Samaritan Inn Report - February 10, 2009

Posted by Marc A. Sparks in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX on Feb 10, 2009

"celebrating 25 years of helping people home"

The Director's Report

Week 6/2009 February 10, 2009

There are 109 people living at The Samaritan Inn, 28 are children.

Weekly Statistics:

Intakes: 14

Exits: 1

Graduates: 4

Program Notes

A huge thank you to Dungan's Floors in McKinney who recently responded to our plea and carpeted our front office and volunteer room at no cost!

Food Source, a local company, has partnered with The Samaritan Inn to provide food for our kitchen and employment opportunities for our residents.

Thanks, once again, to the Travelers Insurance Company in Richardson who recently named The Samaritan Inn as the beneficiary of their recent fundraiser.

A special Valentine's Day dinner for our residents will be provided by El Chico restaurant in McKinney.

We will present our Community Block Grant request to the City of Plano on February 12th.

Thanks to the Coca Cola Company which recently donated enough Coca Cola merchandise (pillows, glassware, clothing, etc.) to fill our entire truck; stop by the Thrift Store soon to see what has arrived!

In December, The Samaritan Inn received just over $6,000 in designated United Way donations from employment campaigns- thanks to all who thought of us.

We continue to look for front office hosts to greet visitors and volunteers, answer the phones and do general office work. We have four hour shifts available, seven days a week. Interested? E-mail Cheryl at cherylspofford@thesamaritaninn.org.

The final Gateway apartment will be occupied this week by a man named (are you ready?) Valentine. How perfect is that? The apartment was furnished by St. Gabriel's Catholic Community and the team leader is our own wonderful, long-time volunteer, Patti Morris.

Story of the Week

From time to time we have residents with special needs and when we do, we publicize them in our e-newsletter and hope that they will strike a chord with someone in our community of supporters.

Kelly and her two babies, age 2 and 8 months, fall into that category. They came to the Inn after her husband abandoned the family. Initially they stayed with Kelly's mother, but her tiny apartment could simply not accommodate them all.

Kelly feels it is unlikely that she will receive regular child support and so she is committed to supporting her family alone. Prior to having her children she was a Certified Nursing Assistant in a nursing home; a job she enjoyed and a field where there are always openings. To re-new her certification, Kelly will need to take a class, purchase the required books, pay for a TB test, and pay the certification testing fee- for a total of about $500.00. This certification will help ensure her future. If you can help Kelly, please call or email me at lynnesipiora@thesamaritaninn.org

Sincerely,