Posts Tagged ‘sox place’
Last week, we sent out an email letting our supporters know that we were running extremely low on food and socks. Within a week, our pantry and sock crates were overflowing!
This picture is the food from just one church, Eastern Hills Community Church in Aurora, who donated.
In addition to Eastern Hills, we would also like to thank Englewood Fist Assembly of God, Grace Community Church, Boulder County Community Church, Kevin and Carol Bohren, and all the individuals who gave so generously to help meet our needs to help the homeless and at-risk youth of Denver!
Hosted by: Josette Holte and Andrea Barnes
What: Unlimited wine tasting and hors d’ oeuvres, novices welcome – Just bring your enthusiasm! There will also be prize giveaways and a silent and live auction.
Prizes and auction items include:
Sports Authority Gear
Monkey Bizness Party
Mountain house getaway
Where: Water2 Wine
9608 East Arapahoe Road
Greenwood Village, Colorado 80112
Website: www.water2wine.us
When: Saturday, May 12, 7:00-9:00 pm
Cost: $20* per ticket in advance (more at the door; space is limited). Your ticket covers: Entrance fee, wine tasting, and a raffle entry.
*5 is tax deductible; receipts will be given at the door.
For more information or to reserve your ticket, please contact Josette Holte (josetteholte@yahoo.com) or Andrea Barnes (andibarnes11@yahoo.com).
The type of kids walking through the door at Sox Place is constantly evolving and changing. Often we see many of the same kids month after month, but there are always a few new faces in the crowd. One of our favorite parts of this job is getting the opportunity to look into the lives of these people and the subcultures that they belong to.
A couple of weeks ago, our great friends from Sk8 Church (a ministry from Steamboat Springs, CO) came and helped us out for the day. They helped us out and built a quarter pipe skate ramp in our basement, which was a great addition to the few “skating features” we already had. Now we have a mini-skate park at Sox Place, a feature that allows us to reach an entirely new group of teens.
As a staff, we are always looking for more creative ways to reach out to kids that might not normally come to Sox Place. Growing this new skate ministry is something that all of us are extremely passionate about. Since we added our basement skate park, we have had at least a dozen new kids come to Sox Place, mainly to skate. This addition has given us a tremendous opportunity to reach new kids. When it snows here in Denver, which happens quite a bit these days, we have the ability to bring in even more of the skateboard subgroup because they can’t go to the Denver skate park.
We would love to build up this new ministry outreach. We would love to add more rails and ramps and be able to have even more extra skateboards on hand to let the kids borrow. If you have any access to these types of resources, please consider donating to Sox Place. The more kids we have the ability to reach, the more people we can mentor and reach out to and share the love of Christ with.
-Sam
It is rare that homeless kids get brand new clothes to wear, but thanks to Shane and Patty Rose of Utah, they will! Take a look at all these new clothes for the homeless youth of Denver!
When I first got involved with Sox Place almost 10 years ago, our kids were primarily of one sub-culture, the gutter punk. They were anti-government, anti- law, anti-cop, anti-authority, and anti-pretty much everything that got in their way of drinking, fighting, and having “fun.” We still have some of those kids, but now, the kids that come to Sox Place are so diverse that we see many different attitudes and mindsets. They are from different backgrounds and ethnicity.
One major change that I have seen that is positive is that our kids don’t really consider it cool to be living on the streets anymore. In previous years, you got most of your streets status by how long you had been homeless. Now many of our kids want desperately to break the cycle of homelessness, joblessness, and the street lifestyle they are living.
This can be quite a daunting task for many of our youth. So many of them have never been taught the basic life skills that you and I can take for granted. No one was around to teach them how to get up and be on time, how to accept direction and correction from authority, how to look presentable for a job interview, and how to manage the little money they get. Even basic personal hygiene that we were taught as children is foreign to them. It’s easy to write many of these things off as common sense, but when the example your parents give you is violence, welfare abuse, food stamps, taking advantage of the government disability program, and drug and alcohol abuse, common sense becomes not so common for them.
