Samaritan House News

JOIN OUR MAILING LIST

Your E-Mail Address

NEWS BRIEFS

Lights of Love Celebration

The Imperial Court will dedicate the Lights of Love Christmas tree on Saturday, December 13 at 8:00 p.m. in the flower garden on the Jennings Street side of Samaritan House. You may purchase a card in honor of someone living with HIV/AIDS or in memory of someone who has succumbed to the disease, for display next to the tree. Imperial Court will donate all proceeds from this year’s project to Samaritan House. Contact Sue Mahoney (sue@samaritanhouse.org, 817.332.6410, x162) to order a card.

First Command Bank Scholarships Awarded

Samaritan House is pleased to announce the inauguration of a scholarship program sponsored by First Command Bank. Three $750 grants, awarded to Samaritan House residents on a competitive basis, will be applied to tuition for the spring semester and will be renewable if performance standards are met. Samaritan House is deeply grateful to First Command Bank for providing this opportunity for residents to move ahead in their quest for independence.

A Sweet and Generous Christmas

Children at The Villages will have an exciting holiday celebration, thanks to Children’s Charities of Fort Worth, who will present the annual Kids’ Christmas Party on December 11. Santa himself will attend the party and distribute presents to all the children. Entertainment will be provided by the L.D. Bell High School Concert Show Choir. In addition, for the fourth year in a row, Sweet Memories Cakes and Catering and Trinity Community Church will make sure every Villages family with children has a warm Christmas morning by providing toys for each child, based on “angel tree" requests submitted to Samaritan House staff by parents. And Southside City Church will join our Christmas crew this year, fulfilling the wish lists of adult residents in the SRO building. SCC will also be present at Samaritan House for “the twelve days of Christmas," bringing a different presentation or treat to the residents each of the twelve days. Thanks to all these fine volunteers and donors for making our residents’ holiday season merry and bright1


	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 November 2008

Letter from the President

No Ordinary "Box" Lunch

Leadership Matters

George's Magic Touch

Letter from the President

Steve Dutton

It’s amazing to think that this is the last newsletter for 2008. Looking back, it’s incredible to realize that The Villages at Samaritan House have been up and running for more than two years already, and that the seventh anniversary of the grand opening of our first facility in Fort Worth’s Near Southside Medical District is just around the corner.

Please take a few moments to read the stories below about our Out of the Box luncheon, our

culminating annual donor event that helped us raise $160,000 in funds for our residents’ future. Such generosity is nearly overwhelming. Though we can’t thank you all individually, know that we value your support, and look forward to another year in community together. We’ve come so far, but our journey is not complete. Let’s look forward to a more hopeful future together.

And from all of us at Samaritan House, we wish you the happiest and healthiest of holidays.

No Ordinary "Box" Lunch

What happens when you apply "out of the box" thinking to a large fundraising event? Each November Samaritan House presents the Out of the Box luncheon, so named partly because of the innovative thinking that has contributed so much to the agency’s success, and partly because a major part of what we do is help residents climb out of the "box" they’re in and move past the limits they experience as a result of being HIV-positive.

The Out of the Box luncheon (OTB) reflects both these facets of Samaritan House. Instead of the usual big-ticket event attended – sometimes reluctantly – by friends of Board members and other supporters, OTB is free. Guests are invited by supporters of the agency and are informed that they will be asked for a donation, but that there is no obligation to give. Our most important objective is to show people what we do and hope that a significant portion of them will be inspired to become involved as volunteers or donors or both.

This year’s luncheon took place at the Fort Worth Convention Center; approximately 400 people attended. Each attendee was escorted to his or her table by a Samaritan House resident. Serving as an usher at the luncheon is a sought-after volunteer activity among residents, who enjoy the contact with the public and the upbeat atmosphere at the event.

The next nice surprise for guests was the beauty of the decorations in the ballroom. Designed and executed by George Miller,a professional scene designer who happens

to be a resident at Samaritan House, the bright colors and dramatic lighting were a true work of art. Lunch, catered by Snap Catering, was also innovative and lovely, besides being a taste treat.

Thomas & Family

The real centerpiece of OTB, however, is the program, this year introduced by Board Chair Becky Walker. After brief remarks by CEO Steve Dutton, a video and two speeches by Samaritan House residents served as the heart of the presentation.

The video, produced by Red Productions, told the story of Thomas, one resident who has used Samaritan House services to climb out of the box of HIV infection and drug abuse. His new life includes gainful employment, an apartment in the community, ordination as a deacon at his church and, most important, the commitment to be a father figure for three girls whose mother died of AIDS.

Susan

After the video, Susan spoke about running away from an abusive household at the age of twelve, and about the consequences of having to fend for herself at such a young age. She shared her desire to move from our Single Room Occupancy building to an apartment in The Villages at Samaritan House so that she can provide a home for her own children, who now can only visit her on the weekends.

Bradley began his story by saying that he is reclaiming his life. After seventeen years of addiction to methamphetamines, his life has taken a dramatic turn for the better at Samaritan House. With almost two years of sobriety behind him, in January he will transfer from Tarrant County College (with a 4.0 grade point average) to the University of Texas at Arlington. After completing his degree there, Bradley plans to be a math teacher for fourth through eighth graders. He is currently employed

Bradley

by TCC as a math tutor and will attend UTA with scholarships from several organizations.

