Friends in the City


Friends in the City Newsletter


November, 2013
FITC'S FIRST SILENT AUCTION
Your Chance to Own a Signed Signe Wilkinson Cartoon
To be sold: Three signed cartoons in color from Signe Wilkinson (unframed), each 8� by 11 inches.

In addition to being the featured speaker at the FitC Annual Meeting in September, Signe Wilkinson also joined members for lunch as our featured speaker at the Cosmopolitan Club. Before leaving, she reached into her bag and took out three cartoons that she signed and said that they were a gift to benefit FitC.  [Read more about Signe Wilkinson, the only United States female major political cartoonist, elsewhere in this issue.]

We thought that an auction would be a fair way to handle these cartoons.

The bidding starts at $75 for each of the cartoons. You can see pictures of the cartoons on the websites below.

Send your bids to: [email protected] and specify which cartoon you are bidding on. The deadline for submitting bids is Friday, November 29, 2013 at 5:00 p.m.

The highest bidder for each picture will be the winner.

Proceeds will go to FitC to start a membership scholarship fund to help anyone who would like to join but for whom the membership fee is prohibitive.

#1 I have a dream View here

#2 Welcome to Somalia  View here

#3 1% Recovering nicely from recession View here
JOAN COUNTRYMAN TO LEAD FITC
Joan Countryman
We Welcome Joan

Philadelphia's Joan Countryman, former teacher-administrator at Germantown Friends School and Oprah Winfrey's consultant for her South African school for poor girls, has been appointed President of Friends in the City, effective November 2013.  Her background as teacher and educational administrator brings a lifetime of organizational experience to the task of shaping this group's future. Countryman briefly addressed the recent FitC Annual Meeting, where she was introduced by current President Ted Reed, who spoke with optimism about her potential leadership.

 

Countryman, who grew up in Philadelphia, was the first African-American graduate of Germantown Friends School, going on to earn degrees from Sarah Lawrence College and Yale University and studying as a Fulbright Scholar.  After teaching mathematics at Germantown Friends and serving in the school's administration for many years, she became Head of a unique Quaker school for girls in Providence, Rhode Island.  From August 2006 until March 2007 she returned to the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa as Interim Head and thereafter led the Atlanta Girls' School in Georgia.

 

She recently completed a 12-year term as member of the Board of Managers of Haverford College where she also served as President of the Corporation.  She has been a member of the Board of Trustees of Sarah Lawrence College, a member of the Board of the Providence Journal Company, and of the Board of Trustees of the Paul Cuffee School, a public charter school in Providence.  She has served on the boards of the Women's Fund of Rhode Island, Women and Infants Hospital, the National Coalition of Girls' Schools, the National Association of Principals of Schools for Girls, and the National Association of Independent Schools.

 

Now a senior herself, Countryman is excited to "help create ways for people to age in wise and healthy ways."  She sees FitC as a lively open organization that is finding out how best to create a retirement community in the city -- one "without walls."  Always a city person, as she says, Countryman knows there are no prior examples of such a community and appreciates the work that has already been accomplished in Philadelphia. 

AN INTERVIEW WITH TED REED
An Optimistic Leader --

an interview by Liz Woy

Leadership by a self-described "incredible optimist" has been a major spur to FitC's growth and stability. Ted Reed, president since 2008, has applied his optimism to generate significant achievement with just a shoestring of resources.    

The key has been the opportunity to work with capable enthusiastic people. Considering that FitC grew out of a living room discussion among four Quaker couples, back in 2003, about retirement and their wish to continue to live in Center City, the current membership of more than 200 reflects serious exploration of many aspects of growing older in an urban setting. "And," as Ted makes clear, "there's more to come."

Quaker Origins         
"FitC's Quaker roots are important," he points out, stressing that "the Friends' give-and-take process enabled us to come to grips with what we wanted to achieve, and then agree on collective goals to help us get around the inevitable bumps in the road."

The initial bumps were the obstacles to developing a residential community. The unanticipated economic slowdown dictated a change in direction. Yet the high priority continued to be the commitment to a sense of community for FitC members, even without offering the bricks-and-mortar of a building.

Crisis = Opportunity
If this was a crisis, Ted welcomed it as an opportunity he didn't want  to slip away. He encouraged fellow optimists to focus on creating "a community without walls" where FitC, minus a building, could explore ways of using resources of center city and surroundings as a campus for older people with time, skills, interests and experience.

At the same time he was able to steer the process in a different direction by shifting the goal toward "using" instead of building a residence. FitC at Riverfront, now 2 years old, was an attractive newly-constructed, but not fully-occupied, condo building. It's a comfortable residence with group meals, attentive health care, proactive projects and interesting programs, where neighbors look after each other.

Read More of the Interview and About Ted Reed
FITC'S FRIENDLY ANNUAL MEETING

Sunday September 29 was the date of the largest annual gathering of FitC ever, with about 100 attending to hear the program speakers and enjoy a box dinner and conversation with fellow members. There was much to learn and be entertained by.

 

The setting was the 200-year-old Arch Street Meetinghouse, which once according to tradition and doctrine segregated as many as 2000 male and female worshippers in an unadorned plain-style meeting rooms. Greg Barnes, author of Philadelphia's Arch Street Meeting House: A Biography, spoke about the building's simple architecture and the history of Philadelphia Quakers. From the days when Race Street was Sassafras Street, this Friends' meetinghouse has seen all sorts of history, including the division between the pacifists and the Revolutionary War supporters, followed by the quandary of the cemetery filled with bodies fallen to the smallpox epidemic of the 1790's. Notably, the austere church-style pews had one mitigating touch -- an original cushion the length of each long bench, filled with actual horsehair for some semblance of comfort, and therefore requiring annual fumigation to this day.

