Friends Center

Spring Family Overnight

April 29 @ 2:00 pm – April 30 @ 12:00 pm

Friends, food, and a campfire! Stories, games, and outdoor fun! It’s Spring Family Overnight at Camp Dark Waters!

This year, the overnight is open to all families with children in 8th grade and younger.

Join us for multigenerational activities for the whole family, dinner together, free time to play, bedtime stories, multigenerational worship on Sunday morning, and a chance for adults to spend time with other parents. And everyone will be home on Sunday in time to prepare for the rest of the week!

REGISTER→

Note: All children need to have a Health/Permission form filled out when registering for in-person and overnight events (Family Overnights, Annual Sessions). This will be on file all year and is good for all events from Annual Sessions in July through the following June, when there will be an updated form due.

Strengthening civil society in Africa: An interview with Kennedy Akolo, Africa regional director.

“At the end of day, the Salama Hub is about transforming lives in this part of world. If this program is a success, it could change how the Horn of Africa responds to and prevents conflict.”

Access the full article here.

Friends Conference on Religion and Psychology

Meeting Membership:

To find out what being a member of our meeting means, click this link: On Being a Member of Central Philadelphia Friends Meeting.

We seek to be a welcoming community to all people regardless of their race or ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, or social situation, and we invite everyone to worship with us and to participate in our community life, whether they are members or not.

Why join Central Philadelphia Meeting?

How do I apply for membership?

Want to change your membership status?

For answers to the questions above and even more information about CPMM click here.

TENANT NEWS

Join CASA Philadelphia for their

2023 Liberty Bell Gala!

May 11, 2023 ~ The Downtown Club

Help us raise the funds needed to provide a CASA volunteer to 300 children this year.

You can purchase your TICKETS HERE.

Can’t make it? You can make a DONATION HERE.

Help us find Gala Sponsors ~ SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNTIES HERE.

You don’t want to miss this fun and festive event and celebration of our 2023 honorees:

Champion of Children: Vincent Hughes, PA Senator

Outstanding Health Advocate: The Homeless Health Initiative, CHOP

Excellence in Advocacy: The Education Law Center

Outstanding CASA and EDM Volunteers – To Be Announced!

FRIENDS CHILD CARE CENTER

Spring Social, May 5, 2023, 6-8 pm

The Pyramid Club

Physicians for Social Responsibility

Join PSR on May 4th at 6pm for a webinar with Kristina Marusic, which will be moderated by PSR PA Board Member, Julie Becker.

This year’s conference theme is “BodyDreaming: Self-Regulation, Jung, and Neuroscience in Trauma Recovery.”

This year, our plenary speaker is the accomplished Jungian analyst and author Marian Dunlea, from Ireland. In addition to being a delightful person, Marian is a passionate student of neuroscience with extensive training in a host of healing modalities.

Registration is now open for The Friends Conference on Religion and Psychology which will be held in person only at Pendle Hill, May 26 to May 29, 2023.

Full article here.

Registration here.

March Tenant Newsletter: Open House, Film Festival, Racial Healing and A Bookfair

April 4, 2023January 9, 2025

Issue 86, March 2023

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S NOTE:
Tell your colleagues about Friends Center’s
event and office space! 

April 18 is the International Day for Monuments and Sites. Locally, Global Philadelphia is encouraging Philadelphia’s 67 National Historic Landmarks—including our own Race Street Quaker Meetinghouse—to host public programs that day.

This year, we’re joining in! Friends Center will host a public open house from 11 am to 5 pm to showcase our meeting and conference spaces. Please join us if you are new to Friends Center or just need a refresher on the rooms, their capabilities, and how to reserve space. Either way, you’re welcome to join us for light refreshments!

—Chris Mohr, Executive Director

EQUITY PARTNER NEWS

New to Share with Parents & Caregivers

Please share with families this 5-minute survey from Youth Programs staff to help with planning for both Annual Sessions in July and future youth programs. Looking forward to being back in the Annual Sessions Family Neighborhood!

