Member Spotlight: Emmaus Services for the Aging

We believe seniors deserve a dream, not just a memory.

Step through the doors at Emmaus Services for the Aging, a set of renovated row homes in the historic Shaw community, to see those dreams in the making.

In the second floor computer lab, seniors 60 and over are in the midst of an eight-week computer skills development course. In the first floor recreation room, they’re doing Yoga. Downstairs, at the “Feast for All Market,” they’re selecting quality, nutritious foods to supplement meals at home.

And in homes throughout Ward 2 and across the District of Columbia, seniors are receiving confidential visits from licensed social workers, home health screenings and monthly deliveries of free groceries.

Helping to create those dreams is a dedicated team of 13 staff, led by Rev. Joseph Williams, and more than 600volunteers. Together, they provided programs and services for more than 1,000 seniors in 2008–the organization’s 30th year serving the community. And as calls for safety net services increase, they’re gearing up to serve as many as 2,000 seniors this year.

The list of programs and services available to seniors through Emmaus is extensive. each—from light home cleanings,to eviction prevention, reassurance calls, blood pressure checks and emergency monetary assistance—contributes to the goal of helping seniors remain active, respected, independent and vital members of their community.

Collaborations help make it all possible.

As the DC Office of Aging’s Lead Agency for Aging Services for Ward 2, Emmaus receives all calls for senior services in the Ward. They network with other community organizations in an effort to create and maintain effective systems of care, sponsoring community planning meetings with organizations, developing and implementing structured outreach activities and maintaining a strong knowledge base of national and local aging populations, trends, needs and forecasts.

In collaboration with SeniorNet, the HFC Foundation and AT&T, Emmaus’ SeniorNet Computer lab, equipped with accessibility software, introduces seniors to computers and the Internet and helps them connect through on-line communities—decreasing isolation for those seniors who may be physically challenged.

With the Richard B. and Lynne V. Cheney Cardiovascular Institute at George Washington University, Emmaus is also helping to ensure that automated external defibrillators are available to those experiencing sudden cardiac arrest in buildings across the District.

Similar innovative collaborations are found throughout Emmaus’ work.

Behind the scenes.

In 2007, his first year as Emmaus’ executive director, Rev. Williams and the board of directors instituted a three-year strategic and resource development plan for the organization— which board members, staff and volunteers are active in implementing. Now, in year two of the plan and in the midst of current economic conditions, the team is already looking ahead toward future goals, activities to achieve them, and ways to meet an anticipated doubling of demand for services.

Opportunities like community room and library rentals as well as office subleasing in the group’s Shaw Center contribute to revenue.

Monthly reports track quantifiable objectives and outcomes for the number of volunteer hours associated with each activity, financial revenue and projections, new seniors served and the level of service used in each program area.

A Senior Advisory Council, with a 14-member board comprised entirely of seniors receiving services from Emmaus, meets monthly with program staff to provide feedback on existing programs and offer insights into new ones.

Weekly staff meetings help the team compare achievements on paper with stated objectives—and ultimately Emmaus’mission: to build trust with seniors to provide advocacy and services that help them remain active, respected, independent and vital members of their community.

Click here to learn more about Emmaus Services for the Aging and to find out what you can do to help support their mission.

This member Spotlight was originally published in the March/April 2009 Nonprofit Agenda, a bi-monthly publication of the Center for Nonprofit Advancement.

Center members, would you like to be featured in an upcoming Member Spotlight? Contact Beth Hess to learn more.