Sina had always wanted to be a nurse, but the mother of two in her mid-thirties thought there were too many obstacles in her way to realize that dream. With the encouragement of her husband, resources accessed through Sister Carmen Community Center (SCCC), and her sheer determination, Sina recently graduated from an accelerated program at CU Anschutz with a Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing (BSN) and is now working as a Registered Nurse in the emergency department of a local hospital.

Earning a nursing degree is difficult under the best of circumstances, but with the hurdles Sina faced, it’s downright miraculous that she was able to complete this rigorous program in so short a period. Around the time she started the program, her husband was fired from his job as a ramp agent, handling luggage for an airline, when he was declared legally blind from cataracts in both eyes. The high-prescription glasses and contacts he had been relying on were no longer sufficient, and cataract surgery was recommended to restore his vision. He had doctors’ notes for missed work, and Human Resources suggested he apply for the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) to have the surgery. But before he could apply, he was fired by the airline.

“They said he didn’t show up for work without calling in, which is not true,” Sina explained. Initially denied unemployment benefits, her husband had wisely taken screenshots of the FMLA communications with his employer before being blocked from his work computer. This evidence proved why the airline really let him go in September of 2024, and the rejected claim was overturned. But he didn’t start receiving unemployment until April of 2025, and then it only lasted for three months. Insurance would cover part, but not all, of his surgery—leaving the family responsible for $4,000. “We didn’t have that kind of money,” said Sina. “We didn’t have any kind of assistance at that time. We had to apply for food stamps (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program —SNAP) and Medicaid, which didn’t go into effect until December, and he got fired in September.”

With her husband unable to work or drive until after the surgery, Sina was ready to drop out of school and return to her job as a pharmacy tech to support the family as best she could. Most of her school loan funds had already been used to cover their living expenses for the six months they had no income. It was then that a family member urged her to see if Sister Carmen could help.

Sina met with Zoya, an Advocate who runs our Pathways to Economic Stability program. It supports students pursuing the education or skills to secure higher-paying careers. Zoya found state grant funding to cover the cataract surgery, then she helped Sina apply for a scholarship from the Cielo Foundation to help cover her tuition. Sister Carmen also paid some school fees. Section 8 housing vouchers subsidized a little of the family’s rent while her husband was out of work, allowing them to stay housed despite falling behind on utility bills. Zoya assisted with bringing their water bill current through a City of Lafayette program and helped Sina apply for the Low-income Energy Assistance Program (LEAP) through the state to cover their heating bills. When possible, Sina would shop at our food bank, but her schedule made that difficult. Juggling classes, clinicals, commuting, studying, and family responsibilities, her days started at 4am and ended around midnight. The strain extended to their car. When Zoya learned Sina was driving 70 miles daily in an unsafe car, she reached out to R12 Charities for repairs and provided gas cards to help cover fuel expenses.

“If she wasn’t there to help me with all the stress—my husband being out of work and needing eye surgery we couldn’t afford, our mounting bills, how I was going to get to campus and pay my tuition bill—I wouldn’t have gotten through nursing school,” Sina shared. “It was my husband and my kids pushing me, and Zoya that helped me keep going. If it wasn’t for Sister Carmen, I would have had to quit school to go back to work, and my husband wouldn’t be able to work… or see.”

If it wasn’t for Sister Carmen, I would have had to quit school to go back to work, and my husband wouldn’t be able to work… or see.”

Sina’s husband’s eye surgery was a success, but it took him a year to find a new job. He applied everywhere—Walmart, Target, King Soopers, other airport jobs—indicating availability to work any shift, but received no responses. This September, he finally landed a job assembling wind turbines from 5pm-3:30am, four days a week. However, because the company relies on a government contract, his hours were reduced during the shutdown—and his schedule remains unpredictable.

Finally, all of Sina’s hard work paid off—she passed her nursing licensure exam on the first try and received offers from all three hospitals where she applied! She recently began a new job that provides the best pay and benefits she’s ever had. But even with this success, the road ahead isn’t easy. Higher income means the family will no longer be eligible for government benefits. And now, Sina must immediately start repaying her 19% interest school loan just as they are beginning to regain their financial footing. Through it all, Sister Carmen will continue to walk alongside them—ensuring that Sina and her family have everything they need to thrive.

