Others reach out to support Emmaus House
When Vicky Snoe’s Gavilan College communications teacher told
the class they needed to do a community service project as a
requirement for the class, she knew just whom she wanted to help.
She got her fellow students
– Scott Hunt, Laurelyn Perteet, Eric Mutz and Rocio Veliz – on
board to raise money for Emmaus House, a domestic violence shelter
in San Benito County.
Others reach out to support Emmaus House
When Vicky Snoe’s Gavilan College communications teacher told the class they needed to do a community service project as a requirement for the class, she knew just whom she wanted to help. She got her fellow students – Scott Hunt, Laurelyn Perteet, Eric Mutz and Rocio Veliz – on board to raise money for Emmaus House, a domestic violence shelter in San Benito County.
“Part of our project is to do 12 hours toward helping or fund-raising,” she said. “We decided to do both.”
She and her classmates presented their project – dubbed project Silver – after speaking with Dale Yarmuth, the executive director of Emmaus House.
Though they planned to use the money from two fundraisers for some necessities such as gas cards, grocery gift cards and disposable diapers, they also planned a barbecue for the shelter residents and activities to help them relax. Snoe and her classmates secured donations from Dejà Vu salon for pedicures for each of the residents.
“Just making them feel special,” Snoe said, of their reason for procuring the certificates for pedicures. “It shows someone really cares about them and knows how they feel.”
It is a feeling Snoe knows well. Though she is well spoken and polished one morning before heading to class at Gavilan College, she has been down on her luck in the past. She lived in Emmaus House for six months in 2007.
“They [Emmaus House staff] helped me a lot with getting back to school,” Snoe said. “They helped with finding a job.”
She is in her second semester at Gavilan and is working on an associate degree in health science. She wanted to do something for the women whose stories are not unlike her own.
“They feel all alone and trapped in a situation no one understands,” Snoe said. “If someone from the outside cares, it makes a difference.”
It was a similar thought that Ana Sandoval, a case manager at Emmaus House, and her friend Donna Maiello, the owner of Attitudes and Images Salon, had not too long ago.
Maiello approached her staff of stylists and asked if they would be interested in volunteering their time to give the Emmaus House women a day of beauty.
“I didn’t have to ask twice,” she said. “It was just a resounding yes.”
Though the haircuts, highlights and makeup tips offer a change on the surface, Sandoval believed the effect would be felt deeper.
“It helps bring more confidence,” she said. “Sometimes we put ourselves last on the list after family, work. But we need to put ourselves first on the list to be confident.”
Snoe also recognized that the trips to the salon give the women a little time away.
“We wanted to get them out of the house, to have time away from the children,” she said. “They have to put up with a lot of other personalities in the house.”
Two of the clients talked a bit about their experience at Emmaus House so far. One woman has been there for a month and another for just two weeks.
“It’s a nice place to get to work on yourself,” she said. “Some of the girls need a lot of help.”
She has been working with a counselor, but has also received some help with searching for a job. She has goals set for herself and her family, which include finding housing in Watsonville or Marina.
“The last two years have been chaotic, but one thing they do have is a case manager who helps us maintain goals,” she said.
On the day at Attitude and Images, she was having highlights retouched.
“Female maintenance helps boost your self-esteem,” she said. “Some have never had this.”
Another client at first thought the trip to the salon was a joke, she said.
“I wanted a new haircut, but I had other issues to deal with and I didn’t have the money,” she said.
Since staying at Emmaus House, staff have helped her deal with finding a lawyer and dealing with legal issues.
During her visit to Attitudes and Images, stylist Jennifer Riggs trimmed her hair.
“I just think it’s really good karma,” Riggs said, of volunteering. “It’s just to give back. I love to help people and make everything perfect. Life should be beautiful.”
Another recent project at Emmaus House also helped to beautify things around the women. Yarmuth, who is a member of the current Leadership San Benito class, spearheaded a gardening project in the backyard. Leadership volunteers gathered to build raised garden beds and to plant flowers, vegetables and other items. The goal is that the women and staff members will maintain the garden, and use the food produced when cooking meals for their families.
The week after the garden was completed, Snoe and her classmates gathered at Emmaus House again to put together one last event with the money they raised. They had a car wash fundraiser and a dinner at Ragoot’s, a Morgan Hill restaurant, which donated 10 percent of proceeds from one night of dining.
Snoe and her project members threw a barbecue for the families, with sundaes to finish up the meal for the children.
“It was a very happy thing,” Snoe said. “Especially the last event with the barbecue. Everyone was very emotional and thankful.”
Emmaus House staff are always looking for new volunteers or donations of household items from bath products to cooking supplies. To donate, call 636-7224 or visit www.emmaushouse.net. Women in need of help or those concerned about a family member or friend can call 1-877-778-7978 for a 24-hour hotline.
