Let Your Light Shine - Colorado

12/22/2022

🙏 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. Psalms 118:1 🙏

It might be -16 degrees outside, but our hearts are on fire!

We want to thank every person and business that stepped up to help sponsor our families for Christmas 2022, ICM Colorado Paramount Roofing and Gutters Shades of Divine LLC and Nurse Advice Line Nurses at Kaiser Permanente Thrive. Thanks to you, we were able to bless 22 families with gifts, gift cards and groceries, including providing the means for a single mom and her young children experiencing homelessness due to domestic violence into a hotel until Monday, getting them out of this historic life-threatening cold temperatures.

Also, we were able to gift hundreds of toys and socks to our partner agencies to help more children in need of a little light during this Christmas season. But the cherry on the top was to be able to bless a family in need with a car, including emissions, registration, plates, full tank of gas and 2 months of insurance! This much deserving family has been on our self-sufficiency program for the past 4 years. They were faced with many obstacles in their journey but never once gave up or blamed others for their circumstances. But instead, they pressed in and worked harder for their family, never once falling off the program. This vehicle won't solve all their needs but it sure will make their life a little easier and to be able to own something that is all yours, empowers you to keep shining and to press forward towards a brighter tomorrow.

As we sign-off for one last time as Let Your Light Shine, we feel overwhelmingly blessed and grateful for every person who has played a part in our journey. We don't quite know what tomorrow has for us, but we hope to leave a lasting legacy filled with hope and light. It truly has been an honor and a privilege to have served our communities.

We pray for God's abundant blessings and favor over you all. Merry Christmas and have a Happy New Year!

~ With heartfelt gratitude,

Marc & Ellen Kammerzell
Let Your Light Shine

In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:16 🌞

12/20/2022

In the 5 1/2 years that we've run Let Your Light Shine we've had the opportunity to meet and partner with some truly amazing people. The team at ICM Colorado are all part of that group. We're so thankful that they chose to partner with us again this year through the sponsorship of some of our current families. Once again, ICM embraced the challenge given and blew us away by exceeding their gift card fundraising goal. Your generosity and kindness is truly an example for the season. Thank you again ICM and Merry Christmas!

12/12/2022

Thank you, Paramount Roofing and Gutters for blessing 3 families this Christmas! Its been a difficult past 3 years for most, including businesses. So, we feel extra grateful for this support and the ability to bless families in need of extra support.

11/25/2022

It is with a heavy heart and much grief that we write to you today. After much consideration of our sustainability as an organization and turning to everything we could, we have come to the painful decision that Let Your Light Shine can no longer sustain operation. We will continue operation through the end of 2022, wrapping up a few programs with our existing clients, and complete the year on a strong note.

To our community, thank you for trusting us to serve you and your family. Changes were only possible because you chose to work hard to change your situation. It has been our honor and privilege to serve you. Keep moving forward. And our heartfelt gratitude to those who supported LYLS big or small to further our mission to empower our community members facing hardship to move from poverty to self-sufficiency. It has been a source of support that we leaned on for encouragement to keep going.

One of many things I'm learning through the recent passing of my father is that true wealth is not measured in money, but rather by loving others well. Thank you for helping us love well on our neighbors navigating through one of the darkest times of their lives. Through your support for the past 5 ½ years, we have been able to serve more than 46,440 people experiencing hardship in Adams County with emergency food assistance, distributing more than 201,000 lbs of food, clothing, shoes, countless amount of socks, underwear, bras, outreach gear, hygiene and laundry products, period kits, school supplies, diapers, wipes, toilet papers, sanitizing wipes, cleaning products, gift cards, gas cards, easter baskets, mother's day baskets, Thanksgiving meal boxes, Christmas meal baskets, Marshall Fire Emergency services to name a few.

This is not just our legacy we leave behind, but yours as well. So, keep shining your light so that others can see in the darkness.

To all of our friends in the nonprofit world, thank you for all your support, shared knowledge, collaboration and partnership. Thank you for all your efforts and hard work, caring for our communities. There comes a time when the ministering must be ministered to. So, please take good care of yourselves and each other.

This really is a bittersweet moment for Marc and I. Although this chapter is coming to a close for us, we look forward to the future ahead and we wait in anticipation for God to use us again to bring glory to his name. Until then, take good care and have a Happy Thanksgiving, as we have a lot to be thankful for.

If you are interested in helping us support our clients through the end of the year, please feel free to reach out to me via email at [email protected].

A Time for Everything

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace. ~
Ecclesiastes 3:1‭-‬8

08/17/2022

Happy National Nonprofit Day from all of us at Let Your Light Shine. Thanks to all your support, we can empower our community members facing hardship to move from poverty to self-sufficiency!

08/17/2022

Thank you, Brighton Housing Authority for your continued partnership and trusting us to serve your families. We look forward to many more opportunities to get tangible services out to our community members in need of a hand-up.

Also, a big shout-out to our friends at Tagawa Greenhouse Enterprises, LLC. for blessing us with 20 crates of fresh produce yesterday. It was a huge hit!

07/28/2022

Take a minute to apply for free and reduced-price lunches!

This fall, students must have a new form on file with their school district to determine if they’re eligible for free or reduced-price meals. 

07/13/2022

Back-to-School Bash on Saturday, July 30, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. for families with children ages 3-17. Pre-register at adcogov.org/back-school-bash.

In collaboration with community partners, Adams County Human Services will be hosting a Back-to-School Bash on Saturday, July 30, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m., at the Adams County Human Services Center in Westminster. We will be providing families with kids ages 3-17 the opportunity to choose a backpack, school supplies, socks, and hoodies, as well as other resources. Families can register at adcogov.org/back-school-bash.

06/24/2022

Let Your Light Shine was honored to have joined so many wonderful nonprofit organizations and businesses at last night's Adams County COVID-19 Response and Recovery Grant Awardee Dinner. We were awarded over $91,000 to be used to empower our community members facing hardship to move from poverty to self-sufficiency.

Thank you, God, for seeing us through all this time. What a great way to celebrate Let Your Light Shine's 5 year anniversary! Please join us in giving $5 to help feed a family of 4 for a day.

Thank you, Adams County Government, CO for believing in our work and empowering us to shine brighter for those experiencing hardship.

Much congratulations to all other nonprofit organizations and businesses for their grant awards. Let's keep shining, Adams County!

06/14/2022

** Update: I just attached the new link below for voting. Please take a minute to recast your vote. I apologize for any inconvenience.

I am humbled and surprised to have been nominated by a community member to receive the volunteer of the year at Joyful Journeys Community Enrichment. Voting is now open if you have a minute to cast your vote, even it isn't for me. Everyone nominated works tirelessly to make a positive impact in our community and deserves to be recognized. ~ Ellen Kammerzell

https://vote.easypolls.net/62a899378d447100624bcece?fbclid=IwAR3zQTAGLexkCHjzDj0ZpYV-Fly8Fj29iB5QeQROwyP0-tbMWSEinLiljkc

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