Arts & Entertainment: Laurel Raczka Brings Community, Artists And Scholars Together
Laurel Raczka is the executive director of the Painted Bride Art Center in Old City. The Painted Bride Art Center, founded in 1969, is an art venue that caters to artists of varying disciplines that works with independent artists to bring arts to the community. Although leadership of the Painted Bride has changed through the years, its mission […]
Logan Square: Peace Advocate Empowers Others To Protest Immigration Order
Kerri Kennedy is the associate general secretary for international programs at the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) located on Cherry Street in Logan Square. While AFSC does not normally stage protests, Kennedy and the agency organized the Philadelphia March for Humanity on Feb. 3 to express disapproval of President Donald Trump’s executive order banning travel to the U.S. for passport holders from seven Muslim-majority […]
Old City: Carriage Driver Turned Teacher
Kelly Filbert is a horse carriage driver in Old City. Being a horse carriage driver has made her find a love for history. She wants to pass her knowledge on to everyone who steps into her carriage. Can you explain the difference between this job and other jobs you have worked? This job is […]
Mayfair: Q&A with Jerry Bolzak, Executive Director of Northeast Victim Service
Jerry Bolzak, a Philadelphia native and executive director of the nonprofit Northeast Victim Service, has been helping victims of crime in Mayfair for the past 15 years. The organization, which originally launched in 1992 following the Victims of Crime Act of 1984, provides financial assistance with medical expenses, funeral costs and counseling services for victims and witnesses in Northeast Philadelphia. The […]
South Philadelphia: Local Resident Turns Community Leader In The Neighborhood He Loves
If there’s anyone who knows their community like the back of their hand, it’s Anton Moore. Born and raised in Philadelphia, Moore founded his own non-profit, Unity in the Community, as a way to give back to the neighborhood that he loves. With a strong team working alongside him to reach out to the underprivileged […]
Newbold: At G.W. Childs Elementary, Crossing Guard Leads the Way
During her childhood, Mary Mills used to walk the halls of Norris S. Barratt School as a student. Now, more than three decades later, she hasn’t wandered too far. Mills, an organizational leadership student at Eastern University in Saint David’s, PA, has been employed by the Philadelphia Police Department for the past seven years as the […]
Sharswood: AAU Coach Strives For Players to Earn College Scholarships
Johnathan Stewart is the head coach for Play Hard Squad (AAU Basketball) and a residential advisor at Girard College in the Sharswood section of the city. We spoke with the 45-year-old about the role of basketball in the city. How long have you been a coach? I have actually been a coach for about 10 years now. What age group […]
Port Richmond: For Patty McCloskey, Building a Community is No Walk in the Park
A group of teenagers are creating serious problems for the residents of Port Richmond, said Patty McCloskey. She said consuming alcohol, doing drugs and trashing the park are a few of the localized problems that can quickly escalate into home invasions and vandalization. Fed up with the tension, McCloskey and her partner Kathy Hossler have started […]
South Philadelphia: CHASE Away Diabetes Foundation is Raising Awareness in The Community
Courtney Young’s life was turned upside-down when her son, Chase, was diagnosed with type one diabetes at the age of three. She and her family started raising money almost two years ago to fight diabetes and eventually formed the CHASE Away Diabetes Foundation. What made you come up with the idea to raise awareness about […]