Waddie Welcome is the extraordinary story of Waddie Welcome, an 84 year old black man born with cerebral palsy on the 4th of July, 1914, in Savannah, Georgia. Mr. Welcome cannot use his arms or speak clearly. He spent 10 years alone in a nursing home after his last surviving brother died, but wanted to live in a house “with the smell of good food on the stove and children making noise.” Through the help of Tom Kohler, the coordinator of the Chatham-Savannah Citizen Advocacy Office, a group of volunteers came together on behalf of Mr. Welcome’s personal vision for his future. After more than two years, Mr. Welcome’s new found circle of friends succeeded in moving him out of the nursing home and into a private home in the community where he was raised.

The 30 minute documentary was shot on location in Savannah. Reedus’ other films include For Colored Boys Who’ve Considered Homicide, The Fight, and the documentary Call to Manhood. Reedus says that Waddie Welcome is the most rewarding project on which he has ever worked. The Georgia Advocacy Office sponsored an encore screening on January 29. The Waddie Welcome documentary also received an honorable mention at the 46th Annual Columbus International Film & Video Festival.