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SAMMinistries is an interfaith ministry whose mission is to help the homeless
and those at risk of becoming homeless attain self-sufficiency by offering,
with dignity and compassion, shelter, housing and services. SAMMinistries
also provides volunteers opportunities to be renewed and fulfilled as they serve.
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SAMMinistries-Celebrating Independence
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 Dear ,
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Lady Liberty
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I love the 4th of July, even without fireworks! It's been 235 years since we gained our independence and we still celebrate like it happened yesterday.
When I think about it, we celebrate 'independence day' at SAMMinistries several times a year. As our residents grow in strength and skills, they leave us for a self-sufficient life, free from homelessness! Independent and ready to start anew! Most of these celebrations are quiet and may go unnoticed by the outside world, but at SAMMinistries, we rejoice! Thankful for what you have made possible, men, women and children leave with a renewed hope for their futures!
As you read this edition, I pray that you see how important you are to this Ministry. We need you this month as we serve more people with less! This time of year is a struggle for us as people vacation and may be extra busy. Yes, financial gifts are always welcomed, but we also have other needs.
We were blessed as many responded to the towel challenge. Now, this month, we turn our attention to our next great need--bed sheets.
We are also blessed by the volunteerism that is alive and well in San Antonio's youth. But, as you see, there is a lot more to do!
And last, but not least, please help us by voting and getting the word out about the Toyota Contest. Even if you do not have a Facebook account, you probably know someone who does. What a blessing it would be to get a new vehicle for the Ministry. This is an easy, quick and free way to give to the SAMMinistries.
Read more for details! |
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YOU Can Help Win a New Toyota for SAMMinistries
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 Vote July 20th at
www.facebook.com/toyota
Toyota's "100 Cars for Good" program is awarding 100 vehicles over the course of 100 days to 100 deserving nonprofit organizations based on Facebook votes from the public.SAMMinistries was chosen as one of the 500 finalists which means, on July 20th, we will go head-to-head against four other out-of-town non-profits vying for the vehicle.
Let's show the world that San Antonio supports its community!
VOTE BY CLICKING THIS LINK ON JULY 20th
We need a new vehicle to move individuals and families out of our programs and into their own homes. Many of our program graduates don't have families in San Antonio and can't afford movers, so they rely on SAMMinistries to help move them to their new homes. This puts quite a strain on our existing truck. Last year, we physically moved 144 families from our programs into their own residences.This year, with the huge increase in the number of people we serve, we expect this number of people needing assistance with moving to grow as well. A new vehicle will also help us pick up donations used to help the homeless. Truly, this one vehicle would affect countless lives!
Click here to see more information about the contest and to VIEW OUR VIDEO ENTRY!
Even if you aren't on Facebook, you can also help by spreading the word!
It seems that most days, contest winners have at least 2,000 votes! We are new to Facebook and may not have enough votes with just our 'circle of friends', so we need your help to expand our reach and make our vote viral! There are several ways to help; pick one or two that you like!
Pdf's of flyers: Just download, save, print or email. Click here!
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Hover your iPhone or Android with QR Reader over this or just click on the picture to vote!
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iPhones or Androids with a QR Reader app: Hover your phone over the picture to take you directly to the voting page! You can forward this e-newsletter to a friend and ask them to vote. A free QR Reader that works well for both applications is I-nigma.
Face to face: We have created business cards with "Vote for SAMMinistries July 20, 2011, Facebook.com/Toyota" on one side and the QR codes and reader information on the other. We would invite you to pick some up and pass them out to your friends, workplace, school or church. Just email us and let us know when you are coming and how many cards you would like to hand out... we will have them ready for you.
Volunteer: Go to WiFi spots, college campuses or wherever you think you could get people to vote on July 20th. We will provide you with cards, flyers, and "I Voted for SAMMinistries" stickers to hand out. Sign up on our Volunteer Opportunities website page.Â
You can go to the Toyota Facebook Fan page and register to get a reminder sent to you closer to July 20th. Once on their site, go to the "100 Cars for Good" tab, click on "View Contestants", find SAMMinistries, click on us and then "remind me to vote this day".
We will be posting reminders throughout the day on SAMMinistries' Fan page. So if you "Like" us, you will get a reminder from us to vote!  Click on the image and "Like" us today!
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Rob and Emily Kaufman Presented With the Riley Award
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Click on the picture to see a video about the Kaufmans and the Riley Award
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SAMMinistries is pleased to present New Balance San Antonio as the
"Official Outfitter" for our Street2Feet program for 2011-2012. New Balance will sponsor a team of 4 individuals who are excelling in the program to run in six 5K's. They will also provide team shirts for all of the runners who participate in the Street2Feet 5K on Saturday, February 18th. We are so grateful to Rob and Emily Kaufman and their dedication to SAMMinistries' Street2Feet program.However, we're not the only ones who recognize this company's commitment to our community.
