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Our Organization

Our Mission

Our mission is to offer a dignified alternative to dying alone on the street for those with terminal illness.


We are a nonsectarian 501(c)3 offering shelter for end-of-life care regardless of a person's race, color, religion (creed), gender, gender expression, age, national origin (ancestry), disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status. 

For those without a home, we provide a comfortable place to live during their last days. Our staff and volunteers offer basic care like help with laundry, cleaning, and companionship. Our hospice agency partners provide skilled nursing & physician services, and medical equipment.     

2022 Annual Report

Download PDF

Inclusivity

Rocky Mountain Refuge for End of Life Care aspires to create an organization that is representative of the community at large, and board membership shall not be restricted because of race, creed, color, nationality, religious beliefs, age, sex, or disability. 

Non-Discrimination Policy

Rocky Mountain Refuge for End of Life Care is committed to providing all of its employees and volunteers with a workplace free from discrimination and harassment.  Rocky Mountain Refuge for End of Life Care does not discriminate against or allow harassment of any employee or volunteer based on that person's race, ethnicity, religion, color, sex, age, national origin, sexual orientation, disability, gender identity or expression, ancestry, pregnancy, or any other basis prohibited by law. 

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Mark Bell, MBA, Board Member

Mark Bell (he/him) is founder and Principal Consultant for Tirador Compliance LLC, a regulatory compliance consultancy for small and medium investment advisory firms.


He has served on several non-profit boards and committees, was president of a 501(c)6 merchants' organization, and directed a community food bank serving northeast Littleton.


Mark brings business experience, writing and communication skills, and cat-herding capabilities.

Jennifer Ditmarsch, Board Treasurer

Jennifer Ditmarsch is Director of Operations for a local mechanical, electrical and plumbing engineering firm.


She has been in the engineering world for more than 30 years where she has worn hats related to Human Resources, Accounting, Marketing, IT and Building Management.   


Jennifer brings her Human Resources knowledge and passion for learning from her brothers and sisters who are experiencing homelessness.

Dr. Michele Ferguson, MD, Board Member

Michele Ferguson is a retired hospice physician and neurologist.


She  practiced Neurology and then Hospice and Palliative Medicine in Colorado, and was a hospice medical director in Boulder County.


Michele brings medical experience and a true calling to hospice and palliative care.

Brother James Patrick "JP" Hall, BSG , Board Member, Executive Director

James Patrick Hall (he/him) is a friar with the Brotherhood of St. Gregory and recently retired as an Engineering Software Administrator for a local healthcare firm.


JP is a founding visionary with Rocky Mountain Refuge, beginning with the very first discussions in 2017, has served on the Board of Directors since our incorporation in 2019, and was appointed Interim Executive Director in 2021. 


JP works extensively with people on the margins of society and served as a volunteer companion caregiver at Clare House in Tulsa, a similar sister organization through Omega Home Network, from 2003 to 2006. JP also participated in his mother and his younger brother’s hospice care.

Rev. Samm Melton-Hill, Board Member

Samm Melton-Hill (they/she) is the Pastor of Highlands Lutheran Church in Denver and previously served as a Palliative Care Chaplain at the University of Colorado Hospital Anschutz Medical Campus.     


They have served in a number of diverse settings, including McLean Psychiatric Hospital, the First Church Men's Shelter (Cambridge), the Massachusetts Correctional Institution- Framingham (MA), and several congregational settings. They completed their MDiv at Harvard Divinity School and are currently working towards their STM at United Lutheran Seminary, where their thesis focuses on Lutheran theological arguments in support of MAID.      


Samm brings a background of working closely with particular populations, such as LGBTQ+, formerly incarcerated, Native, Indigenous, First Nation, and young adults. They especially enjoy working with technology and system organization.

Timothy Mueller, PMP®, Board Secretary

Tim Mueller consults with older adults and their caregivers, providing planning, advisory, and coaching services and works as a Project Manager for a local technology company.


He retired from IBM as a Senior Project Manager in 2014 to do more personally meaningful  work using the skills and experience he developed during his career.


Tim serves as a board member for Senior Housing Options, and volunteers with the Colorado Gerontological Society.

Logan Roberston, MDiv, Board Member

Logan Robertson (he/him) currently serves as Pastor at AfterHours Denver, a bar church and homeless ministry which provides necessities to anyone who needs them in the Denver area. Logan also serves as Shift Director at Network Coffee House, a hospitality house where the dignity of all people is clearly affirmed. 


