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Interns Dominique van Beesten, Betsy Inman, and Gina Messamer |
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This semester Samaritan House is fortunate to welcome three new interns. Betsy Inman, a recent graduate of Murray State University in Murray, Kentucky, will assist with a variety of organizational projects; Dominique van Beesten, a senior at TCU, will help with the transition of Joe’s Run to its new Near Southside location, and Gina Messamer, a senior Marketing major at TCU, will work on a public relations/marketing project |
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Michael and his new friend |
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Family Health and Education Coordinator Rick Isaminger continued his series of fun outings for Samaritan House children with an excursion to the Stock Show and Rodeo on January 19. Tiger, Michael, Caleb and Abel toured all the animal barns and exhibits. They loved the tractor exhibits, and also went to the petting zoo. The kids especially enjoyed the opportunity to join in Fort Worth’s signature annual event. |
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For the third consecutive year, Samaritan House has been chosen to host a Rotary STARS team from Riverside Middle School. An eighth grade social studies class will come to Sam House to learn about community service. Included in the day’s program will be two hours of work in the Seeds of Hope Garden, talks by residents about how to prevent contracting AIDS, and an art project. Students will eat lunch in the cafeteria with the residents |
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Circle Theatre will present the Drama Desk Award-winning play As Is on Monday, March 10 at 7:30 p.m. The play focuses on an individual’s struggle with AIDS and its impact on him, his friends, lovers, family and the medical community. For ticket information call (817)877.3848 or go to . The production is the first segment of the More Life festival, which will take place mainly during May and early June. |
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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! |
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Samaritan House News March 2008 |
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| Letter from the President |
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| If you’re like me, you’re probably suffering from the after-effect of one too many cookies this holiday season. Fortunately, we have a way for you to shed those unwanted pounds, while helping out Samaritan House in the process! Joe’s Run, our annual 5K benefit race, is coming home to our own back yard for the first time. Read more below about one of the most popular races in town. |
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| Also featured this month is Alison Moreland, a long-time volunteer, tireless board member and true advocate for the entire HIV/AIDS community in Tarrant County. It’s an honor to recognize all that she has done to help us realize our dream of serving hundreds of men, women and children every year whose lives are affected by HIV. |
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Put on your walking [or running] shoes |
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| It’s time once again to dust off your best pair of running or walking shoes and make your way to Joe’s Run: the most fun on two feet! On March 29th at 8 a.m., thousands will converge on Fort Worth’s Near Southside to begin a new era for one of the most popular benefit runs in the area. |
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Our mascot Joe the Parrot and Fort Worth Cats mascot Dodger greet enthusiastic runners |
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| Formerly called Run to Joe’s, the 5K walk/run benefiting the residents of Samaritan House has moved closer to home, taking over the streets of Fort Worth’s Medical District, south of downtown. The move not only brings the race closer to home, with the course passing right in front of the Samaritan House facilities, but it also welcomes a number of new local flavors to the after-party. |
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| According to race coordinator and Samaritan House staff member Aaron Siegel, one of the goals of the new look and location for Joe’s Run is to engage more of the local community near the organization. "With coordination and meetings in the local community," says Siegel, "one goal is to get more local business involved – both with the race and with Samaritan House in general – making them aware of our presence and our interest in local support." |
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| The race also is taking on a different look, adopting a more Western theme, centering, as always, on Joe the Parrot, Samaritan House’s mascot. With so many logistical and cosmetic changes, Siegel says there are more challenges than ever in preparing for the big day. "Every day is a new adventure," he says. "You start with getting new sponsors from the immediate community, then there’s the matter of the logistics of such a big race, including barricades and port-a-potties, just to name a few." |
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Our 5K run/walk in 2007 |
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| Siegel points out that such a large-scale event would be impossible without months of tireless effort from the volunteers on his planning committee. "They really are amazing," he says. "I don’t know what I would do without them." |
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| Early registration is available online at www.joes-run.com, along with more details about the race day events. Advance packet pick-up will be available March 26th through the 28th at the Youngman Family Room on the Samaritan House campus. For more information, call 817-332-6410, x165. |
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- Where: Joe’s Run has moved to the Near Southside in Fort Worth’s Historic Hospital District
- When: March 29th 8 a.m., rain or shine
- Cost: Early entry is $18. Team entries are $15 per person (five person minimum)
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Behind the scenes with SamariTours |
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| For a couple of years now, thousands of people have driven by Samaritan House’s new campus every day, watching the progress as our new hope took shape. Every day, questions arise about the new apartments, expanded capacity and future plans. |
