Maybe 33 years ago you were figuring out your first computer. Maybe you were a newborn. Chances are you’re a lot different today than you were back then. Let’s be honest, a lot changes in 33 years. No one knows this better than Donny Andrews. Andrews was incarcerated for 33 years and found a new world when he was released. Getting out of prison meant starting an entirely different kind of life and learning everyday basics like how to navigate a grocery store and use a smartphone. Denver Dream Center helped him do this.  

Supporting men and women as they move on after incarceration, homelessness, or gang life is why the Dream Center exists. 

More than 34,000 Denver metro residents currently are experiencing homelessness, and about 9% of those are families, according to the Colorado Homeless Management Information System. People who have been incarcerated are significantly more likely to become homeless or to return to criminal activity—and prison—creating a perpetuating cycle. 

Colorado Coalition for the Homeless notes that people who’ve been to prison are seven times more likely to experience homelessness than the general population, and those who’ve been to prison multiple times are 13 times more likely to experience homelessness.  

Among Denver’s youth, roughly 50% have spent time in juvenile detention, jail, or prison. As more young people become involved in violent crime, the interconnected cycles of incarceration and homelessness are likely to continue expanding. 

Denver Dream Center works at the intersection of these issues, providing support and resources that help build stability for individuals and communities. It was founded by Bryan “Pastor B” Sederwall, who moved to Denver in 2006 and jumped in to help inmates and ex-offenders rebuild their lives. In 2014, he expanded his mission to address the needs of kids and families, and that year Denver Dream Center was born. The organization now offers a range of services and resources to 50,000 Denver residents annually, in hopes of helping them refocus on their lives, improve their self-image, and find community.  

As Denver Dream Center has grown, Sederwall and his team have found greater need and expanded offerings to address the organization’s target issues from various angles. In the challenging days of the COVID crisis, for instance, the Dream Center distributed close to 4 million pounds of food to about 300,000 people.  

The organization currently offers the following programs:  

Denver Dream Center relies on volunteers—many but not all of whom have taken part in its programs—to show more people that their mistakes don’t define them and can instead be “defining moments that lead to a new life.” Making that shift depends on community, according to the Dream Center website: “When you’re alone and the odds are against you, it’s almost impossible to rebuild your life.”  

If you’d like to become part of the community helping others rebuild, you can volunteer with a specific Denver Dream Center program, or choose a different way to support the organization:  

Denver Dream Center currently is planning a new headquarters to keep up with its growth over the past few years and to continue helping more Denver residents develop stable foundations and strong communities. Keep an eye out for big changes as the organization continues to grow its impact.