WS Chronicle

At the recent Volunteer Appreciation event held on April 28 at Knollwood Baptist Church, Samaritan Ministries recognized Emily Seawell as the recipient of the 2nd annual Myrtie Davis Lifetime Volunteer Servant Leadership Award. The award was established in 2017 to honor long-time volunteers for their selfless commitment to Samaritan Ministries and their guests. This was the first volunteer award established by the Ministry and is meant to serve as an inspiration to others to fulfill our mission. 

In 1986, Emily Seawell started volunteering in the Soup Kitchen on the 1st and 3rd Monday team and served as team leader for 26 years. Her favorite thing about volunteering at Samaritan was the friendships she made with guests, other volunteers and staff. One of those friendships was with Myrtie Davis, whom the award is named after, as they volunteered together at Samaritan. When asked about her time serving the Ministry, Emily stated, “It was a blessing to be able to serve and pray for the guests in need.” Emily recalled arriving at 8 a.m. some mornings to help make cornbread from scratch for the guests. 

Throughout the years, generations of Emily’s family have been involved at Samaritan. Her daughter, Scott, currently volunteers on the 3rd Saturday team and her daughter Mary volunteered back in Samaritan’s earlier years. Her grandson, Karver, is involved with the Young Samaritans group. Sonjia Kurosky, Samaritan’s executive director, said, “It’s so special to see a family legacy continue to have a heart for the homeless and hungry people in our community.”

Today, Emily spends a lot of time with her family, especially her great-grandchildren. She enjoys reading, sewing and doing yardwork around the house. She embodies the mission of Samaritan and dedication to follow in the words of Jesus in Matthew 25. Her name will appear on the plaque for this special award that is displayed at the Ministry.

Volunteers are the heartbeat of Samaritan, with 3,000+ people annually serving those in need in our community. Samaritan is always in need of volunteers, especially in the overnight shelter. Volunteers arrive at 6:15 p.m. to help prepare and serve dinner to up to 80 homeless men. Following some down time of games and fellowship, volunteers watch the shelter video monitors in two-hour shifts while the guests rest in the shelter. Volunteers then wake up to serve breakfast and complete the shift by 7:30 a.m. Many say spending the night in the shelter and getting to know our most vulnerable neighbors is truly fulfilling. Volunteers can sign up directly for all shifts online at www.samaritanforsyth.org/volunteerreg. Samaritan Ministries is located at 414 E. Northwest Blvd. For more information, visit www.samaritanforsyth.org.