RMHS Expands Ability to Meet Individual Needs Thanks to a Generous Donation from Total Wine & More

RMHS has gratefully accepted a nearly $41,000 charitable donation from Total Wine & More, the result of the wine and spirits retailer having chosen RMHS as a Colorado recipient of its nationwide “Points with a Purpose” campaign.

The majority of the donation will be used to fund requests made through JumpStart, an RMHS fund intended to fill unmet needs for people we support.

The “Points with a Purpose” community appreciation event included boosting rewards points that customers could earn during a five-week timeframe in August-September. For every point earned, Total Wine committed to donating a matching reward to charities across the nation.

RMHS accepted the donation in a brief presentation Friday – in which everyone wore masks and were socially distant – at the retailer’s Denver store.

RMHS will use most of the donation to boost JumpStart, an RMHS fund started in 1993 to support unique and unmet needs. Frequently, our case managers would come back from meeting with families in desperate situations and would “pass the hat,” asking for emergency staff contributions to people in need.

JumpStart was started as a way to formalize that process. JumpStart always has and continues to receive significant staff donations, but also is augmented by fundraising events and support from RMHS.

The following are examples of how JumpStart has been used to help people we support:

• Brandon was homeless, living in his car with limited income from Social Security. He struggled with social situations and interaction with others, which made it difficult for him to get services. JumpStart paid for a temporary motel stay to give him a safe place to live while we worked on getting him permanent housing and other services.

• Carol has a disability, a limited income and was unable to afford an adequate bed when hers broke. JumpStart bought her a bed.

• John is a 78-year-old Vietnam-era veteran on oxygen and a fixed income. He had some longstanding unpaid utility bills that he needed to pay to ensure power to his apartment. JumpStart paid his overdue utility bills. 

• Jennifer was pregnant and though she had a job she was unable to afford a stroller and infant car seat. JumpStart bought her a stroller and car seat.

This generosity will allow RMHS to support more people throughout Colorado with unmet needs.