Dear Friends,
I trust that you and your family have been maintaining health, hope and determination during the COVID-19 pandemic. In my 56 years on this earth, I have never experienced what we are currently going through. I have witnessed the devastation of the virus from afar and from within my own family. Unfortunately, on March 26th, 2020 at 1:06 p.m. my dear mother lost her battle to COVID-19. There are very few words to describe the emotions of my siblings and I as we had to lay our mom to rest on April 6th, 2020. The most important life lesson that my mom taught all of us is “purposeful living”. She reminded us on a daily basis that our service to “God and his people” is the kind of purposeful living that will always be appreciated and remembered. My mom was responsible for instilling in me that the two most important days in anyone’s life are the day they were born and the day they realize why. My service to people and the mission of Mariners Inn is my why. The best way to honor my mom’s memory is to continue to live purposefully through the work we do at Mariners Inn and to ensure that our service continues to help save lives.
Fortunately, because of the swift proactive response of our amazing team at Mariners Inn, we have been able to avoid any outbreaks of COVID-19 among the staff or consumers within our facility. We have taken all of the necessary measures to maintain safety and have followed all of the guidelines recommended by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS), City of Detroit and the Governors Executive Orders. We have received tremendous support from the City of Detroit and the Detroit Wayne Integrated Health Network (DWIHN), Strategic Staffing Solutions (S3), Detroit Behavioral Institute, York Project, Charina Endowment Fund, United Way for Southeastern Michigan, and many others to help us with personal protective equipment and guidance to continue our essential operations during this pandemic.
Like everyone else during these difficult and trying times, we have had to make some adjustments that may impact the timeline of the journey we embarked on to expand our mission and services in a way that will continue to successfully address the needs of the vulnerable target population that are seeking support to combat the disease of addiction and homelessness. While the timeline may have been impacted by the pandemic, our hope and determination has not waned.
There is no greater feeling than helping to save lives. We recognize that our fortunate position to be able to do so would not be possible without the unwavering support of the community, our friends, donors and stakeholders. We remain steadfastly committed to providing the type of services, resources, compassionate professionalism, expertise and love to the people we serve with a desired outcome of them returning to their families and the community clean, sober and ready to confidently embrace the future.
Finally, I implore you to please stay safe and follow all of the recommended measures to help others stay safe as well during this COVID-19 pandemic. We believe, with everything we do and say, that Recovery is Real…and Begins at Mariners Inn!
David Sampson, LMSW
Chief Executive Officer