From government funding cuts, to the pause of SNAP benefits, and the rising cost of housing and healthcare, it’s been another year of historic challenges at Sister Carmen. The government safety net—subsidized housing, SNAP benefits, and Medicaid—that helped keep Sina’s family afloat is deeply frayed. Many families like hers are falling through the gaps. With your support, we can lift up more of them on their path to stability.

One person can make a huge impact. Sister Carmen Community Center (SCCC) is living proof of that! Fifty-five years ago, Sister Carmen Ptacnik, a Catholic nun from California, arrived in Colorado to assess the needs of the people of Lafayette. Six years later, she returned to California, but her humanitarian efforts inspired community members to start a local non-religious nonprofit in her name. Today, SCCC carries on the legacy of one woman who saw the needs of the people here and helped in any way she could.

One way was by gathering and distributing food, clothes, and household goods to people in need. This evolved into our food bank and thrift store, which have had three locations over the years. When we outgrew the space on Baseline Road (generously rented to us by the City of Lafayette for $1 per year), the food bank and administrative offices moved to Aspen Ridge while the thrift store stayed behind and expanded into that space.

Today, our thrift store generates about $750,000 in revenue annually to help cover the cost of running the programs and services offered at our family resource center. As we face reduced funding this year, we recently made the difficult decision to raise prices at the store for the first time in 10 years. Not to worry though, with most items still priced under $3, our thrift store remains the best bargain around. But it’s more than that.

It’s also a place that fosters community and sustainability. People come together to care for each other—those who no longer need items that are still in good condition donate them so others can use them, thereby diverting tons of pounds from local landfills.

In 2024, we issued thrift store vouchers equaling almost $37,000 to 472 SCCC participant households. But the most valuable thing in our thrift store is not for sale: it’s the spirit of community that fills the space.

While the store is a lifeline to those in need of clothing and household basics, many regulars who visit the thrift store every week are not always in search of physical items. Sometimes, they’re just looking for a friendly chat or some human interaction.

Our staff and volunteers are always happy to oblige. “People come not just for the goods and resources, but to connect. It’s a hub for community,” says Katie, a Retail Supervisor at the store. “We see people, like friends and neighbors, bumping into each other here and catching up.”

Brook, a Retail Assistant, says it reminds her of the 1980s TV show Cheers, where everybody in the bar knew Norm. “I see so many people greeting each other with a warm handshake or a hug, reconnecting with people they know. We hear a lot of ‘Hi, how are you doing?,’ ‘How’s the family?’”

Staffers also enjoy chatting with regular shoppers and pointing out items that might be of interest to them. And, of course, we couldn’t run the thrift store without the help of our wonderful volunteers!

Randi discovered SCCC about 20 years ago when she relocated from upstate New York and had some furniture she no longer needed. A friend recommended that she donate it to our thrift store. Randi has been donating to and volunteering at Sister Carmen in some capacity ever since, even serving on our Board of Directors for a time. But her favorite spot to volunteer in is our thrift store. She says the camaraderie among the volunteers is a big reason for this.

“We have a great rapport. We check on each other’s families and health issues. It’s heartwarming, like family.”

This very active 78-year-old also likes that working in the store keeps her moving! Most days, you’ll find her busy sorting clothes and pushing them on racks.

People of all ages and abilities volunteer at our thrift store—from Daniel, a high school student who has been volunteering for the past two years, to a group of folks with intellectual and developmental disabilities from North Metro Community Services.

The thrift store is also a Boulder County Community Service approved work site for non-violent and non-theft related charges. It’s the young community service workers that Farhat, our Thrift Store Director, enjoys working with the most.

“I made my share of mistakes as a kid. I was able to turn it around, and I like being able to help people get back on the right path,” he says. “They see what a valuable resource we are for the community, and they like being a part of it.”

In the spring of 2022, Claudia’s mother-in-law was killed by guerrilla terrorists in Colombia for being a feminist leader who provided information to the government and police. There is no record of her murder, and her body was never recovered. Shortly after, Claudia’s family started receiving death threats. She and her husband moved with their son to another part of Colombia, where they hoped they would be safe, but the death threats followed them.