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| What exactly are those Samaritan House folks up to anyway? |
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| Well, wonder no more. We now offer two opportunities each month, though our SamariTours program, for the public to visit our new community. The next two tours will be on March 11 and 25, both at 5:30 p.m. The one-hour tours begin in the Youngman Family Room, where staff members offer basic information about the organization and answer general questions. Two residents share their stories as part of each event: easily the most powerful part of the evening. Finally, everyone gets to take a tour of the facilities. |
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President Steve Dutton answering questions House at a Samaritour |
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| "The whole reason we do these tours is to spread the word in the community about what we do, "says Sally Burt, Director of Development. "We don’t ask anyone for money during the SamariTours; it's purely informational." |
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| Though staff and residents take part in the semi-monthly tours, Board members have been known to join in as well. Board president Alison Moreland sees SamariTours as an opportunity to do two things she loves most: meet new people and tell them about her favorite non-profit organization |
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| "I love introducing folks to Samaritan House," says Moreland. "From the last tour, we have several new volunteers who want to be a part of what we're doing. And I always learn more about our wonderful residents each time I come!" |
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| Comparing the informational tour with fundraisers, Moreland believes the connection people experience during the tours creates a much more valuable relationship in the long run. “I think many people want to find a way to give back that is tangible, personal, and has results they can actually see,” she says. |
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Samaritour guests see the garden |
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“SamariTours enable us to reach a few people at a time, with the hope that they will get excited about us and spread the word about how many lives are changed forever by Samaritan House.” |
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| To reserve a spot in one of the upcoming SamariTours, Email:info@samaritanhouse.org or call (817) 332-6410, ext. 179. Join fellow "Tour-ists" in the Youngman Family Room, at 929 Hemphill Street, just north of Rosedale, for the March 11 session. The SamariTour on the 25th will begin in the conference room in the Administrative Offices. There will be signage in the parking lot. See you there! |
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| Looking back on a Decade of Service |
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Alison as Volunteer Coordinator in 2007 |
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In the mid 1980’s, back when an HIV-positive diagnosis was practically a death sentence, Alison Moreland was working as an AIDS Educator at the Tarrant County Health Department. Though her education and background kept her from living in fear of contracting AIDS, she became increasingly aware of how many people hesitated to confront this new disease, terrified of contracting it even from casual contact. |
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| "I wanted to be sort of a role model for others," says Alison, reflecting on her early years as an AIDS activist. "I was not infected, I had no family members infected, and I was not gay, but I saw this as a disease that desperately needed to be understood by the general public." |
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| In the coming years, Alison began volunteering with an AIDS Care Team through her church, and she became aware of a community action group started by Richard Kurtz to address the desperate need for housing among people living with HIV; at the time, there were no AIDS-specific care facilities in the county. |
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| "Many friends of our AIDS Care Team clients were on the verge of becoming homeless due to loss of jobs, family support, insurance and housing," says Alison. The crisis opened her eyes to the breadth and depth of the impact such a disease could have on every part of a person’s life. |
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| A Registered Nurse for 46 years, Alison taught at the School of Nursing at TCU, and through Home Health programs. Her eventual involvement with Samaritan House – which was developed as a direct result of the Kurtz community action group - came primarily from the prompting of a friend on the board. Eager to stay involved at a grassroots level, she agreed to serve on the board, and has ever since. Now in her tenth year as a board member, Alison has no intention of slowing down. |
Alison is serving her tenth year as a board member |
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| "I have never worked with an organization where the staff is more committed to helping change lives," she says. “For many of the staff, being at Samaritan House is not just a job – it’s truly a heartfelt commitment.” Alison’s own heartfelt commitment has her serving multiple roles in 2008, including coordinating the volunteers for Joe’s Run in March, and assisting with the monthly SamariTours that help introduce members of the community to what goes on behind the organization’s walls, first-hand. |
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| "Every time I attend a SamariTour," says Alison, "I hear from different residents about how living at Samaritan House has turned their lives around. Each life story I hear reinforces for me why I love working with Samaritan House." |
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Want to get more involved? Click here for more information about becoming a Samaritan House volunteer. To accept an invitation to participate in an upcoming SamariTour, please Click here. |
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| Conclusion |
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| Want to know more about Samaritan House? Join us for an upcoming free SamariTour, and get the low-down from the residents themselves. Hear their stories and see the difference Samaritan House has made in their lives. It’s an open invitation: all are welcome! |
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