He has served homeless service providers in Denver and beyond for over a dozen years, seeking to maintain a center of gravity with the unhoused and unseen. 


Logan has also worked in advocacy, organizing for innovative approaches to housing and service on behalf of our friends on the street and against the criminalization of homelessness.

Rachel Rogers, MS, BSN, RN-BC, Board President

Rachel Rogers (she/her) is the Academic Director and Assistant Teaching Professor for the Healthcare Management program at University College, University of Denver.


Her previous work has been in bedside nursing, healthcare leadership, and health informatics. 


Rachel is a life-long learner and is pursuing her doctorate in higher education at the University of Denver. 

Rebecca Schuyler, BS, MS/Computer Science, Board Member

Rebecca Schuyler (she/her) is a retired software developer, tester, and network engineer for the applications of military communications, medical equipment, and wireless telephones. She wrote many specification documents, a skill that is translating well to writing grant applications for non-profits.


She is current treasurer and past president of a community music organization and has served as a hotline volunteer coordinator for a pregnancy center. She cared for her mother and father-in-law at home, serving as the primary caregiver while they transitioned. 


She looks forward to utilizing her life experience in assisting with this gap in care.

Advisory Board

Will Bengert PN, PRC, Advisory Board Member

Will serves the St. Francis Center on staff as a Peer Navigator with credentials as a Peer Recovery Coach. 


Having overcome both homelessness and addiction, Will brings honesty and compassion to his field work with the marginalized communities of Denver.


He uses his lived experience and talent to transform the lives of those experiencing homelessness.

Heather Gasper, Advisory Board Member

Heather Gasper started her career as a non-profit program manager, then transitioned to environmental consulting, and finally landed as a commercial real estate attorney.  


She enjoys solving complex problems for her clients while having a relatable and approachable manner.  


Heather brings her business and legal experience, attention to detail, and passion regarding alleviating loneliness to the Refuge. 

Josh Geppelt, MA, Advisory Board Member

Josh Geppelt is Vice President of Programs at the Denver Rescue Mission. 


He has more than 20 years experience working with folks on the margins of society, in church, nonprofit, and board roles.


Josh is an ordained minister and brings strategic planning, nonprofit management and local government relations skills.

Dr. Bobbie Kite, PhD, Advisory Board Member

Bobbie Kite (she/her) is Associate Dean of Academic Operations and Affairs at University College, University of Denver.


She has conducted research in competency based education within the field of health data analytics and informatics.


Bobbie brings collaborative academic and student resources from across educational institutions, especially from the University of Denver. 

Muhammad Kolila, MA, Advisory Board Member

Muhammad Kolila is Imam of the Downtown Denver Islamic Center.


He has been a participant and speaker in educational and spiritual conferences and camps in the U.S., India, Egypt, and Lebanon. Imam Kolila focuses on building a sustainable and peaceful intercultural and inter-religious communication skills for students from all over the world. 


Muhammad brings his passions as a community leader and activist in education, charity, peace building, interfaith partnerships, community development, and spirituality.  

Miriah Nunnaley, Advisory Board Member

Miriah Nunnaley (she/her) serves in a nursing leadership role at a Colorado nonprofit providing trauma-informed care and services to unhoused individuals. 


She has a decade of varied nursing experience including hospice and psychiatric nursing roles. Before nursing, Miriah supported a DoD software organization in various administrative and leadership roles with a focus on operations.  


Supporting unhoused individuals is a calling Miriah fell into after her younger sister had a string of mental health and addiction crises that reshaped the way Miriah viewed priorities in her life. Her sister is doing great now.

Financials

2021 Form 990 (pdf)Download
2020 Form 990 (pdf)Download
2019 Form 990 (pdf)Download
Tax-Exempt Approval 2019.04.15 (pdf)Download

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Partner Agencies

Providing services alongside Rocky Mountain Refuge

Copyright © 2019-2023 Lazarus Gate dba Rocky Mountain Refuge for End of Life Care - All Rights Reserved.


Rocky Mountain Refuge for End of Life Care is a Colorado Non-Profit Corporation offering shelter for end-of-life care regardless of a person's race, color, religion (creed), gender, gender expression, age, national origin (ancestry), disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status. 


Federal 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization, Tax ID #83-3159392


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