Door of Hope: Writing a Way Toward a Bright Future

Providing a safe landing for people to come, share a meal and connect with others in the community

“I think that the whole project [The Commons on Merton] is making a difference in the neighborhood and whole community. Door of Hope is just a piece of that, but it is fun being a piece of a bigger whole and a bigger mission.”

This quote is from Andy Jacuzzi, Executive Director of Door of Hope, in reference to his experience as a partner housed in The Commons, a shared-space community operated by the Center for Transforming Communities (CTC). Door of Hope (DOH) is a 501c3 non-profit that works with chronically homeless (a year or longer living on the streets or unsheltered or four episodes of homelessness during a three year period) with disabilities. The organization got its start back in 2005 when a group of individuals from the Midtown area of Memphis came together to seek ways to assist those without shelter who had been displaced from Downtown Memphis to Midtown.

Initially, DOH was a “safe landing” for people to come, share a meal and connect with others in the community. The program has since evolved into an organization that provides support services such as helping people who are unhoused obtain an ID or apply for benefits, as well as offering assistance with job searching and job readiness training. DOH currently owns two facilities. One of them houses 10 guests, each with their own room, and also houses the DOH support center. The other is a similar-style facility that houses 15 men and women.

One of the major assets within DOH is their writing group. It was started by a women named Ellen Pruitt. They meet every Wednesday from 1-2pm at the support center.  Participation is open to everyone.  Each week, the group is invited to write stories around a suggested topic and, for those who feel comfortable, read their stories aloud to the group.

Andy’s initial experience at DOH three years ago was with the writers group. He came in dressed in a suit as he would have in his previous corporate jobs. The topic for the day was ‘write about a time when you were in a situation where you were put with somebody that you felt like you had nothing in common with and write about how you found common ground.’ Andy, a man with a well-established career in business and marketing, having never worked with homeless persons before, found a message for him in this topic.

"I was sitting over there in the corner, uncomfortable being around homeless people and obviously out of place dressed in a suit.  As I listened to stories being read aloud, tears began to form and I was deeply moved.  I was ashamed of the way I felt coming in and just amazed by the stories that were being told.  It felt like a personal message from God to me about being judgmental.  Whatever it was, I was hooked from that day and have been here ever since."

The writing group has not only influenced Andy, it has also significantly impacted those in the community. There’s a newspaper called The Bridge in which all of its articles are written by homeless individuals, the majority being members of the writing group. Writers who contribute to The Bridge submit stories and poems, involve themselves in its publication, and get to keep about 75% of the profits for attending sales rep training and selling the newspapers. DOH has published several of the pieces from members of the writing group in book titled Writing Our Way Out of Homelessness.

Andy has really enjoyed being a shared-space partner in The Commons. What he appreciates the most is the synergy of multiple non-profit organizations coming together to make a difference in the community. Door of Hope has been, and will continue to be, an organization that is investing and changing lives for the better.

If you'd like to learn more, consider joining REP and other partners at The Commons on Merton (258 N. Merton) for an Open House on Dec. 2 from 6pm to 8pm.  Here is the invitation.

This story was contributed by Shalom Intern, Kory Turner a student at Drew Theological Seminary.

REP: Educating, Empowering, and Paving the Way

Meeting the educational needs of refugee children and families 

 

Camela Echols Blackmon, known as “Cam,” is a native Memphian. She got her start working as a social service director for the United Methodist Neighborhood Centers running a thrift store and distributing food baskets and clothes to those in need. Although she worked well with the community, she felt called to do much more than hand out food and clothes. Feeling the call to empower others toward self-sufficiency, she remembers the quote “Give a man a fish, he eats for a day. Teach a man to fish, he eats for a lifetime.”

Cam’s work with refugees began when she met a lady named Ruth Lomo. Ruth is a Sudanese refugee who settled in the Binghampton area in 2001 with a goal to educate and empower other refugees to lead successful, non-dependent lives. Cam connected with Ruth while Ruth was in search of a place to hold her after school program. At the time, Cam worked in a facility that had available space and Ruth began to use the facility. It was through the sharing of Ruth’s stories as a refugee coming to America that Cam discovered her true passion and joined forces with Ruth to create an empowerment program for refugees.

During our time together, Cam shared a story of an encounter with a refugee mother who could not speak English but was able to gesture what she was in need of. After listening to the woman’s needs, Cam sent her home with toiletries and other household items. Excited about the connection she had made with the woman, Cam shared her encounter with Ruth. Although Cam had made a bond and established a rapport with the lady, Ruth explained the importance of encouraging the mother to enroll in English classes which would enable her to get a job and eventually provide for her family on her own.

