Deloitte makes an impact at the Tabitha House
Deloitte has always been a good friend to Samaritan Inns, especially due to the work of Paul Gallagher III, who is not only a principal of Strategy and Operations at Deloitte Consulting but also a member of the Samaritan Inns Board of Directors. This 
Friday Deloitte brought out a great team for one of their Impact Days to help make the Tabitha House shine again!
The team arrived at the Tabitha House, one of the buildings in our Longer-Term Housing Program, and heard from our President, Larry Huff, about the Samaritan Inn mission, impact, and how much this day meant. Steve, one of our residents, also came down and gave a testimony to the group, making the vital role that the Tabitha House has in our residents’ lives very tangible. The Tabitha House is the rock our residents need to rebuild their lives, and they were here to keep that rock solid.
They then split up to tackle two projects, painting a stairwell from top to bottom and making the landscaping brand-new again. The painting crew first primed then painted the four-story stairwell, and the landscaping crew weeded and mulched the grounds along with planting several trees. Both groups did a wonderful job, working tirelessly and finishing ahead of schedule!
Princeton University’s Work Day for Samaritan Inns
One of the last associations you think of when you think of Spring Break would be addiction recovery education. But for Princeton University’s Breakout Trip,
that’s exactly what they pursued, a great understanding of treatment, drug and substance use disorder policy, and people in recovery. Over the course of the week, they met with the DEA, advocacy groups, and an author for insight. Samaritan Inns was privileged to be one of the stops along the way.
As an organization that has served DC since 1985, we taught the students about lessons we have learned over the years, as well as the changes in the political and social environment in which we serve. After that orientation, the students got to work, beautifying the yard of Elisha House, one of our Affordable Housing Communities, and making lunch for the clients in our Adult Treatment Program.
Sharing his thoughts on the day, Noah (Class of 2019) shared, “This was a great day because it is our only time we are doing hands-on service work during this week, and it was very fulfilling to tangibly assist an organization that works on the ground level to help drug users. It was fascinating to see how many people play small roles to address the problems of drug abuse and enact change.”
The day was certainly a success, not only making our communities more welcoming but also, through a delicious lunch and fellowship, provided a midweek pick-me-up and brought joy to our clients, all of who loved the food and the company! We are grateful to our volunteers, both locally and across the country, who invest their time in our programs and in our clients. Even the smallest gestures can go a long ways.
Princeton, thank you for your service. You are welcome back any time!
Respond Day with 4th Presbyterian Church
This month, we were blessed enough to be a partnered site for Fourth Presbyterian Church’s Respond Day 2016. Located in Bethesda, MD, Fourth Presbyterian makes it a yearly tradition to dedicate themselves to community organizations working to eradicate poverty and serve those in need. Melissa Voorhees, one of the volunteers and members of the church, shared how the pastor’s mission statement for the church is for them to be “a gospel centered community involved in neighbor loving service.”
This year’s project was to clean and paint our Lazarus House Community Room, where our Adult Treatment Program hosts classes. Before the group began their work, Lynette Daniels, the Co-Director of our Affordable Housing Communities Program, shared some powerful stories about our program and emphasized to our volunteers that they should “never underestimate the power of a fresh coat of paint” and a new start.
The room looks wonderful and so much brighter. When sharing about her experience at Samaritan Inns for Respond Day, Melissa stated, “My favorite part of being at Samaritan Inns, apart from just spending good, useful time with friends of like mind and purpose, was sitting down for lunch with the people who have found safe haven there. It was encouraging to see that people in need are being helped. Grace and peace and gratitude in the faces around us.”
The clients, and our staff, are so grateful for Fourth Presbyterian’s day of service. Look forward to seeing you again next year!
Deloitte Impact Day
June 7th was the day set by Deloitte to partake in their yearly IMPACT DAY 2014, and Samaritan Inns was more than happy to be participating again. Typically Deloitte comes to Samaritan Inns to provide a day of financial and career mentorship for our residents, which in turns gives them the tools to face the world ahead.
This year Deloitte came to us to embark on a different kind of service project.
This year they came to tackle a beautification project at our Mozart Inn locations. A group of energetic and enthusiastic workers dressed in blue came to Elisha’s Houseready to tackle this day of service! After an impactful morning program they walked over to begin work at the Inns. The day was filled with landscaping, painting and camaraderie among the staff here at Samaritan inns and Deloitte. It was truly and a great day of service and was well received by the residents who occupied that property. On behalf of the staff and residents of Samaritan Inns, we would like to extend our deepest gratitude to Deloitte and cannot wait for next year’s IMPACT DAY!