Many of our kids are realizing this is no way to live, and that is very encouraging for me. Therefore, we are adapting our services to include the “Streets2Stability” program. This program is where we teach these basic lessons through a three month internship. We are also helping in the job hunting process, giving bus fare and clothes that are appropriate for interviews.
One of the critical ways you can help these kids who are trying very hard to get off the streets is to let us know if you have any job leads; that would be invaluable. No matter what kind of work it is, we can try and fit one of our youths for the job. We also have a 5280 program where you can commit to donating $52.80 a month to help pay for more “Streets2Stability” participants and other services. Sometimes it only takes one person willing to take a risk for these kids for them to rise to the occasion, and break the cycle.
These are exciting times here at Sox Place and hold a lot of hope for our kids, as it is now they who want to make a change, not everyone around them wanting to change them.
-Jordan
We want to take the time to give a shout-out to the Centennial Rotary Club for the donations of cold-weather sleeping bags. So, here’s a big THANK YOU from the kids at Sox Place! Sleeping outside in the cold is never fun, but it makes it a little more bearable with these:
Sox Place is always thankful for those who give time, money, and needed items. We couldn’t do it without them!
“Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far it is possible to go.” — T.S. Eliot
For all of us, it is often easy in life not to take risks. Easier to stand by and watch than to put our necks on the line in an attempt to change a certain situation. Or maybe some of us are great “dreamers” but we have a hard time, when it comes time, to step up and follow through with our dreams because of fear. No matter how great or miniscule, we deal with risk, everyday all of the time. There are statistics that can be looked at to evaluate the amount of risk involved in any given situation to either encourage people or deter people from doing things.
Sox Place is an environment all about taking risks. The only reason Sox Place even exists today is because of some very monumental risk taking. If Doyle had not taken a HUGE risk, over a decade ago now, and moved his family and entire life to Denver, Sox Place would not be here. If the people who continuously donate their time, money, and prayer, Sox Place would not survive the way it does today. If our staff members did not step out and decide that they would rather work with the kids at Sox Place, doing this ministry, rather than any number of career choices, Sox Place would not be what it is today.
People will often tell you that working with the type of kids that come to Sox Place is a risk that is just not worth taking. People will say that the risk is so much greater than the reward. However, isn’t this what is so amazing about Jesus and his ministry? Whether it is the story of the woman at the well or Jesus choosing to use fishermen as the men who will forever change history through his ministry, he leads a great example of what it means for us to be risk takers.
Lately, this is an issue that God has been laying on my heart in a huge way. One thing we always say at Sox Place is “We need to give them the best we’ve got.” We may not always have the best food for the kids or the sweetest new clothes but we always give them the best we have. It is so important for our ministry that this is also the case in all of our interactions with our kids, because they are worth the risk. God doesn’t call us to be complacent or to just try to meet the needs of the kids that walk through our door. God calls us to daily take risks and put our necks on the line for the people we serve.
As Jesus showed us how to be risk takers through his ministry, so can we show our kids how to be risk takers through ours.
- Sam
The New Year has already come with challenges. We lost one of our “kids” a few weeks ago and participated in his funeral two days ago. As always, when one of them dies they all go into a period of self-destruct in some fashion or another. For most it’s drugs and liquor, some it’s violence, others pulling away from the relationships with people who love them, and some it’s all the above. As a staff, and as many of them our friends, we try to be there for them any way we can through this process.
Last night I drove across town to bring supplies to several of our kids including the wife and best friend of Chuck, the guy who died. They had managed to find an apartment to stay in for a couple of days. One of them that I am particularly close with called me yesterday and asked if I could bring him clothes, some groceries, dog food, and other stuff so they could stay in the apartment. I understood and was happy to do so, knowing that this will give him and the others time away from the drama of the streets and more time to grieve. As I drove home, I thought about how difficult it must be to deal with these hard times in life, like death of a loved one, when you don’t even know where your next meal is coming from or how your going to stay warm so you can sleep out in a snow storm.
