Thanks to you, the sound of singing, chanting, cheering, laughing, and yes, even sometimes crying has filled the Emmaus House campus this summer. It is the sound of hope, the sound of a new generation of leaders. It sounds like God singing.

“Teaching children may be the highest way to seek God. It is, however, also the most daunting way, in the sense of the greatest responsibility.”

— Gabriele Mistral, in Thoughts on Teaching

This year, as an evolution of our Camp Summer Hope, we launched a Children’s Defense Fund Freedom Schools® site. Each day, 70 children and youth representing 40 neighborhood families experienced an integrated reading curriculum proven to help school-aged children maintain or improve their reading skills over the summer.

“My girls come home reciting the chants. They’re motivated. It makes it easier to get them to pick up a book,” 

— Shelbia, mother of two Freedom Schools® Scholars

Your support can make a life-changing difference for people like Shelbia and her children.

For seven summer weeks, we have the opportunity to affect educational achievement for our neighborhood children and youth. But what about the other 45 weeks of the year? What happens once children get home can make or break the academic advances they achieve during the day.

Emmaus House is committed to partnering with parents like Shelbia who are doing the hard work of raising their children while overcoming significant economic barriers. That's why this summer Emmaus House also launched the Peoplestown Family Initiative. This two-generations, case management approach is designed to accompany families as they strive to create stable home environments for their children.

Through your support of these new programs, you help to alleviate some of the stressors facing our neighborhood parents, providing them the tools to be the kind of parents they deeply desire to be. By connecting with both children and their parents, we address barriers and threats to stability before they become crises that could result in homelessness or worse.

Please consider making a gift this summer to support families in Peoplestown.

Your donation makes the Freedom Schools® summer program and the Peoplestown Family Initiative possible. Only with your support do families receive these vital programs.

PLEASE CONSIDER MAKING A DONATION TODAY.

You also have the opportunity to become a Peoplestown Partner, our new monthly giving program. As a special incentive, a generous supporter of Emmaus House has offered to give $150 for every person who becomes a Peoplestown Partner – up to $7,500! Please see the box below for more information on this exciting new program.

We are so grateful for your support. You make the work of Emmaus House happen.

Sincerely,

Joseph Mole, LMSW

Executive Director

Shelbia Blackwell (featured in the article) and Kaye Montgomery, one of our Servant Leader Interns at the Freedom Schools® program

It all begins each morning with Harambee ("let's pull together"), a high energy gathering of our Children's Defense Fund Freedom Schools® scholars. Inspirational songs and enthusiastic chants get everyone moving, motivated, and ready to embrace the day to come.

One of the highlights of Harambee is Read-Aloud, when a special guest comes to read to the 70 scholars who attend the camp each day. Guests have included a bishop, judge, film director, foundation executive, and many others who serve as role models.

One of our Read-Aloud guests was Dr. Robin Robbins, the new Principal of D. H. Stanton Elementary School here in Peoplestown. Here is how she described her experience of Harambee:

Spending time at Harambee made me realize that I am the luckiest principal in Atlanta Public Schools! I was able to see many of my students from D.H Stanton Elementary School engage in a very fun and interactive summer experience through HARAMBEE! I hope to one day learn the many chants, rituals, and norms that I experienced that morning! Such a magical experience for my children!

Harambee is just the beginning of a fun and enriching day where reading is the main event. Ann Fowler, Director of Education Services and leader of the program describes the mission of our camp this way:

One of the goals at Camp Summer Hope, a CDF Freedom Schools® program, is to help readers and non-readers fall in love with books. To help achieve that goal, the Children's Defense Fund has provided us with a rich library of books representing the best work of writers and illustrators in the country. My favorite time of the day is Drop Everything and Read (D.E.A.R.) time, when all scholars and adults on site silently read a book of their choice for 15 minutes.

We know that reading at grade level is an important measure of future academic success. However, at D. H. Stanton Elementary School, 31% of students do not meet this important target and even more see the advances they make during the school year erode during the summer months (the "summer slide"). Our goal is to "turn the curve" on this challenge by helping our scholars to improve their reading abilities and to develop a love of reading that can last a lifetime.

One of our primary goals at Emmaus House is to increase educational achievement for children and youth through our summer and year-round programs. Through our participation in the CDF Freedom School's® program, we believe that our children and youth will make huge strides as they work toward academic success. 

