HTT Receives National Accreditation
In the Spotlight: Ladies Philoptochos Society of the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral
SEARCH 16th Anniversary Luncheon a Success
SEARCH N’ Safari! 9th Annual Celebrate the Children Gala
HTT Receives National Accreditation
In October 2005, HTT received its National accreditation status from the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). HTT is Houston’s first and only fully-accredited childcare development center that focuses exclusively on the needs of homeless children.
“By earning accreditation, SEARCH has become a leader in a national effort to raise the quality of early childhood education,” said Mark Ginsberg, Ph.D., executive director of NAEYC.
While SEARCH programs address the needs of the family as a unit, its HTT addresses the needs of the children and their families in particular. HTT’s long term objective - breaking the generational cycle of homelessness - is achieved by focusing on shorter term goals to ensure that the younger children can progress with their peers.
“We’re proud to be accredited by NAEYC, and recognized for our commitment to the highest standard,” said Sandy Reese-Kessler, Chief Executive Officer of SEARCH. “NAEYC Accreditation lets families in our community know that children in our program are getting the best care and early learning experiences.”
Read more about the House of Tiny Treasures
In The Spotlight: Ladies Philoptochos Society of the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral
The Ladies Philoptochos Society represents Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral and serves to coordinate many of the charitable efforts of our church community.
all Food Drive 2005 - sponsored by the congregation of AGOC and Philoptochos The most recent project took place on Valentine's Day. AOS students helping others through community service, Annunciation Orthodox School celebrated Valentine's Day with AOS Has a Heart. This event was a great success!
SEARCH 16th Anniversary Luncheon a Success
The 2006 Look to the Future Luncheon was a huge success. A sincere thank you goes out to our luncheon chair, Tim Surratt, for helping raise $215,740 for Houston’s homeless! The money raised guarantees SEARCH’s continued effort of providing comprehensive programs to the homeless men, women and children in our community. We truly are “changing lives and ending homelessness."
A special thanks goes out to all of our sponsors:
Title Sponsors
John P. McGovern Foundation
Misericordia
Movers & Shakers
AIG American General
Visionaries
Advantage BMW Midtown
BMC Software
Marathon Oil
Advocates
Cingular Wireless
Foley’s
Joe Levit Family Foundation
LSF Foundation
RMI Oilfield Breakfast Forum, LLC
Sterling Bancshares Inc./Sterling Bank
SureTec
Vendor Safe Technology, Inc./Shelly & Joel Cyprus
Vinson & Elkins L.L.P.
W.S. Bellows Construction Corp.
The Brodsky Foundation
Haynes and Boone LLP
Futurists
Kirby Corporation
KPMG LLP
Rochelle & Max Levit Family Foundation
Memorial Hermann Hospital
Port of Houston
Randalls Food Markets, Inc.
Regina Rogers
Shell Exploration & Production
Sysco Corporation
Kittsie & Charlie Thomas
Thompson & Knight Foundation
Transwestern Commercial Services
University of Houston Downtown
Dreamers
Vivian & Jerry Cyprus
Kay Schwartz-Feldt & Sam Feldt
Greenwood King Properties
Sandy & Don Harris
The Houston Astros
JPMorgan Chase Bank
Karpas Properties/RMC
Vanguard Mortgage
Ambassador Arthur & Mrs. Joyce Schechter
Wilson, Cribs & Goren, P.C.
Lorraine & Ed Wulfe
Read more about the 2006 "Look to the Future" Luncheon
SEARCH N’ Safari! 9th Annual Celebrate the Children Gala
Swing on by for another fun-filled SEARCH gala on Friday, April 28, 2006. Join chairs, Perri and Dan D’Armond, at the Houston Zoo, to clear a path to change lives and end homelessness in our community. Your support for our Tiny Treasures Program will enable SEARCH to continue to nurture the minds and spirits of children to break the cycle of poverty and homelessness. We guarantee another SEARCH-style event- short on program, long on fun! Back by popular demand - The Durell Coleman Band. Tables range from $3,000 - $50,000. Individual tickets: $250. For further information on events, please contact Joni Robertson at 713-276-3064.
The fundraising begins March 10, 2006 with our online auction. The silent auction continues at the April 2006 event! Bidding will continue the evening of April 28, 2006 at our Celebrate the Children gala. If you cannot attend the event, someone will make an absentee bid for you according to your instructions to ensure you win the item you want. View our Silent & Live Auction items
Read more about the SEARCH Celebrate the Children Gala
Hurricane season is upon us – time to remember that every day is a disaster for the 14,000 homeless men, women and children in Harris County who are struggling to survive. Join SEARCH and its founding body, the Council of Congregations, for The Call to Commitment. Starting next month, congregations will host Days of Giving, a day set aside to collect money for SEARCH from their constituency. Later this summer, South Main Baptist Church will host an interfaith service with congregations from all over Houston and Harris County. Please check back for more details or for more information on attending this ecumenical service, contact Leonora Friend, 713-276-3066, at SEARCH.
When the staff of the Mobile Outreach unit makes their rounds, they never know who they will meet in the many encampments throughout the city. One day they found Colleen, a single parent in her early thirties. She was sitting on the curb sobbing. A family member had kicked her out of her house, and she had no idea what to do next. It was her first time being homeless. Her two-year-old was with her; her nine-year-old daughter was with an aunt.
The Mobile Outreach unit took two actions: first, they arranged for a motel room, and second, they referred Colleen to SEARCH’s Job Bank . The Job Bank built a relationship with Colleen and with potential employers on her behalf. Colleen was provided with job leads, bus tokens and a voice mail account so prospective employers could reach her during the job search. Colleen’s little girl started to attend daycare at SEARCH’s House of Tiny Treasures.
First, Colleen found a waitress job and SEARCH provided uniforms and shoes to help her get started. Her depression began to lift. She worked a while as a waitress, and became motivated to get an even better job. Today, Colleen has been working for five months and earns $1200 per month, has her own apartment, and tells us; “Thanks to SEARCH I now have real hope for a future, and my confidence is growing every day.”
Read more SEARCH Success Stories
In-Kind Needs
We know we can always count on you to assist us in clothing, providing household items and feeding Houston’s homeless. However, there are always items of need. Our immediate needs are:
Other items of need include:
Thank you, SEARCH donors and volunteers, for helping us meet these needs.
Volunteer Positions
Volunteers are very essential to us! We have more than 25 committed; active volunteers on an on-going basis that help us assist the needs of our homeless clients. Our newest volunteer opportunities include Driver for the Employment Education center Food Pantry and Teacher’s Assistant at the House of Tiny Treasures.
Please view all of our volunteer opportunities on our website under Get Involved
Corrections:
The photo on the March 2006 FANS Newsletter Luncheon story misnamed Tim Surratt and his son Tommy Surratt. Our apologies.
If you would like to receive our FANS Newletter, please send
an email to info@searchproject.org or call 713-739-7752.
©2005-2007 SEARCH All Rights Reserved.
SEARCH Homeless Center is a proud member of the United Way.