Pwc
The Emmaus House
As part of our internship experience, we organized a community service event open to participation by anyone in the PwC Pittsburgh office. When thinking over what sort of event we would like to coordinate, we decided that finding a way to work with people directly would be the best way to give back to the community and to witness a more immediate benefit from our service.
After learning about the Emmaus Community of Pittsburgh, we were immediately interested in finding out how PwC could get involved in this amazing mission. Located in the Southside, this residence and respite center provides services to adults with special needs and developmental disabilities by providing housing for some, as well as short-term care for others. The residents not in the respite center have jobs in the community, and stay at the house during the week. On weekends, they generally head home to spend time with their own families. Due to the number of adults with developmental disabilities whose families have difficulty in taking care of their loved ones full time, this service provides a way for the residents to live fulfilling lives, while at the same time easing some of the burden on their families. Currently, there are two other Emmaus homes in the Pittsburgh area which have branched from this initial one in the Southside.
On the day of the event, 14 PwC volunteers showed up ready to spend a fun afternoon with the residents. When we arrived, the residents were still out working at their respective jobs in the community, and so we were able to spend some time with one of the founders, Lorraine Wagner. Her and her husband had started the house because of their daughter over ten years ago. She explained to our volunteers what the Emmaus Community offers to its residents. We were able to have some snacks, watch a video, and take a tour of the beautiful, newly remodeled facility.
During the tour, we were able to meet the 11 residents of the Emmaus house, and were greeted with smiles and even some hugs. The residents really seemed receptive to our group, and even helped to complete our tour, which led us to the basement of the building with the duck-pin bowling alley. We spent the next hour or so bowling with the residents and getting to know each of them. After the exercise, we were all ready for some dinner, and a giant pizza party was held upstairs in the dining room. We were able to meet some of the other caretakers, and we gave out certificates that we created (with the help of Karen in Graphics Services) to each of the residents. We concluded the day with a performance by Patti (one of the residents) on her guitar, and some pictures on the front steps.
We thoroughly enjoyed our time spent with the residents at the Emmaus Community, and feel that it was a rewarding experience for each of us. We would again like to thank those from PwC who participated for helping to make the event such a success.
Please visit the Emmaus Community Website for Details
