From:   Lisa Slade Martin and Kay Tucker Franklin, Co-Chairs

Yale Day of Service 2017 – Summary Report

Date:   June 19, 2017

 

The Yale Club of Philadelphia’s 2017 Yale Day of Service (YDoS) was active and meaningful for over 30 alumni, family members and friends.  This year we offered three events that provided different types of service and allowed alumni to have varied experiences. The events were co-sponsored by the Yale Black Alumni Association – Philadelphia (YBAA-Philly), Yale Non-Profit Alliance – Philadelphia (YANA-Philly), and local Yale-affiliated architects.

 

HMS School for Children with Cerebral Palsy– On Friday, May 12^thwe were delighted to meet and work with dozens of students of different ages from a few classes at the HMS School for Children with Cerebral Palsy in the University City section of West Philadelphia. With teachers and aides nearby, our Yale volunteers mingled with students; talked about the color, feel and fragrance of the flowers, and helped them plant these sensory-stimulating plants throughout four garden areas on school grounds. In some cases, students used PVC pipe tubes and other special tools and techniques to dig holes and complete the planting. The plants’ colors, smells and foliage will provide a year-round source of enjoyment and education for HMS students as well as their staff and visitors. We enjoyed making new friendships with the students and their dedicated staff on a beautiful sunny day.

 

Share Food Program– We worked hard and earned aching muscles on Saturday, May 13^thfrom manning stations at the Share Food Program, a major hunger relief program in northwest Philadelphia at the East Falls/North Philly border. There we worked with other university and community volunteer groups to sort and pack food boxes to support needy families throughout the area.  Many alumni volunteers came with their mates, children and friends. Together we created over 640 boxes of food weighing 19,200 pounds! We were lucky to have an indoor activity, since it rained like the devil that day.

 

The Architect is In– The nation-wide YDoS project known as “The Architect is In” also made May 13^thits Philadelphia focal point.  For the second year in a row, this project allowed local Yale alumni to offer architect and design services to Philadelphia-area non-profit organizations. The consulting services from this specialized YDOS offering have a lot of potential for synergy with non-profits affiliated with YANA-Philly alumni, past YDoS sites, etc. While The Architect is In project is still in the fledgling stage here, its committed local Yale volunteers hope it will continue to develop as it becomes more well-known.

 

We should all be pleased with the turn-out, contributions, and opportunities/exposure that we provided to our service partners and they afforded us as Yale alumni, family and friends on the 2017 Yale Day of Service in Philadelphia.