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Congratulations to resident Michael P., who was recently named “Outstanding Sergeant-at-Arms” by Toastmasters District 25 Division C. Michael is also employed at the Art Gallery Café and works at Z’s Café through Samaritan House’s Hope Works back-to-work program. Way to go, Michael! |
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“Thomas’s Story,” the Samaritan House video shown at the 2008 Out of the Box luncheon, has advanced another level in competition sponsored by the American Advertising Federation to recognize excellence in various categories of promotional materials. Red Productions, producer of the video, received word in April that the film has been awarded a gold medal at the district level. |
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Erma Wieck has joined the Samaritan House staff as a Chemical Dependency Case Manager. Erma has extensive experience in substance abuse counseling, including positions at Homeward Bound and Gateways of Texas. We welcome Erma as a valuable addition to our Recovery Plans for Progress program. |
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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 May 2009 |
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| Letter from the President
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Steve Dutton |
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Spring is always unpredictable in Texas – just ask those who braved the cold to participate in this year’s 12th annual Joe’s Run. To see so many hundreds of supporters come out in spite of the hand Nature dealt us is heartwarming to see – even if other parts of us are still thawing out!
Despite the volatile weather, the promise of warmth, sunshine and new life is all around us. |
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Read below about the Samaritan House community garden and how we are capturing the natural elements around us to bring hope and happiness to our residents. Finally, if you have not yet had a chance to take a tour of the Villages at Samaritan House, check out the piece in this issue about SamariTours. It’s an easy way for you to get to know more about what we do.
Come join us soon! |
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| Braving the Elements |
| 12th annual Joe’s Run prevails, despite cold and wind |
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The perseverance of Joe’s Run, recently completing it’s twelfth annual race and adding a new 10K run, is a metaphor for the Samaritan House spirit.
In spite of cold, blustery weather, more than 1,500 supporters registered for this year’s race through Fort Worth’s Near Southside medical district. Although fewer braved the elements to participate in the day’s events, more than a thousand still took to the course on Saturday, March 28th. |
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| Events Coordinator Aaron Siegel works year-round to plan this and other fund-raising and “friend-raising” events for Samaritan House. Asked about the barriers to pulling off such a huge task, he was clearly looking forward. |
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| “As always, we want to increase the number of runners and sponsors from year to year,” says Siegel. “One of the biggest challenges this year was timing and running the 10K and the 5K, because we tried to bring the 5K and 10K runner to sprint home together. Of course, the weather this year was a challenge too.” |
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| One adjustment from when the event was held in the Stockyards has been how to provide nourishment for runners and onlookers, which had historically been prepared by Joe T. Garcia’s.
This responsibility fell to volunteer Dominique van Beest, whom Siegel describes as “one of the better parts of this year’s event.” He cited “her ability to get the food vendors out to bring food to all runners and volunteers. She did that in spades, and the food was plentiful, tasted great and was a great end to the race.” |
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This year, a new face has joined the staff that lends even more history to Joe’s Run. Diana Dugan, the organization’s new Volunteer Coordinator, was a late-comer to this year’s run, but she jumped in with both feet. “Essentially, I got (Samaritan House CEO and President) Steve Dutton his job!” jokes Dugan. “And I was the first to wear the parrot outfit at one of the early runs.” This year, Dugan was primarily involved with preparing materials for participating teams. “I’ve been doing big events for a thousand years,” she says. |
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Though the financial returns of such a benefit run are clear, Siegel explains that there’s much more of a benefit than just money to the Run. “This has become a community event,” says Siegel. “It gets the Samaritan House name out there and showcases what we do.” |
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| While this year’s trophies are still finding their permanent resting places on runners’ shelves, Siegel is wasting no time on plans for 2010.
“We’re already working on a new logo design and preparing packets to present to prospective sponsors and supporters,” he says. “It’s a one-day event, but the planning is year-round.”
