Samaritan House News

JOIN OUR MAILING LIST

Your E-Mail Address

NEWS BRIEFS

BETTER BUSINESS
BUREAU SEAL OF APPROVAL

Samaritan House was recently evaluated and approved in relation to the 20 Better Business Bureau Standards for Charitable Accountability. You will see the BBB logo on our home page.

MARIACHIS FOR MORE LIFE

The More Life festival will be particularly festive on Sunday, May 18, when the J.P. Elder Mariachi Band performs at 1:00 p.m.on the Verandah of the Community Arts Center. Admission is free. Come out to see this nationally-known ensemble perform, and stay to see the More Life exhibits in the Arts Center.

MY WORD TREE

Looking for some inspiration? Check out our new Links page and click the Branching Out button for new uplifting thoughts every week, brought to you by MyWordTree.com.


	By reducing homelessness, substance abuse, crime, new HIV infections, and the demand for publicly funded medical care, Samaritan House makes Fort Worth a better place for everyone!

Samaritan House News May 2008

Letter from the President

Fighting AIDS one step at a time

More Life to launch this month

Casting a vision for More Life

Letter from the President

You’ve read over the last few months about the More Life Festival, a month-long series of events around town to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS in our community. In addition to a comprehensive calendar of events below, you can read about Cindy, a stellar volunteer who has been a huge part of the planning process for More Life.

You’ll also be amazed by the stories and images shared by Judith, a Samaritan House resident who recently returned from a whirlwind trip to Swaziland, an experience that undoubtedly has changed her life forever. Want to meet residents like Judith in person and hear their incredible stories? Come join us for an upcoming free SamariTour and learn about the many lives changed every day here in our community.

Fighting AIDS one step at a time

		The City of Fort Worth has been involved in the Sister Cities program for years, partnering with other cities all over the world to share cultural traditions, icons and values. Sister Cities joined with the More Life collaboration to make Judith Dillard a historic player in the deepening connection between Cow Town and the African country of Swaziland. On February 28, 2008, Dillard traveled to Swaziland, Africa to participate in a groundbreaking initiative called Walk the
Judith with Benedict Gamadeze, her liaison in Swaziland

Nation, as an Ambassador for the City of Fort Worth and as an Emissary of Hope to Sister City Mbabane, Swaziland. The Walk started on Sunday, March 2, 2008 at the Mhlumeni border gate and ended on March 12, 2008 at the border of Sicunsa, Swaziland. The Walk covered 200 kilometers, stopping in rural areas along the route for HIV/AIDS education, counseling and testing.

Our ambassador helps Swazi kids learn about AIDS

Dillard, a firm believer in purpose and fate, sees this adventure as a fulfillment of a predetermined responsibility. “I feel that this was my destiny to attend this event, and spread my hope and faith living eighteen years with HIV/AIDS, so that others from around the world can see that HIV does not have to be a death sentence,” says Dillard.

Although her activism has taken her to destinations in the U.S. and Canada, traveling this far from home was a new experience for Dillard, one that came with its share of nerves. “Being a little bit fearful of the unknown did not stop me from putting my best foot forward – literally in this case,” says Dillard. “I let my spirit lead and guide me through twelve days of the most encouraging, emotional, spiritual, and dynamic event that I have ever attended.”

For all of her own reservations, Steve Dutton had nothing but confidence in Dillard being chosen as an ambassador. “We could think of no better representative to send from Fort Worth to participate in Walk the Nation,” says Steve Dutton, President and CEO of Samaritan House. “Given that we are launching an event in Fort Worth this spring called More Life, to continue promoting AIDS education in our local community, we also believe in supporting efforts like Walk the Nation to continue bringing publicity to efforts around the world to help end this terrible disease.”

The morning start was always energizing and happy

Such a trip is hardly seamless, as Dillard can attest. Missed rides, swollen ankles and a confounding maze of one airport after another seemed to be conspiring to frustrate her mission. However, once she began her journey on foot in Swaziland, all of those challenges melted away. “Very soon I became a member of a very large family of walkers,” she recalls. “For the next twelve days, we ate, slept, laughed, cried and walked together. It was then that I knew I would never be the same after this trip.”

For nearly two weeks the mobile delegation shared information about HIV/AIDS across the countryside, helping one another overcome fears and stigmas. “We took the lead in the fight against HIV/AIDS,” says Dillard, “and that is what the walk was all about.”

More Life's involvement in the Sister Cities project stems from the two visits to Samaritan House by the delegation from Mbabane, Swaziland: first, when they visited Fort Worth a few years ago to sign documents as an official Sister City to Fort Worth, and again two years ago when they visited Samaritan House, at which time the delegates met Judith and other residents.