Ruth, Cam, and a volunteer by the name of Rachelle Pichardo continued this work of advocating, educating, and bringing awareness in the Memphis schools to the educational needs of the children and their families. In 2002, they began an after-school program with 12 Sudanese, Somalian, and Afghani refugee children. The program soon involved to include ESL (English as a Second Language) and Pre-GED courses for parents of the children.

Years later, they began searching for a location where those who were part of the program could have easy access and walk to the location. In 2007, R.E.P. (Refugee Empowerment Program) moved into a then newly-renovated place known as The Commons, a shared space operated by the Center for Transforming Communities, where they have remained. Since its initial start in 2002, R.E.P. has grown from a 12-child after-school program to one that has educates 350 plus refugees comprised of more than 20 different nationalities. 100% of its 18 high school graduates went on to pursue post-secondary education or trade school.

When asked about the future of R.E.P., Cam envisions it as a program for refugees run by refugees. Moving forward, she wishes to establish a transitional school where refugee youth would spend 18-24 months mastering core academic skills such as English and math to better prepare them for success in the public school system.  R.E.P. continues to remain a safe place where all, regardless of religion, nationality, language, or tribe affiliation can come, learn, be empowered, and empower and strengthen others.


If you'd like to learn more, consider joining REP and other partners at The Commons on Merton (258 N. Merton) for an Open House on Dec. 2 from 6pm to 8pm.  Here is the invitation.

This story was contributed by Shalom Intern, Kory Turner a student at Drew Theological Seminary.

The Whole Is Greater Than the Sum of the Parts

Celebrating the strength of coming together at The Commons

There are 21 stained glass windows at The Commons. It’s one of the perks of working here. Walking along corridors, up stairwells, into and out of the old sanctuary – Just about everywhere I go there are stained glass windows

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Sometimes in the late afternoon the light comes through the largest window in the sanctuary and leaves a cascade of soft red and gold and green along the floor and walls. I’ve tried several times to catch this on camera, but the pictures don’t quite do it justice.

And now that daylight savings time has passed, it’s dark when I leave, so I’ve begun to notice just how vibrant our stained glass windows are from the outside. Staff and volunteers at the Refugee Empowerment Program teach ESL classes well into the night, and the stained glass windows in their third floor classrooms shine brightly in greens and reds and purples over Binghampton.

To most people, stained glass windows are associated with church. And of course that’s why we have so many at The Commons. The building we call “The Commons on Merton” was once Everett Memorial United Methodist Church, an anchor of the Binghampton community for almost 100 years.

But, as their membership dwindled and the neighborhood around them changed, the leaders of Everett Memorial made a very courageous decision which resulted in a reimagining of what it means to be “church.” In the early 2000s, they gave up their church building to become The Commons, a shared space community that currently houses 5 nonprofits, 3 churches of various denominations, a food pantry, a local artist’s studio, and a handful of study groups and neighborhood organizations.

In the 6 months that I’ve been with the Center for Transforming Communities, I’ve gotten to know each of these groups – learned about their histories, personalities, and goals. Each one is different, distinct, but each one is also part of a whole, part of The Commons.

In that sense, each group at The Commons is like a pane in a stained glass window. Each is unique, with its own shape and color and texture, but when assembled together they form a pattern that is
infinitely more beautiful than they could hope to be on their own.

This year, the partners at The Commons have agreed to come together for an open house event benefiting the 5 nonprofit partners. Door of Hope, Memphis School of Servant Leadership, Refugee Empowerment Program, Memphis Immigration Advocates, and Center for Transforming Communities are pooling their resources and inviting all of their friends to visit The Commons, learn about the organizations that call this building home, and donate to support our shared vision for improving the Memphis community.
 
I hope you’ll stop by this Giving Tuesday (December 2nd, from 6:00pm-8:00pm) for food, music, and a tour of The Commons.  Because of the generosity of some of our past supporters, we will be able to match any donations given on Giving Tuesday and through the end of the year 2 to 1 – meaning that your $25 will become $75, or your $50 will become $150. What better way to celebrate the holidays than to give back to support five wonderful organizations working to make Memphis a better place for all of us?

For more information about The Commons or our Giving Tuesday Open House, feel free to contact me at kenny@ctcmidsouth.org or 901-324-3005.