For race results, click here. |
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| SamariTours: A story to be experienced |
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| Those familiar with Samaritan House generally have no problem explaining how special this community is and why it’s worth supporting. However, there’s still the matter of some perceiving Samaritan House as the best-kept secret in town. Not for long. |
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| “We have seen a marked increase in volunteering and also in financial support since SamariTours began,” says President and CEO Steve Dutton, “especially the type of support that will help sustain us in fulfilling our mission over many years. And very positive ‘word of mouth’ is helping us become better known in our community.” |
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| SamariTours began in 2007 as a way to introduce the mission of Samaritan House to the general community. They are one-hour tours that include presentations by staff and residents and a tour of the nonprofit’s campus. “Hopefully the tours inspire others to become involved as volunteers and/or contributors towards the mission of rebuilding lives torn apart by this pandemic called AIDS,” says Dutton. |
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| The philosophy is that there is a “you have to see it to believe it” quality to what the organization does. Sure, Samaritan House provides housing and some other stuff, but it’s the people within the community and their powerful stories that are what stay with people as memories and as something they want to tell friends about. |
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| “People are always blown away by how nice the apartments are,” says Sarah Deats, Samaritan House’s Director of Communication, “but when they hear the stories of the residents’ circumstances when they first came to us, they are amazed at the way they have been able to turn their lives around.” |
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| Though Dutton, Deats and other ambassadors sing the praises of Samaritan House and its residents on a daily basis, nothing quite makes the same impact as seeing it for yourself. “On a tour, you get a good overview of our programs and facilities,” says Deats, “but more important, you get to experience the atmosphere first-hand. There’s no way to get the family feeling – so crucial to the success of the residents – from reading about us in a brochure or on the web. Here, you can feel it almost as soon as you step through the door.” |
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| SamariTours take place at 5:30 p.m. on the second Tuesday of the month and at noon on the fourth Thursday (see complete schedule online for exact dates). Attendees are led on a tour of Samaritan House, including the gardens in good weather, and then an apartment in The Villages. A box lunch is provided for the noon tours. You can sign up online at www.samaritanhouse.org, or by contacting Diana (dmenchaca@samaritanhouse.org, 817.332.6410, x195). |
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| In our Nature: An interview |
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| Samaritan House’s community garden project has reached full-bloom, so to speak, thanks to the hard work of many residents, staff and volunteers. Following is an interview with Patrick Vickner, Facility Manager for Samaritan House, about his vision and passion for the project. |
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Describe your background as it relates to gardening.
When I was a child, my grandfather was a truck farmer in western New York State. We would grow all our vegetables and fruits and would rarely go to the grocery store. Summers were spent working the crops and putting food by for the long winters. There was always something that needed to be done. At first I didn’t want anything to do with it as my friends looked upon this type of work as lesser, but I loved working the farm and being in the fresh air. |
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| I became fascinated with gardening and the cycle of life that was everywhere. Those pesky caterpillars that we would despise soon turned into chrysalis and then beautiful butterflies that would in turn help pollinate the crops as they gathered nectar. Everything and every insect had its place and was an integral part of the circle of life. As I grew older I realized that this connection with the earth helped me realize that there was a point why I was here. As I planted seeds and tended them and watched them grow and mature I was doing the same. |
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| I was a produce manager for the original Whole Foods in Austin on the marketing end of food production. While living in Austin I ran a small landscaping business that specialized in native plants. Although marginally successful, I was able to see even more how the garden and earth helps us realize the importance of the individual on this wonderful planet. I have gardened for the past 45 years and have always found solace and peace there. Gardening is my therapy. |
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How did you get involved with heading up the Samaritan House Garden?
My job as Facilities Manager of The Villages and Sam House makes the entire facility part of my many responsibilities. I use the British use of the word “garden” which they consider anything outside the house. |
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What were the first steps?
