IN YOUR OWN WORDS I CANNOT BELIEVE HOW FAST THINGS HAPPEN! BY RAELENE JOHNSON ON THE 22ND OF MARCH, I will have been one-year cancer-free! Last February, I was in a car wreck, so from February 2024 to now, my body has recovered from a lot. But the best thing ever is that I get to celebrate surviving cancer and being free of it! Having to believe in yourself no matter how difficult the times get can sometimes be hard to do, but you have to let the light in and let it heal you because if you’re in darkness from negativity, or you don’t think you deserve this or that good thing, you won’t be able to see a way out of something that’s full of negativity! You don’t want to give the enemy the power over you by what-ifs and things of that nature run in your head like a treadmill. That will only make your anxiety level go up. Only calmness and stillness can help you to heal! Having cancer, I learned how to stay even more positive than I usually am! To be able to do that, you have to love yourself enough to say, “We can beat this! It’s only a short time that you’ll have no energy. It’s only a short time you won’t feel hungry... .” No matter what it is that you’re dealing with, to get through challenges like cancer and treatment for it, you have to remember that there is a light at the end of the tunnel! I thank God for the strength, courage, and the ability to love myself that he gave me so that I can truly stay positive about everything! My prayer for this month is that anyone going through cancer or any other severe illness keeps a positive attitude. I pray that regardless of what illness you may be experiencing, you receive the right treatment and you pray to the Lord for him to keep you safe and see you through it! I would like to give a shoutout to my cancer doctors, my friends, my family, and the Denver VOICE community, including the loyal readers of mine, who have kept in touch with me. Thank you all for your kindness and support! May everybody have a very blessed month! RAELENE JOHNSON, DENVER VOICE VENDOR. | PHOTO BY KAREN BEEMAN INSP DELIVERS WORLD’S LARGEST ARCHIVE OF STREET PAPERS TO GLASGOW CALEDONIAN BY INSP THE INTERNATIONAL NETWORK OF STREET PAPERS (INSP) has gifted around 8,000 newspapers and magazines sold by people experiencing homelessness and poverty to Glasgow Caledonian University. The Glasgow, Scotland-based charity, founded in 1994, represents 92 street papers in 35 countries. Many of the papers contain stories written by vendors and revolve around personal experiences of homelessness and poverty around the world, providing a rich cultural and social history. “We’re very excited as the collection contains 30 years of social history, not just in the UK but internationally,” said Kirsty Menzies, Assistant Archivist at Glasgow Caledonian University “These publications have given [people experiencing homelessness] a voice, not just on poverty, but a range of social issues, which makes the collection a fantastic resource for our students, researchers, and the public. “The Big Issue has always had a strong Glasgow connection [the street paper’s headquarters are based in the city], but the archive will help raise awareness that street papers exist in other countries and shows what can be achieved through international cooperation and collaboration. “As the University for the Common Good, the collection fits so well with Glasgow Caledonian’s themes of social justice and social innovation.” “It is great that our rich archive of street papers is going to a suitable home,” said Mike Findlay-Agnew, Chief Executive of INSP. “Glasgow Caledonian University is strongly committed to social justice and therefore seems the perfect fit for our archives of street papers. “I am hoping this will lead to more partnership working between INSP and Glasgow Caledonian in the future.” The Big Issue, founded by John Bird and Gordon Roddick in 1991, supports thousands of people across the UK to earn a legitimate income by selling the magazine. In England’s North West, Yorkshire, and Humberside, vendors are also supported by Big Issue North. Sales generated a collective income of around £4 million last year. COURTESY OF INSP.NGO 12 DENVER VOICE March 2025
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