The Black Quaker Lives Matter Film Festival & Forum

Saturday, 8 April 2023

Paul Robeson: Tribute to an Artist (1978) and The Proud Valley (1940) – Celebrating Paul Robeson’s 125th Birthday

Honoring Quaker descendant Paul Robeson, the “beleaguered leader” and “artist as revolutionary,” groundbreaking recording, film, theatrical, and music star.
Featuring a discussion between Robeson scholars Dr. Gerald Horne, Dr. Charles Musser, and Dr. Harold D. Weaver.

ANNA Crusis Feminist Choir

Adult Religious Education/Racial Healing & Wholeness Program

“The Quaker Indigenous Boarding Schools: Facing Our History and Ourselves”

When and Where: Two complimentary programs

April 16 for CPMM, 1-2:30, hybrid in-person and virtual.
April 23 for Philadelphia Quarterly Meeting at Germantown, time TBD.

These two programs are not the same; they complement each other.

More details about the programs and Andrew available here.

TENANT NEWS

Gender Justice Fund featured in Billy Penn, 3/25/2023:

140 years ago, a group of Philly women set out to advance gender equity

A descendant of the New Century Guild is still active in philanthropic grantmaking today.

“The organization’s role shifted throughout the years, and a descendant of the organization — the Gender Justice Fund — still operates today as a local philanthropic grant-making foundation.” (And as a tenant at Friends Center!)

Read the full article.

C.A.I.R

Sings Dolly & Holly

April 22, 2023, 7:30 pm

Friends Childcare Centeris hosting a book fair!

IN THE WIDER QUAKER WORLD

Glam.com feature:
“Silent Weddings: The Simple, Unconventional Tradition that Could be Right for You”

Although some facts in this piece are off, it is an interesting take on “self-uniting” weddings: “If you’re an introvert who prefers a small and peaceful gathering over boisterous crowds, you might like the idea of having a silent wedding—commonly known as a Quaker wedding.”

Friends General Conference

February 2023 Newsletter: Tell a Friend, Meetinghouse Upgrades, Code Switching, Respectful Parenting and more

February 22, 2023January 9, 2025

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S NOTE:
Tell your colleagues about Friends Center’s
event and office space! 

It has been nice to see more of you around Friends Center recently! We have also had an uptick in in-person and hybrid events.

Friends Center is beginning to market our office and meeting space more actively this year than we have for the last three years. Of course, the best advertising is word of mouth. So, we would be grateful if you would let your nonprofit colleagues know that limited space is again available to rent here in our LEED-certified green building. Smaller organizations with peace and justice missions are especially welcome.

In addition, our meeting and conference spaces are fully open. Space is booked more frequently as more organizations return to in-person as well as hybrid meetings, which we also support. Nonprofits receive an automatic 20% discount.

Here are two links you could share:

Office Space: https://friendscentercorp.org/office-rental/
Conference & Meeting Rooms: https://friendscentercorp.org/event-space/

Thank you, as always, for being part of the Friends Center community.

—Chris Mohr, Executive Director

AROUND FRIENDS CENTER

News from Friends Child Care Center

Friends Child Care Center has a 4-star rating in Pennsylvania’s Quality Rating & Improvement System, which carries the responsibility for recognizing and supporting continuous quality improvement in early care programs throughout the state of Pennsylvania. Each year, FCCC targets an area for improvement, and this year we focused our efforts and resources into removing lead paint from window frames, doors, and finishings in the First Day School Room, where infant care will resume by March 1, 2023. Lead abatement is very costly and so we sought to find outside funding sources.

FCCC is pleased to share that the City of Philadelphia: Child Care Facilities Fund awarded $25,000 to the project, which helped to significantly defray costs. The mission of the Facilities Fund is to provide support to high-quality early childhood education programs located in Philadelphia for the maintenance and improvement of their facilities in order to maintain a high-level STAR rating.

FCCC is incredibly grateful for this financial support as we are dedicated to providing a safe, clean and nurturing learning environment where children can play to learn, learn to love.

EQUITY PARTNER NEWS

Electrical & Safety Upgrades in the Meetinghouse, Thanks to Yearly Meeting Support

Cropwell Friends Meeting’s infrastructure got a big upgrade this week. Thanks to a generous gift from the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting’s Quaker Buildings & Programs Granting Group, the building’s electrical system was rewired, and fire safety upgrades and security lighting were installed. The work was done by Front Line Electric of Glendora, N.J., who were prompt, professional, and courteous.

