A Sampson Celebration

Written by: Kate Snyder, Development and Donor Communications Coordinator

Last Thursday, more than thirty friends, volunteers, and staff of East End Cooperative Ministry gathered to celebrate Bob and Jane Sampson's phenomenal contributions to the organization.

Bob and Jane are active members of East Liberty Presbyterian Church and have been the heart and soul of our housing programs for almost three decades. Naturally, the setting of the event was the Men's Emergency Shelter, as clients and guests enjoyed a cookout together.

The Sampsons are a regular fixture at our Men's Emergency Shelter, serving dinners, arranging for special events, and reaching out to the men with love and respect. They were instrumental in the creation of the Samaritan Worship Service, which provides a welcome worship experience for our Shelter clients.

They have also been active supporters of our Bridge and PennFree transitional housing programs and the annual Alumni Reunion for those programs wouldn't be complete without Bob and Jane.

The Sampsons are leaving us for warmer and sunnier climes and we will miss them very much. Thank you for all you have done for EECM.

We Need a Van!

Written by: Kate Snyder, Development and Donor Communications Coordinator

About a year and a half ago, I blogged about Clifford, the Big Red Van who was joining the EECM fleet. Clifford was old when he came to us (generously donated by a local congregation) and I regret to say that he is in his final days. At the ripe old age of 20, Clifford has lived a good life but it is time for him to pass on to that service shop in the sky.



Beyond the variety of "nuisance" flaws (note the ripped seats and the big sign in the side window that says: "Sliding Door Broken: Do Not Open"), Clifford is increasingly becoming unsafe.

















To find out for myself just how sick our poor van was, I took it for a brief test drive...

...and I tell you, I feared for my life!

I buckled up, but that was mainly a gesture since the seat belt doesn't actually tighten. The gear shift indicator is broken so you have to figure out what gear you're in based on how many "clicks" you've gone through.

The steering is erratic -- "loose" is too kind a word -- and the whole vehicle tends to unexpectedly pull vigorously to the right and left. I was warned not to use the emergency parking brake because you can't undo it once it's set.

And I noticed a set of jumper cables in the back, put there because the battery drains and dies so often that we've just started carrying the cables all the time as a precaution.

I could go on, but I think you get the picture. We need a new van. Desperately. Can you help?? If you have a full-sized van sitting around taking up space in your garage, we'd love to have it. Please call 412.361.5549 and ask for Paul or Kate. Thank you!!

The Word on the Street

Written by: Kate Snyder, Development and Donor Communications Coordinator


I may be biased, but I think we work with a great bunch of kids here at EECM. And, as it turns out, I'm not the only one who thinks that. We regularly get wonderfully enthusiastic feedback about our students whenever they go out and about on field trips.

Whether it's praise for their courtesy on the golf course or admiration for their attentive listening during a presentation, the positive reports keep rolling in.

Here's a note we received from the staff at the Laurel Caverns, following a visit from our Summer Day Campers.


"As always, you brought a fine group of youth to the caverns. They were eager to try our adventure activities and a pleasure to work with. Thank you!"

We do have terrific youth in our programs. But it's not just great kids that lead to this kind of great feedback. Major kuddos go to our dedicated staff for outlining clear expectations, providing effective leadership, and serving as excellent role models for our students. Great work!

Fore + Eight = Golf at EECM Summer Day Camp

Written by: Tim Brown, Community Relations Coordinator

EECM’s Summer Day Camp is in full swing. The pun is completely intentional. For the first time ever, some of EECM’s Day Campers are participating in The First Tee Program at Bob O’Connor Golf Course at Schenley Park. For many of them, this is the first time that they have ever been on a golf course and picked up a golf club, excluding the occasional video game. When standing on the first tee at the course, Kayan asked, “Are all golf courses this nice?”

