Dear Friends,
It’s been a truly remarkable five decades — from humble beginnings as a volunteer
organization, operating at Asbury Methodist Church providing shelter to 30 single men,
women, and children nightly, to the multifaceted, human services organization we are
today — serving 25,000 families and youth across Philadelphia through housing,
community programs and transformative partnerships.
Since our founding, we have counted on the generosity of our neighbors, friends, and partners like you, to facilitate systemic change for families, youth and children facing homelessness. With your support, we’ve been able to provide:
• 2 M + safe nights for 20,000 parents, youth and children housed at PEC, while they built skills essential to thrive.
• $1.5 M in financial assistance that helped families secure or keep a home.
• 3 M+ healthy meals for families, youth, and children.
• 235,000 hours of teaching computer skills for new learners.
• 40,000 books for children to build their own libraries at home.
The impact of your giving is so much more inspirational than numbers on a page. It’s a woman experiencing a fresh start. Turning a key to your first home. A first job. Opening your first business. The relief of knowing your children will have something to eat tonight and a place to lay their head. The pride that fills you when hearing the first words your child reads. It’s waking up hopeful for the day ahead. This is what happens when people come together to support the potential in every individual and eliminate the barriers to reaching their goals. That’s the magic your giving provides. And we are grateful.
Thank you for choosing PEC as your partner in this life-changing work.
Peace,
Kathy Desmond
President, PEC
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50 Years of Service Celebrated and a Big Announcement |
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Excitement filled the air as the People’s Emergency Center celebrated 50 Years of Putting People First at the Penn Museum on November 3, with a room filled with donors, partners and sponsors that have helped build the PEC community through the years. The event featured a silent auction to raise funds for PEC, while staff helped to coordinate and serve guests throughout the night. Three-time Emmy Award winner Bill Jolly and his band played soulful tunes as guests enjoyed hors d’oeuvres and refreshments. But the highlight of the night came when President, Kathy Desmond kicked off the official ceremony with a warm welcome and history followed by former Miss Universe and “Tax Attorney Diva,” Nikki Johnson-Alfano, Esq. who shared her personal journey with homelessness, tragic family mental issues and the need for programming offered by PEC.
Passionate calls to action were then shared by award honorees, Joe Willard, recipient of the Mission Excellence Award; Destiny Jackson, winner of the Levine Youth Legacy Award and Diane Mapp, winner of the Rowan Rise Award. Stories of clinging to the hope PEC offered during their struggles with homelessness, abuse and education brought guests to tears as the victorious outcomes reminded all that the years of service helped them to triumph. Finally, PEC Board Chair, Damien Ghee honored Comcast NBC Universal’s Robert F. Smith with the Lancaster Avenue Impact Award. Smith gave his own surprise gift from Comcast of new tablets to his fellow honorees. The event also revealed the long-awaited new official name of the integrated Youth Service Inc. and People’s Emergency Center, HopePHLTM (pronounced "Hopeful").
Visit pec-cares.org/50years for photos, program book and more!
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Vanguard Crew School Supply Tidal Wave |
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PEC is a grant recipient of Vanguard’s Strong Start for Kids® Program which gives children growing up in poverty the opportunity to grow, thrive, and learn, with a focus on improving school readiness. As part of this mission, Strong Start for Kids® helps child care centers provide high-quality classrooms with materials and supplies that challenge kids to learn. On September 20, PEC received over 3,000 pounds of school supplies from 475 donors worth more than $30,000! Staff volunteers jumped in to help distribute the supplies to PEC residents and YSI youth for an amazing start to the 2022 school year. |
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Children Cannot Wait Advocacy Update |
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Our statewide advocacy network met this year with the Policy Directors working with
Gubernatorial candidates Doug Mastriano and Josh Shapiro to discuss what the
winning candidate would do to support Pennsylvania’s 40,000 children and youth
experiencing homelessness.
The Children Cannot Wait campaign earned what it hoped to get from the candidates
– a commitment to support Pennsylvania’s 40,000 children and youth experiencing
homelessness and an open door once the new Administration is established.
Read our policy brief at pec-cares.org/policy-publications on what we propose
Governor Shapriro should do: “What Pennsylvania’s Next Governor Should Do to
Support Children and Youth Experiencing Homelessness.”
We look forward to working with the new administration in January.
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Christening the Winnie Harris Mural |
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The West Philadelphia community came together on the last Saturday in October 2022 to celebrate and commemorate a mural dedicated to longtime resident and activist, Winnie Harris. Winnie Harris was a lifetime resident of West Powelton and co-block captain of the 300 block of Holly Street. She was also an avid volunteer in the world of greening. With the help of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS), fellow neighbor Sheila Henry and 12 neighborhood children, Winnie converted two vacant lots into an award-winning garden. Part of Winnie’s volunteer repertoire included volunteering with University City Green’s (UC Green) pruning club and eventually she served as the Acting Executive Director and Volunteer Coordinator at UC Green. |
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Mickayel Thurin's Unique Give Back |
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Micka Thurin was having a rough time as were so many, due to the heavy sadness of the pandemic. She found herself growing depressed and needed to find a way to do her part to brighten the world and prove to her nine-year-old son that they can help people in need. Thurin was working in human resources at Educational Certification for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG, a member of Intealth) and was referred by a coworker, Katie, to see the work that organizations such as PEC were doing in partnership with their Community Engagement Committee. ECFMG had a long-standing history of donating gifts, school supplies and more to PEC and Micka knew she had found the right organization to reach out to.
