On December 3, we will be hosting the 9th annual Community Forum for residents of Adair Park, Capitol Gateway, Mechanicsville, Peoplestown, Pittsburgh, and Summerville. All are welcome to attend.

This yearly event is an opportunity for residents to come together and discuss the critical issues that affect our community. This year, topics will include public safety, housing, and health.

Not only is it important to lift up the voices of those directly affected by these issues, but doing so also facilitates engagement and an enhanced sense of community among residents. We are proud to be hosting this important event.

The meeting will be held from 10 AM to 2:30 PM on Saturday, December 3. Breakfast and a hot lunch will be provided, and transportation to and from the event is also available. Contact Columbus Ward with questions:
columbus@peoplestown.com.

We are pleased to announce that we have partnered with Mimi’s Yoga Kids to provide a variety of fun mindfulness activities to our community. Ms. Camelia “Mimi” Felton led healing circles at our Freedom School parents nights this summer, and the participants were so impressed that they immediately requested the circles continue year round.

Mimi’s Yoga Kids offers a fun, upbeat way for children and their families to cultivate mindfulness, inner peace, and imagination.

It’s important for people of all backgrounds—but particularly those who come from marginalized communities—to find a mindfulness practice that speaks to them. We are thrilled to have this opportunity to support health and well being in our community.

To learn more about Mimi’s Yoga Kids at Emmaus House, click the link below.

The holidays are a special time for us at Emmaus House. To help our neighbors celebrate, we host a number of events and initiatives each year guaranteed to spread Christmas cheer. As you plan which causes to support this Giving Tuesday (11/29), we hope that you’ll consider supporting one or more of the programs. Click here to learn more about these events below:

Grandparents Party
Thursday, December 8, 6 PM - 8 PM

555 Seniors of Peoplestown Luncheon
Thursday, December 15, 11 AM - 1 PM

Children’s Christmas Festival
Saturday, December 24, 9 AM - 12 PM

During the Christmas Festival we also distribute stuffed bears that have been donated by the fourth grade students at Holy Innocents Episcopal School. Each year, at one of their weekly chapel services, students present their bears to be blessed and our Executive Director talks with them about how Emmaus House uses the bears to bring happiness to children in Peoplestown.

We’re still accepting donations for our Thanksgiving at Home initiative. With your help, we’re providing holiday staples to 200 of our neighbors this year so that they can enjoy the holiday at home with those who matter most.

The last day to drop off donations will be Monday, November 21. We’ll plan on distributing them on Tuesday, November 22 from 9 AM to 2 PM.

To learn more about the types of items we’re collecting, or to volunteer to help us distribute them, please click on the link below.

We all deal with stress. In fact, a great portion of most people’s lives is spent trying to manage and mitigate its harmful effects. Exercise, therapy, mindfulness, support groups, and medication are just a few of the strategies we employ on a regular basis to keep ourselves mentally and physically well.

For people of marginalized backgrounds, however, not only are life’s various stressors often experienced more acutely, but there are a number of barriers that prevent them from accessing the resources necessary to cope.

Studies show that Black Americans living below the poverty line are twice as likely to report serious psychological stress than other groups. And due to barriers in access, the impact of that stress is also disproportionately high.

Black adults are 20% more likely to experience serious mental health problems such as major depressive disorder and generalized anxiety disorder. But the problem often begins well before adulthood.

Studies reveal that Black and Brown children are 14% less likely to receive treatment for their depression than white children. One reason for this is that behavioral challenges are much more likely to be addressed criminally rather than as mental health disorders.

Officials estimate that between 50% and 75% of youth in the juvenile justice system meet the criteria for mental health disorders. In communities of color, childhood depression has also been linked to increased welfare dependence and unemployment.

There are a number of complex, structural causes for the disproportional impact that mental health challenges have on marginalized communities, and it’s our responsibility as a society to name these issues and to advocate for change. At Emmaus House, we believe it’s also important to provide children and families with fun, wholesome, and culturally appropriate resources to manage their stress and emotions.

