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NEWS BRIEFS

Eagle Scout Service Project

Grant Kee’s final stop on his journey to become an Eagle Scout was Samaritan House. He and other members of Troop 68 spent a day building a workbench for our maintenance department. Congratulations, Grant, and thanks for your support of Samaritan House!

Save the Date!

On Tuesday, December 1, World AIDS Day, Samaritan House will present its first Samaritan Heroes awards to Dr. Stanley Cal and Dr. Elvin Adams, who have provided services to many who would otherwise not have had access to medical care. The new Young Professionals group at Samaritan House is helping plan the event. Watch the October newsletter for details.

A Big Splash

Residents, staff and friends of Samaritan House enjoyed an end-of-summer party at the Forest Park pool, which was reserved for our use on the evening of August 11. Eating, splashing and laughing were reported.


	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 September 2009

Letter from the President

Permission to Brag

Finding Hope, Serving Others

Reaching Across the World

Letter from the President

Steve Dutton

Some folks wonder how we come up with enough stories to fill a newsletter with such interesting content every month. But in reality, there’s so much to talk about and celebrate here at Samaritan House that the monthly newsletter is just a taste!

This month we’re proud to recognize Judith Dillard, a resident and international activist for the rights of people with HIV/AIDS, and her role in helping Fort Worth receive a great honor from Sister Cities International. We’re also featuring staff member Terry Dybala, who helps residents like Judith get – and stay – on the path to recovery. Finally, read about the Second Annual Brag & Brag-On, which is a great time to highlight achievements both big and small of many members of our family.

Permission to Brag

When we’re growing up, we’re taught it’s impolite to brag. But on occasion, celebrating one’s own successes – or the success of others – is just the right medicine to support and inspire such behavior in others.

That’s why Samaritan House residents celebrated the Second Annual Brag & Brag On event August 18th in the community dining hall. The event is described as a gathering of the Samaritan House family to hear residents share what they are most proud of. Sources of pride include recognition of “clean time” (time free of drug use), returning to school, employment, new or enduring friendships and other landmarks.

For those too modest to brag on themselves, there’s also a time for residents to highlight the achievements of others. Publicity for the event describes the causes for recognition as “triumphs large and small, baby steps and giant leaps, in the struggle to regain self-respect, confidence and independence.”

“We saw that so many of our residents are making progress in large and small ways,” says Sarah Deats, Director of Communications for Samaritan House and staff contact for the event, “and felt it would be valuable for them to have a chance to let the rest of the family know what they’re up to. It’s also meant to let our supporters see firsthand what they’re accomplishing.”

In addition to Deats’s efforts, Terry Dybala helps encourage residents to participate and serves as emcee for the event. Volunteer Tabby Boring also assisted this year by organizing and attending to event details.

Though some residents do require a little nudging, there’s no lack of interest in the event itself. With anticipation of a crowd upwards of 100, the tables are removed from the dining hall to make room for everyone. Last year, the first Brag & Brag On drew 90 onlookers, including staff, residents, supporters, loved ones and friends. Thirty-five residents spoke.

“This is an evening that lets everyone experience what Samaritan House is really all about,” says Deats. “Hearing residents, one after another, tell about the progress they’re making (and often that includes how Samaritan House has helped them), makes the evening inspiring and rewarding.”

Finding Hope, Serving Others

Terry Dybala

Very few, if any, Samaritan House residents come to us with only the challenge of HIV/AIDS facing them. Many have a criminal or substance abuse history, and sometimes both, along with other physical, psychological problems.

Too often, though, all these issues – and contracting HIV – can be traced back to drug use. That’s why the chemical dependency recovery program offered on-site is a cornerstone of many residents’ plans for a better life. If they have had a brush with drugs, they get to know Terry Dybala soon after moving in.

Terry serves as the Lead Chemical Dependency Counselor (LCDC) at Samaritan House, and has been on staff since Oct. 2006. Prior to that she was a Supervisor at Tarrant County Mental Health and Mental Retardation (MHMR) for six years, and was a Lead Case Manager for six years before that.

