Sonia Doyle is an Emmaus House program assistant from Peoplestown who first visited Emmaus House in need of resources for herself. A single mom of two boys, who has lived in her neighborhood since she was a teenager, Sonia has a special connection to the community she serves and enjoys interacting with her clients to ensure they receive the resources and support they need.

When asked what she enjoyed most about working at Emmaus House, Sonia expressed, “I understand hardship, so I want to make sure my clients are aware of the programs and resources within our community. We have the YMCA, library, Fulton Atlanta Community Action, CHRIS 180, and more, but our community doesn’t know all that is available to them, so it’s my job to let them know.”

The pandemic has accelerated economic and social issues that were already taking place in the Peoplestown community. As more people struggle to provide for their families, gain access to affordable housing, or find employment, Sonia was especially thankful for the opportunity to work throughout the pandemic and impact those in the neighborhood she proudly calls home. She recalls her own experience, “When the pandemic happened, daycare shut down, so my 4-year-old son had nowhere to go. Emmaus House allowed me to bring my son to work, and though it was challenging at first, it allowed me to work. Emmaus House changed my life!”

Sonia left us with some encouraging words that truly reflect her spirit and love for those she serves, “In my job, I want everyone to be happy and celebrate life; even though we are in a pandemic, don’t let the pandemic bring you down. Don’t give up; hold on to your faith and all smiles.”

Bernard Watts is a Benefits Specialist for the Atlanta Community Food Bank that has visited Emmaus House to connect families to SNAP benefits for the past six years. Bernard comes to Emmaus House three days per week, sits with guests, and patiently goes through the painstaking application process that most Georgia residents have to do alone.

During the pandemic, the Atlanta Community Food Bank ensured that each person in need could still be served over the phone when in-person service just wasn't safe. But with Emmaus House back open to clients five days a week, Bernard is happy to be back sitting and working with clients face to face. In August, he processed 72 applications and renewals for benefits at Emmaus House alone. When asked what his most rewarding experience is doing the work that he does, Bernard responded:

Bernard Watts

"It's about assisting the people who go unassisted. Many of them have had a bad experience trying to work with DFCS, or they just couldn't go through the process alone and would probably never be able to access the help that they need."

Emmaus House has been blessed with a great partnership with the Atlanta Community Food Bank and is certainly thankful for dedicated workers like Bernard. We are proud that Emmaus House can provide a high-quality in-person service to local residents thanks to these kinds of partnerships.

Beginning in October, Emmaus House volunteers will tutor first and second-grade students in reading at the Barack and Michelle Obama Academy (BAMO), an Atlanta public school in Peoplestown. While many students encountered learning loss during the pandemic, our most vulnerable students experienced the steepest setbacks. Therefore, we would like to help bridge the learning gap in our community with the “Support for Students” tutoring program. Tutors will work with students once or twice a week for approximately an hour, using lessons prepared by BAMO’s reading specialist.

If you would like to support Emmaus House children learning to read, please contact Ann Fowler at annfowler@emmaushouse.org or 404-808-1864. Volunteers are required to complete a child abuse mandatory reporter course and pass a background check.

Tom Hamilton, a volunteer at Emmaus House who helped many Atlanta residents obtain Social Security Disability Insurance, passed away on September 8, 2021. Thanks to Tom's efforts and many years of service, many people with severe disabilities were able to get off the streets and secure a place to stay with enough food to eat. Tom's heart and passion for helping others were truly a gift that we will miss here at Emmaus House.

Read Tom’s Obituary

Thanks to a recent anonymous donation, we were able to purchase a new (to us) box truck for our food pantry. This means no more trips to U-Haul to rent a truck each time we go to the Atlanta Community Food Bank to restock our food pantry. The truck also presents more opportunities for distribution to the communities that we serve. Next stop for the truck — a wrap with our logo on the sides and back. Thank you to the donor for making this possible — you know who you are!

At the end of Freedom School in July, 20 scholars traveled to Toccoa, located in beautiful northeast Georgia, to attend Camp Mikell for a week. Camp Mikell is the Camp and Conference Center of the Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta. Its 460 acres include mountains, valleys, waterfalls, and Little Toccoa Creek. Our children enjoyed swimming in the pool and creek every day, hiking, crafting, eating lots of food, making s'mores, playing four square, and scaling the climbing tower. For many Emmaus House campers, this was their best experience of the summer.

Making s’mores at the bonfire on the first night is a Camp Mikell tradition.

Ms. Bridget and Freedom School scholars lead the morning Harambee program at Camp Mikell.

A great new tradition at Camp Mikell is Science Night! Emmaus House children love helping with the experiments.

After a successful summer of Freedom School, we’re excited to offer fall programs to Emmaus House community members of all ages. We will continue to support our Freedom School scholars and other elementary school students at the Barack and Michelle Obama Academy (BAMO) with in-school tutoring. We learned this summer that many students are struggling with basic reading skills after being at home during the pandemic. Emmaus House volunteers will give them extra academic help at BAMO in the Supports for Success program.

Our afterschool program for middle and high school students, Youth on the Move (YOTM), met online last year because of Covid-19 restrictions. This year, YOTM will resume in-person at Emmaus House, and in addition to homework help, we will have classes in art, pottery, woodturning, boxing, college preparation, and dance. Justin Rothrauff, the Director of Community Engagement for Impactful Brush in Atlanta, will teach art classes. He’s a former art teacher for schools in Philadelphia and Chile and a favorite teacher of our Freedom School scholars!

Emmaus House will provide art instruction to the neighborhood “555” senior citizens group this fall. The “555” men and women meet at Four Corners Park for meals, devotions, programming, and lively conversations. We look forward to many rewarding and creative experiences together! If you would like to volunteer to help with Supports for Students or Youth on the Move or assist with Arts for Seniors, please contact Ann Fowler at annfowler@emmaushouse.org or 404-525-5948.

Justin Rothrauff and YOTM manager Rakia Reeves, help Freedom School children in art class last summer.

“555” seniors talk to Freedom School children about their experiences during the National Day of Social Action in July.

Since its founding in 1967, Emmaus House children have visited Camp Mikell, the Camp and Conference Center of the Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta, for a week at the end of the summer. Generations of campers remember this experience fondly; many Freedom Schools© grandparents and parents tell their children how much they loved attending Camp Mikell when they were young.

Unfortunately, this year, because of the pandemic, we didn’t have enough scholars to go to North Georgia to make it economically possible for Camp Mikell to host us. However, the Church of the Epiphany parishioner, Joy Boyden, came to the rescue when she heard that we would need to cancel the trip. Joy’s donation of $10,000 ensured that Camp Mikell could provide a week of outdoor adventures to 20 Emmaus House children.

Learning of her generous contribution, Camp Mikell Executive Director Ken Struble said Joy qualified as one of the saints among us. We totally agree!

After many months of working with clients remotely, the Lokey Help Center at Emmaus House is happy to announce that we are back to seeing clients in person, Monday through Friday, from 9 am – 3 pm. Our mission is to treat each client with dignity and respect, so we provide a hospitable environment where we listen to the individual needs of the people we serve.

We schedule appointments for our food pantry on Tuesdays and Thursdays. An Atlanta Community Food Bank representative is on-site on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays for food stamp applications and renewals. We welcome residents to call our office and inquire about emergency rent, utility, and mortgage assistance daily. Medical prescriptions and co-pay help are available every day, as are general referrals and mail checks.

Requests for help with Social Security Disability Insurance applications are processed over the phone and starting in August, Emmaus House will resume helping people get GA State IDs. In a time where communal support is needed, we look forward to serving our neighbors again.

Learn more about Lokey Center services.