If you were mindlessly wandering down our beloved Franklin Street and found yourself walking a few steps past the mouth-watering scent of Buns Burgers & Fries, you could take a left at the end of the sidewalk and look across the street at a squat, rectangular, blue building.
The Community Empowerment Fund holds an understated, inconspicuous office on West Rosemary Street. The work that they do, however, is profound and, quite literally, life-changing.
Their mission statement declares the following: “The Community Empowerment Fund cultivates opportunities, assets, and communities that support the alleviation of homelessness and poverty.”
On Friday, my first day in the CEF office, I had the pleasure of meeting Theresa West.
Theresa came into the office sporting a UNC ball cap, a UNC lanyard around her neck and an infectious enthusiasm.
Her story is inspiring.
A mother of two sons and an Orange County native, Theresa is a Tar Heel born and a Tar Heel bred. In January of this year, she moved into HomeStart, a homeless shelter for women and children. She began coming to the CEF office around the same time.
In May, with encouragement and support from CEF, Theresa established “Mamma T’s Cleaning Expertise.” She finds work cleaning various apartments throughout Chapel Hill.
Mamma T’s has been an incredible success. The past five months have brought Theresa so much business that she is now in the process of moving into her own apartment.
“I furnished my whole living room for less than $100!” she told us, and then proceeded to describe the color scheme she wanted to decorate the apartment with.
As we talked with Theresa, the reasons for her success were obvious. She has a passion for her work and a powerful amount of pride in the service that she provides. Her cellphone has dozens of “before and after” photos of the homes she has cleaned.
Looking at the moldy, horrific scenes that Theresa often comes upon, I asked her, “How do you feel when you see a place like this?”
“I love it!” she almost yelled. “Some people try to start up businesses like this, but it doesn’t work out for them. They don’t put their heart into it.”
Shuffling through the images on her phone and presenting flyers and advertisements that she had made on her computer, there was no doubt that Theresa puts her heart into everything that she does.
But that’s not even the best part.
She told us humbling stories about her experiences and the women she interacted with. One of the most painful problems that these women face is the shelter’s lack of cleaning supplies. The inability to keep up their hygiene and basic cleanliness severely affects the livelihood of the community.
“I have a plan,” Theresa told us.
Mamma T’s Cleaning Expertise will be holding a fundraiser. Beginning on Oct. 1, a collection box will be located at the CEF office, open for anyone to donate cleaning supplies. Mamma T’s will provide coupons for discounted cleaning services to anyone who donates and the donations will be given to the women at HomeStart.
Theresa has big hopes for the fundraiser: “People like to help people. It makes them feel good.”
We spent the afternoon planning logistics for the fundraiser, printing out advertisements for Mamma T’s, and looking into further business opportunities for Theresa. I was moved by the entire experience.
We were sitting with a woman who had just gotten back onto her feet, who had experienced a load of unfairness, and who had seen elements of the world that some of us can only imagine. And yet, she was already looking for ways to give back and to help others.
As my fellow advocates and I expressed our admiration, Theresa gave us a simple answer: “Trust in God and believe in yourself. That’s my motto. With those two things, you’ll go anywhere.”
Support HomeStart
Bring cleaning supplies to the CEF office
Location: 108 W Rosemary St.
Time: Starting Oct. 1.
Items needed: S.O.S pads, paper towels, window cleaner, rags, toilet bowl cleaner, PineSol, bleach, Scrubbing Bubbles, etc.
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