‘Peace House Community Journal’ Archives
He Has His Own Mind
By MIKE HAZARD and MARTI MALTBY “As you can see, I”™m part Irish American, part African American, and part Native American,” said Vernon. I asked what nation. “My brother says Cherokee.” He thumbed through his cellphone texts looking for a picture of his Irish American great grandfather, Henry O”™Killian. He never found it. We talked. MIKE HAZARD “My father taught me to hunt,” says Vern. “We hunted to eat. Venison, bear, beaver, raccoon, and quail. We lived in southern Illinois, near the Kentucky border. I was a country boy. I”™m ready to go back.” “I was a cook in the military, a biscuit burner. Sister Rose (the founder of Peace House) hired me to cook. I cooked at Peace House for two or three months, and then I got a job as a machinist. Machinist paid more, but I liked cooking more. I cook everything. I learned a lot about cooking from ex-girlfriends. (Laugh.) Italian, Spanish, [...]
The person in there
Peace House Community ”“ A Place to Belong By MARTI MALTBY This December I got to lead the annual Homeless Memorial March, an event that honors those who died in the past year who were either homeless or formerly homeless. It was the fifth time in seven years that I led the March, an honor I received because I carry Luna, a huge “puppet” mounted on a backpack frame. Luna has become the symbol of the March and all for which it stands. When Luna rides on my shoulders, she”™s about 12 feet tall. The March ends at a church where we hold a service memorializing those who have died. As participants file in, I scramble out from under Luna while two other volunteers lean her against the wall. As you might expect, something as big as Luna is quite heavy, weighing in at maybe 70 pounds. A couple of years ago, as I emerged from Luna”™s robes, I heard someone express surprise that I had carried her during the entire March. They [...]
Celebrating Peace House people
By Mike Hazard MIKE HAZARD James, Tony, and Janette (left to right) focused on a haircut Tony kept saying, “Don”™t be afraid.” Don”™t be afraid Janette, a retired psychologist who counseled couples (and who”™s losing her hearing and was always letting couples know they were not hearing each other), was giving Tony a haircut at Peace House while James advised. “Don”™t be afraid,” Tony kept saying, “to press really hard with the shaver. Don”™t be afraid.” She was doing good, but she was afraid of pressing too hard. After awhile, James took over. The intimate trio was entertaining, and serious. Everyone wanted a good haircut. James explained how to cultivate a wave, how to shave a face. Tony nicknamed Janette, Jean T. Jay. It was a scene that embodies the blessed heart of Peace House. People doing good together. MIKE HAZARD Peace House manager Marti typed in his office [...]
