Carrie Moves Towards a Career and More Inside!

TIS December

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 50 people this month, including:

10 Individuals

11 Families

21 Children

Guests ranged in age from 5 months to 58 years old

As 2022 comes to a close and we look forward to a new year, we want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for everything you do for our guests. You make new beginnings possible, not just at this time of year, but every single day. We, and they, are so very grateful!

Take a look at what you made possible this month!

Charles got a new job!

Charles has worked incredibly hard in the S4 Program. He is truly taking everything he is learning to heart. He found part-time employment several months ago, but recently got a brand new job! His new job is full-time and even has benefits. We are so very proud of Charles and all of his progress on the road to Success!

Carrie is going to school!

Carrie is a mother of one in our family shelter. She was recently accepted into phlebotomy school. We are very excited that she has chosen this path, and wish her lots of luck at school and in her chosen career. This a big step forward in her journey towards Success!

TIS the Season!

We had a wonderful time getting in the holiday spirit this month. Our guests did a fantastic job helping to decorate the shelters, and several guests assisted in setting up our magical Home for the Holidays light display.

At our family shelter Easton's Promise, our kids decorated the tree all by themselves (with a little lift from moms and dads to reach the tall areas). Didn't they do a beautiful job?

We recently welcomed a new case manager!

Meet the newest addition to the TIS family - DeWayne Camper, case manager for the single men and women at Evelyn's Place. DeWayne is 45 years old, and was born and raised in Talbot County. He shares daughter Dejahmir (20) and son DeShaun (6) with their wonderful mother Shauna Trice. They are a very close knit family and spend a lot of time together.

DeWayne received his Associates Degree from Chesapeake College with a concentration in Human Services and Mental Health and his Bachelors Degree from Perdue University Global with a concentration on Youth and Family Administration. He went on to earn his Masters Degree in Mental Health Administration from Arizona University Global Campus.

DeWayne says he chose the Human Services and Mental Health fields because he loves helping others and sees an urgent need for mental health care in our communities. To him, helping others is a natural thing to do. When he came across our case manager listing, he knew right away this was the job for him. He shares:

"I know what it is like to make bad decisions in life and feel like you've lost everything that matters. I also know that once you get down so far there is only one way to go, and that's up. If there is one thing I know I can inspire others to do, it is to never give up, to be resilient. Most importantly, believe in yourself. You don't have to own the negative stigmas that people want to place on you because of your past. Move forward and always be the best person you can for today."

DeWayne has enjoyed his time at Talbot Interfaith Shelter thus far.

"I vow to do my best at all times," he continues. "It is an organization of great people with a great mission, and I'm glad that they are allowing me to help do my part in carrying out the mission."

Welcome, DeWayne! We are thrilled to have you on Team TIS, and we know that our guests are very blessed to have you in their corner!

Spotlight on Team TIS!

This month, Team TIS has gone all out to make the holidays bright for our guests and our community. From our Home for the Holidays volunteers to those who adopted our guests for Christmas, to the elves who helped wrap and deliver gifts, we are overwhelmed by your kindness. Take a look at how Team TIS spent December!

Thank you to each and every person who gave of their time, treasure, and tremendous hearts to make sure that our guests had a special Christmas. The looks on their faces when they see, in a tangible way, how much this community cares for them is beyond description. Each year is more humbling than the last. There are not enough words to properly express our gratitude.

Casey Family Sock Drive!

Thank you to the Casey family for once again choosing TIS as one of the beneficiaries of their annual sock drive. The drive has grown steadily each year - the Caseys estimate that this year, they collected around 4,000 pairs of socks! They have chosen to distribute them to organizations in Talbot and Caroline Counties. Our guests will have toasty toes this winter, thanks to this incredible family!

Appeal Match Extended!

We have been overwhelmed by your response to the $100,000 matching challenge put forth by a generous TIS supporter. Thanks to your wonderful support, we have exceeded our goal!

If you haven't made a year-end donation yet, we have great news for you. There is still time to double the impact of your gift to TIS.

Two more incredible donors have come forward to extend the match to $120,000!

Make your donation today, and help us provide Shelter, Stability, Support, and a path to Success for local families and individuals in need.

Double YOUR Impact!

On December 15th, we hosted our first ever Sedlack Society Celebration at the Tidewater Inn in Easton. The Sedlack Society, named after our founder, Evelyn Sedlack, was launched earlier this year to recognize those shelter supporters who give $1,000 or more annually. There are four Sedlack Society tiers inspired by the four steps of our S4 Program:

Shelter - donors who give $1,000 - $2,499

Stability - donors who give $2,500 - $4,999

Support - donors who give $5,000 - $9,999

Success - donors who give $10,000 or more

Our new Sedlack Society members joined our key staff and Board of Directors to enjoy a lovely evening of food, live music by our friend Jayme D, a visit from Santa, and a photo booth by Foto Berry. Executive Director Julie Lowe, Development Director Laura Richeson, and Board Chair Peter Woicke addressed the crowd to thank them for their generous support.

This wonderful celebration was made possible by the incredible Tidewater Inn, who donated the space, food and drink, and services for the evening. The staff was phenomenal, including Laura's son, who was our chef for the evening!

When we arrived to start the event, we were informed that the Tidewater would be hosting this event for us every year moving forward. We are blown away by this generous gesture, and look forward to many more such celebrations in the future, with many more Sedlack Society members!

*Tidewater Inn Staff

Our 3rd Annual Home for the Holidays winter festival took place on December 9th, 10th, 16th, and 17th at the Hummingbird Inn in Easton. It was a truly magical event, and we loved seeing the smiling faces of our neighbors as they came to explore our holiday village and enjoy the spectacular lights, visit with Santa, enjoy food and drink, listen to live local music, take carriage rides through town, and do their holiday shopping. When all was said and done, we had raised nearly $20,000 in support of our mission - double the amount raised from last year's event!

Thank you to our amazing sponsors (see below), the incredibly talented musicians and vendors who braved the cold to share their talents with us, Pete's PeteZa and the Red Shef food trucks, Tanglao Carriage Tours, Foto Berry, and our extraordinary corps of volunteers for making this all possible. And of course, we have to send a very special thank you to our friends at the Hummingbird Inn, who let us take over their gardens for the month of December. We are so very grateful for their partnership and support.

We hope you will take a moment to watch the video below by local videographer Jimmy Maguire that beautifully captures the magic of the event!

Become a Promise Keeper

You can also help with clothing, cleaning supplies, and more by purchasing items from our Amazon Wish List! View our wish list below, and check our Facebook page and website every Wednesday for an updated list of needs. Thank you!

Amazon Wish List