see the sun over the horizon . . .

Shannon’s life has been a story of heartache and challenge.As a child, her family moved frequently, and she was often bullied in school because of her struggle

with mental illness. “It caused a lot of roadblocks for me,” she explains, “and they continued into adulthood.”

She eventually married and had a son and daughter, but her relationship with their father didn’t last. Over the years, she suffered serious physical illnesses and was severely injured in a car accident. Her parents assisted as much as they could, even taking in her and the children. But when her mother passed away and her father was no longer able to help, she was left virtually homeless… and hopeless.

Placing her son in the care of her now adult daughter, she came to WRM because she’d heard we could give her a place to stay. “My understanding was it would be just for a few days,” she says. But instead of simply short-term shelter, our staff and counselors welcomed her with open arms and offered the long-term assistance she needed to rebuild a stable life.

“It was absolutely amazing!” she says. “I found out that as long as I need them, they are here.”In addition to providing emotional support, we are helping Shannon locate affordable housing and

connecting her with important social services that will empower her to become a responsible mother and stable community member. She also regularly attends a local church.

She appreciates the love and compassion being shown to her son, 14, who has joined her in our care and was with us during the holidays. “So many people had such gracious hearts and provided him with a very wonderful Christmas,” Shannon says. “He got clothing… a video game… and everything he needed for school.”

Shannon is grateful for the blessings friends like you make possible at WRM – safe shelter, nutritious food, clean clothing, practical guidance – and most important, the opportunity to connect with the Lord. “The encouragement and the freedom to reach out to God in my own ways has been tremendously helpful,” she says. “That’s something I cherish very dearly.”

there is hope! ”

Page 4: Life 2018 - wyomission.org€¦ · Dear Friend, When we first opened our doors in 1978, our outreach to the area’s hungry and homeless included a soup kitchen and emergency

Partner with

WRM

1 + YOU = TWO

4

Our History of Restoring Hope, Transforming Lives

Our ministry to Wyoming’s homeless began in 1978, from a storefront on CY Avenue called Soul’s Anchor, which operated as an emergency shelter and soup kitchen. In 1991, Soul’s Anchor moved into the Park Street Hotel, renovated it and re-opened as the Central Wyoming Rescue Mission. Four years later, we purchased property across the street and placed two modular homes to house our Discipleship Program. This critical addition to our outreach allowed us to offer more in-depth services as well as basic emergency assistance.

We opened Rescued Treasures Thrift Store in 1996 to provide needed funding, as well as to offer opportunities for program guests to learn valuable work skills and job readiness. The growing population of women and children in need led to the opening of our Women’s Transformation Center in 2007.

In 2017, we shortened our name to Wyoming Rescue Mission, reflecting the growth of our outreach to every corner of the state. We moved our store into a larger building, initiated our Project Transformation capital campaign and broke ground for our new facility. Construction on Park Street Center is well underway, with plans to open in November to serve Thanksgiving dinner in our new dining room.

As we mark 40 years of restoring hope and transforming lives, we also celebrate our donors, volunteers and other partners who have come alongside us to make our work possible. We’re blessed by your dedication to our ministry and pray for your continued support.

There are many ways to share your time, talents and gifts with WRM, bringing hope to your neighbors in need…n Volunteer to assist with our

special events.n Encourage your company to

become a corporate sponsor. (New benefit packages are

available.)n Bring a group to tour our

facilities and raise awareness of our mission.

n Follow us on social media to stay in tune with our needs and stories of lives changed.

To learn more, call (307) 265-3002 or visit wyomission.org.

$50

$100

$150

YOUR GIFT TODAY...

$100

$200

$300

HAS TWICE THE IMPACT!

DEADLINE TO GIVE: MAY 31

The McMurry Foundation, Zimmerman Family Foundation and other community partners have contributed $100,000 to WRM and challenged other ministry friends to match it by May 31. That means your gift today will provide twice as much food and shelter for people who are homeless… bring two times the hope to the men, women and children in our care… and offer faith-based programs for even more individuals seeking transformation and change.

Don’t miss this important opportunity to double the impact of your generosity. Give as often as you can by May 31 and help us meet this tremendous challenge!

Help Meet Our $100,000 Matching Challenge!