Samaritan Inn Report - March 10, 2009

Posted by Marc A. Sparks in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX on Mar 11, 2009

The Director's Report

Week 10/2009 March 10, 2009

There are 110 people living at The Samaritan Inn, 30 are children.

Weekly Statistics:

Intakes: 12

Exits: 3

Graduates: 2

Program Notes

Pete Three years ago we received funding from Dallas Social Venture Partners, we also received Pete Meldrum. He was their liaison with our organization and when he passed away last week, The Samaritan Inn lost a friend and a champion. Pete was the essence of compassion and justice and the affect that he had on our program and staff will always remain.

front road sign Our heartfelt gratitude goes out to the Cup Filler, the beautiful Christian bookstore on McKinney's Historic Square. Owner, Dale Terry, is now carrying Samaritan Inn cookbooks, selling Samaritan Inn made chocolate truffles and has installed a donation box so that customers may let The Samaritan Inn "keep the change."

Big congrats to our kitchen staff who just received a 100% rating from the health department!

Thank you to the Gleason Life Group of Chase Oaks Church who continue to make meaningful donations to our program- yesterday paper products, towels, wash cloths and fresh fruit.

Supporter Dean Hansen of Farmers Insurance invites you to receive a personal VIP (Value Insurance Package) quote that will include auto, home, umbrella and life coverage, tailored to each individual's needs. For each friend of the Inn that requests the quote, Dean will donate ten dollars to our agency in your name. Interested? Contact Dean Hansen at Dean@iKnowDean.com or (214) 460-3811.

You may not believe this, but

at least a few times a month, a client comes to the Inn looking for shelter, but decides it is better to live on the streets or in their car than to give up their dog. Our licensing requirements prevent us from taking pets. As dog loving staff, this has always been difficult for us. We know how important pets are, especially when you have lost everything else. So.... we are in the process of building dog kennels on our property so that we can accommodate our resident's pets when necessary. We are starting with three kennels and hope to have a covered structure by summer. As always, we will need your help, we will post a list of needs in the April newsletter.

Story of the Week

Mike is 43 years old and had been a very successful business owner. He estimates his previous annual income at $400,000; he was married, had a son and a beautiful home. Despite his successes, he was depressed and when he discovered one of his employees with methamphetamines, he tried them. As is so often the case with this drug, he was instantly hooked and a three year downward spiral began. Mike lost his family, his home and his business. He finally hit bottom when he realized his next step was prison or death. Mike came to the Samaritan Inn on March 4th after completing a 90 day rehab program. He has a sponsor from the People Affected by Addiction program and will be attending an intensive outpatient program at Avenues Counseling. His goal is to stay clean, find full time employment and save the money he will need to start again. This is a very delicate stage in Mike's recovery; we have provided the resources and he will need to provide the rest.

Sincerely,