As I began to pray for them, I started to think about all the kids I have seen die over the last nine years I have been involved at Sox Place. So many good people have lost their lives to these streets. I pray that Sox Place can remain a cornerstone in these kids’ lives, that we can be here not only to provide a meal, clothes and other physical needs, but to also be a friend that can talk with them and influence them in a positive way. To show them there is more out there than hardship, that they can have peace and grace and love. Let us be examples of that.
- Jordan
Thanks to some of our generous supporters who donated $30 to give some of our kids new skateboards!
Want a Sox Place Skateboard? Want to donate one? Go to Sox Place Store.
You can order white Sox Place t-shirts (s, m, l, xl, 2xl) for $15.00 (plus shipping). All the profits go back to Sox Place to help street youth with jobs! Visit our online store at soxplace.bigcartel.com to order your shirt today.
Cigarette smoke swirled and mingled with the cool night air as it drifted upwards into the evening sky against a backdrop of city lights. I sat on the front porch, enjoying a conversation and sharing laughs with Ziggy and several other guys as we shared stories from our week. We had just driven back from the shops at Northfield Stapleton, where some of the staff from Sox Place and I had been able to purchase some new clothes for Ziggy in celebration of him being released from jail. It was only his second day out, and he loved every minute of it.
It was a Thursday evening, and we had met for a Bible study at Sam’s place to read and discuss a few chapters out of 1 Samuel. We all sat and listened as Sam read the first several passages. We talked about the birth of Samuel, his dedication to the Lord by his mother Hannah, and his interaction with Eli as he learns to hear the voice of God. As we talked, Ziggy began asking questions about the life of a Christ-follower. It was easy to tell that he was fully enveloped in the conversation, eager to learn and seek encouragement in the faith.
Though he was in prison for eight years, Sox Place has had the opportunity to radically change the direction of Ziggy’s life. Ziggy isn’t the same person that he was even a few years ago, all thanks to the people that make up this organization. The low number of evident “success stories” that come out of Sox Place can be reason enough to be discouraged at times, but we are here for every single street kid that walks through the doors of Sox Place, praying for them; supporting and providing for them; and growing a meaningful relationship with them, even if it is only to plant a seed.
As I rode home that night, the streetlights casting a golden glow on the city streets, I realized that all it takes to initiate transformation in someone’s life is to plant a seed. We truly love and believe in the street youth of Denver, and we hope to continue planting seeds that will eventually blossom into something much greater.
Written by Benten Woodring
At any point in time, there are over 1,100 homeless youth (ages 14-24) and over 5,000 homeless students (children attending school, but considered homeless) in the Denver-Metro area.* Denver is home to thousands of gang members, countless drug and alcohol addicts, victims of human trafficking, and hundreds of other at-risk youth.
Sox Place is reaching 60-80 of these youth each day.
Each Tuesday through Saturday, we provide a hot meal, mentoring, resources and referrals, clothing, blankets, internet access, recreation, employment assistance, housing assistance, and on-the-job training. Sox Place is a safe environment that is like family – a family that loves and accepts street youth for who they are and where they are in life. The above services will give the street youth the opportunity to end the vicious cycle of hopelessness that they face on a regular basis.
Denver Colorado is known as the “Mile High City” (5,280 feet = 1 mile), and we are asking you to come alongside Sox Place by giving $52.80 a month in support. Without partners like you, we cannot continue or expand our mission.
Please consider supporting Sox Place. You have the power to change the lives of those who need it most.
Watch our website for more information and videos on 5280 in the coming days!
Want to donate now? Here’s a couple options:
- It is quick and easy to contact your bank and set up an automatic donation every month. All you need is your bank info our address! (PO Box 544, Denver CO 80201)
- You can send in monthly checks.
- We are in the process of setting up a PayPal account specifically for 5280. Keep watching our website for that availability. Until then, you can always donate $52.80 through our current PayPal account by clicking below.
*Source: 2009 Point it Time Survey by Metro Denver Homeless Initiative and Colorado Department of Human Services
It’s not about what we, as staff, go through with doing such mission as Sox Place. It’s about all the street youth that God brings into our lives, those that cross our path for ten years or ten minutes. They are what Sox Place is all about; a way for us to show the Father’s heart to the fatherless, to the lost and forgotten. We will continue to experience the joys and the heartbreaks of our work, but we will not give up on them!
