THE AUCTION: The 2012 Emmanuel House/Bryan House silent auction is history—and for the fourth year in a row it raised well over $20,000 to help break the cycle of working class poverty.
Thanks to the hundreds who came, and to our many volunteers, especially Sandy Wunderlich, who coordinated it all. The video below names those on the auction team, but special thanks here goes to those many who came many days and evenings to help assemble items and baskets, load and unload trucks, and set up tables. Then there were those who worked as monitors and cashiers during the auction itself, and those who pitched in to clean up after it was all over. You were so good—especially you East Aurora High students!—that we were all done by 10:30 p.m. “Hey, we’re not staying until 1:00 a.m.?” I said to my daughter-in-law Desiree, co-founder of Bryan House and Emmanuel House. “The youth of America,” she simply said, “has stepped up!”
THE YEAR IN REVIEW: 2012 was a tremendous year of growth for Emmanuel House.
We doubled in size and impact, purchasing three duplexes to double the number of “savings apartments” available to the community. Four families purchased homes and we’ve welcomed six more who will be starting to save to become homeowners and send their children to college. We also doubled our staff—Jesus Diaz, and new executive director Hayley Meksi joining Casey Barrette and Rey Garrido. And we’ve purchased our first official office: 5,000 square feet we plan to share with World Relief, plus put two new apartments upstairs to help two more families start saving.
“As I get to know Emmanuel House participants,” says Hayley Meksi, “I’m constantly struck by their passion and desire to put down firm roots—something that many have been chasing for a very long time. These roots bring much needed stability, not only to their own families, creating a springboard for their children’s future, but also stability to the community as a whole by creating safer and stronger neighborhoods.”
The visit of U.S. Senator Dick Durbin to our Claim St. Emmanuel House site this May 2012 was one index of our success over the past year and a half. Watch a video of his visit HERE, and to read more about Bryan House and Emmanuel House and explore some of the many resources we’re collecting on this site go HERE.
NEXT YEAR’S AUCTION: Join us for our 2013 Silent Auction. The date, the Friday before Thanksgiving, is November 22nd. In the meantime consider donating monthly by visiting www.EmmanuelHouse.org. $13 helps support a family for one day. $52 supports operations for a whole day. When you support our efforts to help the working poor, you help create better communities for EVERYONE.
♦ Go to Emmanuel House/Bryan House main page for more information.
♦ Music by Dan Guzman. Go here for more of Dan’s music.