PROJECT APOLLO 4 | GRASSROOTS GRAVEL 14 | STATE OF ART 23 | PUNK ROCK SCENE 26
Vol. 3 No. 6
JUNE 7, 2024
• DIG DEEPER •
| COMMUNITY | ACCOUNTABILITY | CURIOSITY | CONNECTION | Photo by Rory Harbert
A project of compassion Outreach team reflects on surprising growth, embracing unhoused neighbors
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By Rory Harbert
rom Greek temples to space programs, the mythological god Apollo has resonated across the centuries. In Pueblo, his legendary influence comes in the form of an outreach program for the unhoused people living in the city’s two major encampments. The founders behind Project Apollo are far from genuinely comparing their work to epic stories and mythological gods. The group needed a name to become a nonprofit organization and market themselves. The god Apollo is associated with the domain of healing; it was an easy choice to symbolize their work. After following the group’s work, the name seems to be a better fit than one may think. Apollo’s character is more complex. As a god that transcends Greek and Roman mythology, he was revered for his connections to strength and poetry, archery and medicine, governance and music. Perhaps the outreach program is not an epic story, but the project team leads with the strength and heart of Apollo, volunteering their limited free time to haul boxes of food and medicine, trek across the camps as they pass out water, provide medical care and socialize with people needing a caring touch.
Small gestures to big moves
Dr. John Emahiser, Project Apollo president, has been involved in outreach with homeless populations for over a decade. He and treasurer Amelia Emahiser have been married for nearly as long. According to Amelia, John has always been passionate about street medicine, remembering how, in 2015, he was arrested for providing medical aid during the May Day protests in Seattle: “He’s always been really involved.” Outreach for John started as something he needed for himself. He initially started working with Heroes for the Homeless, which he said was an organization that “did good work” despite being “woefully unaware” of the “White Knight Syndrome” name. While in Seattle, John determined it would be a better use of his time to hand out water and socks than be bored and lonely. For John, his motto is simple: “You can be useless, or you can do something about it. Or probably still be useless but feel better about it.” John, Amelia, Addison Emahiser and Ezequiel Garcia founded Project Apollo.
After a long day caring for people in Benedict Park, or “The Jungle,” Dr. John Emahiser, Project Apollo president and resident physician, and Dr. Alexandra Kellogg were delighted to see this happy baby. She and her guardian were visiting the Project Apollo team, their supporters and the community living there. Photo by Rory Harbert. PROJECT APOLLO continued on page 4