Follow the Sparks – Read our stories

On my way home from work I stopped by a restaurant to pick up dinner for my husband and me. Near where I parked, a man stood with a poorly translated sign asking for help. I couldn’t make out the entire sign, but I did make out the word “hungry.” I decided to grab an extra meal to give to the man on my way to the counter. I came out and walked over to the man and handed him the extra bag of food, said a few words and wished him luck. He lowered his head and said thank you a number of times. As I walked back to my own car, I watched & expected him to open the bag and eat the food…but he didn’t. He walked over to a car parked nearby and handed the bag over to 3 or 4 children waiting inside. Realizing his HUNGRY sign was not about him, but more about his family, I went back into the restaurant and ordered more food and drinks for the man and the children (& gave him the little cash I had in my wallet). He was choked up and reached out for a hug. I hugged him tight and wished him luck. He went to the car and ate with his family. I still think about that man and hope he and his family are ok. I also hope that my little bit of help will remind them that people do care and perhaps inspire them to help others when they are able.

In 2015, at the age of 34, having Diabetes for almost 20 years had caused kidney damage, which in turn caused high blood pressure which further accelerated the deterioration of the kidneys. In June of 2015, Clyde Colbert was diagnosed with End-stage Renal Disease, kidney failure. Clyde began dialysis treatments and shortly after was added to the Kidney transplant list. Sadly, in Colorado, the wait on the kidney transplant list is approximately five years long. Therefore, it was vital that Clyde find a living donor willing to donate one of their kidneys to support Clyde’s recovery.

After several unsuccessful attempts to find a donor with a compatible blood type, Clyde began to lose hope, but by the grace of God, the last relative tested was a match. Clyde’s nephew Brandon Stewart, living in Maryland was indeed a match and willing to donate. However, this would not come without its challenges. Before the Doctors at University agree to go through with the procedure, they must meet with Brandon in-person for the final tests and to make sure the living donor is fully aware of all the risks and recovery time of the surgery. With medical bills piling up, Clyde having to miss a substantial amount of work due to his illness, and raising three kids, money was extremely tight. Financially, there was no hope in sight for a way to fly Brandon out to Colorado so he could meet with the surgery team at University.

Miraculously, One Spark Foundation heard of the financial issues the Colbert family was having and immediately with Clyde’s nephew travel arrangements to meet with the surgeons at University, truly a blessing for Clyde and his family.

Through the generosity of One Spark Foundation, Clyde and his living donor were able to complete this final step and schedule the kidney transplant for the month of December 2017!!! Clyde and his family will be eternally grateful for the love and support of the One Spark Foundation.

One Spark Denver was made aware of a young man who had moved to Colorado from Rwanda. He had come here to pursue a lifelong dream. From an early age, Juste Mukiza recognized the importance of living a healthy lifestyle and was passionate about nutrition and fitness. He wanted an opportunity to one day teach children and adults the importance of healthy nutrition and to become a certified personal trainer. Although Juste worked full-time and was able to begin a life here for himself, the expense of the training program was more than he could manage on his own. One Spark Denver responded by paying the certification fees associated with the personal training program and its assessments. Today, Juste is a certified personal trainer, and his company, Joostcamp LTD is helping those who struggle with their health, fitness, and self-esteem. One Spark Denver helped him realize his dream and make it reality. As his way of paying it forward, Juste offers free training sessions each month to those who are inspired to live healthy but lack the resources to belong to a traditional gym facility.

Thank you, One Spark Denver.

A group of children in the Denver area was excited to join the local volleyball league. However, the cost of uniforms, equipment, and facility rentals for practices and games was steep, and the parents of these students were unable to afford the additional expense. Upon learning of these children and their desire to join the league, One Spark Denver offered to sponsor the team and paid for each child’s uniform, purchased equipment, and located qualified volunteers to officiate games. One Spark Denver recognized the importance of ensuring that children of various socioeconomic backgrounds be afforded opportunities similar to those of their peers. One Spark Denver values after-school activities that help children develop social skills, sportsmanship, and teamwork. These students and parents have benefitted from the giving of others, and, to show their gratitude, they are each paying it forward by volunteering two days of their time within their community.

Thanks, One Spark Denver, for providing these children and their families the opportunity to participate and pursue their goals.

I have been blessed with 8 beautiful children. Unfortunately, my marriage to their mother ended in divorce, and they moved with their mother to another state. After some time, their mother’s health had declined to the point that she was no longer able to care for them as she once had. Pursuant to state laws, the children were split-up and put into foster care. The expenses I’ve incurred to date while trying to resolve this matter are in excess of $20,000. Because I do not have that kind of money, I worry that I might never be able to get my children out of foster care. Fortunately, One Spark Denver came to my rescue and was generous enough to help me manage a portion of these expenses. As a result, I hope to have all of my children reunited and living as a family with me here in Colorado very soon.

I am most grateful, One Spark Denver. I hope to be able to pay it forward soon.

Last winter I felt grateful that I had a home to go to that kept me warm at night. I wanted to reach out and help all the people who were not as fortunate as I was. The people living on the streets were forced to bear the freezing temperatures. However, I felt that I alone could not make a vast impact. Despite my discouragement, I decided to donate a few coats to a local homeless shelter. I was telling my friend about my concerns and she offered to donate some of her coats as well. From this I realized I could pass the message along and collect as many coats as possible from co-workers, friends, and family to donate. I was able to speak out for all the people that couldn’t and my small role made a huge impact.

This experience taught me that one person or even just one coat can make a difference.

-Denver, CO

I went grocery shopping last week and the women in-front of me appeared to have her hands full with an infant and two small children. After the cashier rang up all of her items she realized that she didn’t have enough money to pay her total balance. I felt her embarrassment and watched her as she careful choose items to take out of her basket. A few bottles of formula and cans of baby food were items that did not make the cut. I couldn’t bear to watch this unfold and not step in to help her. I insisted on paying for the items she could not afford. The women was extremely grateful for my assistance. It was a pleasure to help her out. If I were in the same situation I would hope that someone would do the same for me. Remember to pay it forward!

-Littleton, CO

My friend told me about this woman he knew that was raising two children all by herself. She worked multiple jobs to make ends meet and never asked anyone for help. She gave all that she had to her children. Consequently, her dental health had greatly declined. Her teeth were unevenly spaced, crowded, decaying and there were large gaps where she was missing teeth. I wanted to help her not only become healthy, but also have enough confidence to be able to smile. I decided to nominate her on the One Spark non-profit organization to get a full upper and lower set of dental implants. One Spark generously wanted to help and was able to raise money to pay for the entire cost of the dental implants. I am very grateful for One Spark and all the donors that aided in improving her oral health and alleviating the financial burdens that prevented her from getting implants.

-Aurora, CO

On my way home from work I pulled into a nearby gas station. A man stopped me and frantically explained that his car broke down. He was on his way to the hospital to see his wife and their newborn child. In desperation he asked me for a ride to his mother’s house so that he could get to the hospital. I was weary of the situation, but I agreed to help him out and give him a ride.

As we drove he was talking on the phone to his mom and he was informing her about how expensive the medication was for his infant. I assumed he would then ask me for money. Much to my surprise when we arrived at his mom’s house he thanked me and simply opened the car door and got out. That is when I decided to get out of my car and wave him down. I gave him all the money I had in my wallet, which was $200 dollars. The guy appreciated it so much, he was choked up saying thank you. I drove away feeling blessed that I was able to pay it forward by helping someone less fortunate than myself.

-Centennial, CO