Dr. Robin Robbins, new principal at D.H. Stanton Elementary School, reads to the scholars at Harambee.

Turner Field Community Benefits Coalition Update

Emmaus House, in partnership with many others, has worked hard over the past few months to help create the Turner Field Community Benefits Coalition. The TFCBC is comprised of 42 neighborhood associations and advocacy groups, representing thousands of residents in the communities surrounding Turner Field. The Coalition advocates for community participation in decisions related to the redevelopment of the Turner Field Stadium.

On Tuesday, July 7th, following a press conference held on the steps of Atlanta City Hall, the TFCBC hand-delivered a letter to Mayor Kasim Reed. "Community, Not Commodity," was the rallying cry.

The letter asked the Mayor to make a public commitment to completing the Turner Field Livable Centers Initiative Planning Study (LCI) process before negotiating any development deal. It requests that Mayor Reed use the recommendations from this study, which is funded by the Atlanta Regional Commission and will be completed by July 2016, to initiate a competitive bidding process for the massive redevelopment project.

The delegation of 63 neighborhood residents and stakeholders also delivered similar letters to Atlanta City Council Members, Fulton County commissioners, and the Atlanta-Fulton County Recreation Authority Board. Several media outlets were present to capture and memorialize this monumental event.

In the words of one community resident, "Our communities have suffered long enough as a result of top-down development. We don't want a quick fix solution. This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to restore the surrounding neighborhoods and reconnect downtown to the entire south side of Atlanta."

Peoplestown residents leave the Emmaus House bus at City Hall

Jacarruem (Rudy) Bradford is a Senior Servant Leader Intern this summer at our Children’s Defense Fund Freedom Schools® program. Rudy has spent several summers working with the program in various cities throughout the country. This past year, he served as a third-grade teacher in Louisiana. 

When Robin Robbins, the recently appointed principal of D. H. Stanton Elementary School, came to read to the scholars at Harambee during our first week of camp, she was so impressed with Rudy that she offered him an interview to join the staff right here in Peoplestown. Rudy will begin teaching at D. H. Stanton in August.

We couldn’t be more thrilled that Rudy will become part of the Peoplestown community and know that he will have a profound effect on the children with whom we work during the summer and throughout the year.

We asked Rudy to write about his own journey with the CDF Freedom Schools® program. In his own words, here are his thoughts.

Many people struggle wondering what their purpose in life is. I believe that we all were created for a reason and should be inspired to help others. Steven Pavlina once said, “Not believing that you have a purpose won’t prevent you from discovering it, just as a lack of belief in gravity won’t prevent you from tripping.”

With this in mind, I often ask myself, “Who am I?” “What am I supposed to do?” As I journey through life, I realize that I am like a bee searching for my honeycomb. The bee’s life purpose is to pollinate plants, collecting nectar to make honey, and keeping life on earth going.

Some say that discovering your purpose is the easy part. The hard part is keeping it with you on a daily basis and working on yourself to the point where you become that purpose. My purpose is to add value to the lives of others, helping to improve their quality of life. Being part of the Children’s Defense Fund Freedom Schools® program has allowed me to find and pursue my destiny.

I have always loved working with children and have great passion for the different aspects of child development. I am an advocate for youth advancement. After working with children and with the CDF Freedom Schools® program for many years, I’ve learned that children just want to experience love. They want to feel that someone cares about them and that someone has their back. I admire the program for that very reason. 

The Freedom Schools® program provides a warm atmosphere, surrounded by an array of diverse, talented, and innovative staff and scholars. It is like being part of a big cultured family. The Servant Leader Interns are with the scholars from the beginning of the day to the end, encouraging them to reach for greatness. We praise them for their accomplishments, which gives them the motivation they need to push forward without worrying about being denied or judged by their appearance, misfortunes, or lack of status clothing or shoes.

Making sure the day starts with positive vibes, from good morning chants during Harambee (“Pulling Together”), to united reading during the integrated reading curriculum, gives everyone that extra push to get through each eventful day. The program offers so many opportunities for everyone to grow - especially the scholars.

The Freedom Schools® program provides a platform for the scholars to flourish and express themselves through a variety of activities, cooperative group work, and a final presentation to display their many projects they worked on throughout the summer. Each scholar has his/her own talent and passion.

