The Samaritan Inn Report - May 27, 2009

There are 99 people living at The Samaritan Inn, 24 are children.

Weekly Statistics:   

Intakes:  11

Exits:  3  

Graduates:  4  

Program Notes

Cisco, a huge computer/networking company, recently approved The Samaritan Inn (thanks to Cisco employee Spencer Hudson) as one of the not for profits that will be listed in their Cisco's/Give tool. This means they will match employee donations and volunteer hours. Thanks Spencer! 
 
Thanks to the generosity of the Torchmark employees, 9 of our 24 children have been sponsored for the summer. When school is out, we want to provide something other then day care for our kids, so sponsoring a child will enable them to attend camps and activities according to their interests and cover transportation costs, lunches, pool passes and any necessary uniforms or equipment. A sponsorship is $250.00, we will tell you about the child and the activities that your donation will provide. Interested in helping out? Contact me at lynnesipiora@thesmaritaninn.org . 
 
Cadillac Pizza Pub and the McFBC Riders, Roman Road Warriors and Guardians of Grace motorcycle clubs hosted the second annual Good Samaritan Fund Run motorcycle run last Saturday and it was a big success. 65 riders garnered $4,000 for our program- thanks to all of the participants and volunteers!
 
Working and non-working electronics, computers, and cell phones are now being accepted at the thrift store on a regular basis. We have partnered with another organization and can turn these items into much needed cash!
 
We have an urgent need for HE (high efficiency) laundry detergent for our front loading machines. We also have an urgent need for standard pillows. Donations may be brought to the shelter at any time.
 
Thanks to Laurie Platt of DSVP who sponsored the Hamburger Man at the Inn last Saturday. The Hamburger Man brings a huge grill and makes burgers and chicken for our resident's meal.
 
The Friends of the Inn thrift store will soon be selling re-cyclable tote bags, in purple, of course to match the building. A 250.00 tax deductible donation will enable you to sponsor the totes and have your business name and logo on the bag, Interested? Contact Peggy at: mgsmolen@sbc.net   
 
Last week the nation's leadership passed the HEARTH (Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transitional Housing) Act which represents the largest federal investment in preventing and ending homelessness in our country. Meetings will be held in the near future so that we will better understand what this means to agencies such as ours.

Story of the Week

Rebecca, age 40 and her 17 year old daughter came to the Inn on April 17th. Rebecca had left her husband because he abused their daughter and was living with a friend. After a month, the friend was no longer able to accommodate them and Rebecca did not have enough money saved to rent an apartment. Rebecca is also 7 months pregnant. Rebecca came to the Inn with a full time job,  so she has been focusing on budgeting and parenting classes and attending individual counseling sessions, as well as sessions with her daughter.

Her daughter is a Junior in High School and is on track for graduation next year. Our Children's Caseworker indicates that she has adjusted well to the Inn and has taken full responsibility for our garden and organizes movie nights for the other children living here. This summer she will be in the Texas Workforce Youth Employment Program.

 Rebecca is saving all of her money and preparing for the birth of her second child in July. We expect that after a 6 week maternity leave, Rebecca will  be able to put her baby in day care and will have saved enough for an apartment before the beginning of the 2009/2010 school year.

Sincerely,

Lynne Sipiora 

The Samaritan Inn

"Collin County's only homeless shelter" 

Dates to Remember

Junior Samaritan Dinner-

May 27, 6:30 pm, Chuck's Grill 

Raffle Committee Meeting-

June 1, 6:30, ZinZen

Sporting Clay event-

June 5, 12:00pm, Dallas Gun Club

Speaking Engagements

Speaking engagements are a vital tool to bring awareness to the issue of homelessness in our community.   Your invitation to speak at a meeting will help us reach out to those who are not aware of our programs and the needs of those who are experiencing homelessness.

We would happily attend employee meetings, Sunday School classes, PTA meetings, HOA meetings, Lions/Kiwanas/Rotary, etc.    

Please call Lynne at (972) 542-5302, ext. 229 to schedule at time for us to visit with your group.

Special Events

Sporting Clay

June 5

Dallas Gun Club

Clubhouse Wine Tasting

June 5

Dallas Gun Club clubhouse 

Anniversary Gala

October 17

Embassy Suites Hotel,

Convention Center and Spa

Community  Events to benefit The Samaritan Inn

Second Annual Fundraiser Cruise

Departing Galveston January 20, 2010

Annual McKinney Historical Run 2009

August 8 

Downtown McKinney

Quick Links

www.thesamaritaninn.org

Volunteer

Shopping Cart

Subscribe through this link to receive your own copy of our Friends of The Inn Thrift Center weekly sales flyer.

Want to win a new car? You can win the chance to choose one of three- a Mazda Miata or a 4door Jeep Wrangler or a Chevy Silverado Extended Cab Pickup- from Eldorado Motors in McKinney when you buy a raffle ticket for $100.00. The winner will be drawn at our October 17th gala and need not be present to win. Interested? Contact John Trick at The Samaritan Inn, (972) 542-5302, ext. 242 or jtrick@thesamaritaninn.org

or Raffle Chair, Cheryl  Massey, at ccmassey@aol.com