From the January 2016 e-newsletter:

Greetings and best wishes for a happy, healthy, and productive 2016!

As a member of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), at this time of year I’m mindful of the Quaker testimony that every day can be a holy day, not just special days called holidays.

Similarly, Friends Center is a special place throughout the year. All of YOU are doing work to make our city, state, nation, and globe a better place—all year long.

So, thank you making this not just an office complex, but a hub for peace, justice, education, the environment, and more. Keep up the great work!

—Chris Mohr, Executive Director

The following was included in the December 2015 tenant e-newsletter.

As we’re emailing this to you, the dedication of our mural by Shepard Fairey is taking place. (If you read this before 10:30 am, it’s not too late to join us for the reception in the Cherry Street Room!)

We appreciate the opportunity to host this powerful piece of art. It connects so directly to the work of groups here like the American Friends Service Committee, Philadelphia Lawyers for Social Equity, Prisoner Visitation and Support, The Center for Returning Citizens, and Witness to Innocence. If you haven’t seen it yet, I encourage to walk up to 15th and Race and take a look!

Move-Ins
In other news, this month we welcome uAspire to The Exchange coworking space. Their mission is to support youth in finding financial information and resources to a postsecondary education.

And later this month, Girls Inc. of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey will move in. Their mission is “to inspire and empower all girls to be strong, smart and bold,” which fits well with the Quaker testimony on equality.

A Word of Appreciation
After my first year here, I continue to be amazed at all the great organizations here. Thank you all for your good work!

Friends Center’s equity partners—American Friends Service Committee, Central Philadelphia Monthly Meeting of Friends, and Philadelphia Yearly Meeting of Friends—had the vision to create this complex and make it a community resource. They deserve our thanks as well.

– Chris Mohr, Executive Director

The following message was included in the November 2015 tenant e-newsletter.

Dear Friends,

In case you missed it, Shepard Fairey now has a mural at Friends Center!

One of two murals created by Shepard Fairey for the Open Source PHL public exhibition by the City of Philadelphia’s Mural Arts Program is on our wall at the corner of 15th and Race Streets! Its theme is restorative justice, in line with Quaker values and the work of our equity partner American Friends Service Committee, as well as our tenants Philadelphia Lawyers for Social Equity, Prisoner Visitation and Support, The Center for Returning Citizens, and Witness to Innocence. You can read more about the inspiration for this piece and Fairey’s background here.

Michelle Angela Ortiz, Program Manager for our tenant the Stockton Rush Bartol Foundation, is also a participating artist for Open Source PHL. You can read all about Michelle’s work here. You can also read more on Michelle’s work in the feature article “Public Art in Philadelphia Tells the Stories of the Undocumented.”

– Chris Mohr, Executive Director

The nonprofit coworking hub The Exchange is located here at Friends Center.

Flying Kite Media recently featured The Exchange, in an article about a recent meeting of The Exchange’s Breakfast Club:

Breakfast Club at The Exchange: Talking Social Innovation

The historic Race Street Quaker Meetinghouse will be the location for a sing-along concert with Annie Patterson & Peter Blood, creators of Rise Up Singing, to celebrate the release of their long-awaited 2nd songbook Rise Again!

They will be joined by a number of artists with songs in the new book.

There will be a matinee show 4-5 pm and an evening show at 7 pm. There will be a potluck meal a little after 5:00 pm in the Fellowship Room of the Meetinghouse for anyone wanting to attend both concerts or come early for the evening. Bring what you can!

This concert is a benefit for Quaker programs addressing racism.

» Learn more.
 

The following message was included in the October 2015 email newsletter to Friends Center tenants.

First, thank you to all of our Friends Center partners and tenants for their patience and forbearance in adapting to the papal visit to our neighborhood. We’re grateful that Philadelphia succeeded in providing a great welcome to Pope Francis while in the world spotlight.

(Personally, I was also grateful that his speech at Independence Hall acknowledged the Quakers who founded Philadelphia. He said they “were inspired by a profound evangelical sense of the dignity of each individual and the ideal of a community united by brotherly [and sisterly] love.” See the transcript via the LA Times for the full context.)

Second, as you know, Friends Center benefits a great deal from the work of our staff. Effective 10/1/2015, I have two promotions to announce.