The mission of The First Tee is to impact the lives of young people by providing learning facilities and educational programs that promote character development and life-enhancing values through the game of golf. This is done through promoting Nine Core Values: Honesty, Integrity, Sportsmanship, Respect, Confidence, Responsibility, Perseverance, Courtesy and Judgment.

The eight EECM golfers are getting personalized instruction because of the small size of the group. Marc Field (Executive Director), Eric Amato (Director of Golf and Instruction), and Shane Rice (PGA Teaching Professional) are there each step of the way in the program along with EECM Staff Richard Payne and Cedrice Biggs.

The instructors are impressed with how interested, attentive and willing to take instruction the golfers are in each exercise and session. Marc Field said, “This is one of the most courteous and respectful group of kids we have ever had, not only to us while we teach, but to each other as well.”

The kids are learning the fundamentals of the game. Last week's session focused on the shots needed around the green: Lob, Chip, Pitch and Putt. They rotated from station to station learning how to hit the various shots. While Carmine and Jerome worked on the pitch shots, DR practiced his lob shot and almost hit me twice in a row from about 20 yards away. He looked at me and started laughing. He followed that with, “I’m sorry. It was supposed to go the other way!”

As the session ended, Eric asked the group if they knew how to get better. Anthony exclaimed, “Practice, practice, practice!”

What's a Trekker?

Written by: Kate Snyder, Development and Donor Communications Coordinator

Last Thursday, I heard an unusual phrase repeated several times around the office: "The Trekkers are here. The Trekkers are here." At first I envisioned a bunch of sci-fi fanatics visiting our fair organization, but I was wrong.

It turns out that the Trekkers were a volunteer group from Maine,* visiting Pittsburgh for a few days on a service project. Trekkers is a very cool outdoor-based mentoring program that pair small-town Maine youth with adult mentors who take them on a variety of adventures.

Our Trekkers were mostly 8th graders and they spent the day working in several of EECM's programs -- some packed bags at the Pantry and served lunch in the Soup Kitchen. Others spent time at Safe Haven and the Drop-In Center.

*And how does a group from Maine make its way to EECM? Pittsburgh exerts its own gravitational field on people. Former Burghers always seem to have a soft spot for our fair city. And the Executive Directors of Trekkers just happens to be from Pittsburgh...

EECM and the Knights of Columbus

Written by: Kate Snyder, Development and Donor Communications Coordinator

Do you know about the Knights of Columbus? They're a Catholic fraternal benefit society, which basically means they do good work in the community. Our local KofC Council is a good friend to East End Cooperative Ministry's Food Pantry.

One of their members is a Heinz retiree, which allows him access to whole-sale Heinz/Del Monte products on the cheap. They collect financial donations from their members and then they stock up on basics and deliver 19-20 cases of food to our Pantry.

Having the staples is great -- things like canned fruits and vegetables, soups and chicken broth. They're all items our clients are eager to receive and we go through a lot of them every month.

Throughout the course of last year, the KofC made 22 donations for a total of 8,640 pounds of food with a retail value of more than $12,000! Wow.

Good Luck in College from Fox Chapel Youth

Written by: Kate Snyder, Development and Donor Communications Coordinator

Heading off to college can be tough. You're leaving home for the first time. Maybe you don't know anyone at the school. What if your roommate is totally bizarre? Will the classes be way harder than high school? You mean I have to share a shower?!?

There's a lot on your mind.

It's good to have some reassuring words and well wishes as you embark on this new journey. And, thanks to the vacation Bible school kids from Fox Chapel Presbyterian Church, several of EECM's college-bound students will have just that.

Fox Chapel participated in EECM's annual Off to College Supply Drive, where local congregations put together college care kits for our students. The kits include necessities for dorm life like sheets and towels, school supplies, and miscellaneous items from microwave popcorn to rolls of quarters. The VBS kids also created hand-made cards for our kids that are immeasurably cute.

Many thanks to everyone who participated -- thanks for helping to send our students off right!