Joanne Burgess

Emeriti Stories
Bridges After Retirement
In the summer of the year I was five years old, my family allowed me to go alone to the public library which was six blocks away. Barefoot, I raced across that bridge-an overpass actually-that led to the library and then home again. Ever since I had that experience, bridges have been important in my life. I crossed many as I grew, studied and developed my career.
When I retired in 2000 I became concerned about bridges to a better life, and participated with several local churches
in sponsoring a refugee family from Croatia. Learning about the resettlement program offered by the U.S. Government for refugees was interesting, and helping a family meet the requirements was challenging.
After that project, I began to see the need for a connector to a better life in the Juvenile Justice System in Fulton County. For five years I served on a citizen panel that gathered information about children who were potential candidates for the State of Georgia’s Foster Care Program. The panel members reviewed information about the children and recommended their placement to the Juvenile Judge, who was overwhelmed with cases and needed help. Another opportunity for service was volunteering for the Community Assistance Center in Sandy Spring. For twelve and a half years, I supported client interviewing, taught ESOL classes and served on an Advisory Board.
I then turned my interest to supporting educational endeavors, a bridge to a better quality of life for young people. I was pleased to be able to develop a scholarship at my local church, the Sandy Springs Christian Church. A church friend and I worked from 2003-2006 to raise funds for a college/ technical school scholarship program that has awarded approximately $30,000 to graduating high school seniors. Part of my effort was the 2016 publication of my memoir about my childhood and some of the experiences I have had in my career, Manners of Love, with all proceeds going to the scholarship. (Copies are still available. See https:// www.amazon.com or contact me at my email address below.)
Maturing and teaching never cease to be interesting, challenging and a search for bridges.
Emereties Fall 2019