Many thanks to Shipley School, St. George's Greek Orthodox Church of Upper Darby, Urban Affairs Coalition/Brown's ShopRite, and Philly Personal fitness for their support in blessing 82 families with holiday meals this year!

An exciting new addition to our programming started at the beginning of November through the Center for Digital Inclusion & Technology! Led by Curri Stewart, our pilot program kicked off on November 2. The Tech Stars Air Pilot Program will meet weekly and run through the end of the year. It will consist of educational lessons done in the computer lab each week, followed by putting those lessons into action for the second half of each week by actually using the flight simulator.

The first week was a meet & greet with the children joining the program along with their parents or caregivers. It was a special and exciting first week as Henry Nesmith, the spokesman for the Philadelphia Chapter of the Tuskegee Airmen came to talk about his experience flying! He emphasized that through these classes they are fighting to keep their legacy going, and to do that they need the support and participation of the youth today. The Tuskegee Airmen were the first Black military aviators in the U.S. Army Air Corps (AAC), a precursor of the U.S. Air Force.

In October, members of our HopePHL Development team attended Amtrak's Leadership Conference where HopePHL was chosen as the beneficiary of their community efforts. Amtrak donated 100 duffle bags to distribute to our shelter residents and those in transition so that they can comfortably carry their belongings. These were taken to our Youth Empowerment Services, our emergency shelter, and Thrive. Amtrak also spotlighted HopePHL to all of the conference participants, which included hundreds of people from across the country who combined, raised over $3,300 in the days following the conference!

HopePHL participated in Vanguard's Employee Community Fair at their Malvern Campus. This was the kickoff of their Community 365 Campaign to support the Strong Start for Kids Initiative.

This initiative was established in 2016 and supports early childhood development with the goal of helping children experiencing poverty to be kindergarten-ready through employee giving. Vanguard invited organizations that they partner with to set up tables at this event so that employees could connect with and learn more about who they are helping. They also collected school supplies such as backpacks, pencils, and learning kits to distribute to students at HopePHL!

Members of our BELL team traveled to the event specifically to discuss and teach the employees about what they do seeing as Vanguard has been an investor in HopePHL's Building Early Links for Learning project through their Strong Start for Kids funding since 2016.

Vanguard did a deep clean in Gloria's Place along with helping to move items into different rooms and spaces to in order to organize and utilize areas in the best way possible.

My Job Title, Company: Manager of Global Employee Volunteering & Giving, Vanguard Group

Year joined the Board(s): 2021

Last read book or favorite book: I just wrapped the Murmur of Bees by Sofia Segovia. Next up, I have Matthew Desmond’s Evicted sitting on my nightstand. As a board member of an organization focused on housing stability and services we can provide in Philadelphia, I hope to learn more about the state of housing in our country to better inform myself and how I support HopePHL.

Favorite Travel Destination: Tough one! As an avid traveler, it's hard to choose just one. My husband is from Norway and I know he'd be unhappy if I didn't shout out Norway as the most naturally gorgeous place in the world. I also love to travel to France and South America. 

Best Leadership Advice You Ever Received: The best leadership advice I've ever received was threefold. 1) Serve those you lead 2) Listen and 3) Practice what you preach. I find the leaders I admire most are masters in all three and I can only aspire to follow their lead. 

Why You Chose To Get Involved With HopePHL: As someone who grew up moving from place to place, I knew the critical importance an organization like HopePHL provides to our community, especially those going through crisis and in need of a place to call home. What I appreciated when I started volunteering was HopePHL’s commitment to the long term and building a sense of community for the people they serve. That inspired me to join the Board.

What You’ve Learned As A HopePHL Board Member: The care, support and dignity that every member of the HopePHL staff brings to their work and clients is unbound. Trauma informed support and resources are the most vital way to provide basic needs infrastructure for our most vulnerable populations.

Email Jacqui at jflynn@hopephl.org.

Interested in making a gift? Visit www.hopephl.org/donate.