• Erick Emerick is now our Assistant Director of Operations and Vendor Management. In addition to managing many of our vendor and contractor relationships and serving as our safety and security manager, he has taken on responsibility to supervise our custodial and cleaning staff. He is also working to strengthen our preventive maintenance program.
• Courtney Feild is now our Assistant Director of Marketing and Administration. In addition to managing the office and keeping our books, she has taken on responsibility to supervise our reception and front desk staffing. She will also take lead in booking outside events as of October 1.

Third, as a shift in responsibilities, Shakirah Holloway, our receptionist, has taken on booking internal events for our tenants.

Thank you, Erick, Courtney, and Shakirah, for your continued good efforts and hard work.

—Chris Mohr, Executive Director

Our former executive director, Pat McBee, has a personal reflection about her work at Friends Center in the September 2015 issue of Grid, Philadelphia’s magazine on sustainability:

Personal Essay: A Green Building Project Made A Spiritual Calling Concrete

Thank you, Pat, and thank you, Grid!

To the residents of Friends Center,

Pope Francis will visit Philadelphia at the conclusion of the World Meeting of Families in late September.

The board of directors of Friends Center has decided to close the facility during the papal visit, on Friday 9/25, Saturday 9/26, and Sunday 9/27.

The board took this action in light of the expected conditions in the neighborhood. Most if not all of Center City will be closed to vehicular traffic. Public and parochial schools will be closed that Friday, which means some of our larger organizations here will be closed, too. Only selected mass transit stops will operate, in order to shuttle as many people to and from Center City as possible.

In addition, the area around the Parkway is likely to be enclosed by a security fence. We anticipate that Friends Center will be inside the security perimeter, meaning there would be long lines and metal detectors just to get here.

You should also expect congestion Thursday 9/24 and Monday 9/28 as the perimeter is put up and taken down.

If you’d like to know more about plans for the pope’s visit, I recommend the following resources:

• NewsWorks/WHYY FAQ
• Philly.com ongoing coverage
• Billy Penn: The Cool Pope in Philly

Please let me know if you have questions or concerns.

Regards,

Chris Mohr
Executive Director

 
» Download a PDF of the policy here.

June 2015

To encourage stewardship of key fobs, Friends Center has adopted the following policies.

1. KEEP YOUR ORGANIZATION’S LIST OF PERSONNEL CURRENT

• Friends Center is responsible for maintaining the system to ensure access is given only to current employees and families.
• Each organization must designate a point of contact for Friends Center to maintain the access list.
• The point of contact is responsible for informing Friends Center’s operations manager about additions and deletions to its list of approved individuals who need fobs.
• The point of contact will be responsible for receiving the fobs from Friends Center and disbursing them to the individuals within the organization.
• Friends Center is not responsible for providing fobs to individuals.

2. REQUESTING ADDITIONAL KEY FOBS FOR YOUR ORGANIZATION

• If you add staff and need additional key fobs, simply let our front office know.
• If you have interns or other regular participants who you believe need consistent access to your floor, please ask. Friends Center may grant an additional temporary fob, but it is solely at our discretion.

3. REPLACEMENT KEY FOBS WILL COST $25

• Organizations will be charged $25 to deprogram a lost fob and provide a new one.
• All fobs must be approved by the resident organization’s contact person and paid for by the organization.
• In no circumstance will Friends Center accept payment from an individual nor provide a replacement fob to an individual directly.

4. HELP US MAINTAIN THE INTEGRITY OF THE SYSTEM

• You must meet your guests in the front lobby and walk them to your space.
• If your guests need to use the restroom in the 1501 building, you will need to arrange for them to re-enter the office suite.
• Please do not let people into your floor if you do not know them.
• If someone you do not know tries to enter the door behind you (“drafting”), please introduce yourself. If they belong on your floor, it will be an opportunity to get to know your neighbors. If they do not seem to belong, consider asking the person to return to the front desk to be redirected.
• If you are not comfortable saying something, or if you say something and the person enters anyway, please let the front desk know.

Thank you for your assistance in observing these guidelines.

Posted April 13, 2015; updated July 2015

The application period is closed and the position has been filled as of July 6, 2015.

The receptionist is responsible for the front-of-house during regular office hours, Monday to Friday. As such this worker provides coverage for the front desk, maintains building safety by following established security procedures, and serves as the gracious face of Friends Center for all tenants and visitors. The position requires a professional appearance, a warm and friendly demeanor, and flexibility for taking on a variety of tasks.

Read the job description here.

No phone calls, please.

Friends Center is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. Qualified persons are encouraged to apply regardless of their religious affiliation, race, age, gender, sexual orientation, or disability. Friends Center is a smoke-free workplace.