2025 Latest Newsletter – Download

Santa Maria’s Board of Directors is pleased to announce that Vaughan Gilmore, LCSW-S and LCDC has been selected to serve as the organization’s next Chief Executive Officer. Vaughan has served as Santa Maria’s Chief Clinical Officer for more than three years, leading the oversight and development of program services, quality initiatives and training both staff and interns.  Under her guidance Santa Maria has improved the quality, efficiency and effectiveness in delivering treatment services.

In addition to her leadership at Santa Maria, Vaughan brings with her a wealth of education and experience.  She is a graduate of Texas Christian University and obtained her master’s degree in social work from the University of Texas at Arlington.  Before joining Santa Maria Vaughan served as the Director of Addiction and Recovery Services at The Menninger Clinic where she led a team of addiction professionals focused on providing integrated treatment for co-occurring psychiatric and addictive disorders.  In this role Vaughan integrated peer recovery services into the inpatient setting and aided in the implementation of hospital-wide outcome measures focused on substance use disorders.

Vaughan is passionate about expanding access to recovery pathways and reducing stigma associated with substance use disorders.  She believes that all women should have access to high quality substance use treatment regardless of their ability to pay.  Her hard work and dedication is fueled by the mission of Santa Maria and providing recovery programs and services to women, children and families in need.

Vaughan officially began in the role of CEO on February 19, 2025. Santa Maria’s outgoing CEO, Nadine Scamp will remain in an advisory role throughout March to ensure a smooth transition for board, staff and volunteers alike.

 

“Stepping into the role of CEO at Santa Maria is an honor and a privilege. I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to build upon the strong foundation Nadine has created—a foundation built on compassion, resilience, and a commitment to empowering women and families.

Over the past three years, I have seen firsthand the passion and dedication of our community, and I am inspired by the work we do every day. Santa Maria will continue to make a lasting impact in the lives of those we serve, ensuring they have the opportunity to heal, grow, and thrive.” 

– Vaughan Gilmore, Santa Maria CEO

After twelve remarkable years of dedicated service as CEO, Nadine Scamp will be transitioning from her role this April to take on an exciting new opportunity. Her tenure has been marked by transformative growth, unwavering leadership through challenging times, and a steadfast commitment to our mission. Below, is a heartfelt message from Nadine reflecting on her time with Santa Maria and a letter from our Board Chair, Keith Rudy, outlining our plans for a smooth leadership transition.

We are deeply grateful for Nadine’s lasting impact and invite you to join us in celebrating her legacy while we look forward to an exciting new chapter for our organization.

Nadine Scamp and Keith Rudy’s message

 

We are proud to share our journey of growth and service. In 2023, our impact touched over 10,000 lives, thanks to dedicated programs and support from our amazing community. From our innovative Caring for Two program to the launch of our I-CARE Clinic in partnership with Baylor College of Medicine, we’re expanding resources to empower women and families in new and profound ways.

Together, we are empowering women, strengthening families, and transforming lives.

Thank you for being part of this mission!

Click below to read the Santa Maria Annual Report.

SM2023Annal Report

GIVE A GIFT FOR MOTHERS DAY, here

Santa Maria was founded in 1957 with the mission to empower women and their families to lead healthy, successful, productive and self-fulfilling lives.  Today Santa Maria is one of Texas largest providers of substance use treatment services for women and one of the only programs in the state where a mother may bring her children with her into treatment.

Santa Maria serves hundreds of mothers and children each year providing for each mothers’ substance use treatment and mental health needs while equipping her with the tools necessary to thrive while living life in recovery.  In addition, Santa Maria provides children with unique spaces to bond with their mother and fully staffed childcare services grounded in early childhood brain development.

This Mother’s Day make a meaningful gift to Santa Maria in support of the hundreds of women striving to change the course of their lives, overcome many challenges and barriers and live a life in recovery with their children.  Your donations ensure Santa Maria may continue to offer vital programs and services to women, children, and families from throughout Texas.

On April 16, 2024, more than 100 of Santa Maria’s dedicated supporters gathered at this annual fundraiser celebrating the thousands of women and families whose lives are transformed via Santa Maria’s work.  The event was held at Station3, a historic Houston fire station now used as a unique event venue.  A fitting place to celebrate Santa Maria who has been serving women and their families in Houston for more than 65 years.

The event featured talented emcee Chau Nguyen, a Santa Maria Advisory Council member and special guest speaker Santa Maria Alumni Julie.  Julie shared her story of hope and the transformation her life took after participating in Santa Maria’s programs and services.

The event raised more than $145,000 for Santa Maria to continue empowering women and their families to lead healthy, successful, productive and self-fulfilling lives.

Santa Maria is immensely grateful to everyone who contributed to the success of the Rise Picnic For Recovery.

See event photos and read full story here. 

Santa Maria is a grant recipient from Wellpoint Foundation to expand the Caring For Two program (CFT). CFT’s focus is to improve maternal and child health outcomes for pregnant women and those with young children and their families who are impacted by or at risk for substance use and trauma.

Read press release:

https://www.santamariahostel.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2024_02Wellpoint-Foundation-SM-Press-Release.pdf

January 2024 is recognized as National Human Trafficking Awareness Month

This month is dedicated to raising awareness about different forms of human trafficking, ways to support trafficking survivors, and educating the community about the issue so that people are equipped to notice potential trafficking situations and report them to their local law enforcement.

Through the STARS (Survivors of Trafficking Achieve Recovery and Stability) Program, Santa Maria offers safe transitional housing along with substance use treatment and recovery support for survivors of human trafficking. This program provides services including medical and mental health services, trauma-informed counseling, legal aid, and job training or education opportunities.

Click here to watch a video to learn more about what we are doing to support sex trafficking survivors. 

For more information about sex trafficking, visit:  www.state.gov/what-is-trafficking-in-persons/