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TIS May

Newsletter

Read on to find out what YOU made possible at Talbot Interfaith Shelter this month!

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Thanks to YOU, we served 52 people this month, including:

10 Individuals

13 Families

24 Children

Guests ranged in age from 7 months to 55 years old

We have had a simply marvelous month of May at Talbot Interfaith Shelter. We can't wait to share all of the wonderful things that have been happening, thanks to YOUR support!

Take a look at what you made possible this month:

Employment Excitement!

Many of our guests got new jobs or advanced their careers this month! Donna got a job at Giant, and Steve started working as a line cook at the Tidewater Inn. Felix worked with his case manager DeWayne to obtain the paperwork he needed to apply for a promotion at his job, and he got it! One of the mothers in our program received her CNA (Certified Nursing Assistant) certification, and has already started a job in her new career!

Nia Continues To Shine!

Last month, we reported that Nia earned her Money Fundamentals certificate. This month, she has even bigger news to share. She has found employment and was able to move out of Evelyn's Place and into one of our off-site transitional apartments! This young lady is working very hard in the S4 Program, and we are so very proud of all she has accomplished so far!

There is even more good news this month when it comes to our life skills classes! Two guests from Evelyn's Place and five from transitional housing graduated from our Money Fundamentals course! Two of the parents from Easton's Promise graduated from Character Counts for Adults, and three graduated from our Parenting Workshop facilitated by the Department of Social Services.

Learning never stops at Talbot Interfaith Shelter, and our guests are already diving into new topics. At Easton's Promise, the guests are moving on to the next phase in their money management training with a course called Money Moves, facilitated by our Director of Operations, Fran Doran.

At Evelyn's Place, case manager DeWayne has started a new class for our single guests called Untangling Relationships. This course is designed to help participants understand and cope with dysfunctional relationships. The class is made up of twelve sessions, all held in a group setting. Guests will have homework assignments after each session which will then be discussed at the next meeting.

In addition, some of the guests at Evelyn's Place are starting the Getting Ahead in a Just Gettin' By World Program this month. In Getting Ahead, guests learn about the root causes of poverty, as well as the challenges people face as they attempt to pull themselves out of poverty. They will learn how to identify and maximize the resources that are available to them, and how to wean off of those services once they have been able to get back on their feet. This is one of the most impactful classes that our guests participate in, and we are excited to see what this group of guests will take away from the experience!

Our guests are able to reach these milestones thanks to your generous support! We, and they, are so very grateful!

Learn more about our mission, the S4 Program, and how YOU can help by clicking the button below:

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Family Dinner is a TIS Tradition!

When we opened our doors in 2009 as a traveling cold-weather shelter, our guests bunked together in a large room wherever they were located- a parish hall, the basement of the synagogue, the lounge at the agricultural center, etc. While they had semi-private sleeping areas, the recreation area was always communal. This made dinnertime a group activity. It became a wonderful opportunity for guests and volunteers to share a meal and fellowship together, and was rewarding, both for the guests and those providing the meals and supervision.

When we moved into our first permanent shelter at Easton's Promise, in an effort to maintain consistency, we decided that our guests would continue to dine together.

Then, something magical happened. Dinner became an integral part of the S4 Program (Shelter, Stability, Support, Success). The guests even started calling it "family dinner." It has become an opportunity for them to share the highs and lows of their days and their experiences at TIS. Dinner is where they get to know one another and form friendships, and sometimes even become one another's chosen family. Guests form support systems around the dinner table.

We are proud to say that "family dinner" is still a daily occurence at both Easton's Promise and Evelyn's Place. Dinner has been provided by volunteers and local restaurants every single night since November 30th, 2014, and it remains a sacred time for our guests to share with one another.

On May 18^th, we were delighted to honor our dedicated volunteers with a luncheon at the VFW in Easton. This was the our largest volunteer appreciation event to date, with approximately one-third of our total volunteer team in attendance, some of whom have donated their time since day one. That’s more than 14 years of helping change lives!

The reception hall was beautifully decorated with floral arrangements donated by the Talbot County Garden Club. Executive Director Julie Lowe thanked everyone for their steadfast support of the TIS and our mission and gave special recognition and thanks to two long-serving Board Members who are leaving their positions – Gail Benjamin and Harvey Zendt.

Our new Volunteer Coordinator, Nancy Cummings, also spoke, reiterating our fervent thanks for our volunteers’ amazing efforts and sharing some updates. After speeches, we played a fun game of “Team TIS Trivia,” with the winner receiving a gift card donated by Plaza Jalisco. We also raffled off a beautiful wooden bowl donated by Tuckahoe Hardwoods, which was won by Jay Lister.

About the event, Julie shared, "To see so many of our volunteers in one place and thank them in person for all they do for TIS and our guests was incredibly gratifying. They may not think that it’s a big deal to donate a meal or to hang out in our shelters so the staff can go about their good work. But those homecooked meals, the friendly smiles and words of encouragement – that’s love, and our guests feel that to the bottom of their souls. It fuels them and gives them confidence to work their way through our program. They know this community is behind them, lifting them up."

Thank you to our incredible volunteers - you are the lifeblood of our organization, and we cannot fulfill our mission without you! Watch the video below to see some highlights from our Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon!

To become a TIS Volunteer, contact our Volunteer Coordinator, Nancy Cummings, at 410-690-3120 or nancycummings@talbotinterfaithshelter.org.

Congratulations, Julie!

We are incredibly proud of our Executive Director, Julie Lowe, who recently received the "Achieving Excellence Through Effective Programming" Award through Mid-Shore Behavioral Health. She was nominated by our Director of Operations, Fran Doran.

Julie is so deserving of these accolades. She works tirelessly to make sure that local men, women, and children have all of the tools and resources they need to rebuild their lives and work towards Success! Please help us congratulate her on this well-earned honor!

Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU! Our 7th Annual Lip Sync Battle Fundraiser was a raving success. Not only did we share a memorable night of laughter and joy together, but we also raised more than $82,000 in support of our mission! We are so grateful to everyone who participated in this incredible community event - our sponsors, teams, volunteers, and everyone who attended and voted. Lip Sync Battle is the embodiment of the phrase, "It Takes a Village," and our village really knows how to rock!

If you weren't able to attend, never fear! You can still check out all of our teams and meet our sponsors by clicking the button below.

Lip Sync Battle Website

Have you ever wanted to know more about Talbot Interfaith Shelter so that you could better share your love of our mission with your friends and family? Now's your chance! We are excited to announce the return of the TIS Ambassadors Program! TIS Ambassadors is a training program that was started in 2019 to help shelter supporters like you learn more about TIS and the S4 Program so they can be well-informed TIS representatives out in the community. The program was paused during the pandemic, but sessions will now be held quarterly. Our first session will take place at 5:30 pm on Wednesday, June 7th at Evelyn's Place (109 Goldsborough Street in Easton).

If you would like to participate in the upcoming TIS Ambassadors training session, please contact Nancy Cummings at 410-690-3120 or nancycummings@talbotinterfaithshelter.org.