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YSI's 70th Anniversary Celebration |
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PEC’s affiliate, Youth Service Inc. (YSI) celebrated 70 years of powerful work in helping teens, strengthening the family unit, and promoting community safety with an event on Wednesday, September 21st at Drexel’s Dornsife Center for Neighborhood Partnerships. The atmosphere was abuzz with warm greetings between YSI former and current employees and board members as they stood in amazement at the gallery of pictures and videos on display, assembled through hours of painstaking effort by board member, Donald Kennel. Guests settled in as they enjoyed delicacies from Philabundance Community Kitchen Catering. Executive Director, Gwen Bailey kicked off the night with stirring reflections of times past, emphasizing the depth of influence YSI has had on Philadelphia youth since her decades-long tenure. She noted, “We were the first agency to provide a group home for teen mothers and babies... Young women who lived there would give feedback years later and say, ‘You gave me the chance that I needed. I didn't know it - but that's what I needed to do so I could learn to be a parent where I may not have been parented in the most optimal way.’” |
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What's Brewing in PEC's Computer Lab |
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When West Philadelphia residents want to pay a bill, learn Microsoft Word or understand how much their technology can do, they come to the PEC Computer Lab, led by Curri Stewart and Nathan Kuruna. The lab recently reopened to the public after renovations. In-person offerings with afternoon and evening classes to accommodate as many guests as possible. After school classes provide a safe place for youth while showing them the best practices for using their school-supplied laptops.
Stewart notes that when he realized 3D printers were becoming the norm, it was time to encourage this purchase for the lab. If one takes a stroll through the Philadelphia Zoo’s LumiNature exhibit, the PEC tree proudly boasts one of the newly printed 3D ornaments on the giraffe showing a unique “PEC/YSI” in bright orange. Another unique pieces of equipment at the lab is the Flight Simulator provided by the Tuskegee Airmen offering the community an opportunity to learn how to pilot a plane!
The lab now has a full-time Assistant in place to help community members during public lab hours to assist them with basic to more advanced computer needs. The Digital Inclusion offerings at PEC are bigger and better than ever.
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The Turner Construction Company Foundation Golf Outing |
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The Turner Construction Company Foundation Golf Outing is an annual fundraiser hosted by Michelle Swanson in honor of her late husband, Bill Swanson, a former Turner Construction Project Manager and golf aficionado who passed away at a young age from colon cancer. Mrs. Swanson, who also works at Turner Construction, dedicates her time and energy to spreading awareness about screenings for colon cancer. Proceeds from this fundraiser to the Colorectal Cancer Alliance and a Philadelphia area charity. This year, Swanson chose PEC and Director of Strategic Partnerships and Major Gifts, James Wright was present to speak about the cause and PEC’s work to increase awareness. Program manager Kevin Brown focuses on Colon Cancer awareness annually during his Men’s Coffee Talk and hopes to change the narrative about screening. |
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Emergency Housing for the Emergency Housing for the Lindley Residents |
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by Joseph Bamat, Office of Homeless Services
PEC is part of a coalition of municipal and nonprofit agencies that stepped up to house residents of Lindley Towers. Residents were evacuated suddenly on September 14, when their building’s façade crumbled and then the structure was declared imminently dangerous. After receiving a call for support from the City’s Office of Emergency Management (OEM), employees from the Office of Homeless Services (OHS) responded to the crisis immediately. Working alongside OEM and other partners that include the Department of Licenses and Inspections, Community Legal Services (CLS), the People’s Emergency Center, and others, OHS staff have rushed to help provide temporary shelter and other critical resources.
Around 100 residents were initially provided short-term emergency housing at Samuel Fels High School. OHS set up an emergency shelter in collaboration with the People’s Emergency Center (PEC) for about half the residents – 16 families in all, including pets – when Fels High School was no longer an option for them. PEC rapidly repurposed an unused space and was able to welcome Lindley Towers residents right away. PEC staff provided food, new linens, school supplies for kids, and behavioral health counseling.
“While we wish our services weren’t needed,” said PEC President Kathy Desmond, “but we are glad to provide a welcome respite for these families, in partnership with the Office of Homeless Services and other agencies, following such a sudden turn of events in their lives.” To date, nine households remain at PEC, along with three cats and a dog!
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Lancaster Jazz Festival's Award Winning Year |
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The 2022 Lancaster Avenue Jazz & Arts Festival drew 3,000 attendees to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center’s Saunders Park Greene (39th & Powelton) on Saturday, July 16 from Noon to 7pm, the second-largest crowd in 16 seasons of performances. The Festival, presented by Wells Fargo, celebrated West Philadelphia and jazz musicians.
The all-day event was free and open to the public, organized by People’s Emergency Center (PEC), The Producer’s Guild of Philadelphia, Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, and a committee of community members, with technical assistance from Nu Millennium Media Productions. “Every year brings a new and exciting line-up to the Lancaster Avenue Jazz & Arts Festival,” said Bernadine Hawes, PEC Community Development Corporation Board Chair, “it’s guaranteed to be an enjoyable day out for anyone in or near Philadelphia that day.”
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PEC and YSI will change our name to:
HopePHL (pronounced "hopeful") in 2023.
HopePHL inspires Philadelphia's children, youth, families and communities to thrive by providing housing, advocacy, and trauma-responsive social services designed to promote equity, resilience, autonomy, and well-being.
More information soon to come!
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Check out the ways you can support PEC this holiday season:
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