Samaritan Women is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, incorporated on August 31, 1999, with the State of California.

 

 

 

Nancy Dixon, Founder of Samaritan Women 

A Christian since childhood and a longtime resident of the Fresno/Clovis area, Nancy first set aside a successful 28-year nursing career to become the Chaplain to the Women; and more recently, after ten years as chaplain, she resigned from that position to grow the Samaritan Women ministry on a full-time basis.  Nancy is a wife, mother, and community leader who uses her talents and resources to nurture and assist the women she has come to love.  Her commitment and vision are the forces behind this on-growing ministry, but she now is asking the community to partner with her to expand the opportunities Samaritan Women offers.

 

View inside Prison meeting women

The steps that occurred first seemed to be by accident.  She met her first inmate while on a Bill Glass Weekend of Champions that he held in Southern California prisons.  Important because that is where the heart was opened to care about the women behind bars and the lives of their children.  The blur of statistics and faces only seen on TV became real people she got to visit and realized in many ways they were like herself, moms who loved their children.  Many were Christians and eager to study God’s Word.   She had a burning desire to help them; first, one named Julie who she met that weekend, and then others locally from the jail.  Her concern developed into her passion.  It seemed that helping women not only while they were in custody but also to assist them to make plans for their future and then to stay connected with them in the process once they were released into the community.         

 

Clothing and Activities

One woman, Sharon, wanted to go to church with Nancy soon after she had started doing chapel services.  At that point she wasn’t sure how she felt about that but soon realized that was a very big step for Sharon to ask for help.  That was the first of many that would go to church with Nancy and become her friend.  She would introduce the women she took to people that she knew in church as her friend.  This began to break barriers for the new friends she brought to not fear those in church as judgmental people and soon realized many cared about her personally as well.  It also was good for the people of the church to experience first hand that they need not fear people just because they had been in jail.  Bridges of concern, care and understanding were begun.  Providing Sharon’s need for clothing, which was appropriate for church, made her feel good about herself and cared about.  That was the beginning of clothing that was gathered and provided to various women and their children.  So much came after a while that Evangelical Free Church provided space for a clothing closet.  As the women kept coming on a regular basis, or should it be said they were picked up and brought to church because they had no transportation, people would seek them out to talk with them.  They invited one, Rosie, to join Nancy on the Women’s Retreat for the weekend.  That was a totally new experience for Rosie, and as the years have gone by many women have been given the opportunity to go.  It has been a golden opportunity for women to care about women and continue to build into one another’s lives. 

 

Outside Bible Study

Many evenings Nancy would be calling the “new friends” as they would give her their telephone numbers or addresses while in jail of where they would be going.  Nancy would do fun things with them.  They were not used to having safe people to do things with.  That is why they often got back in trouble.  Nancy saw that it was important to start a Bible Study on the outside (of the jail) to help the women continue to learn God’s Word and apply it to their lives.  The women were fickle.  Often they would say they would come, but as she went to pick them up they were not there, had been up all night with problems in home or changed their minds.  The start of this group was small but Nancy met even if no one came.  She and God met and prayed for the women.  After a year there were usually 3 to 5 meeting together.  By the time that Samaritan Women was formed nine years later, that group had grown to 20 to 40 on a regular basis.  Other women came to help with this Bible Study as friends to encourage and teach.  Then the clothes closet would be opened up for women to get clothing.  Volunteers were helping to sort and distribute the beautiful and much needed clothing to the women. 

 

Ex-inmate group organized to serve plans for a Home 

In 1993 there was a new group that was forming nationally through Prison Fellowship called “Network for Life”. This was an important group to the ex-inmates.  They had never seen others besides themselves that were “making it”.  Chaplain Davis at the Fresno County Jail had received a brochure about this and shared it with Nancy.  Funds were raised to send 7 men and women ex-offenders to the first conference which really inspired and united them to help others like themselves.  We, volunteers and ex-inmates joined together and made burritos, enough burritos to send 43 ex-inmates, men and women, to the national conference of Network for Life in Colorado. It inspired them when they met others that were successful in the world that had been out many years.  They had only had contact with people who had been out months or even a year or two.  They began to want to reach out to do a street ministry, have a home where women could come and be safe as she would start out.  This was the thought one day we would have a home.

 

 

Fun, Fellowship

Occasionally Nancy would invite women of the community to have a fun time with the women.  One such event was a pizza party.  One of the women said, “what a fun way to start a weekend and we didn’t even get drunk”.  That was remembered that it is important to have clean fun.  It is also important to provide times where women of the community and the women rebuilding their lives after incarceration to be together and enjoy fellowship and build bonds of understanding and concern.  This later developed into Fun Fellowship Friday that a number of the women that were now regulars help to put on each Friday night at the Evangelical Free Church.  It went to monthly meetings on the second Friday of the month for the years since the first year.  It was just too hard to plan and people were beginning to have other things they needed to do.