A New Partnership

For all of these reasons and more, we’re excited to partner with Mimi’s Yoga Kids to provide yoga classes and healing circles to our community. Ms. Camelia “Mimi” Felton has long worked to bring yoga therapy to underserved people through her B.U.M.P Project (Black Unified Mothers Pre & Postnatal) and now through her partnership with Emmaus House. To learn more about Mimi’s Yoga Kids, please visit the link below.

The issues facing marginalized people’s mental health are complex and not easy to solve. But by investing in resources for youth and families, we’re building change from the ground up and creating generational impact.

This past Sunday, we held our Annual Benefit on the Emmaus House campus. We had a lot to celebrate: it was the first benefit we’ve hosted since the start of the pandemic, we honored a new recipient for the Ethel Mae Mathews Courage and Character Award, and the event took place in our new building.

This year also marks Emmaus House’s 55th anniversary. What began as a collaborative effort between a priest, two nuns, and a seminary student, has grown into a vital institution for Peoplestown and surrounding areas. One of the reasons for this growth is that we don’t just serve the community, we are a part of the community.

None of our work would be possible without the network of volunteers and supporters who invest their time and resources into lifting up the families and neighbors we serve.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

At our Annual Emmaus House Benefit last Sunday night, we honored Ann Fowler with the Ethel Mae Mathews Courage and Character Award. This award honors individuals who embody the same spirit of strength and determination as Ethel Mae Mathews.

As a self-described “welfare mother,” Ms. Mathews sought to educate others about the struggle of those experiencing poverty. She headed Emmaus House’s first Welfare Rights Committee and went on to serve as Chairwoman on the Peoplestown Advisory Council, President of the Welfare Rights Organization, and a board member for both the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and the Georgia Citizens Coalition on Hunger.

“I’m rich with many things,” she once said. “Not with money, but with courage, with strength, with faith, with independence, with my belief in God, and that makes me very rich.”

This year’s recipient, Ann Fowler, developed and led many programs as Director of Education Services for Emmaus House. Throughout her 12 years, she tried always to be guided by the question: “How can I make the world a better place? How can I help my neighbor… in my city, and in the world?”

“I may not be able to do much,” she said. “But I can do something.”

She described her role at Emmaus House as being more than a job. It was a ministry.

The Ethel Mae Mathews Courage and Character Award means a lot to us, and we can’t think of anyone more deserving than Ann. We thank her for her service and for embodying Ms. Mathews’s strength and compassion. We are all better because of it.

We often think of holidays like Thanksgiving as a way to celebrate family bonds. However, we don’t always realize that it’s an important opportunity to solidify and support those bonds as well.

Families are the foundation of every community, and this year we want to make sure that families in south Atlanta can celebrate Thanksgiving at home.

We will be collecting bagged donations of holiday staples that families can prepare at home. Each bag should have the following items:

• 2 Cans of String Beans (English cut)

• 2 Cans of Corn

• 2 Cans of Peas

• 1 Can of Cranberry Sauce

• 1 Large Bag of Stuffing

• 1 Box of Brownie Mix

• 1 Bag of Rice (1 lb.)

• 2 Boxes of Cornbread / Muffin Mix

With your help, we’re hoping to assemble 200 of these bags for our neighbors in need.

To donate, please place the above ingredients inside of a large, reusable canvas bag with handles. Bags may be dropped off at Emmaus House from November 14-21, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 9 AM-noon. We will plan on distributing them on November 22.

We have so much to be thankful for. Be part of the reason someone else gets to celebrate this holiday season.

The holiday season has always been a special time at Emmaus House. Every year we accept donations to provide Christmas gifts for more than 500 children in Peoplestown and surrounding areas. With your help, we hope to continue that tradition.

As the holidays approach, we often say that it is better to give than to receive. The thing that we enjoy most about giving and receiving is that both acts tie us together in a community of love and mutual care. Your gift ensures that less advantaged children can experience that community this holiday season.