My name is Micheal Boney. I was born in Oklahoma and raised mostly in San Antonio, Texas, before coming to Denver in 2013 looking for a fresh start. What I found instead was the worst chapter of my addiction yet — because that is what addiction does. It follows you, and it escalates.

I started using at an extremely young age. After moving to Denver I spent years in and out of jail, in and out of homelessness, and in and out of every system that was supposed to help people like me. I first attempted sobriety in 2016, and the road since then has been anything but straight. For most of my life I wanted nothing to do with God. I was angry, I was broken, and I was certain faith was not for me.

In June of 2024 everything changed. I gave my life to Jesus Christ and was baptized that December at Red Rocks Baptist Church in Morrison, Colorado. I did not just find religion. I found the reason I survived everything I survived.

Somewhere along the way, driving a city bus and watching my fellow passengers — many of them homeless, many of them struggling, many of them invisible to everyone around them — I discovered something I did not expect. A heart to serve. A burning conviction that the people falling through the gaps of every program and every system deserved more than what existed. Not just a bed. Not just a checklist. A community. A calling. A reason to believe their lives still mattered.

That is why I am building Red Sea Recovery. Not for me. For them.

I am currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Nonprofit Management at Colorado Christian University, and I have served on staff at a homeless shelter in Denver. But the most important credential I carry into this work is the one no degree can give — I have been where the people we will serve have been, and I refused to forget them when I got out.

What This Campaign Is For

Red Sea Recovery does not yet legally exist. There is no 501(c)3, no board of directors, no bank account in the organization’s name. What exists right now is a calling, a plan, and a founder who has done the work to make it real. This campaign is about funding the very first steps of turning that plan into a legal, breathing organization. These are not glamorous needs. They are not sober living homes or counseling programs or peer navigators. Those things come later. Right now the needs are foundational — the kind of unglamorous groundwork that makes everything else possible. Here is specifically what your gift goes toward: LEGAL COUNSEL — Before RSR can file its Articles of Incorporation, those documents need to be reviewed by a qualified attorney. I am actively pursuing pro bono legal resources, but there is a real possibility that some legal costs will need to be covered out of pocket. Legal review of formation documents can run anywhere from $500 to $1,500. This is a present need and one I cannot responsibly skip. FILING FEES — Filing Articles of Incorporation with the Colorado Secretary of State costs $50. The IRS Form 1023-EZ filing fee for 501(c)3 status is $275. Small amounts, but amounts that have to come from somewhere. DOMAIN NAME AND HOSTING — RSR’s online home starts with a domain name. That runs approximately $20 per month. It is a small cost but a recurring one that needs to be covered before RSR can establish its public presence and eventually receive donations through legitimate nonprofit channels. A DEDICATED BUSINESS LAPTOP — Right now everything related to RSR lives on my personal devices. That is not acceptable for an organization that will one day manage sensitive participant information, donor records, and financial data. RSR needs its own business-grade machine, a Lenovo ThinkPad or equivalent, that is dedicated solely to the mission, secured properly, and kept entirely separate from my personal technology. This protects the organization, protects future participants, and protects donors. A capable business-grade laptop with the processing power and longevity this work requires runs approximately $1,000 to $1,500. MICROSOFT 365 AND SECURITY SOFTWARE — A monthly Microsoft 365 subscription covers the tools RSR needs to operate professionally. Combined with basic security software to protect login credentials, donor information, and organizational data, this runs approximately $20 to $30 per month. MISCELLANEOUS FORMATION NEEDS — There will be costs I have not anticipated yet. That is the nature of building something from nothing. Any funds beyond the specific needs listed above will go directly toward RSR’s formation and early infrastructure. A NOTE ON TAX DEDUCTIBILITY Please be aware that gifts made through this GoFundMe campaign are not tax deductible. RSR does not yet have 501(c)3 status and has not yet secured a fiscal sponsorship agreement with an established nonprofit organization. We are actively pursuing both. Until one of those is in place, your gift is a personal contribution to this mission, not a charitable donation in the legal sense. We want to be completely transparent about that. If tax deductibility matters to you, please hold onto your giving until we can receive it properly. If you are giving because you believe in this mission and the person building it, we will steward every dollar as if it were sacred. Because it is. ABOUT PROCESSING FEES When you give, you will have the option to cover a small processing fee at checkout. If you are able to, it is genuinely appreciated and ensures every dollar of your gift goes directly toward the mission. But please know that any gift, at any amount, with or without the fee, means everything.