Voices From Our Community: A Dream Come True

14 Sep Voices From Our Community: A Dream Come True

In the shadows of Crystal Tower—our latest supportive housing residence—lives a longtime Flatbush resident, community elder, and steadfast supporter of The Doe Fund: Emelda Cox. She can be seen tending to her garden, sweeping her yard clean of debris… or calling out to Doe Fund employees asking to speak with “Mr. Doe Fund.” Crystal Tower may have opened in 2020, but The Doe Fund has been a big part of Ms. Cox’s life for nearly 30 years.

Born in Grenada, Ms. Cox studied to be a Nurse before immigrating to Flatbush in 1973. Ms. Cox has always been a helper; in addition to working as a Registered Nurse in New York City Hospitals, she has assisted in hundreds of births as a midwife. After reading an article about The Doe Fund in 1991, she was inspired to stretch her helping hand even further. Hearing the stories of struggle, perseverance, hope, and love lifted Ms. Cox’s spirits and pushed her to get more involved. 

Part of the inspiration was noticing the effect that The Doe Fund had on her neighborhood. Ms. Cox recalls a time when the neighborhood was dangerous, dirty, and full of crime. When The Doe Fund workers started cleaning up Flatbush Avenue, she could tell that things were changing for the better. She praised them for their hard work and started on her own personal mission to improve her community.

Ms. Cox helped found the East 28th Street Block Association with her neighbors in 1996. They worked with the local community board in order to improve conditions in the neighborhood: increasing trash pick-up, restoring old trees and green space, bringing speed bumps to the block, and installing a traffic light on East 28th Street and Farragut Road. Ms. Cox played a major part in bringing the community together for positive change; the local councilman even sponsored a barbecue in honor of Ms. Cox’s hard work.

There were also other people in the community that Ms. Cox helped, but they were not her typical “neighbors.” They were the homeless people who walked the streets, dirty and hungry, and often slept in cars or on the ground. Ms. Cox would give them food from her bountiful garden, as well as clothe them and let them bathe. She would connect them with the appropriate Homeless Services afterward, and always checked up to make sure they were being cared for. 

In 2001, she read a Doe Fund publication called Behind the Bucket; a magazine full of stories, poetry, and art from Doe Fund trainees. A testament to the powerful work accomplished by the Men in Blue—as well as the struggles they went through along the way—the work captivated Ms. Cox, inspiring her to create something of her own.

An avid quilter, Ms. Cox began to craft quilts with imagery based on the poems she read in Behind the Bucket. She wanted to create something special to honor The Doe Fund, and the men who had worked so hard to change their lives and help others. It was important to her that she show appreciation for how deeply their stories, hopes, fears, and dreams moved her.

Ms. Cox would like the Men in Blue to know that “Anything is possible”. She wants them to “Help others as others have helped you”, “Don’t look down on anybody,” “See the good in everybody,” and most importantly: “Keep moving! Don’t give up!” She truly believes that while we are all different people, we all share the same dream of being safe, happy, and loved.

One final lesson she offers to those looking for purpose and fulfillment? “Lend a helping hand.”