It is imperative that I get to know each scholar individually. Finding out the things they like or don’t like, what makes them happy or sad, helps inside and outside of the classroom. It allows the Servant Leaders to create different activities, chants, and even field trips. The scholars get to interact with different scholars from different backgrounds, schools, and cultures. All of these factors help to create a welcoming atmosphere so that everyone feels comfortable sharing ideas and working together - even sharing personal stories and things about their family and community.

Through group activities and the reading curriculum, the scholars learn how to make a difference in themselves, their families, their communities, our country, and the world with hope, education, and action. The CDF Freedom Schools® program helps scholars find their voices.

Being a servant leader, an Ella Baker trainer, and a site coordinator has taught me so much about my history. Going to different workshops and training opportunities has helped mold me and encouraged me to be the best I can be. I have had the privilege of travelling the country with the Freedom Schools® program to places such as Missouri, Mississippi, Louisiana, Ohio, Georgia, and Minnesota. Teaching scholars across the country has expanded my horizon and increased my capabilities as an educator.

It is proper for a leader to serve before leading. My experience as a Servant Leader inspired me to become an educator. Being a teacher has opened up many doors for me. I am able to live out my dreams and grow in my passion. Positively influencing the lives of youth does my heart well.

Being a consistent positive African American male role model offers stability for those who may lack stability in their homes. Being a confidant to the scholars also offers them serenity—knowing someone has their best interest at heart. As an educator, I am able to do all these things and more. Continuing my involvement in the CDF Freedom Schools® program helps me grow as an educator and person. Becoming a better version of myself allows me to meet new people and to gain new opportunities.

I recently received a staff position at D. H. Stanton Elementary School, located in Peoplestown. I have the CDF Freedom Schools® program to thank for helping mold me into a leader. For the first time in my life, I feel like I have found a place where I truly belong. My dream has become a reality and I am ready to meet this new challenge and opportunity.

It’s been a year full of exciting changes at Emmaus House, with the transition to a new Executive Director and the introduction of a new leadership structure. In 2014, in light of the increased demands of leading and growing the programs of EmmausHouse, the Bishop and the Advisory Board made the decision to separate the roles of Executive Director and Vicar of Emmaus House Chapel.

Following the retirement of the Reverend E. Claiborne Jones and the hiring of a new Executive Director forEmmaus House, the Bishop turned his attention to the search for and selection of a permanent Vicar of EmmausHouse Chapel.  

A search committee comprised of Emmaus House leadership and Chapel members, chaired by Rev. George Maxwell, spent six months clarifying the role of the Vicar and interviewing potential candidates. The process was instrumental in discerning the needs of the worshipping community and the qualities of the priest who would be called to this vital ministry in Peoplestown. What emerged was the need for a vicar whose skills would include the ability to expand the chapel’s outreach to children and youth in the community, renew the liturgical life of the chapel, and create opportunities for Christian formation. 

On June 1, Bishop Rob Wright announced the appointment of The Reverend Ricardo Bailey as Vicar of Emmaus House Chapel. Father Bailey brings a rich background of experience in parish ministry, education, and formation and will work in partnership with Joseph Mole, Executive Director of Emmaus House, to flesh out a robust ministry to neighbors of all ages in the Peoplestown community. 

Father Ricardo Bailey was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia. He holds a BA degree in Sociology from Xavier University of Louisiana in New Orleans, as well as a Baccalaureate degree in Sacred Theology (S.T.B.) and a Masters of Divinity (M.Div) from Saint Mary’s Seminary in Baltimore, Maryland. Fr. Bailey was ordained to the Diaconate in 2001 and to the Priesthood in 2003. 

Currently, Father Bailey teaches New Testament Biblical Studies at The Westminster Schools in Atlanta, a role he will retain in addition to serving as Vicar of EmmausHouse Chapel. He will step away from his current roles as Priest Associate and Priest-in-Charge of Hispanic Ministry at the Cathedral of St. Philip prior to his transition to Emmaus House Chapel on June 8, 2015. 

Father Bailey is married to Mrs. Marica Bailey and is the father of Alexus, Makiya, Zahria, and Ricari. 