Desperate to protect their family, they decided to cross the U.S. border through Mexico with the help of a “coyote,” someone who smuggles people across borders. After they paid him in Colombia, he wanted more money to complete the journey, so they were held hostage in Mexico for three days until their family back in Colombia sent more money. The young family almost drowned crossing the river; their son was just 6 years old at the time. Once they reached the U.S. shore, they were picked up by Immigration and taken to a detention center, where Claudia and her son were separated from her husband for a day and a half. Once they shared that they had a cousin in Aurora, CO, the family was flown to Denver to live with him. They started working in a bakery and living in the basement of a home with other refugee families until they were kicked out because too many people were living there. They found new jobs at a bakery in Louisville.

While searching for housing in Lafayette, they met a secretary at an apartment complex office who suggested the family visit Sister Carmen Community Center (SCCC) to see if we could offer any help. That’s where Claudia met SCCC Advocate Carolina for the first time and received financial assistance for a rental deposit, as well as food from our Food Bank and clothes and household goods from our Thrift Store.

A little while after the family settled in Lafayette, Claudia was overcome with intense pain and spent some time in the hospital for the diagnosis and treatment of kidney, gallbladder, and liver stones. Soon after she was discharged, a $40,000 hospital bill arrived. Having no means to pay it, Claudia once again turned to Sister Carmen for guidance.

“When I arrived, I was crying. I was stressed and worried because that’s a lot of money, and we didn’t have it,” says Claudia. “Carolina reassured me that everything would be okay. She did some research and found a hospital discount care program that covered the entire bill. She also helped register our family for health insurance to help cover future healthcare needs and bills.”

And there were more medical bills. The medication Claudia took while recovering from her illness made her so weak that she passed out one day at work. 911 was called. Per protocol, an ambulance and fire truck were dispatched. When the bills arrived for these emergency services, Carolina helped Claudia get them reduced and arranged payment plans for the remaining balances. Claudia also suffered a bout with a bacterial stomach infection. Then, there was some happy medical news—a new baby was on the way! A little girl joined their family 7 months ago.

Claudia took lactation classes at Sister Carmen to prepare for the new arrival. When her son was struggling with being in a new country and not speaking the language, Carolina helped connect him with a mental health therapist in the school system. She also helped Claudia enroll in English classes at Intercambio, and helped the family secure driver’s licenses and an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN). Now, she’s helping them navigate the immigration system, referring them to legal resources as they seek political asylum and refugee status.

After having to leave all her family behind in Colombia at the age of 27, and desperately missing her mother, Claudia is grateful to have found Sister Carmen Community Center and Carolina, in particular.

“It has been a blessing to have found this family not just because of the services they provide, but also because of the companionship and support they have given me. Carolina has helped me manage all the struggles I have faced here,” Claudia shares.

“My family hopes that we can stay here in the U.S. and give back to those who come after us, and help them the way that we have been helped.”

Meaghan married at 18 to escape the abusive household where she grew up. After graduating from a small Bible college in the Midwest, she and her husband moved to Telluride, where Meaghan had a successful career in the tourism industry for over 10 years. During that time, they welcomed a baby girl, but the marriage fell apart and they divorced. Following the divorce, Meaghan became involved in an abusive relationship, so her ex-husband moved with their daughter to Longmont.

“I lost my world when I lost my daughter—lost my home, lost my car, lost everything,” she says. Heartbroken by the loss of her daughter, Meaghan moved to Boulder to be closer to her, and also to escape the abusive relationship. She worked as a leasing agent at an apartment complex close to her daughter’s school and started to build a new life for herself, but then her abuser found her and convinced her to take him back. Fueled by his drug addiction, the abuse continued and worsened. She worked, and he spent all her money on drugs until she was left homeless and pregnant.

“Not knowing where I was going to sleep from night to night while I was pregnant was scary,” Meaghan remembers. She was admitted to the Mother House, a shelter for pregnant women in Boulder, but was forced to leave because she was still seeing her abuser. In 2019 after a great deal of time and effort, she finally received a subsidized housing assignment in Lafayette for herself and her new baby, a second daughter.