The Cropwell Friends Meetinghouse, built in 1809, was very much in need of work. The last known update to the electrical wiring took place in the 1920s. The type of wiring used at that time was “knob-and-tube,” which does not have a ground system for safety. This doesn’t necessarily make the wiring unsafe to use, but it does rule out important safety features and leaves appliances and sensitive electronics vulnerable to damage from power surges. Exterior lighting was also installed for safety and security purposes.

Stewardship & Community

The work on the meetinghouse spoke to the stewardship and community testimonies of Friends.

The current Cropwell Meetinghouse structure was built in 1809. It is on the historic registry, but like all old buildings, it has needs, and those needs have price tags. It is the Meeting’s responsibility to be good stewards to maintain the structure for current and future members.

Cropwell has a small number who attend regularly, but there is cohesion and commitment which has increased in intensity over the past year, and there is an openness to increasing and strengthening that community. The Meeting has received letters requesting membership from four individuals within the last year and have received loving support from members within Haddonfield Quarter.

Code Switch with Joshua Slack

In honor of Black History Month, the AFSC Pan Valley Institute (PVI) is pleased to announce the returning and touring production of “CODE SWITCH,” written and performed by ArteVism Alumnus Joshua Slack and directed by current Fellow Rodolfo Robles Cruz.

The ArteVism Fellowship program seeks to empower and foster civic engagement through artistic, creative expression, and collective leadership amongst the Central Valley’s youth of color.

“Code Switch” is a monologue that explores the navigation of code-switching. Code-switching involves adjusting one’s way of life in ways that optimize the comfort of others in exchange for fair treatment, quality service, and employment opportunities. The performance encourages audience members to ask themselves: At what cost to our lives do we make these adjustments? Why are we afraid to be ourselves?”

Joshua Slack was born into a military family; his mother served in the Coast Guard, and his father was a college professor. His life goal is to own a production company emphasizing TV, film, photography, theatre, and other art forms that express the uniqueness of niche storytelling within the Black community. He plans to offer it as a platform to tell the stories that mainstream media won’t tell and to uplift the voices of his community.

We will be following COVID-19 safety protocols, ordinances, and regulations. Masks may be required according to local guidelines during the event.

February 25, 2023, 6:30-8:30 pm PT
Free event at the Fresno Art Museum, Bonner Auditorium 2233 N Fresno St. Fresno, CA

For more on this free event or the ArteVism fellowship program, please contact Rodolfo Robles Cruz at (559) 540-1028 or RRoblesCruz@AFSC.org.

Tickets Available Here!

Author Event:

CPMM member Pamela Haines will present

Tending Sacred Ground: Respectful Parenting.

Saturday, February 25, at 11 AM

Navigate through the sacred, the impossible, and the unexpected in these hard-won reflections on parenting. Tending Sacred Ground: Respectful Parenting is a series of essays, each of which alights on the experience of parenting and is inspired by a Quaker perspective. Pamela Haines shows how to cultivate respect, resilience, humility, connection, discernment, and joy while encouraging and inspiring a wider view toward inclusion.

Pamela has published widely on faith, money and economics, and on peace-building and right relationship. Please join us for a reading and discussion.

TENANT NEWS

Singing City

Winter Festival of Voices

This concert will feature contributions to the choral art from Black composers and poets. Featuring Singing City Choir, Teen Voices of the City Ensemble (T-VOCE), Hatboro Horsham Singers, Germantown Friends School Choir, and Northeast High School Choir. Celebrating youth from across the region!

Jeffrey Brillhart, conductor

Saturday, March 4, 2023, 7 p.m.
Philadelphia Episcopal Cathedral, 23 S. 38th Street, Philadelphia, PA

Stockton Rush Bartol Foundation

Integrating Local Histories & Legacies in your Arts Classroom

Do you want to connect to our rich Philadelphia artistic lineage? Looking to integrate history and research in your arts classrooms?

