Above / The Hotel Arista set the stage for Samaritan Interfaith to present its new name, SamaraCare, during the Annual Silent Samaritans benefit breakfast.
UPDATE, Jan. 24, 2018 / The 11th Annual Silent Samaritans Breakfast is slated from 7:30 to 9AM on Thurs., Feb. 22, 2018, at Hotel Arista in CityGate Centre. Check-in time is 7:15AM. Founded by the Naperville faith community 46 years ago, SamaraCare provides spirit-led counseling and an all-encompassing approach to emotional wellness.
For the past 11 years, the Silent Samaritans Program has been dedicated to “women helping women.” The annual breakfast features speakers with empowering messages of hope while raising funds to insure that every woman who comes to SamaraCare seeking counseling help will receive help, regardless of her ability to pay.
Reservations to the Silent Samaritans Breakfast are $50 per person and available online. Table sponsorships also are available.
Original Post, Feb. 2017 /The 10th anniversary of Silent Samaritans, first inspired by Sandy Benson, is also a time to celebrate the 45th year of Samaritan Interfaith Counseling Services, a nonprofit group organized to provide hope and healing nearly half a century ago.
Even more, the annual breakfast at Hotel Arista provided a time for a first look at the counseling and consulting center’s new image, complete with a new name, new logo and new tagline.
The constant message is that the Silent Samaritans Program can be summed up in three words… “women helping women.” The benefit breakfast is dedicated to raising funds to insure that every woman who comes to Samaritan Interfaith seeking counseling help will receive that help, regardless of her ability to pay.
That service will not change, according to Samaritan Interfaith President and CEO Scott Mitchell as he prepared to announce other changes about the organization he has served since the late 1990s.
PHOTO GALLERY / A few highlights from the 10th annual benefit breakfast, Silent Samaritans, when President/CEO Scott Mitchell announced branding changes. Click any photo to enlarge. Photos by Jo Lundeen
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SamaraCare (Formerly Samaritan Interfaith)
Samaritan Interfaith has changed its name to SamaraCare. In addition to the name change, the organization unveiled a new logo, tagline, communication materials and website, all of which were packaged in a take-home gift at the Silent Samaritan breakfast.
The branding initiative is “designed to develop a greater presence in the community, create messaging that reaches a larger audience, make it easier for people to get the care they need, and renew their dedication to challenge the stigma surrounding mental health care.,” noted Karen Doyle, Director of Advancement & Outreach, in a news release.
The organization is celebrating its 45th anniversary and that milestone sparked an initiative to analyze the organization’s standing in the market and get a better understanding of how it was perceived by key audiences.
“We spoke to current and prospective clients, our board and our community partners,” explained SamaraCare’s President and CEO Mitchell. “We learned what they needed, wanted and expected. Those insights were critical in shaping our new brand and are now even more evident in everything people will experience from us.”
One more thing…
This year’s keynote speaker at the Silent Samaritan breakfast was Sarah Griffith Lund, author of Blessed are the Crazy: Breaking the Silence about Mental Illness, Family and Church.
Lund shared her passionate story about loving her family, God, and being part of faith communities in spite of childhood challenges she kept hidden for years. She received The Bob and Joyce Dell Award for Mental Health Education in 2015 for “her outstanding authorship and leadership in breaking the silence about mental illness in family and in church and offering healing and hope.”
Find her blog at sarahgriffithlund.com.
From now on…
The new brand also reflects refinements in SamaraCare’s organizational structure. What used to be Samaritan Interfaith Counseling is now SamaraCare Counseling and what used to be Samaritan Center for Congregations is now SamaraCare Consulting.
The unified names align with a unified look, informative and user-friendly websites with clear service offerings (SamaraCareCounseling.org and SamaraCareConsulting.org), and updated communication materials.
Office locations and the way SamaraCare offers services remains the same. SamaraCare Counseling serves clients in Naperville, Downers Grove and Geneva while SamaraCare Consulting serves clients from their office in Naperville.
SamaraCare Counseling & SamaraCare Consulting
For over 45 years SamaraCare has been a leader in helping people achieve their greatest potential by being supportive and spirit-led counselors, consultants and advocates. As counselors, they treat children, teens and adults who are facing some of life’s more serious challenges. As consultants, they work with organizations to help them best serve their members and the community. As unstoppable advocates, they teach how good mental and organizational health allows individuals, communities and societies to function at their very best.
For more information, visit samaracarecounseling.org or samaracareconsulting.org.
