On August 6th and 7th, the Matthews House once again had runners and volunteers participating in the Wild West Relay, a 200-mile relay footrace over the mountains from Fort Collins to Steamboat Springs. This is the 4th year The Matthews House has participated in this exciting event and thanks to the hard work of our 24 runners and 20 volunteers, we raised over $16,000! Can you tell, we're really excited about this!

In addition to training to run between 11 and 19 miles over the course of the race, each runner took on the additional responsibility of raising $600 for the Matthews House. This year’s runners worked very hard training to run some big hills and raising funds to change lives! In addition to setting a fundraising record in this year’s event (last year we barely topped $9,000), one of our team’s took third place in the Open category. Congratulations and thanks to all our runners, volunteers and team sponsors! We’ll be doing it again next year, so if you think you might like to join us next time, just let us know!

Thanks to our Team Underwriting Sponsor Adams Bank & Trust and to all our fabulous team sponsors:

For more information on donating to help us top $15,000, click here. All donations help to empower youth to overcome pasts of neglect and abuse and create futures where they can thrive instead of just survive.

I'll be back soon to share photos and reports from the adventure.

Many thanks to our runners: Mike & Teresa Schoger, Steve Griffin, Julie Pitts, Chris Branchflower, Steve Redder, Josh Fay, John Lakas, Cathy Rotman, Natalie Wasmundt, Chuck & Linda Wright, Vanessa Aschmann, Tiana Nelson, Joyce Dickens, David Higgins, Nikki Mansfield, Amanda Helfer, Emily Thorn, Laura DeVoe, Emily Elmore, Seth Daire, Stacy Fridal, & Anne Kirkner

To Adams Bank & Trust, our Team Underwriting sponsor,

and to all our team sponsors:

Many thanks to our organizer and displaying artist, Marsha Krygier, and all our artists.

Beyond the Fringe – Susan Bergs, handsewn purses and sachets

Lone Tree Pottery – Abbey Rothenbuehler

Tina Kellogg, glass artist

Earth Spirit Pottery – Nancy Williams

Swing Station Studio, Heather Hallberg – handmade purses and housewares  

Fox Ryde Gardens, Susan Buchele Rowland & Curtis Rowland – handcrafted herbal products

Amber Lovelace – fused glass jewelry

L.E. Smith Artworks, Leslie Smith – jewelry

Carr Creative, Ann Carr – handsewn women's jackets, tops, capris and accessories

Monty Weymouth, photographer

John I. Giem, Woodworker (work can be seen at Timeless Creations)

Sage Designs – Rochelle Sage, fountains, pottery, mosaic art

Shiloh Soapworks – Kaylene Baughman, handmade soaps

Saturday, June 26, 11-5

Fun in the Sun!

Don't miss the first annual Matthews House art and craft fair.

Sixteen local art and craft vendors will have items for sale inside and outside the house. All are seasoned professionals who were juried into this event. A great variety will be represented; pottery, jewelry, stained glass, wood, bookmarks, cards, prints, handmade clothes, purses, scarves, soaps, lotions, lavender products.

20% of arts and craft sales will go to support the Matthews House programming.

Arts & Crafts!

Food and fun for the whole family!

Facepainting!

Please join us at the Matthews House, 726 Mathews St, Fort Collins.

In the last couple of years, Mike & Greg Labate and their staff at Mr. Mechanic have donated a lot of time and energy to youth and young adults at the Matthews House by donating pre-sale inspections. The Mr. Mechanic crew has helped tremendously by assisting Matthews House youth in making wise choices when purchasing used vehicles. This life skill empowers young adults to make economical choices when choosing their first car, a major step towards achieving self-sufficiency. Thank you Mr. Mechanic, we are so grateful for your efforts.  You are making a difference in the lives of individuals and in our community!

Saturday, June 19, 12-4, Rolland Moore Park

All Proceeds Benefiting The Matthews House Event

Presented by Veritas and Sponsored by The Wright Life.

Complementary Food Provided by Mama Roni's Pizza.

Tournament Rules:

• 7-12 person Co-ed teams, ages 13-18
• Double Elimination,
• Standard Ultimate Frisbee Rules
• Prize for the Winning Team: Gift Certificates to the Wright Life 

Registration Fee: $5 Pre-registration. $8 Day-of-event Registration More info and registration on event Facebook page

Enjoy breakfast for a donation at Snooze, An A.M. Eatery, 144 W Mountain, Fort Collins. At their pre-opening celebration on Saturday, April 17th you can not only be one of the first to dine at the newest location of this popular restaurant, but your delicious meal will be free in exchange for a donation which will go 2/3 to the Matthews House and 1/3 towards the CSU Hospitality/Agriculture Scholarship Fund.

Half the restaurant will be by reservation only, (you can make a reservation here) and half will be for walk-ins.

Hope you can make it – it will tasty!

This past weekend one of our youth was given the opportunity to pursue her dreams.

Growing up, she knew only abuse and abandonment, living in cars with her mother and never having a stable living environment. Since then, she has lived in multiple foster homes, seeking adoption.

In the last few years, she's become a cheerleader at her high school. She attends practice and games every week with the squad. This is one of the first times in her life that she's been able to be just a teenager with no other worries. Cheerleading has become not only a diversion, but a passion and a place where she finds community and confidence, and where she finally feels a sense of belonging. One of her dreams is to meet professional cheerleaders and to experience cheerleading on the next level.

At the Keeping Dreams Alive Banquet this past weekend, Realities for Children made this dream a reality. This young woman will be participating in a 7-month cheerleading training camp with the Denver Bronco's Cheerleaders! She'll be fitted for her very own uniform and will have the opportunity to cheer at 4 home games with the team. Two of the Bronco's cheerleaders were on hand to present the award to a very excited young woman at Saturday's Banquet.

This is just one example of how Realities for Children, really is Keeping Dreams Alive for youth in our community who are coming out of a childhood marred by abuse and neglect. As the Matthews House staff helped with the nomination process, this young woman told us that "Every time I have wished for something it has not come true…" For this young woman, this is her first opportunity to really see that dreams are worth having because they really can come true.

Read more about the relationship of the Matthews House to Realities for Children here.

Everyone needs groceries, so put it on your calendar and plan to shop for your tasty, healthy food next Thursday, March 25th at Whole Foods and help empower at-risk youth to pursue a future of promise and hope!