Exploring the Grounds of the Arch Street Meetinghouse

Exploring the Grounds of the Arch Street Meetinghouse

FitC President Ted Reed, introduced by Pam Freyd as "the most incredibly positive person she's ever met," next spoke of the past, present, and future of Friends in the City. We have a new logo, a new mailing address (PO Box 2002, Philadelphia PA 19103), a growth in membership from 60 last year to over 200 in 2013, and recent publicity in many local and national venues. Ted recapitulated the idea that older people are a great resource of talent and skill and explained how FitC programs have expanded enough that any given day schedules at least one and maybe more.

 

Introduced by Ted, in-coming FitC President Joan Countryman showed us a warm and genial personality with her anecdote of being mistaken for a psychiatric patient fantasizing aloud that she would be going to South Africa to work with Oprah Winfrey's school for girls -- Joan actually went on this expedition and worked with that school for several years. Joan, a former teacher of mathematics and head of an all-girl Friends school in Rhode Island, will assume the leadership of the FitC Board in November.

 

 Read the Complete Article, including Photos and More, from FitC's Annual Meeting  

In This Issue
OUR NEW EDITOR
New Editor Joins FitC Newsletter 

FitC welcomes Bob Weiss as the new editor of our newsletter. Bob graciously volunteered to assume this very important position. He brings great credentials to the job. He is a retired Professor of English (West Chester University), founder of the Pennsylvania Writing Project, co-author of a textbook for Freshman Composition and author of policy articles on teaching and evaluating writing.

 

You are probably already familiar with Bob's name. He and his wife Jane moved to Center City last year and soon joined FitC. They have both become very active volunteers and epitomize the talent and energy of FitC members.

 

We are thrilled to have Bob as Editor of the FitC Newsletter.

 

Newsletter Help Wanted 

Readers may notice a new format in this issue of the FitC Newsletter and wonder "What's up?" Answer to question: the people primarily responsible for producing the Newsletter for many years, Evelyn Eskin and Pamela Freyd, have passed the editor's job to me, Bob Weiss. And if you listen carefully you may hear me screaming for help. Those shoes are hard to fill. FitC now needs an entire Newsletter staff. Various positions have to be filled for the rest of this year (until July). Someone who helps with the FitC Newsletter gets to read and help shape articles and reports before they are published, to submit photos, and to provide copy for our expanding publication. To join the volunteer Newsletter team and have some fun in the process, contact me at [email protected]. And please indicate what job area you'd like: copywriter, photographer, editor, columnist, foreign correspondent, restaurant reviewer, investigative reporter, film critic, whatever.  

From the Editor: A New Look for the FitC Newsletter 

In addition to offering readers a chance to put in a winning bid in FitC's Silent Auction, this special issue of the Newsletter gives readers an introduction to FitC leaders and committee work. Featured prominently are the recent and new presidents and the Annual Meeting. Next month's Newsletter will focus on recent activities of our membership community.    

FITC MEMBERSHIP
Get the Benefit
Friends in the City (FitC) is a non-profit organization of older adults in Center City Philadelphia,  working to create a community of people who want to enjoy everything our city has to offer and who believe in giving back to institutions and organizations that work to help those in need and to make our city great. FitC programs are planned and organized by volunteers.

The annual fee to join FitC is just $60. We are happy to have guests attend our events, and we welcome those who want to sample an activity before becoming a member. FitC members receive priority notice of events that often fill up quickly. To join: Download, print and complete this form and send it with a check for $60. to FitC, P.O. Box 2002, Philadelphia, PA 19103 or visit our website www.FriendsCenterCity.org.
TWO NEW FITC COMMITTEES
One Wants Volunteers

A growing organization means... Committees! You should know about these two, because their work is at the heart of what FitC is and does.

  • The PROGRAM COMMITTEE organizes, schedules, and implements activities that foster a sense of community among FitC members. It meets monthly on the second Tuesday from 11:00 - 1:00. Mignon Adams and Pamela Freyd are co-chairs for 2013-2015. Contact  [email protected] with suggestions for FitC activities.

  • The MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE seeks new members of FitC, welcomes them, and helps them optimize their experiences with FitC. It meets monthly, generally on the last Monday, from 3:30 - 4:45. The membership committee term is now through June. Chairperson to be determined. Contact [email protected]

    to volunteer to serve on this Committee. 
FITC FORUM
Another Way to Connect to Community
FitC Members can sign up for this free discussion board. Part of the FitC website, the Forum lets you post messages of interest to our senior community or respond to others' posted messages. Current topics include:
You can see it here. Registration for the Forum is in the lower left corner of that page.

HEALTHY AGING/WELLNESS
Tips From the National Institute on Aging

All of us used to sleep like babies...and then we grew up. Sleep may be more difficult to get as we're older. Here are some ideas to cut down on the tossing and turning: A Good Night's Sleep 

 

Keep your bones in one piece by learning how to safeguard your home against falls:  Home Safety Tips to Avoid Falls 

QUICK LINKS
Friends in the City | 267-639-5257 | [email protected] | http://www.friendscentercity.org
22 S. Front Street
Philadelphia, PA 19106

Mailing Address:  P.O. Box 2002, Philadelphia, PA 19103


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