Though Judith’s journey is over, there is a tremendous amount of follow-up work to be done. In addition to interviews and visits with organizations interested in hearing Judith’s stories, plans are underway for a short documentary film about her trip. “We are excited that the Rotary Club of Fort Worth also believes in our mission to have Fort Worth represented in this way,” says Dutton. “They have provided initial funding to create a documentary of Judith’s trip as a health literacy tool.” The finished video is expected to be released later this summer.

To see more pictures of Judith in Swaziland – click here

More Life to launch this month

When staff members and volunteers from the three major AIDS service organizations in Fort Worth came together to brainstorm about what they might do to raise community awareness in conjunction with the Fort Worth Opera’s production of Angels in America, no one could have imagined that this was the beginning of something big.

Nearly a year in the making, the month-long More Life festival begins May 10th and continues through the beginning of June, spread across dozens of arts and educational venues and including artwork, performances and informational presentations by adults and children, many of whose lives have been affected directly by HIV/AIDS.

With as many as 10,000 people in Tarrant County currently living with HIV, and considering that as many as one-third are unaware of their status, the risks – and therefore the need for community education and activism – are clear. The More Life festival will provide an opportunity to touch thousands of lives, with the hope not only of improving prevention and early treatment of people living with HIV, but also of overcoming misinformation and stigma that still make it difficult for a person who is HIV-positive to live a happy, productive public life.

Mark your calendar with the many programs of interest you’ll find below. For more information, please visit www.morelifetexas.com or www.angelsatmydoor.com.

Click here for the More Life Events Calendar

Casting a vision for More Life

Cindy Boyd

Cindy Boyd is a woman who definitely gets around, in the best sense possible. As the Executive Director of the Nonprofit Service Center for two years, she visited more than 100 local nonprofits, learning both of their needs and what they had to offer the community. Having worked not only with the Chamber of Commerce and the United Way, but also with all of the local AIDS Service Organizations as a consultant, she sees how well pieces of the community puzzle can fit together (sometimes with a little bit of encouragement).

Consider Cindy Boyd the oil that helps keep the gears moving.

That’s why the three area AIDS Service Organization were delighted when Boyd volunteered to chair the Program Committee for the More Life Festival, joining Project Manager Jan Titsworth in making the festival a reality. With such a broad knowledge of the complex community tapestry, and with the passion to make an otherwise daunting project come to life, she was a natural fit.

“We could not have asked for a better advocate,” says Steve Dutton, President and CEO of Samaritan House, which is partnering with AIDS Outreach Center, the Fort Worth Opera and Tarrant County AIDS Interfaith Network to produce the festival. “Cindy brings so much to the table, and she holds absolutely nothing back. When she says she’s committed, she means it one-hundred percent.”

Boyd has a long history with all three local AIDS groups. When Tarrant County AIDS Interfaith Network was getting started, she facilitated their strategic plan, and for AIDS Outreach Center, she researched programming in comparable U.S. agencies to assist with their long-range planning. When Samaritan House needed someone to draft an operating plan for the new Villages development, she was the obvious choice.

Currently, Boyd is responsible for recruiting partners in both the performing and visual arts to fill the Community Arts Center and multiple venues throughout the community during the More Life Festival. Her multiple, highly-developed skills and enthusiasm for the project have taken the festival from abstract idea to community blockbuster in one short year.

Boyd is also the project manager for the publication of Angels at My Door, a book of stories written by children touched by HIV/AIDS. Angels artwork is provided by Fort Worth Independent School District students; stories and additional artwork were produced by children of ASO clients during a Creativity Camp conducted by Deborah Jung of Kids Who Care. A Book Release Celebration will be held at the Fort Worth Library on May 17th.

“I mean it when I say that my involvement has truly been a privilege,” says Boyd. “The best thing about the More Life festival is that literally no one has said ‘no,’ which explains why the scope of the festival grew so much more than any of us ever dreamed.”

Though buy-in has been outstanding from participants, the logistics of such a large and widely dispersed festival over several weeks have been challenging at times, to say the least. “It is a very difficult project in that there are a million details,” says Boyd, “but my experiences have been blessed by a very high level of trust, which has made the going much easier.”

Asked about plans for similar events like the More Life Festival in future years, Boyd was optimistic. “The relationships are strong,” she says. “Countless community connections have been established, so the future of the event will rest with the three AIDS Service Organizations.”

If the recent success of Joe’s Run, relocated to Fort Worth’s Medical District, is any indication, our spring is hitting its stride at Samaritan House. Many thanks to all who participated in Joe’s Run at its new location near our own back yard, as well as countless volunteers and staff members who made sure the long-running event was once again a great success. We’ll see you again next year!