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TTN PHILADELPHIA GIVING CIRCLE

MONTHLY NEWSLETTER

February 2022

Dear Members and Friends:

Welcome to the TTN Philadelphia Giving Circle monthly newsletter, We hope you like our new format as much as we do. Each month we will provide the latest and greatest about the Giving Circle activities, including information about programs from our 10th Anniversary Committee, progress reports from our 10th Anniversary Campaign, upcoming events, updates on our Grants cycle, and much, much more.

It is amazing to look back and see how we have grown and changed over these last 10 years, yet remained true to our mission. Mary Klein, one of our co-founders, who continues to be a member of our Executive Council and highly active, commented to me recently how rewarding it has been to see both member participation and donations grow annually. She was particularly inspired when she saw our grants serve as catalysts for greater support from larger donors, thus touching more lives of women and children in Philadelphia. This is why we exist.

Please join us on FEB 8th to kick-off the “Year of the Child”, a year of philanthropy, education and volunteerism, all benefiting women and children in Philadelphia.

Carol Cunningham

Chair, TTN Philadelphia Giving Circle

Message from our Development Committee

Pardon us if we want to make a bit of noise, but we have some exciting news to share with you. Now that we are in 2022, we can see that from 2019 to 2021 the Giving Circle increased its membership by 44%. And, in 2021, we exceeded our fundraising goal of $60,000 which allows us to award three grants in this anniversary year.

But we are not going to rest on our laurels. In honor of the "Year of the Child" we are increasing our fundraising goal for 2022 to $100,000. Can we make it? With all your help, we're confident we can!

So please, give and give generously this year. Only through our collective giving can we further our impact on the lives of women and children in Philadelphia.

Message from our 10th Anniversary Committee

Please join our important February event on the topic of:

The Most Pressing Challenges Facing Philadelphia's Children Today

Living in a city ranked the poorest large city in the country, Philadelphia's children are among the most disadvantaged on any scale whether related to poverty, nutrition or related obstacles.

To kick off the "Year of the Child" we have assembled an outstanding panel of guests from local leaders to "youth ambassadors." Hear from people who have lived in underserved areas and who will share their lived experiences. For more about our participants in this important conversation, Click here.

This program is part one of a two-part series. The second part of the series will occur in April and will focus on some of the organizations and programs working to make a difference through service and financial support.

Please join us on February 8th at 2:00pm and tell your friends!

Our next event . . .

YEAR OF THE CHILD

Feb 8th

2:00pm to 3:30PM

DON'T FORGET TO REGISTER FOR THIS EVENT!

TO GO TO THE REGISTRATION PAGE, CLICK HERE

DID YOU KNOW . . . . After schools shuttered due to the coronavirus (in 2020) the School District of Philadelphia saw its kindergarten enrollment drop sharply — about 30% compared to the previous year. That’s three times the national average. First grade enrollment also declined 8%. . . . to learn more, Click here.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Giving Circle Member

Each month we are going to feature one of our own Giving Circle members "in the Spotlight." This is a great way to get to know your fellow Giving Circle members and to learn why being part of our Giving Circle is important to them.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Past Grant Recipients

In honor of our 10th Anniversary, each month we are going to feature one of our past recipients. This month we are featuring Valley Youth House to which we award our first grant in 2013.

Chris Beck . . .

Chris Beck became a member of the Giving Circle about three years ago. Chris, who grew up in Lansdowne, lived for 30 years in Villanova where she and her husband raised their three sons. About five years ago they moved to Dunwoody Village in Newtown Square.

Chris has dedicated herself to the non-profit world, becoming deeply involved over the years with a number of organizations including the Children’s Literacy Initiative and the Gesu School in North Philadelphia, as well as lending her expertise as a former nationally ranked tennis player to bring sports to inner city children.

Chris, who began serving on the Grants Committee last year, describes her experience with the Giving Circle as “remarkable. ”Learning how many non-profits in the city, you don’t normally hear about, are doing wonderful targeted work and their depth of mission is fabulous. And meeting new people who care about the same thing as I do is meaningful. Passion and mission can bring us together with wonderful people.”

Valley Youth House / The Achieving Independence Center

The first grant made by TTN Philadelphia Giving Circle in 2013 was given to Achieving Independence Center in Philadelphia. Our grant was used to help youth purchase laptops to use in their classes and provide transportation to classes, tuition assistance, school supplies and books.

The Achieving Independence Center in Philadelphia is now run by Valley Youth House (VYH). VYH was started in 1973 as a single youth shelter in Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley and was open day and night, ensuring the vulnerable, abused, and homeless young people in the community had access to shelter and counseling. VYH was and is an organization committed to building a solid foundation for every youth who comes through their doors.

With the help of the grant from the TTN Giving Circle and many other grants from much larger foundations, the VYH has expanded to 300 residential facilities throughout Pennsylvania, including Philadelphia with one of the region's longest running LGBTQ special housing programs. VYH’s reach and programming have vastly expanded to include street outreach, skills training, health, prevention, and intervention services.

The VYH is proud that its mission has stayed the same for so many years and that they have opened many doors for this vulnerable population thanks to the generosity of caring and generous sponsors, such as the members of our TTN Giving Circle.

CLICK HERE

Message from our Grants Committee

On January 19, the Grants Committee opened up the application process for non-profits that focus on improving the lives of women and children/youth in Philadelphia. If you know of a non-profit you would like to be considered for one of our grants in 2022, please direct them to this page. If you are a potential grant applicant who wishes to know more about the qualifications that are required when applying for one of our grants, click on the button to your left and you will be directed to a detailed description on The Philadelphia Foundation website.