By Chris Stanfield
Atlanta, Georgia - It’s Valentine’s Day and here at Covenant House Georgia Bertrand Kane is putting his talents as a resident adviser to good use by cooking hot dogs and chicken wings for guests stopping by. It’s cloudy outside but spirits are up throughout the building as teens finish their daily chores before heading out to jobs or visiting with friends. Chad Smith, a new resident who came to Atlanta from New York, stays behind to have his portrait made by photographer Ann States, who arrived at 7am with her assistant to document life around the shelter for Do1Thing. Dressed in a collared shirt and blue tie for his photo, Smith smiles as he talks about one day joining the military, going to college and making millions. After more than 13 years in foster care throughout the country, Smith now lives here at the Covenant House where he shares his dreams with 20-25 other homeless teens on any given day. People in his life may have given up on him, or never really tried at all, but Smith’s confidence in himself is reassuring and reflective of the attitudes displayed by the majority of the teens living here. All of them are unique but share a common bond in the smiles they offer to people who are walking around the complex. Maxine Shoulders Brandon is the executive director and takes advantage of the weekend to spend more time getting to know the kids. She’s got a tough job during the week, full of administrative duties that come with running a shelter that takes about 2.4 million dollars a year to run.
Reflected through the front glass window of Covenant House Georgia, photographer Ann States works on a portrait with teen resident Kenneth Logan on Valentine's Day.
Outside making hot dogs with Bertrand is Tanou Zoumanigui, a 19 year-old college student taking a semester off from school and living with his brother here in Atlanta. After doing some research online about volunteer opportunities in the area, Tanou came across do1thing.mediahive.com and decided to donate his entire day to helping around the shelter. At first glance, he looks just like every other young man at the shelter, but isn’t faced with being homeless at all. “We all came here for a purpose,” says Zoumanigui. “Like so many, I have certain privileges and benefits that I can use to help others and I can also guarantee that no one got to where they are today by themselves.” Like so many volunteers donating their time and efforts today, Zoumanigui believes that all of us are supposed to give back and that at some point in everyone’s life, a special person extends their hand to help us along the way.
Volunteer Tanou Zoumanigui, left and resident adviser Betrand Kane cook up chicken wings for guests stopping by Covenant House Georgia on Valentine's Day.
Long after today’s holiday fades, the dreams and hopes of the teens living inside this small shelter will continue to grow and strengthen. In a time starved culture, I think that all of us struggle to donate the amount of time we want to, letting life and its distractions get in the way of pursuing what all of us are called to do for others. A few hours at this shelter or talking with teens who are living on the streets should change that for anyone.
Back inside, Chad Smith’s photo session has ended with Ann and he heads into the kitchen to help Bertrand prepare more food. He has two balloons tied to the back of his belt as he struts around the shelter lending a hand. These small balloons reflect the bubbly persona Chad gives off. He certainly has a future and I’m hopeful that one day soon, that special person will come into his life, say the right words and inspire him towards success that will last a lifetime.
Chad Smith sits on his bed inside Covenant House Georgia as photographer Ann States works on his portait.
Chris Stanfield has more than 15 years of experience as a versatile photojournalist and picture editor. Working at eight newspapers across five states, Chris was named by Presstime magazine as one of the top 20 journalists under the age of 40 in the United States. Stanfield is a founding member and past president of the Associated Press Photo Managers – one the nation’s largest organizations for photo managers, picture editors and photo educators. A graduate and faculty member of the Eddie Adams Workshop, Chris resides in Atlanta with his wife and two children and works as an independent photographer and storyteller.