Samaritan Inn Report - March 24, 2009

Posted by Marc A. Sparks in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX on Mar 26, 2009

The Director's Report

Week 12/2009 March 24, 2009

There are 111 people living at The Samaritan Inn, 35 are children.

Weekly Statistics:

Intakes: 11

Exits: 3

Graduates: 3

Program Notes

front road sign

Thanks to Hillcrest Animal Rescue, Collin County Animal Services and Trinity Presbyterian Church, all of whom have offered assistance with our new program designed to enable homeless people to keep their pets, while they are living in our shelter. The kennels have now been constructed but we will need some sort of covered structure to keep them in by early summer. If you have ideas, suggestions or contributions for this cause please contact me at lynnesipiora@thesamaritaninn.org we will also need donations of dog houses (igloo type) bowls and food. They may be brought to the Inn at any time.

Run for Cover, the 1, 5 and 10k run/walk to benefit the Inn is already registering individuals and families for this fun, annual event. Please plan to join us on April 18th at 8am at the Stonebridge Ranch beach Club. For more information or to register on line please go to: www.runforcover.org.

The Junior Samaritan program is now off and running- four teams of high school students from McKinney and Plano will compete to see who can raise the most money for the Samaritan Inn. Next week we will share the details of their innovative business plans.

Story of the Week

Cindy, 51, came to the Inn at the end of August. She had been working at a local grocery store for several years, but due to the decline in the economy her hours were cut and she could no longer afford her rent. She had some savings, but had been forced to use them to help her siblings pay for her father's funeral. Cindy was depressed by her circumstances and had lost her self confidence. Once here, she received counseling and worked diligently with her case worker to prepare a plan for getting her full time hours back- the plan worked and Cindy was a full time employee again in November. Unfortunately at the same time, Cindy's health began to deteriorate and she was diagnosed with cancer. She was advised to get a cat scan with follow up radiation and chemo. Cindy has no health insurance and makes too much money to qualify for indigent health care, so she has applied for Medicaid. Medicaid approval typically takes a minimum of 6 weeks so Cindy's health care is on hold until that time. Cindy, however, continues to work and save her money. She hopes to have graduated by the end of April and begin her cancer treatment in May.

Cindy's strength and courage in the midst of so many issues is remarkable.

Sincerely,