Led by Love Notes Project Teaching Artists Rebecca Graham and Lindo Jones, participants will engage in a music and poetry workshop that highlights the work of three Black Philadelphia artists and cultural producers, past and present. The intention is for participants to leave the space feeling more connected to our city’s rich artistic lineage while gathering tools that may assist in your desire to integrate history and research in your arts classrooms.

Thu, February 23, 2023, 5:30 PM – 7:30 PM EST

Friends World Committee for Consultation

Section of the Americas Meeting

The Friends World Committee will hold its hybrid 2023 Section of the Americas Meeting on March 23 – 26 at Haw River State Park in Greensboro, NC. Registration for virtual attendance is available here. Scroll down to learn more and to register for the in-person event. All Friends are welcome! The last day for in-person registration is February 26, 2023, but register soon before options sell out!

Thu, March 23, 7 PM – Sun, March 26, noon

IN THE WIDER QUAKER WORLD

New Friends Historical Association Grants

The Friends Historical Association is pleased to offer funding to support contributions to the field of Quaker history. There are three grant opportunities: project support, publication subventions, and research funds. All opportunities run on the same cycle, and applications are due April 15, 2023.

Details about each opportunity and application instruction are provided at https://www.quakerhistory.org/grants.

January Newsletter: Farewells and Warm Welcomes, BQLM Film Festival & Funding Social Justice

January 27, 2023January 9, 2025

Issue 84, January 2023

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S NOTE  

Welcome, Ray Williams!

Friends Center is very pleased to introduce you to Ray Williams, our new Facilities Assistant! Ray has a wealth of experience, skills, and knowledge that he brings to maintaining our facility and supporting our events. In his first week on the job, he has already helped make some noticeable improvements. He works weekdays from 11 am to 7 pm. If you see him around, please introduce yourself!

—Chris Mohr, Executive Director

AROUND FRIENDS CENTER

Our contractors have been working hard on improvements to the First Day School Room, which is shared by the children of CPMM and FCCC. The project will be finished by the end of next week, and the children are expected to move back on March 1st. We’re thankful to contractors DVR and KB Painting for their efforts, especially preserving the historical charm within the First Day room.

EQUITY PARTNER NEWS

Long Term Care & Hope

Planning for retirement includes many considerations. Quaker Aging Resources offers information and links to articles on a variety of topics, listed below. The website was designed 10 years ago to assist meetings, individuals, and families in responding to the needs of aging Friends including age related changes, chronic illness, or disability. The pamphlets and resources are intended to uphold a culture of care for the body, mind, spirit and community of the individual which is consistent with Quaker faith, and address the following needs:

Emotional /Behavioral Care
Death and Dying
Financial Matters
Housing/Aging in Place
Meaningful Retirement
Physical Health
Spiritual/Pastoral Support

Friends who are aging often have challenges in planning for their future. Involving family, adult children, and personal friends early in the process can make all the difference.

When thinking about long term care, it’s beneficial to consider all aspects. This article, What is Long Term Care, written by the National Institute on Aging provides an excellent outline of considerations.

Register here for the 5 screenings

We are proud to announce the 2023 Black Quaker Lives Matter Film Festival & Forum, a groundbreaking exploration of Black Friends who made a difference throughout both USA and world history. From 4 February to 8 April, we will hold screenings, dedicated to Quakers of Color, every other Saturday at 1:00 PM Eastern Time over Zoom Webinar.

Saturday, 4 February 2023: Interview with Bill Sutherland (1999) – Liberation & Non-Violence in Africa & USA, featuring panel discussion with AFSC’s Joyce Ajlouny and Keith Harvey
Saturday, 18 February 2023: The Prep School Negro (2012) –Joan Countryman & African Americans in Quaker Schools
Saturday, 4 March 2023: Sisters in Freedom (2018) – Sarah Mapps Douglass & Women in the Abolition Struggle Against Slavery.
Saturday, 18 March 2023: Benjamin Banneker: The Man Who Loved The Stars (1981) – Early African American Scholar-Activist
Saturday, 8 April 2023: Paul Robeson: Tribute to an Artist (1978) and The Proud Valley (1940) – Celebrating Paul Robeson’s 125th Birthday

Social Justice Grant Application

Funding for Social Justice

CPMM is pleased to announce the availability of grant funding to local nonprofits who meet our guidelines. The application form has details. Deadline: February 28, 2023

TENANT NEWS

Webinar: New Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness Overview

Join us for a webinar on February 1st from 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm on the new Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness. Since 2016, homelessness has been rising and for the new strategic plan to be as effective and intentional as possible, it required input from people who are part of the response to homelessness, people who have a vested interest in ending homelessness, and people with lived expertise.