When she went from being homeless to having an apartment to furnish, Meaghan had only one bag of personal belongings. She visited a thrift store nearby, the Sister Carmen Thrift Store, to see if she could find anything there. While shopping, she learned that she might be able to get a voucher from Sister Carmen Community Center (SCCC) to help buy items for her new apartment.

Sister Carmen provided the fresh start Meaghan needed when she moved to Lafayette. Besides the voucher to purchase mattresses, household and baby items, she also learned she could use the Sister Carmen Food Bank. That’s where she met Ginny, our Nurturing Parent Program Coordinator, for the first time. “I knew just by looking at Meaghan, by the way she stood, that she had been abused,” Ginny recalls. “I know the signs.”

She told Meaghan about the parenting classes offered at Sister Carmen and also the Circle of Parents Support Group for those impacted by addiction in their families; Meaghan registered immediately. Then Ginny followed up with a phone call to ask, “What else do you need? How old is your daughter?”

“She brought me bags and bags of clothes for my baby daughter, and I was just in tears,” shares Meaghan. “Not only that, but she asked me what I like to do. ‘I like to create. I’m an artist. I like to draw and paint,’ I told her. Then she brought me all kinds of art supplies. I was blown away because I’ve never had anybody just open up their heart that instantly towards me, without even knowing me. It was the best welcome I could have ever gotten, and I’ve been with Sister Carmen ever since.”

In addition to the thrift store, food bank, parenting classes and support group, Sister Carmen has provided Meaghan with bus passes, food delivery, child care, a resource for eyeglasses (Eye Doctors of Louisville), and financial assistance for utility bills. She’s attended community fun nights, wellness workshops, and exercise, financial education, and civic engagement classes. But the thing she values most is the community she’s found here.

“Circle of Parents is the glue, my saving grace. We’ve developed a real sisterhood too,” she shares. “Even though we come from many different backgrounds, cultures, language barriers, and parenting styles, it doesn’t matter. Those are my girls. We’re just there for each other. It’s completely confidential and non-judgmental.”

One time while the group was being held on Zoom, Ginny received a text from Meaghan which read: “Call the Police immediately. Send them now!” Ginny quickly excused herself from the session, saying she left something on the stove, and made the call. “She didn’t even question, ‘Why? What’s going on? You seem happy.’ She just did it, and she saved me,” Meaghan says. “I never had people in my corner before Sister Carmen and Ginny.”

Over the course of their seven-year relationship, Meaghan’s abuser was in and out of jail for harming her. “I had a bad habit of letting him back in. The cops would be called. There were so many reports, I jeopardized my place,” she explains. “Sister Carmen has been my grounding force because I’m trying to do this differently on my own, but when all you know is what you’ve known, it’s hard not to fall back into those patterns. Sister Carmen—Ginny in particular—is always there for me. I’ll call and she’ll just listen. That’s something I never had in my whole life. I didn’t know what a supportive family looked like until Ginny showed me. She is my rock, my friend, and my mentor.”

Meaghan is safe now. “Because I had the support of my Sister Carmen family behind me, I had the strength to stand up for myself for the first time in my life,” she shares. “I was able to tell my abuser that he would no longer be a part of my life or our daughter’s life. I think that inspired him to get sober.”

Ginny also connected Meaghan with legal advice that taught her how to advocate for herself with the courts. She told them that she didn’t feel safe with her abuser nearby. As a result, he received two years of probation that enabled him to go to rehab and a ready-to-work program, and now he’s become a good father. “It’s been life changing! This man is totally different without the drugs,” exclaims Meaghan. “If I hadn’t advocated for myself with the courts, he would have gotten off scot-free and wouldn’t have gotten the help he needed, and the whole pattern would have perpetuated itself. I’m so proud we were able to stop that generational pattern of abuse.”

Now that Meaghan is in a healthy place, her next goal is getting a new job. “I want to find something where I can give back. My heart is so full and Sister Carmen has given me so much—all the resources to be successful. It’s so amazing to find family. I call them family because they truly are. They know your faults, they know everything about you, but they don’t judge you because they just want to see you grow,” she continues.

“I know what it feels like to lose everything, and to feel utterly broken and alone. For someone to just lend a hand and say, ‘It’s going to be ok, and step-by-step, we’re in this with you’ has changed my world. And it’s not just affecting me, it’s affecting my former abuser, my kids, and the generations after me. Now my legacy, and my kids’ legacy, will be one of resiliency and triumph and making the world a better place.”

