“We paid his regular fee,” Lynne Sipiora told POLITICO. She’s the executive director of the Samaritan Inn, a homeless shelter in McKinney, Texas. “Which is $100,000.”

The Samaritan Inn 30th Anniversary Gala with Special Guest President George W. Bush Nets Over $1 Million to Serve Local Homeless

by Cara Mendelsohn | Feb 13, 2015 | The Samaritan Inn | 0 comments

A record setting crowd of nearly 1000 people attended The Samaritan Inn gala on Saturday, February 7, 2015. Guests enjoyed a festive night of inspiration, heartfelt stories of overcoming homelessness, and an extensive conversation between Executive Director Lynne Sipiora and President George W. Bush.  President Bush spoke about many topics, including his family, faith, term in office, passion for painting, and philosophy on philanthropy. “My philosophy is give back and continue to give back. I believe in people giving (to charities) without the government telling them to. Government can give out money, but can’t put hope in people’s hearts.” His words about armies of compassion, universal freedom, living life to the fullest, and not allowing life’s defeats to define you, were deeply moving.

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