The Good News
August 2020

A Note from Simón


Friends,

School begins this month for many students in San Antonio, virtually and in-person. We have never experienced a beginning like this. The excitement of starting the new school year might still be there, but is perhaps more subdued. There is so much talk of keeping safe that doing so consumes much of our daily routine, yet there is much Good News to share.

Essential operations continue at our main office locations in San Antonio and Brownsville. Your generous support made our annual School Supply Drive a big success. In the last few weeks, students in our Camp Good Sam and Parents as Teachers programs have received backpacks stuffed with school supplies through our curbside distribution. 

Our early childhood programs resume classes on August 24th, and we are excited to welcome them back. We are also opening our "Cyber Cafe" for use by students so they can join their classes online while on our campus. Our seniors continue to receive curbside distribution of food and commodities in partnership with St. Timothy's.

Early Childhood and Youth and Teen staff just completed the most extensive training they have done in years. The training covered newly modified curriculums, specifically with STEM. Staff have updated all lessons, themes, standard operating procedures, and assessment tools. 

WE'VE BEEN BUSY, and we look forward to the upcoming school year, Thriving Together.
Best,
Camp Good Sam in Action
During the summer, it is our tradition to invite our community to visit Camp Good Sam campuses for an open house to experience camp in action. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, we were unable to hold an in-person open house, but we wanted to share a part of Camp Good Sam with you through this video, which was created by campers and staff to show how they were able to engage in educational activities this year, thanks to the tremendous support of our community. For more information about Camp Good Sam, please contact Marby Shaw at marbella.shaw@goodsamtx.org.
School Supply Drive - THANK YOU!
Thank you to our community for helping us provide curbside distribution of backpacks filled with supplies needed for the upcoming school year to students in our Camp Good Sam and Parents as Teachers programs. We are grateful to all of our donors, including St. David's Episcopal Church, for donating backpacks and supplies.
Save the Date - BIG GIVE 2020
The Big Give was rescheduled in March and the platform repurposed for emergency funds. However, our most vulnerable neighbors will continue to feel the impacts of COVID-19 in the months to come. We ask for your continued support as we move forward and thrive together on September 10 through the Big Give. Help us reach our goal of 207 donors committed to changing lives in the 78207. For more information about The Big Give, or to become a matching donor, please contact Rebecca Earle at rebecca.earle@goodsamtx.org.
PAT Virtual Visits
Our Parents as Teachers (PAT) team continues to serve our Good Sam families through Virtual Visits. Teachers are able to continue interacting with students through fun, stimulating educational activities. For more information about the PAT program, please contact Alejandra Chapa at alejandra.chapa@goodsamtx.org.
YAC Gives Back!

This month, our Youth Advisory Committee (YAC) helped distribute food and commodities at our agency's recent Commodities Distribution. We are proud of the continued service of our wonderful YAC youth. For more information about YAC, please contact Aulton Davis at aulton.davis@goodsamtx.org.
We are so grateful for all of our donors who give to our agency each month. Good Sam relies on the support of compassionate and caring individuals to help provide programs that empower our neighbors.