Dear Friends,

We are packed! All of our program beds are filled and 23 men are occupying our overnight guest beds – waiting for the opportunity to have a bed in our residential recovery program.

We are joyful about providing help to those struggling in poverty, homelessness and addiction. In helping them, we also help ourselves and share in God’s love for all of his children. But, we do carry the burden of caring for a very large family and providing all of the resources to meet basic human needs and, additionally, those resources needed to bring life transformation.

During this Christmas season, your gifts are very much needed. I encourage you to allow the deep spiritual meaning and life of Christmas to move you spiritually to give from a motivation that comes from God and his son, Jesus Christ.

To adequately care for the 500+ men here at HUM, it requires thousands of donors making contributions throughout the year but, particularly, during the Christmas season. Thanks to God and thanks to you, contributions increase every year to meet the increased expenses. God always provides for our needs. Year after year, through much Mission growth, God always provides for our needs through generous souls like you.

During this past year, we’ve heard and seen a lot of negativity in our city that concerns us all. But, there is so much good happening as well. You are part of that good that ultimately prevails. So, please know when you give you are saving the lives of men in a life crisis and strengthening their families, which include 350 children, and building a better Baltimore.

Wishing you and yours a joyous Christmas season!

With Gratitude,

Robert K. Gehman Executive Director

Dear Friends,

I wish for you the very best during this Thanksgiving holiday season. There is a lot of negativity (drugs, crime, homicides) in our city culture that we could focus on that could poison our spirit of gratefulness. But, the HUM family chooses to focus upon helping people up who are living in despair and promoting the best of human character qualities. We are a positive large and growing family of people made up of 500 program members and their families; 70 staff members and interns; hundreds of volunteers; strategic partner organizations and tens of thousands of active donors. Together, we are pouring out our love and wellness to bring wellbeing back into our city while observing fantastic results in transformed lives.

It’s been my experience, having worked with the HUM family for over 21 years, that people who are genuinely grateful to God for all of his gifts tend to also be great helpers of others. So, I can confidently ask you again to give generously this Thanksgiving season. And, to channel some of your giving to Helping Up Mission. Your prayers and financial gifts will absolutely help heal the broken lives of 500 men in a life crisis and their families including approximately 350 children. It’s impossible to measure the full impact of the HUM family’s giving. But, assuredly, our combined generosity is transforming the lives of broken men and building a better Baltimore.

Thank you for helping during this Thanksgiving season!

With Gratitude,

Robert K. Gehman

Dear Friends,

Thank you for all you are doing (prayers, volunteerism and financial gifts) to help make HUM a strong helping organization. All of us, together through God’s grace, are doing amazing work and helping so many people get through deep troubles of addiction, poverty and homelessness.

Our culture in Baltimore and most major cities across the country has a growing chemical addiction problem causing serious disruption at all levels of society. Every week, 12 new men enter our doors requesting enrollment in our programs. Thank God, because of YOU, we can give them the help they need to nourish their bodies, souls and spirits for an extended period of time for their lives to be transformed.

Read the amazing story of the journey of Darius from childhood pain, a life of drugs and crime, and now God’s amazing grace is living in him, transforming his life. Five-hundred men at HUM are having similar experiences.

Through all of us, God is truly changing lives at HUM, and blessing us with his favor. Now its up to us to continue to make ourselves available to give what we can now, to keep HUM strong, so help for those in need is available when they walk through the doors during this fall.

Remember, your gifts this month will bring help and healing to the lives of broken men and build a better Baltimore! Thank you for helping.

With Gratitude,

Robert K. Gehman Executive Director

Dear Friends,

The Baltimore City Health Department is on a 12-month “Don’t Die” campaign to knock heroin addicts over the head and educate them on a new drug called Naloxone which prevents deaths from overdoses. It’s a defensive measure but important since heroin use is producing record numbers of overdoses, homelessness and deaths.

HUM is providing a positive approach to helping all who are chemically addicted and homeless. Our one-year residential Spiritual Recovery Program provides everything an addict needs to get well and have a reasonably happy future. Our 500 beds are filled even during the summer months.

Summer 2015 is a season of urgent need both for addicts on the streets coming to us for help and for HUM since our beds remain full at a time when giving drops off.

The only reason HUM can provide life-changing help is you. Your gifts, prayers, and volunteerism create an incredible place for men struggling with addiction, poverty and homelessness to get the help they need to change their lives.

Please read Kevin’s story (see page one). What a positive change has come into his life! You helped him and many others make that change possible! Thank you, and please remember us during these challenging summer months.

