Emmaus Preston

Paul, our Chef, and Franky, our Deputy Community Leader, had a presentation for the Rotary Club of Preston South today. On Elections Day, a memorable and maybe historical day in the history of the US.

Our presentation was highly successful and mainly because the present Rotary Club Members could see what Emmaus can do for the people who join us.
At a time first polling results are expected, results which might decide much of the international political atmosphere for the next 3.5 years, there is one big message to take from the American electoral campaign by Barack Hussein Obama. A message of huge importance for our companions, for every homeless person around the globe.

The USA, a country, a superpower, with a battered global reputation is a country of big opposites, immense contrasts. A black and white country, split by the war on terror, poverty, military expenses and a failing social system as very accurately described in the article An enigmatic country elects a new president by Der Spiegel’s Chief of Foreign Desk, Gerhard Spörl:

America is a superpower around the globe, but a Third World country at home, with an infrastructure that defies description. There are collapsing bridges, power failures along the entire East Coast, and homes in places like Florida, North Carolina and Texas are regularly destroyed every year by hurricanes that flatten houses as if they were beach bungalows in Haiti.

Yes, the most obscene aspect of all remains the unacknowledged racism in this country of pragmatic enlightenment — the ongoing prejudices of whites against blacks.

The aim of this entry is not to express any kind of hatred towards the USA or his leaders^[1], but to realize that even potential world leaders must believe, believe in the same way as homeless people when they join Emmaus.

Yes, We Can!

For more than a year Barack Obama has shown an admirable sense of believe, believe in himself and in the nation and the outcome of todays election becomes minor considered to the heap of fate it takes to fight the institution, the curse of race and colour and come up against the wife of a former president who was hugely influential when Bill Clinton was President of the USA.

At Emmaus Preston we want to offer every person who joins us the the believe that homelessness only a stage in their life is. That their is hope.

Hope

Hope for a life after homelessness. The Emmaus Preston Team believes in self-deployment of companions and will do everything to allow, stimulate the personal development of companions. Whether it is by supporting companions to grow within Emmaus Preston, help them to move on within the Emmaus UK mouvement or support them to start college courses and come out with a qualification, degree. Helping people would not be really helping if we would not offer our companions the opportunity to progress, progress in life.
Just like following voter’s testimony shows, there will always be hope in life:

My polling place is at the fairgrounds in Southern Maryland, about 40 minutes from Washington, D.C. This used to be tobacco country, but is slowly being developed, or other crops are grown. We waited until 10:00 to vote, to avoid the lines. When we got there a 97-year-old Black man was being wheeled out of the polls in his wheelchair. It was the first time he had ever voted in his life. When he came outside he asked if anyone could give him an Obama button. There were none left at the Democrat’s booth so I gave him mine. He was so proud and I started crying. He looked at me and said, “why are you crying? this is a day for glory.” I am still crying.

Emmaus Preston does not endorse Barack Obama, or John McCain for that matter, but the message Obama delivered, strong enough to convince the 97-year-old man in his wheelchair to vote for the first time in life, is a strong one.
At Emmaus we don’t want to sugarcoat or embellish things, say how great our concept and team is^[2], but we believe in the companions. We believe in the power, the dynamics created by formerly homeless people. The Emmaus road is paved with success stories: an amazing mouvement which grew thanks to the commitment of many companions and opened many great and cheap second hands shop around the country as well as the story of several companions who moved back in to professional life or companions who grew within the Emmaus mouvement and became staff members^[3].

Yes there is hope!

Yes, we can!

Companions can!

1. Emmaus does not take political stances [↩]
2. Both are amazing! [↩]
3. Prime examples of this are Matthew at Brighton who became Community Leader and our own Franky who once was a companion in Mossley and now is our Deputy Community Leader and Business Manager [↩]