A Victory for Vince by Max Kaneff
Homelessness, despite the name, is more than just living without a permanent home. In reality, homeless people face a much deeper problem: a lack of a social connection. The Community Partner Project I am involved in, Miracle Messages, is a non profit organization that aims to reconnect homeless people with loved ones. In other words, Miracle Messages strives to grant homeless people the opportunity to rebuild the social home they have been isolated from for years, hopefully forming positive relationships.
Over the course of my first semester at USC, I attended several of the Miracle Messages events at the Source and Public Library, where a community of homeless people in Downtown Los Angeles congregated in an effort to access resources from a variety of organizations. In the first few Source events I attended, I sat alongside other Miracle Message’s volunteers on one side of a table, observing the diverse group of homeless people strolling around. I met several homeless people who were looking for family members that they hadn’t reached in years. My first several attempts at investigating my client’s loved ones was extremely difficult and frustrating. For example, my first client, Luis, was looking for his brother who also happened to be homeless; neither had permanent cell phones, and I was unsuccessful in connecting the two brothers. I began to feel pessimistic about the impact I would have at Miracle Messages: it seemed like the challenges were insurmountable.
But the last Source event I attended surprised me. From a distance, I focused my attention on a man, who I’ll call Vince, that was wandering around the open, outdoor space of the Source event, eagerly looking for a station whose services would help him. As Vince approached the Miracle Messages table, I looked at the galaxy jacket he was wearing, consisting of bright stars and colors. As Vince got closer, I spotted the New York Yankees logo on his winter hat. To break the ice, I made a comment about being a Yankees fan, but his reaction was minimal, so I moved on. Like every other client, I introduced myself and explained the significance of Miracle Messages, asking if he was interested in locating a specific loved one. At first, Vince was hesitant; however, after a minute or so, he started to show interest in reconnecting with his son. Vince began to open up, telling me that he has been living on the streets for the last 20 years. He mentioned his son’s name, Jeremiah Russel Gary, who he hadn’t seen in the last 15 years. The only information he could remember was Jeremiah’s name. As I began to process Vince’s information, I thought to myself: is this case going to go like the rest of the cases I’ve been unsuccessful in?
After we finished our conversation with Vince and he walked away, Jessica Donig, who is the Executive Director at Miracle Messages, and I began searching for Jeremiah on FastPeopleSearch, eventually coming across Jeremiah Leon Russel Gary, having one phone number bolded on the top of his page. I started to feel waves of excitement.. Jessica dialed the number, and after hearing several rings, I heard a voice pick up. It was indeed Jeremiah, Vince’s son, I couldn’t believe it. As fast as I could, I leaped from my seat and ran all around the Source, looking for Vince’s bright galaxy jacket and the blue and white pom pom dangling from the top of his hat. I finally located the jacket and hat in the other room, ran up to Vince.
As I delivered the news, I noticed a sudden change in his facial expressions, and immediately felt chills run through my body as he started to smile. Before I knew it, Vince was pacing all over the Source, listening to Jeremiah’s voice, a voice he hadn’t heard in 15 years. As much as I tried, I couldn’t keep my eyes off this moment. Even though Vince and Jeremiah weren’t talking face-to-face, the conversation looked extremely emotional. Requesting a pen, Vince began to write down Jeremiah’s information, planning a time for them to reconnect and rebuild their relationship. After Vince returned the phone to Jessica, he emphasized how thankful he was for our help, telling us that we had made his day. I couldn’t believe what had just happened. I had never felt so good to help someone accomplish something so incredible, having possibly changed the direction of Vince’s life. Since that day, I can’t stop thinking about him and Jeremiah.
Helping Vince and Jeremiah reconnect made me reflect on my own relationship with my father: I couldn’t help but imagine what it would be like to fall out of contact with him for 15 years. What would we talk about when we reconnected? What would have changed between us in that time? The longest I’ve ever been separated from my parents is two and a half months, starting from when they dropped me off at USC this past August until this very moment. Even though two months is long, it is not even close to the 15 years Vince and Jeremiah had spent away from each other. Comparing my life experiences to Vince and Jeremiah has made me appreciate my life and the network of relationships I have whether it’s my close friends or family.
I have now formed an appreciation for Miracle Messages and the opportunities they provide for homeless people. My perceptions of homeless people have shifted after getting the chance to have conversations with many of them and learning about their different reasons for ending up on the streets. I’ve realized that many homeless people are working very hard to change their circumstances, but are constantly faced with obstacles that prevent them from rejoining society. I’ve also learned that homelessness is not synonymous with hopelessness. When I picture Vince’s gleeful face, it reminds me that even the most disconnected members of our society still have the capacity to find joy through reconnecting with loved ones.
