On The Grow

January 10, 2017 at 4:36 a.m. | Updated January 10, 2017 at 4:36 a.m.

by Ashley Gardner

Donald Linear, above left, and another client of Randy Sams' Outreach center pull up the carpet and do other work Monday at the shelter's new administration office. Randy Sams recently bought the former Hospice of Texarkana facility at the corner of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Spruce Street, below, in Texarkana, Texas. They plan to house the center's administrative offices, commercial bakery, and have a client computer lab/training center in the 8,500 square foot space.
Donald Linear, above left, and another client of Randy Sams' Outreach center pull up the carpet and do other work Monday at the shelter's new administration office. Randy Sams recently bought the former Hospice of Texarkana facility at the corner of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Spruce Street, below, in Texarkana, Texas. They plan to house the center's administrative offices, commercial bakery, and have a client computer lab/training center in the 8,500 square foot space.

The Randy Sams' Outreach Shelter has purchased the building formerly occupied by Hospice of Texarkana. The new space will be used for its administrative offices, the Be the Blessing Bakery job-training program, its case management team and a computer lab for clients.
The building at 803 Spruce St. on Texarkana's Texas side is only a few blocks from the shelter at 402 Oak St., making it a convenient location for the expansion.
"It's a great location for our clients," said Jennifer Laurent, the shelter's executive director. "It's only about three blocks from where we are."
The administrative offices have been where the shelter and the bakery is operating at HandsOn Texarkana on Olive Street in Texarkana, Texas.
"It will be the permanent home of our bakery, and all of our programs with the exception of the shelter and food (for clients) will still be done here," Laurent said.

Purchasing the new building is part of an ongoing expansion at Randy Sams'.
"We want to thank everyone involved in our growth as an organization and particularly in regards to this building and the capital improvement campaign," said Stephen

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Photo by Michael Woods

NWA Media/MICHAEL WOODS --09/25/2013-- University of Arkansas Fort Smith Senior Heather Wheeler sits with Central Elementary first grader Brinnley Adams Wednesday morning as UAFS students observe the first grade students during class in Van Buren. UAFS students training to be teachers are spending their last semester of coursework in a professional development school housed within Central Elementary in Van Buren School District. The courses held at Central include Language and Literacy II, Assessment, Integrated Curriculum II, and Practicum II. These are courses that future preschool-fourth grade teachers take during their senior year before they move on to internship, or what we used to call student teaching.

Thompson, shelter board chairman. "We have been seeking the perfect space to house our programs so that we can serve those who seek our assistance even better and we believe this building will make this possible."
Improvements and renovations to the main shelter facility are ongoing and include an expanded capacity to provide shelter, more pantry storage, and central heat and air. Once the shelter project is done, there will be room for twice the number of women and the shelter capacity will increase to 125.
Laurent said she expects renovations at the shelter to be completed in February and improvements to the new building finished by the end of March.
For more information about the shelter's services, to donate or volunteer call the shelter at 903-792-7024 or email [email protected].

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