If you have met Lori Sammon, you know her as a kind and giving soul, so learning about her volunteer experience and gift of giving should come as no surprise.  This long-time Red Tail resident has volunteered at the Ed Keating Center for several years. Lori was recently named the Assistant Director, which is still a volunteer position- and she is on the Ed Keating Center Advisory Board.

The Keating Center provides residential sober living services to anyone who has a drug or alcohol addiction, regardless of their ability to pay.  To date, the center has helped over 10,000 men and women.  The Keating Center is near and dear to Lori because one of those 10,000 people is her son, who has been living a clean, sober, and productive life for several years.  Because of the center’s unwavering support for her son, she will never stop advocating for them.  In 2019, Avon High School invited her husband Jack, her son, and her to share their story with the students, which aired on WKYC on 11-23-2019.  To view this story you can Google:  Avon Family Shares Addiction Story.

 

Lori volunteers an average of 10 hours per week. While in the office, she answers the phones, checks in new residents, prepares flyers, mailing lists, and materials for their fundraisers, and receives and organizes donations.  Outside the office, she purchases toiletries and picks up clothing donations. Many of their residents arrive with only the clothes on their back. She also makes gift baskets for raffles for their fundraisers.

The Keating Center houses over 100 male residents for its nine-month program. So, Lori gets to know several residents very well during their stay. Since she is the only woman in the house, the residents enjoy stopping by to see her. Lori loves to give them guidance, encouragement, and support.  The center runs four fundraisers per year, and she gets great satisfaction from working hard to make them successful.  In addition, each year the center holds a Christmas toy drive for the children of the residents who won’t be home for the holidays.  Red Tail has helped them greatly for the last few years by allowing them to place a large box outside the office for toy donations.  Thank you, Red Tail residents!

Lori and Jack have lived in Red Tail for 11 years. They fell in love with a beautiful house on Vilamoura. They lived there for almost 8 years and then moved to St. Theresa in 2021. Lori has met many nice women playing in the Thursday Hybrid League. The ladies enjoy stopping at her house on the 8th hole for a quick shot of Limoncello with her husband, Jack! Besides golfing, Lori also loves decorating.  Jack and she love cruises and other travel.  They also enjoy watching the sports activities of their grandchildren. Jack and Lori have three adult children, four grandchildren, and their little dog, Moxie, who you are sure to have seen Jack walk if you live nearby. 

Thank you, Lori, for being a true example of kindness!