Sarah Deats and I took on the perennial garden with the help of several outside organizations. After the success of that we turned our eyes to another neglected area to the north of the Samaritan House. The original idea was to set up a garden that would produce vegetables that would be sold to the public and supply the kitchen at the Samaritan House. |
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| We soon realized that there needed to be a coordinator for the gardens and we brought aboard Greg Joel. The first year was trying and a lot of hard work, but with the help of Richland Hills Church of Christ group we were able to complete our garden of raised beds. |
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| We struggled to get the crops in and work the land. Although we were successful and were able to produce vegetables, resident participation was thin. I wanted to help the residents see how therapeutic gardening can be. I remembered the first time I lived in an apartment and I discovered community gardens (this was in Minneapolis). I got so much from the experience and was able to make new friends and enjoy fresh vegetables that I grew by myself. |
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What was the difference?
The gardens were run on an individual plot basis. Everyone was given a small plot and you were able to grow whatever you wish. I chose what to plant, I watered and I harvested the produce. This is what I saw as the missing link, and we reorganized the gardens to allow residents to sign up for their own individual plots. It’s much more successful now. It is wonderful to see the gardens and all the individual plots, some well-manicured in rows and others with whirligigs and colorful signs. I also enjoy the interaction between the mostly families in The Village Apartments and the residents of the single-room occupancy building and members of the Genesis program. |
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How has it been received by residents and by the public?
The residents love the garden and have embraced the opportunity. As with most of life, you get out of it what you put into it. I see a lot of smiling people and the flow of produce to the kitchen in the Samaritan House hasn’t slowed, even though the plots are individually run. |
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| The public has embraced the gardens and we have had many people involved as volunteers. From the beginning there have been the Rotary Club of Fort Worth and the children of Riverside Middle School. Greg Joel, who was instrumental in getting the gardens going. The folks at Richland Hills Church of Christ who sacrificed their spring break to build the raised beds in the vegetable garden. Anyone who visits the gardens can see the importance of having outdoor living spaces. |
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Can you talk a little about the rain catchment project?
Any gardener can tell you that watering with rainwater is much better than tap water. Living in North Texas, it is important to realize that we consume more water per capita than any other part of Texas. The average American uses approximately 150 gallons of water a day. All that is really needed is about 15 gallons. Conservation will soon become a necessity as we can all attest when we receive our water bills every month. Samaritan House is no exception. |
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| Our goal is to lower our utilities as much as possible. As a non profit we run on a shoestring budget, and every bit of savings helps. With a generous donation of two 2,500 gallon cisterns from Greg Whitfield at TheRainWell@therainwell.com and the hard work of the Army Fort Worth Recruiting Company under the supervision of Commander Captain Tony Tinderholt, we were able to level the cisterns and dig the irrigation trenches. We are presently connecting the roof gutters to the cisterns. We now can harvest fresh clean rainwater for our gardens. The absolute best water for gardens is rain water, which is oxidized and free of chlorine. |
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Which, if any, residents would you mention by name as being outstanding in their work in the garden?
Joel L. also of the Villages gets a green thumb award and is a great organizer. Gardening gives all the participants a great reason to visit together on a regular basis. When I see them together working and joking, my heart is happy. |
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What are your other future plans?
Recently the Tarrant County Master Gardeners, with Carolyn Critz, Gay Larson and Patricia Baughman, have adopted us. They will tend the gardens and lend inspiration and advice to all the gardeners. We are lucky to have so much knowledge and information at our fingertips. We know that the Master Gardeners will help bring our gardening program to a new level. |
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| Why do people send you flowers when you are sick? They contribute to feelings of well-being. Scientists are beginning to understand why gardening and being around plants actually improve health and well-being. The reason is simple: it is in our Nature! |
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Conclusion
For those who have been out to every single Joe’s Run since the beginning, we can’t imagine where we would be without you. For those who made this year’s event their first, welcome, and we hope you return with all of your friends in 2010.
If you haven’t taken part in Joe’s Run, checked out our community garden or participated in the free SamariTours, what are you waiting for? Our doors are open, and we can’t wait to get to know you! |
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