A warm congratulation goes out to New Balance San Antonio for receiving the Riley Award. Recipients of the Riley Award are well-known in the community for offering outstanding service, as well as, being a partner in the community in which they serve. New Balance San Antonio received this award for providing a unique offering of the "sit and fit" experience and a healthy assortment of products, actively promoting of the brand, going the "extra mile" in helping consumers, engaging in community/charity events, and recognized by their peers. Thank you and congratulations New Balance San Antonio!
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Next on the List . . . Twin Sheets!
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Needed: Twin sheets
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985 + 160=1145 That's the number of bedsheets we provide each night! With the hot days of summer bearing down on us, our sheet supply is also! Sheets are in the laundry more often and the number of useable sheets is getting low!
The response for our Towel Challenge was so great, our Shelter Staff asked if we could have a Twin Sheet Challenge, too! So here we go! We are looking for 1145 Twin Sheets in 30 days! This will provide us a fresh new set to use while we sort through and clean our existing supply.
So, if you have any new or gently-used TWIN SHEETS that you would like to donate; please bring them to one of our two donation drop-off locations:
Transitional Living and Learning Center daily from 8am-8pm 5922 Blanco Rd, San Antonio, TX, 78216 210-979-6188 Donation Station at the SAMM Shelter Mon-Fri 8am-5pm, Sat 10am-3pm One Haven for Hope Way, San Antonio, TX, 78205 210-220-2412 If you know of a group that would like to have a twin sheet drive, please email or call Melanie, our Director of Development Services, at 210-321-5641. Top of Page |
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Garment Exchange Offers Something for Consignors
and Our Kids
|  Ever wonder what you're going to do with those really nice clothes your kids have outgrown? The Garment Exchange is a resale / consignment store for tween, teen and twenty-something guys and gals that is partnering with SAMMinistries to give you a way to recycle your wares and benefit the children served by SAMMinistries at the same time. The Garment Exchange has a creative program that allows you and your kids to put clothes on consignment and then donate the consignment credit to SAMMinistries!
These credits will be turned into certificates that the children and teens in our program will be able to use at the store. This will give them the opportunity to "shop" for name brand clothing, formal wear and accessories that are so popular amongst our youth these days.They (with their parents' help) will get to pick out the styles, colors and clothes that best fits their tastes!
So, not only will you be cleaning out your closet, but your consignment credit donation will give another child an opportunity to shop like most other kids and feel special at the same time! What a new and fun way for you and your children to recycle!
For more information on the Garment Exchange and this new program CLICK HERE!
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1,500 Towel Challenge Update
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You made it!
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1,500--that's the number of adult bath towels that we were hoping to receive and, at last count, we should make it!!! We have received 1,021 towels with three donation drives still in progress! We are so thankful that our need was received and acted upon. These wonderful individuals, businesses and congregations had donation drives or donated hundreds of towels toward this total: Westin La Cantera, Belinda Gutierrez, Coley & Associates, UTSA Group, Insurance One Agency, Northwest Vista College, Westover Hills Music Ministry, and New Creation Christian Fellowship If you dropped off towels,but your name is not mentioned, bless you! I am sure there were many who brought towels to our donation stations without mentioning they were for our Challenge! Thank you, thank you, thank you! Top of Page
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Volunteer Spotlight: Three Scouts Making a BIG Impact
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Over the past few months SAMMinistries Transitional Living and Learning Center (TLLC) has been blessed by three young men who worked tirelessly to affect the families by providing them with a updated welcome center, kid-friendly play area, and a new outdoor gazebo.
We are thankful to all of our volunteers for their efforts and a special thanks to these three young men, who served SAMMinistries with their hearts and hands. We are blessed to have such great support from local Boy Scouts of America troops. Thank you Jake, Chris, and Alec for your vision, your service and your leadership to serve your community through SAMMinistries! Below is an overview of the work provided by each of these fine young men.
For the Kids!
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Chris Perez in action
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Eagle Scout, Chris Perez, visited TLLC in October of 2010. Once he stepped into our After School Kare(ASK) area, he went right to work with a plan to improve this space.
The room is used as a Summer Day Camp for 6-11 year-old children and during the school year, it is home for our ASK program. Since adopting the space, Chris and his team of supporters have transformed the area.