With so much related experience, it’s easy to understand why Samaritan House staff was pleased to welcome her nearly three years ago as part of the team.

“Terry has a unique skill and style in regard to chemical dependency counseling,” says Ted Lovato, Vice President & Chief Operating Officer for Samaritan House. “She takes her life experience and shares her success and techniques with the clients when appropriate. She has an incredible work ethic and is available to the clients as needed, regardless of the time of day.”

Though Terry gets to see many successes as a reward for her hard work, the downsides can be challenging to accept, both personally and professionally. “(I try to) remember everybody is on a different level in life,” she says. “Not everyone is where I would like them to be, (and) not all will recover from drugs and alcohol.”

Any relapses along the way certainly don’t seem to be a result of any lack of directness from Terry.

“Her style is no-nonsense and she takes recovery very seriously,” says Lovato. “She can see through the illusions and fabrications of chemical dependency and has the ability to get clients to be honest and work on recovery. The clients appreciate the style in the long run, although it is difficult for some of them at first.”

As is the case with many involved in the chemical dependency counseling field, the hard-nosed exterior actually only seems to run skin-deep. “She’s tough,” says Lovato, “but is a sweetheart underneath. She really cares about the clients we serve and would help them do whatever is necessary to achieve sobriety.”

At the day’s end, Terry reminds herself to keep both the ups and downs in a greater context. Having gone through recovery from chemical dependency herself, she believes she is right where she is supposed to be. “I believe God had a hand in this for me,” she says. “No matter what happens, we will continue to have lessons in life. We have a choice to either get upset or to laugh, and it is so much nicer to laugh!”

Reaching Across the World

Samaritan House often celebrates the effort within our small family to develop and grow a sense of community. But this network does not stop at the doors of our facility, the boundaries of the city of Fort Worth or even the far reaches of the United States coastline.

Every once in a while, the work we do here reaches all the way around to the other side of the world.

In April of this year, Fort Worth Mayor Mike Moncrief’s office received notice from Sister Cities International that Fort Worth had received the
Innovation: Humanitarian Assistance Award from Sister Cities for their international efforts, to be bestowed in Belfast, Ireland in July. This honor to Fort Worth came about because of a very courageous woman, here among our Samaritan House family members.

The Fort Worth Sister Cities award was based on a 2008 project carried out by Samaritan House resident and Board member Judith Dillard. On February 28, 2008, Judith traveled to Swaziland, Africa to participate in a groundbreaking initiative called "Walk the Nation" as an Ambassador for the City of Forth Worth, and as an Emissary of Hope to Sister City Mbabane, Swaziland.

Having lived with HIV herself for 18 years, Judith was all too familiar with the challenges faced by those who are infected, having lived on Skid Row in Los Angeles for seven years, spiraling into a life of drugs and depression. While in prison, Judith made the decision to turn her life around. As a client of Samaritan House, she became an important model for other residents and eventually became a Board member.

She also became very involved in activism across the country. At the time of her involvement in Walk the Nation, she was an experienced activist and advocate for those living with the disease on a local, national and international level.

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.

“I feel that it was my destiny to attend this event,” says Dillard,” 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.”

Carlo Capua, who accompanied Judith to Belfast as a Sister Cities Fort Worth Board member, also has close connections to Samaritan House. Capua, the co-owner and manager of Z’s Café at the Fort Worth Community Arts Center, partnered with Samaritan House to train and employ Samaritan House residents at the café through the Hope Works resident employment program.

“We were proud of Judith’s wonderful work before,” says Samaritan House President & CEO Steve Dutton. “To have her be a critical part of our great city receiving this international award is just icing on the cake. And having worked with Carlo through Hope Works, I can say that we couldn’t have a better ambassador representing all of us to the rest of the world.”

Conclusion
You can see from these stories that there’s plenty of excitement around the lives changed every day at Samaritan House. But don’t take my word for it; come see for yourself! Click here for a list of upcoming SamariTours, a fun and free way to get to know our family here at Samaritan House firsthand.

See you soon!