These three stories provided a window into the many successes Samaritan House enjoys. They were followed by an address by Charlotte Hogan-Price, Chair of the Advisory Committee, who explained Samaritan House’s need for support in helping residents like these climb “out of the box." Attendees responded generously, demonstrating their understanding of the importance of giving a hand up to our community’s most vulnerable members, even in these tough economic times.

For more information about becoming involved in the Out of the Box events, please contact Sarah Deats at 817.332.6410, ext 177, or sdeats@samaritanhouse.org

Leadership Matters

The Samaritan House Board of Directors and Advisory Committee played a key role in the wildly successful annual Out of the Box luncheon this year, providing both financial support and volunteer leadership for the event. Board participation was at an all-time high.

Charlotte Hogan-Price

Board and staff came together to make an unprecedented $100,000 pooled leadership gift for the luncheon. The leadership gift is the linchpin of the fundraising effort. By demonstrating their commitment to the agency, Board members inspired other guests at the luncheon to follow their generous lead.

"It’s important for Board members to show their support in a tangible way," said Board Chair Becky Walker. "The community needs to know what a crucial role individual donations play in Samaritan House’s success."

Invitations to the luncheon are given on a person-to-person basis by volunteers designated as Table Captains. This year nine Board members and seven Advisory Committee members served as Table Captains, each bringing up to nine people – and in some cases, even more – from the community to learn about Samaritan House and its programs. It was inspiring to look out over the large crowd at the Convention Center event and see Board and Advisory Committee members at many of the tables.

Donna Anderson & Alison Moreland

This year, our intrepid Board and Advisory members helped ensure that Table Captains met deadlines for reporting invitation lists and making reminder calls to guests. "People sometimes get busy and miss deadlines," says Alison Moreland, a long-time veteran of the Board and effective Table Captain Leader. "It’s important to have someone to help them keep up with the process." Board members also assisted with making all-important thank-you calls to donors.

Board Chair Becky Walker

Randy Terrell, Vice-Chair of the Board, played a unique role in helping staff gather contact information and issue invitations to those friends of Samaritan House not invited by a Table Captain. These invitees included members of Samaritan House Supper Clubs and many past donors. Countless phone calls and emails later, Randy says, "It was satisfying to know that I was making sure all these friends of Samaritan House knew they were welcome at this important event."

Getting people to the luncheon is only the start, as far as Board and Advisory Committee participation is concerned. Besides serving as Table Captains, Board Chair Becky Walker and Advisory Committee Chair Charlotte Hogan-Price played important roles in the day’s program. Becky’s welcoming and closing remarks framed the event and added a personal touch, and Charlotte helped attendees decide exactly how they would support Samaritan House by explaining the many giving opportunities.

Board Member Randy Terrell

It’s impossible to imagine putting on the Out of the Box Luncheon without the help and support of our Board of Directors and Advisory Committee. Samaritan House is extremely fortunate to have such active and effective leaders.

George's Magic Touch

Large-scale events like the Out of the Box (OTB) luncheon, held recently at the Fort Worth Convention Center, take a community-wide effort to pull off. This includes staff and Board members, volunteers and Samaritan House residents as well. The collaborative effort proves the old saying that "it takes a village."

George

Instrumental to the success of the event this year was George, a professional decorator and Samaritan House resident, who coordinated the artistic dimensions of the event, which was attended by hundreds of members of the public. The luncheon project involved designing and producing centerpieces for dozens of tables, as well as an impressive

backdrop for the stage. Working from the OTB theme, boxes large and small were covered with bright colors of tissue paper and lighted from within. The tissue paper coming out of the top of the centerpiece boxes actually glowed.

For a pro like George, such a task was the perfect opportunity to put his best work to good use for his Samaritan House family. "George is one of a kind," says Steve Dutton, President and CEO of Samaritan House. "He brings a real warmth and personal touch to our events, a touch that reflects our conviction that where there’s a home, there’s hope."

Prior to coming to live at Samaritan House, George founded and managed Too Blue Scenic, a professional design company that hardly lacked for projects. In fact, the entrepreneur was so successful in designing and manufacturing theatrical scenery for special events that George had a hard time keeping up with demand.

As his company expanded and a new facility opened, he worked longer and longer hours, using crystal meth to mask his exhaustion. What began as a crutch to make it through endless days became a dependence that would change his life forever.

Two years of addiction ended when friends and colleagues intervened, convincing him to go to treatment. Having contracted HIV during his substance abuse, George came to Samaritan House almost three years ago to begin piecing his life together. He has since become not only a valued member of the Samaritan House family, but also an important member of the Out of the Box event team.

George’s artistry and professional knowledge of scene design have brought tremendous style and flair to other Samaritan House special events as well. If you’ve attended an in-house event hosted by Samaritan House any time during the past couple of years, chances are you’ve experienced George’s trademark footprint on the house.

George is also known at Samaritan House as an important role model and mentor for other residents. With almost three years of sobriety behind him, he truly understands the ups and downs residents experience, and his door is always open to those who need to talk.

"Of course, we are deeply grateful to George for his creativity and commitment," says Sarah Deats, Communication Director for Samaritan House, "but aside from his skills as an artist, it’s encouraging when we see that the work we do is embraced and owned by the residents themselves. George is a much-loved part of our community."

What a journey it has been! And there are no words we can employ to express the depth of gratitude for each of you who has helped us get here. From the Supper Club volunteers to the event participants and donors, we are not Samaritan House without you.

Thanks again for all you do.