The walls are now bright green, welcoming and fun for the children. He painted a large portion of the ceiling tiles to look like a cloud-filled summer sky and painted a mural of a tree in one corner of the room using the kids' hand prints as leaves.Chris was able to collect enough donations to purchase a television so the children can watch movies and to build a beautiful room partition that really makes for great space in the ASK room.
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Jake Fox in uniform
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The Lobby at TLLC is like Grand Central station. It is a space were donations are dropped off, kids wait for the bus to arrive during the school year, and serves as TLLC's main lobby. Most importantly, it is the front door to a new beginning for our families. It becomes theri front door when a family accepted into the program. This lobby stands for "A New Beginning" in the lives of our families.
Eagle Scout, Jake Fox, is a young man committed to making the lobby area a welcoming place for all. Jake raised money to make the space beautiful with durable furniture, a flat screen television, a larger receptionist desk, great shelving units, and warm walls that have encouraging scripture scattered throughout the room. The lobby is now exactly what Jake had envisioned; a true "Welcome Center!"
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Alec and his crew in front of his creation
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Alec Rodriguez envisioned utilizing some of the outdoor space at TLLC for his Eagle Scout project. In an effort to draw families outside to spend quality time together, Alec decided to make the North courtyard of the campus into a picnic area. In so doing, Alec built a beautiful gazebo, installed 2 barbeque pits, laid down mulch and finished it off with garden ties.
The structure is absolutely phenomenal and will offer shade and a welcoming place for many days of to come. Alec worked tirelessly to benefit the families at SAMMinistries Transitional living and Learning Center. In the hot summer heat, he and his team of supporters spread mulch, mixed concrete, installed a tin roof and truly provided the facility with a remarkable area. Top of Page |
Volunteer Needs and Opportunities
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We Need You This Summer! For more information on any of these projects contact Volunteer Services at Volunteer@samm.org
 SAMMinistries' Administrative Offices
Weekday Receptionist: SAMM Administrative offices, Monday, August 15 through Friday August 19th from 8:00am-5:00pm SAMMinistries' Transitional Living and Learning Center (TLLC) TLLC Tuesday Night Childcare: Volunteers are needed to watch over our kiddos from 6:15-8:00pm Tuesday nights at TLLC at 5922 Blanco Road TLLC Teen Room: The teens at the Transitional Living and Learning Center are in need of volunteers to open up the Teen Room so they can access the computers, pool table, video games and hang out in a safe and warm environment. 6:00-8:00pm, Sunday-Saturday, 5922 Blanco Road
GED Tutors: The adults in the transitional programs are in need of GED tutors who can assist as they work toward their educational goals. Schedules are flexible.
SAMMinistries' Downtown SAMM Shelter
Weekend Warehouse Teams: Volunteers are needed to serve on Saturdays in the Donation Warehouse from 10:00-3:00, 1 Haven for Hope Way
Painting Teams: Adults 18 years and older are needed to paint multiple areas in our dorms downtown at the SAMM Shelter, 1 Haven for Hope Way
SAMMinistries' Transitional Homes-Throughout San Antonio
Fence Building Teams: The Transitional Housing program has 25 houses spread throughout San Antonio where families reside up to two years while getting back on their feet. All volunteers must be at least 18 years of age to assist us in building these fences.
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Furniture For A Cause's Summer Dot Sale
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Furniture For A Cause's biggest sale of the year has arrived! SAVE from 10-50% off STOREWIDE when you shop FFAC's Summer Dot Sale now through August 7th! All furniture is marked with a colored dot that corresponds with different savings percentages! Hurry in today! Sale prices apply to floor models only. New shipments arrive daily! Come in today or visit FFAC's Specials page for more details!
Yellow = SAVE 10% OFF!
Blue = SAVE 20% OFF!
Green = Save 30% OFF!
Orange = SAVE 40% OFF!
Red = SAVE 50% OFF!
If you have a piece of gently used furniture you would like to donate to FFAC, please visit our Donations Page, or contact our donation line at (210) 442-2440.
Have you liked us on Facebook yet?
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In closing, my deepest thanks go out to our military men and women and their families; who have served or who are serving to keep us safe as and preserve the liberties that we enjoy.
Independence is an extraordinary gift that we have been given in the United States--but, truly, it is a gift that has come with a price. Many have given dearly so that we may live free and independent. I ask that you give so that the men, women, and children we serve can someday have their own special independence! Whether you are a financial or in-kind donor, volunteer, or prayer warrior, give the way your heart leads you--lives depend on it!
Respectfully,
 Navarra R. Williams President and CEO P.S. Click here to give a financial gift today! |
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