God bless you all.

Robert K. Gehman Executive Director

Dear Friends,

Helping Up Mission is a place where the human spirit comes alive with hope. The proof of that is achievements men make while they live in our one year residential therapeutic recovery community.

Drug addiction kills the human spirit, bringing about a sense of deep hopelessness and despair where suicidal thoughts and attempts are common. It’s an experience of living in darkness. For a person struggling with long-term drug addiction, jail time and homelessness, nothing short of a spiritual awakening will suffice. A common saying at HUM among our men is, “stay until the miracle happens” implying correctly that time and God’s presence is the change that will bring about all other good changes.

Read the story of Jerome Dorman and the miracle he received and the achievement of a high school diploma at age 57. Now having received his high school diploma he wants to be the first of his family to earn a college degree – which happened this past month! This is such a contrast to his previous life in drugs. This is the story of 500 men here at HUM whose life recovery you are making possible.

Please remember the summer offers no vacation for those who struggle with poverty, homelessness and addiction. We need your continuing support for miracles to continue at HUM during the summer months. Thank you for bringing life changing hope to the lives of broken men and making Baltimore a better place!

God bless you all.

Robert K. Gehman Executive Director

Dear Friends,

“HUM is a gift from God so we get a chance to mend our lives and our relationships with others we have hurt in the past”. These are the words of Michael Knighton in our feature story but reflect the feelings of the 500 men who are in one of our programs here at HUM – particularly the 300 men in our one year residential spiritual recovery program who are struggling to overcome poverty, homelessness and addiction.

Read Michael’s story and you will get a feel for how many people in our communities become chemically dependent and lose control of their lives, their relationships and now live on the streets of our City. People don’t just decide to become drug addicts. It happens in various ways.

It is true, we are responsible for our actions and we are the result of our life experiences and some of those experiences open us up to tragic outcomes that shape our future. If we could walk perfectly in the shoes of another human being we would understand perfectly why people are where they are in their lives.

Here at HUM, we understand and have empathy for the human condition. We care deeply for the fallen in life and help them up. We believe, “but for the grace of God there go I”.

Thank you for your part in helping people up who are in life crisis. Your gifts provide HUM, which is a life saving gift for 500 men and their families. Please know your help is needed now and throughout the summer months.

God bless you all.

Robert K. Gehman Executive Director

Dear Friends,

HUM is a gift of life to many men like Wayne (see the Feature story) who struggle with life threatening chemical addictions, poverty and homelessness. Many of the 500 men in residence will say, “HUM has saved my life.”

When you give to HUM, without a doubt, you are saving and changing the lives of those in need. Your giving is truly an act of love because you are requiring nothing in return and giving life to those who are on a path that leads to hospitals, jails and an early grave. Many family members who have lost their loved ones so wish they had had the opportunity to be at a place like HUM and begin a journey of hope instead.

Your financial gifts this month will provide help and life-saving services for approximately 48 new men (12 per week) who will arrive at HUM in great need of the help we provide. On their behalf, thank you for your loyalty, faithfulness and compassion to those in need here at Helping Up Mission.

Thank you,

Robert K. Gehman Executive Director

Dear Friends,

Twelve new men arrive at Helping Up Mission (HUM) every week requesting help and an opportunity to enter to our one-year residential Spiritual Recovery Program.

Their bodies, minds and spirits are painfully tired from living on the streets in active drug addiction for so many years.

Many men speak of a spiritual emptiness that can even be more painful than the physical. It comes from being disconnected from God, family and society. Homeless men experience deep loneliness and despair and often think of suicide and some attempt it. Drug addiction and homelessness is a hard life with hospital visits, jail and often an early grave.

Miraculously some 600 men find their way to HUM each year. Hospitals, jail mates, parole officers, word of mouth from friends, and churches all participate in directing men to HUM. I can’t prove it, but some stories are so unusual that I think God simply hears the call of a despairing person and sends an angel with a message.

Your prayers and gifts enable HUM to be here when the men arrive. You make help possible! Like Jesus, we can offer a similar invitation to his, “Come to me, all of you who are tired from carrying heavy loads and I will give you rest”. HUM is a place where 500 men are finding rest for their weary bodies, minds and spirits. In that rest, they are able to find God, unite with family and start a new meaningful way of living life without chemicals.

When you give to HUM you are truly a Good Samaritan and saving human lives, changing human lives, and making our Baltimore communities a better place for all.

Thank you,

Robert K. Gehman