Gaedes put on a skit at Fun Fellowship Friday

Mentors

The importance of one person building into another’s life is the cornerstone.  We are relational beings and need each other to teach us, comfort us, hold us accountable, encourage us and pick us up when we fall.  It started with Julie, then Sharon, and Rosie to so many more that follow, wanting new lives and finding hope because some one cares.

 

HIGHLIGHTS OF GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT OF SAMARITAN WOMEN:

1999

�          August 1999 the Executive Board was chosen and Samaritan Women become incorporated.

First Samaritan Women Board Meeting

�          We opened our doors of our Center at 4840 North First Street, Suite 110 on September 26, 1999, staffed by Dawn Garcia a Samaritan Women volunteering in Center with Nancy Dixon, Executive Director.  Soon after, Geri Gouker another Samaritan Women also helped as did Carolyn Stephenson and Pam Henson.  Carolyn and Pam volunteered to become our office coordinators.

The Center, shortly after its opening in 1999

 

�          Fictitious Business Name Statement as a Corporation approved October 11, 1999

�          First edition of  “Water From The Well” Monthly Newsletter for Samaritan Women in the Community, Jail and Prison mailed out November 1999 to 256 women, plus100 passed out in jail.

�          First Edition of “Reflections” Bi-monthly Newsletter mailed out to people of community On November 7^th

First Newsletter Mailing

�          Mentoring classes started and mentors matched with Samaritan Women

�          First Dessert Fund Raiser in December

 

2000

�          Given Federal ID Tax Number Approval, February 18, 2000

�          Expanded April 2000 to include classroom, God’s Storehouse and God-Mart to provide for physical needs of the women where they could purchase items desired with “God Bucks” they earned by attending classes.

�          Life Enrichment Foundation presented $25,000 donation as one of ministries to demonstrate “Carry one another’s burdens.

�          Book Buddies started in March 2000 for children and mom’s reading with community buddies

�          First Advisory Board meeting held in March 2000

�          May 2000, hired an Assistant to the Director, position later changed to Office Manager

�          June 2000, First Samaritan Women Weekend Retreat at Emerald Cove in Bass Lake, Judy Herwaldt speaker

�          November 2000, Sons of the San Joaquin Concert held at the Tower Theatre as fund raiser

 

2001

�          The TLC Home (Transitional Living Care) was purchased in January 2001, and an addition completed and furnished. The home opened September 2001.  With the help of resident managers, up to six women are being encouraged in learning life skills.

�          Chosen as Fresno Evangelical Free Church Mission Emphasis Project - our TLC Home

�          Building addition onto TLC Home for Manager began March 2001

�          Spring and Summer2001, several church and civic groups furnished and decorated each of the rooms of the TLC home with new furniture and kitchen and household supplies. Donation of 7 passenger Voyager Van

�          Samaritan Women All Day Retreat held in April2001. Site changed from Emerald Cove due to snow to New Covenant Community Church, Kris Howe speaker

�          Children’s Enrichment Center began to be reality with volunteers assisting in May 2001

�          Our Samaritan Women planned and held Family Picnic in June2001

�          Became an Endorsed Organization and funded by United Way September 2001

�          TLC Home opened September 15, 2001 with one resident

�          Samaritan Women Dinner and Auction held at LaRyan Event Center November 2001

�          Wrap up a Wish chose Norma Salinas and family as one of recipients to be awarded wish ( Van repaired and Christmas gifts for family

 

2002

�          A Children’s Enrichment Manager and Women’s Services Manager were hired in February 2002.

�          Prayer and Encouragement Room moved to room next to classroom and new office for Women’s Services Manager. (In the place that had previously been the God’s Storehouse and God Mart now closed to make room.  There was a big “free sale” to give away contents to women)

�          Easter Celebration and Egg Hunt for Samaritan Women moms and children

�          April, Nominated 5 volunteers from Samaritan Women as Volunteer of the Year.  Char Levis was chosen

�          In June, Samaritan Women Day Retreat held at Peoples Church Ground Zero, Shirley Barber Speaker

�          TLC women taken on camping trip to Shaver Lake September 2002

�          Long prayed New larger Children’s Enrichment Center for became reality in October 2002 to provide services for children with beautifully painted walls

�          Formation of Samaritan Women Alumni with special kick off luncheon in October 2002

�          United Way chose to fund Samaritan Women