PowerCorpsPHL Newsletter 
January 2015 
 

 

Come Serve With Us for MLK Day
Flip Schulke/Corbis

Our crews will be serving all over Philadelphia in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day and would love to have your help! What better way to honor the legacy of a man who truly dedicated his life to serving communities all over the nation? And, as they say, many hands make light work. The following is a list of sites where you can find us giving back on Monday the 19th. We hope to see you there!

 

Organization: Teen Harmony/TEN2gether
Site: Athletic Recreation Center
        1400 North 26th St
        Philadelphia, PA 19121  
Time: 9:00am - 2:00pm
Description: Teen Harmony aims to provide social change and environmental gain. This year's project will feature a discussion on Youth Violence, cleaning out the basement of the rec center, mural painting, a food and clothes drive, and a small art show. 

Organization: Wharton Recreation Center
Site: Wharton Recreation Center
         2300 Wharton St
         Philadelphia, PA 19145
Time: 10:00am - 5:00pm
Description: Volunteers of all ages are welcome to come out to the Wharton Recreation Center to clean and paint the building. Lunch will be provided!

Organization: Vare Recreation Center
Site: Vare Recreation Center
        2600 Morris St
        Philadelphia, PA 19145
Time: 9:00am - 4:00pm
Description: The team at the Vare Recreation Center needs your help in revitalizing their space for underserved teens. They will be cleaning, painting, moving furniture, and hanging blinds. The rec center serves 25-40 teens from the Grays Ferry area every day and, with our help, can continue to keep kids off the streets.

If you were thinking of serving for MLK Day but didn't know where to start, here you go! Take this opportunity to show your community some love and celebrate the life of Martin Luther King Jr. with your friends at PowerCorpsPHL. We'll see you on the 19th!
                                                  
Bidding a Fond Farewell to Parks & Recreation Project Manager, Nicolas Esposito...

After 15 months with the PowerCorpsPHL family, Nic Esposito is moving on to an exciting new opportunity. He won't be going too far, however. We asked him to give us some background on his new position and he put it this way:

"I will be creating a new series of land care trainings for our grounds workers and facility caretakers to enhance their knowledge of sustainable land care practices and further their workforce development. This is an important initiative for the department, and since we have PowerCorps members acquiring opportunities such as SMA positions at the Park, I look forward to continuing working with PowerCorps members."

This position was tailor-made for an urban farmer like Nic, and we're sure he's going to be just as enthusiastic and dynamic a member of the Parks and Rec team as he was with PowerCorps. We're proud that Nic will continue to lead the fight for a greener, more sustainable Philadelphia, and are thankful for the hard work that he and his crew leaders put into developing what he called, "a formidable work force for the Department of Parks and Recreation." 

"It has been an honor to serve these members," he told us. 

"As a Philadelphian, I see first-hand what happens when we don't educate and inspire our citizens, especially around workforce development. And it's an incredible opportunity to be a public servant who works in this field and can make this impact. It was also a huge opportunity to be able to create the projects and systems for my position from the ground up."

Recently, Nic was on-site in the Northeast to put the finishing touches on the Poquessing Creek Trail project before Mayor Nutter broke out the novelty scissors. Nic has been integral to the success of so many of our Parks and Rec projects that it was no surprise when he was unable to pick one as his favorite:

"I actually couldn't pick just one project that stands out because they all do, from the natural lands work to the facility work we have accomplished with our Standards Crew. This is a seminal time to work in City Government and especially in PPR as the city is revitalizing, and it's our mission that the city revitalizes for all citizens in every neighborhood. And PPR allows for that opportunity."

We would like to extend our sincere gratitude to Nic for everything he contributed to the growth and development of PowerCorpsPHL. We wish him nothing but the very best in his future with PPR, and hope to continue to see him out in the field. Please join us in wishing him the best of luck!
...and a Warm Welcome to Our New Team Members!

 With each end there is a new beginning, and we hope that you will join us in welcoming two new members to the PowerCorpsPHL family, Daniel Lawson and Daniel Steele Brown. (Or, "The Dans" as they are affectionately known in the office.)

Nic Esposito filled such a big niche within the framework of PowerCorpsPHL that we had to find two people to adequately replace him. However, we are positive that The Dans are up to the job. Both of them come to us from backgrounds in service: Mr. Lawson was previously the Senior Civic Engagement Program Manager for City Year in Washington D.C. where he coordinated extensive community service events, and Mr. Brown was the Community Service Supervisor for The Work Group in Pennsauken, N.J. overseeing volunteer operations. We're happy to point out that both men served with AmeriCorps, just as all of our team members do.

In their capacities as Program Managers with PowerCorpsPHL, The Dans will be responsible for the daily service projects of our crews serving with Philadelphia Parks and Recreation. They'll design and coordinate service projects for our corps members to execute, as well as organizing professional development and technical skills training opportunities to prepare team members to join the workforce. We're very excited to have these two gentlemen join our team and are looking forward to see how they carve out space for themselves as Program Managers.
About PowerCorpsPHL
PowerCorpsPHL is an innovative, new AmeriCorps program designed to address Mayor Michael A. Nutter and Governor Tom Corbett's environmental stewardship initiatives as well as the City of Philadelphia's youth workforce development and violence prevention priorities.


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Hire Our Alumni!
Our talented and enthusiastic corps members have finished their service terms and are ready to help you expand your business. These alumni navigated a rigorous six months of full-time service, logging over 780 hours on professional projects with Philadelphia Parks and Recreation and the Philadelphia Water Department. Additionally, our team members have completed 120 hours of professional development, and are now ready and eager to become productive, contributing members of our region's workforce.

If you are interested in hiring a PowerCorpsPHL alumnus, contact Carolyn Caton, our Workforce Partnerships Manager, at carolyn.caton@phila.gov to learn more about our employer services.


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We're Hiring!

PowerCorpsPHL is looking for a Crew Leader to start in March of 2015! For job details and qualifications, head over to the 
Careers 
page on our website. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis as there is a need to fill the position as soon as possible. We look forward to hearing from you!