Along with significant parish experience, Fr. Bailey brings to this work a unique background and gifts in working with young people and an enthusiasm to use those gifts both within the chapel and in the neighborhood with a special focus on children and youth living in poverty. Fr. Bailey is a priest of great faithfulness and energy, and has the full support of Bishop Rob Wright and Joseph Mole as Emmaus HouseChapel begins a new chapter of dynamic ministry in Peoplestown. 

If you’d like to send Fr. Bailey a note of welcome, you may reach him via e-mail at ricardobailey@emmaushouse.org.

Mother’s Day is this weekend, and what better way to celebrate than helping other mothers and families in need? Take a look at some of our programs that serve mothers, families and children in need and learn how you can help this Mother’s Day.

Emmaus House uses donations to provide struggling families in poverty with essentials, such as a Georgia ID, groceries from the food pantry, furniture bank vouchers, health care assistance, help with rent and utilities, as well as parenting education classes and a "Parent Cafe."

Parenting Education

Emmaus House offers the "A Great Start" program to struggling parents with children ranging in age from the prenatal stage to five years old. The program is to teach good parenting techniques from the beginning of the child's life to form a strong family foundation for the future. Not only do parents receive instruction, but dinner, childcare and other supports that will help the family unit. 

Parent Cafe'

The Parent Cafe' is designed to bring parents from all backgrounds together to discuss, support and share parenting tips and ideas, as well as helpful information and resources when it comes to parenting. This cafe is a judgement-free zone, and is intended to help encourage parents to build a social network and a sense of community with other parents in their same neighborhood.

To learn more about about programs for children, parents and families at Emmaus House, click here. 

To make a donation to Emmaus House on behalf of Moms, click here. 

Many of you have asked how Emmaus House is engaged in the ongoing conversation about the departure of the Atlanta Braves and the future of the Turner Field property, located on the northern border of Peoplestown.  We are well aware that what happens there will have a tremendous impact on our neighborhood and those we serve.  To that end, Emmaus House has become a founding member of the Turner Field Community Benefits Coalition. 

Mia Hobdy, Director of Community Partnerships, provides the following update.

Turner Field Community Benefits Coalition

Purpose:

A few months ago, a small group of neighborhood leaders from Neighborhood Planning Unit V (NPU-V) began to develop the Turner Field Community Benefits Coalition (TFCBC).  We believe that the best way to ensure a positive development for the residents of our communities is to come together with one unified purpose and voice.  To that end, the TFCBC will organize residents and supporters to advocate for transparent development, inclusive planning, and community benefits related to the redevelopment of the Turner Field Stadium area.  Our goal is to represent community residents in the recommendation and negotiation of specific community outcomes that should result from this major redevelopment project.  (Click here to learn more about Community Benefits Agreements.)

The TFCBC seeks to partner with the City of Atlanta and Invest Atlanta to ensure a robust and inclusive planning process through the recently awarded Livable Centers Initiative (LCI) planning grant. (Learn more about the LCI award here.)  Emmaus House believes there must be a competitive and transparent process to select a developer for the area. 

Coalition Membership:

Key organizations that have laid the groundwork for this coalition include: Organized Neighbors of Summerhill, Summerhill Neighborhood Development Corporation, Peoplestown Revitalization Corporation, Peoplestown Neighborhood Association, Mechanicsville Civic Association, Emmaus House, ECO-Action, Annie E. Casey Foundation Atlanta Civic Site, NPU-V, Georgia STAND-UP, 303 Community Coalition, South River Watershed Alliance, Partnership for Southern Equity, and others. 

Organizations can participate in the Coalition in one of three membership tiers: Resident Organizations based in the immediate communities; Community-Based Organizations based in south Atlanta communities; and Endorsing Organizations.  Please see the TFCBC Operating Agreement (attached) for more information on eligibility, responsibilities, and authority of each membership tier.  All organizations may attend monthly Coalition meetings and participate on committees. 

We hope you’ll offer your support to this powerful grassroots effort to create equitable and visionary development in our communities. 

We're embarking on a movement!

“Touch it, read it, learn it, teach it.  Everybody talk about it!”

I found myself chanting these words at the top of my lungs last month as I joined 40 other Executive Directors who, along with Emmaus House, will launch a Children’s Defense Fund Freedom Schools® site this summer.  In just a few short months, the campuses of Emmaus House and The Study Hall will be bursting at the seams with children chanting these same words as we welcome 70 young scholars, grades K-8.