At the end of a very successful career in property management, Sue decided to give back by spending her final years of employment working for an affordable housing rental company. When money was tight for tenants, she often referred them to Sister Carmen Community Center (SCCC) for the food bank, thrift store, or financial assistance. She never imagined that one day she might need any of these resources herself. That was, until she retired.

“It was a shock,” Sue says of receiving her first Social Security check. “It was a third of what I used to make.” She even considered going back to work at age 69, but she was the only one available to care for her ailing mother at that time.

Life had not gone according to plan. There were divorces and other family hardships. Sue helped raise her grandchildren because her son was a single father. She had to sell her townhome and drain her 401k to support other family members. First, her mother until she passed away in her nineties, and then her son who battled addiction for years before being involved in a catastrophic motorcycle accident that left him with a mountain of medical debt. The accident sobered him up, but left him disabled.

Unable to care for himself, Sue’s son moved in with her. Then her grandson followed after a break-up that left him homeless. Since space was tight in the two-bedroom, one-bath house, Sue’s granddaughter and her husband, who are doing well financially, bought a used RV for Sue’s grandson to live in on the property.

Today, at age 77, Sue’s fixed income is $2,000 per month. When she first rented the 100-year-old, 1,000 square-foot home on a plot of land in rural Erie nine years ago, she could make ends meet on her own. But since then, her rent has gone up $650 per month to $1,950, and it’s increasing another $100 this summer.

Sue offered to sign a 10-year lease if her landlord would let her stay at the current rent, but he refused. She started looking for a new home to rent, preferably one with enough land for the RV, in more affordable Brighton, but had no luck. Then COVID-19 hit, and the government implemented the Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP), which made it possible for Sue to stay in the home she loved… at least a little while longer.

ERAP brought some relief and stability to the family. It paid six months of rent in total. That assistance enabled Sue to save her Social Security income and extend the amount of time she could manage rent. It also allowed her to build a savings safety net that helped with paying off some of her son’s medical bills and staying current on her utility and trash bills. But now ERAP has ended. Sue received her final payment two months ago, so her search for a more affordable property continues. She hopes she doesn’t have to move too far away from the area she’s called home for 30 years.

“I hang on to what I have and fix everything on my own (appliances, water heater, etc.) because three of us are living here for what I’m paying, and there’s enough room for all of us,” she explains. Sue also drives a 23-year-old truck.

If not for her extreme frugality and resourcefulness, and the help of her family, Sue would not be able to meet her monthly expenses. Sometimes, even all of that is not enough. That’s when she turns to Sister Carmen.

SCCC fills in the gaps for Sue and people like her who make too much money to qualify for government assistance, like affordable housing or SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Allowance Program), but not enough to really survive in today’s economy. Over the years, Sister Carmen has provided Sue with resources to stay afloat. She shops our food bank twice a month and the Colorado Pet Pantry, which visits SCCC monthly, every other month to feed her beloved rescue dog, Bambi. “I never take more than I need,” Sue says.

Our Advocates have also helped her connect with energy benefits like the Low-income Energy Assistance Program (LEAP) and Energy Outreach Colorado. We’ve even helped with her rent over the years when her Social Security income hasn’t kept pace with the cost of housing. “Rent and utilities keep going up, and it’s hitting seniors harder than anybody,” says Sue. “We’re all struggling.”

After doing all the right things her whole life—working hard, saving money, buying a home, and taking care of her family—it would make sense for Sue to be bitter about struggling in retirement, but she remains positive and upbeat.

“I really believe if you keep laughing and smiling, you’ll make it through. I find ways to be happy because this is it for me. Enjoy life! We don’t get a second chance. No one has a perfect life. We all have our troubles. We all cry. We all ask God why,” says Sue.

She feels fortunate to have supportive family nearby and a son who’s clean and sober again. She saw people with far less when she worked in low-income housing. While there are no exotic travel plans for this retiree, she finds joy in simple pleasures: gardening, sewing, thrift store shopping, and spending time with family, friends, and pets.

“I’ve had a good life,” Sue says. “I still have a good life.”