Stevie (our college intern) and I went out on the streets last Tuesday to see if there were street youth we were missing at Sox Place. We walked down to the half circle, on to Skyline Park 1,2 and 3 and talked to a few here and there. We then walked down the length of 16th Street Mall, finding 8 travelers, or train hoppers as they are called.
One couple, I and S were singing to get money. We found out that she was from the area and he from Florida. She told me that her mother had asked her to come back home, but when she got there her mother wanted nothing to do with her! I wanted to hug her, but instead invited them to Sox Place for blankets, food, and of course socks! I also told her that we would not reject her, that she was welcome to our family!
Thanks for your support so that we can continue to doing our mission to the street youth!
Doyle
I love to bike. It’s almost a problem. At the time I had three different bicycles: a fixed gear, an older mountain bike, and a sleek road bike. Up to this point I had ridden my road bike or my fixie every single day, but my mountain bike sat unused in the courtyard of an apartment complex, suffering through torrential downpours and a lack of use. It was given to me as a gift from a friend, but it required a fair amount of work to get it up and running again. I was living in Boulder when I received the bike, so I dropped by a veloswap of sorts near the Boulder Beer brewery and picked up an old Shimano XTR rear wheel along with an 8-speed cassette saturated with years of chain grease and road grime. I snagged a used Kenda rear tire at Community Cycles for a couple bucks and got to work. I soon had the bike up and running, but it ultimately sat idle for months.
Several months later, after moving to Denver and beginning my work as part of the staff at Sox Place, I began to seriously consider selling my mountain bike since I almost never used it and was tight on money. I figured that I would be able to get a modest amount of money for it, – at least enough to pay for groceries for a couple months – but God had different plans. I started praying that I would be able to give my bike to one of the kids at Sox Place instead – someone who would truly benefit from it. The next day, I overheard Ziggy – one of the kids at Sox Place – mention that he needed a bike to get around while he was on work-release from jail. I was pleasantly surprised at how quickly my prayer had been answered. I had met Ziggy a few times before and knew his story well enough to know that his life had changed drastically during the 8 years that he was in prison. I knew that giving him my mountain bike would help greatly, especially with his job search.
A week later, after getting a much-needed new seatpost for the bike and tuning it up once again, I was able to ride out to Northfield with Jordan to Marco’s Pizza, where Ziggy had recently been hired to work full time. He was ecstatic to finally be able to see the bike I had mentioned to him a week prior; especially in knowing that it was completely his. Jordan, Doyle, and I sat and listened as Ziggy ate a large slice of pepperoni pizza and told us about his new job. I learned that he would be out on parole within the next month, and that he hopes to be able to find an apartment in the near future. Even despite the short amount of the time that I have been here at Sox Place, I have had the opportunity to see one amazing success story, and I hope to see more.
-Benten
It started on the streets; it’s where I got my street name from the streets kids in 2000 after passing out hundreds of pairs of socks on the 16th Street Mall in downtown Denver. The streets were the home of the street kids, known as gutter punks, train hoppers, old school, and, by the media, “mall rats.” They were from all walks of life, from all over America, just hanging out on the Mall, a place many called their “living room” because that is where they came together as a family.
When I came in 1998, they were up and down the mall, but mostly around Skyline Park on 16th and Arapahoe streets. I would simply walk up to a crowd, asking if they needed socks. They would of course say yes, taking them with smiles on their faces and, once in a while, a thank you. It started with a pair of socks or even a blanket donated by a church somewhere in America.
After two years the street kids gave me the name Sox, accepting me into their world.
I would spend a few hours during the day and at night. I walked with them, among them, and just on the edge of their existence. God set my heart to them when I was out on the streets and that is where I am returning. I have been longing to be back out there with them again, and with the great staff that is now at Sox Place Drop-In Center, I can. So for now I will be out there a couple days a week and one to two nights. I will be joined by Stevie, one of our college interns, on Tuesday. This doesn’t change my passion and love of our Drop-In Center, but I must get back out there in their world!
Doyle
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