From homeless to happy in one day.
Danny Lucero was a member of the Marine Corps, deployed during the Gulf War. But he lost his way and found himself living on the street until a group of organizations stepped in to turn his life around in a period of 24 hours.
The Volunteers of America, along with the VA and a gracious landlord in Aurora, worked together to place Danny in his own home, where he signed a 6-month lease free of charge. Then, the Elks Lodge in Golden used grant money to help him stock that home and get him back on his feet.
"This opportunity has given me a chance to have a roof over my head. A place I can call a safe home for six months while I go back to work and save money to get self-sustainable," Lucero said.
Wayne Rogers was the one who took Danny on a trip to Walmart, to buy some essentials.
"Get him a few things he needs to get going," Rogers said. "From day to day stuff, some food, some clothes, whatever it is they need."
They shopped for about an hour. Lucero filled half of one shopping cart. That was it.
"He didn’t want to take too much of my resources because the next guy might need it more than he does," Rogers explained.
"I'm just blessed and grateful that there are people willing to help me pick myself up from the position I put myself in. I couldn’t be more thankful," Lucero said.
