Page 13 - 2025 Samaritas Winter Our Hands

COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS

Fifth Third Bank eBus Travels to Samaritas Communities
Across Michigan
Samaritas was honored to welcome the Fifth Third Bank Financial
Empowerment eBus to our Affordable Living communities in Grand
Rapids, Adrian, and Detroit, with an extra stop at our Family Center
emergency shelter in Westland. Partnering with GVSU’s Laker
Educational Opportunity Center and the Light the World Giving
Machine, we brought accessible, one-on-one financial guidance
directly to residents overcoming transportation challenges. We’re
grateful to everyone who helped make this impactful event possible!

Innovation, Inclusion,
Impact: Samaritas at Global
Citizen NOW
Samaritas joined Global Citizen
NOW Detroit to explore how
inclusive investment, smart design,
and tech-driven care are shaping
stronger, healthier cities. From
bridging cultures through food to
expanding STEM access and
launching new capital initiatives for
small businesses, Detroit is leading
with purpose and we’re proud to
be part of the movement.

Celebrating Birthdays,
Acrisure Volunteers Make a Difference Thanks to Girl Scouts!
for Refugee Families A big thank-you to Girl Scout Troop
Samaritas is thankful to Acrisure for supporting Samaritas through the 77615 from New Haven for donating
Comcast RISE initiative to uplift refugees in Grand Rapids. On April 24, 16 birthday cake kits for foster
Acrisure volunteers collected and packaged Family Care Kits for families. Each kit includes cake mix,
refugee families. We were especially grateful for the out-of -state Sprite, frosting, and candles—
Acrisure volunteers who were in town for meetings from as far away as everything needed to make
Arizona, Vermont, and Oklahoma, and took time to help enrich birthdays special. Thanks to their
Samaritas post-resettlement refugee project. generosity, more foster families will
enjoy joyful birthday celebrations.

Partnerships making progress possible
Our friends at Upcycle Bikes are helping Samaritas What will you ‘buy’ from the
remove barriers to recovery by providing bicycles for
participants in our Substance Misuse Programs - Michigan Works Collaboration Giving Machine?
opening the door to reliable transportation, work, and The Giving Machine is making Woodland
independence. Recently, Elizabeth Kelley accepted a The annual Michigan Works conference in Mall in Grand Rapids its home from
donated bike for a client and shared, “From one Kalamazoo was excellent! It was a great opportunity December 11 through January 4. Stop by to
human to another human, we can do amazing things to see partners from across the state, make new see it in person during Samaritas Day on
if we come together.” Our friends at Back Alley Bikes great connections, hear best practices for workforce December 12 and discover how you can
in Detroit also donated ten adult bikes to Samaritas. development, and learn Michigan economic data make a big difference.