In Peoplestown, 48% of our families live below the poverty line.  The children in these families struggle in school, with only 69% of third graders reading at or above grade level (compared to 85% across APS).  This year, Emmaus House has renewed our commitment to the educational achievement of Peoplestown children by revamping Camp Summer Hope through a partnership with the Children’s Defense Fund.

With a literature-based enrichment curriculum as the centerpiece, the CDF Freedom Schools® model is designed to foster the love of reading in young people while enhancing reading comprehension skills.  In 2014, 85% of children enrolled in the program nationwide maintained or increased their reading skills over the summer. 

In addition to our 70 neighborhood scholars, Emmaus House will welcome eight Servant Leader Interns who will deliver the curriculum and infuse our block at the corner of Hank Aaron and Haygood with energy, enthusiasm and a deep love for kids.  To lead this effort, Emmaus House’ own Ann Fowler has stepped into a newly created Director of Education Services role.  Our education team is already busy designing enrichment experiences in the arts, science, and physical education.

Emmaus House isn’t just launching a new program this summer; we’re embarking on a movement.  Will you join the movement to bridge the education gap and break the cycle of poverty in Peoplestown?

Grace and peace,

Joseph D. Mole, LMSW, Executive Director

As Emmaus House begins a new chapter, we are committed to seeing families in Peoplestown move beyond poverty through strategies that support educational achievement and economic independence.  To this end, we are making some enhancements to two of our flagship programs, Camp Summer Hope and the Lokey Center.  Here, we look at the Lokey Center.  Look for more on Camp Summer Hope in our next email.

For many years, the Lokey Center at Emmaus House (formerly the Poverty Rights Office) has served as our drop-in help center, offering emergency assistance to our neighbors in Peoplestown.  This work is important and it will continue. 

However, with 48% of families in Peoplestown living below the poverty line, we know that we need to do more to help people to break the cycle of poverty.

View fullsize

CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE  New Lokey Center Service Model

Therefore, as an evolution of our work, we are pleased to announce our 25/15 Case Management Initiative, a program that will enable us to serve families in a deeper, more transformative way.  In 2015, we plan to enroll 25 individuals and families in a holistic program that will lead to greater overall wellbeing and, ultimately, increased economic self-sufficiency.  

Through collaboration with a select group of strategic partner organizations, we will offer interested families the opportunity to undergo a formal intake assessment.  Then we will work with them to build a plan that will help them achieve goals that they set for themselves.  Emmaus House will act as the hub at the center of the service wheel, referring people to partner agencies where appropriate.  We are excited to work with some excellent partners, including The Center for Working Families, the Georgia Justice Project, and the Technical College System of Georgia, among others

Utilizing an evidence-based model called the Self Sufficiency Matrix, we will track the progress of participants in categories like housing, employment, income, food, childcare, children’s education, adult education, healthcare coverage, life skills, and family/social relations.

To maximize effectiveness, we will institute a two-generation approach, coordinating services for parents and their children – a key to breaking the cycle of poverty.  To this end, we anticipate that 75% of the adults enrolled in the program will have children who participate in other Emmaus House programs, such as Camp Summer Hope or Saturday Arts.     

In order to move all of our programs to the next level, we have created a new staffing model at Emmaus House, resulting in some shifts in responsibilities.  Ann Fowler, formerly Director of the Lokey Center, is now serving as Director of Education Services, a new role that will utilize her education background to bring about significant innovation to our summer program.  New to Emmaus House is Adam Seeley, our new Director of Social Services.  Adam comes to us with a wealth of relevant experiences, most recently as Chief Operating Officer of the Gateway Center. Additionally, Helen Bohanna, a longtime volunteer, has joined the staff as a part-time caseworker.  We are very excited to have such highly qualified individuals working to fulfill our mission here at Emmaus House.

Emmaus House will continue to offer emergency drop-in services.  We will continue to be a calm port in the storm for our neighbors in crisis.  Our 25/15 initiative will build on our already successful program, making our work even more transformative for our neighbors and friends here in Peoplestown.

Subscribe

Sign up with your email address to receive news and updates.

First Name

Last Name

Email Address

Sign Up

We respect your privacy.

Thank you!