Page 20 - Our Hands Fall 2020

PARTNERSHIPS

In Memory of Meghan Beimers February 12, 1990 - June 19, 2020

Honoring An Angel...
Our Samaritas family lost a dear member this summer. Meghan Jayne Beimers,
wife to Jordan and mother to 6 wonderful children, passed away due to brain cancer
at the age of 30. She and Jordan were Samaritas foster and adoptive parents, fostering
8 children over the last 4 years. Some of those children became part of their forever
family. Meghan and Jordan, along with their brother and sister in law, Brett and Janelle
Beimers, advocated at every opportunity for children in foster care, encouraging others
to say "yes" to the sometimes "messy" but always rewarding joy of fostering children –
providing love and safety for them in difficult times. They repeatedly made themselves
available for more placements and for advocacy – endearing Meghan, Jordan, Brett,
and Janelle to Samaritas staff and those they spoke with. Even in death, Meghan asked
for her large family and many friends to make memorial gifts to Samaritas Foster Care
– which generated an outpouring of generosity to children in need of our support.
As we prepare to open the doors to our new Child & Family campus in Grand Rapids,
a memorial bench at the entrance will remind all who enter of Meghan’s love of being
a dedicated mom to children, no matter their circumstances. Her vision of family was
contagious, and she’ll forever be a part of ours.
James 1:27: "Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit
orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world."

S AMARITA S RE CEIVES OVER $1 MIL IN GRANT FUNDING

Community support for Samaritas is more vital than ever, with over 24 foundations supporting
Samaritas with over $1,000,000 in grant funding during the last eight months. This funding has
ranged from crisis funds for critical basic needs support, to programs that helped foster youth and
families adapt to virtual learning by having the right technology and tutoring. During this crisis, people
turned to Samaritas because they trusted that we would be the same steady shoulder of support that
they have relied on in the past. Grant funding from United Way of the Lakeshore, United Way Heart
of the West, the Community Foundation of Southeast Michigan, The Children's
Foundation, John Laing Charitable Trust, Kent County and many more, enabled
us to continue to be a robust resource for everyone. Several grants allowed us
to respond in new and innovative ways, including a $500K grant from Oakland
Together Community Response and Recovery Fund, which, along with directly
supporting refugees, foster children & families, our affordable living and senior
living communities, funded the delivery of Mental Health First Aid Training. This
program trains professional staff inside and outside of Samaritas, foster parents,
and individuals throughout the community who are caring for seniors and
refugee families, and schools throughout Oakland County and beyond to identify
the signs, symptoms, and risk factors of mental illnesses and addictions. This training has real-life
implications for community members who interact with vulnerable populations, especially given the
heightened anxiety and stress due to COVID-19.

Outside of the necessary funding above, we have also been working hard to secure funding for
our capital campaign projects that are so central to our mission. The Peter C. and Emajean Cook
Foundation, the Grand Rapids Community Foundation, and the Edward N. & Della L. Thome
Memorial Foundation all gave generously to support the West Michigan program expansion and new
senior affordable living community on that same campus. The support of these respected institutions
signifies the importance of these projects for the community, and we are grateful to be stewards of
their generosity.

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