When: Wednesday, February 1, 2023 2 PM – 3 PM See https://housingalliancepa.org/upcoming-events/

Farewell and thank you to The Presser Foundation!

Friends Center bids a fond farewell to The Presser Foundation as of February 1, as their needs have changed and they move on to new space. Teresa Araco Rodgers, executive director of The Presser Foundation, has made extraordinary contributions to the Friends Center community for more than a decade. She not only recruited numerous other organizations to move into Friends Center, she also coordinated The Exchange, the second floor coworking space, for many years. She organized information sharing among executive directors as well as a regular speaker series. Thank you, Teresa! We wish you and your colleagues all the best.

BEYOND FRIENDS CENTER

From Friends General Conference:
Building a Meaningful and Connected Life eRetreat

Wednesday, January 25^th 2023 – Wednesday, February 22^nd 2023 Time 3:00 PM – 4:30 PM

The Building a Meaningful and Connected Life eRetreat invites you to explore and practice the spirituality of meaning-making, resiliency, renewal, and life transitions. Participants will ask themselves and each other, what choices can we make and what steps can we take now to nurture our inner life, creative life, and connected life?

eRetreat Details:

Offered January 25 – February 22, 2023
Four weeks, $45 pay-as-led** participation fee
Weekly readings, queries, resources, and activities available on FGC’s eRetreat website, Matrix
Community Building Calls: Wednesdays at 3pm Eastern / 2p Central / 1pm Mountain / Noon Pacific, starting January 25.

eRetreat Schedule and Weekly Themes

The Building a Meaningful and Connected Life eRetreat will be facilitated by Gay Edelman.

Old City Church Takes Innovative Steps to Reduce Homelessness: By Kimberly Hass Of Singing City

One of Philadelphia’s wealthiest zip codes will soon be home to new residents from the opposite end of the income spectrum. Next spring, ground will be broken in the churchyard of Old First Reformed United Church of Christ at 4th and Race Streets to begin construction of 36 permanent housing units for individuals experiencing homelessness. Read full article here

Friends Center Tenant Newsletter

November 23, 2022

Issue 83, November 2022

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S NOTE  

Last week I went to the Parkway Central Branch of the Free Library to hear George Lakey in conversation with Varshini Prakash, executive director and co-founder of Sunrise Movement, the youth-led movement to stop climate change.

George was in conversation about his new book, Dancing with History: A Life for Peace and Justice.

Now a member of Central Philadelphia Monthly Meeting, George has been a Quaker nonviolent activist and researcher for over 7 decades! Among many other things, he co-founded Movement for a New Society in the 1970s, Training for Change in the 1990s, and Earth Quaker Action Team in the 2010s.

Oh, and if that wasn’t enough, George often leads a community singalong of Handel’s Messiah in the Cherry Street Room in December. We’ll announce it if and when it returns.

Friends Center is full of inspiring stories like George’s. In the tenant newsletter, we try to lift up a few of them each month. Please let Jennifer Williams know if your organization has news to share!

—Chris Mohr, Executive Director

AROUND FRIENDS CENTER

Y.A. BOOK LAUNCH EVENT AT CPMM
Young Adult Adaptation of Robin DiAngelo’s White Fragility
Dec 7, 2022 from 6:30pm to 8:30pm
Friends Center, 1501 Cherry Street

Join Toni Graves Williamson and Ali Michael for the launch of their Young Adult adaptation of Robin DiAngelo’s bestselling book White Fragility. This event is sponsored by Central Philadelphia Monthly Meeting, Friends Council on Education, and Friends Select School. Tickets are available for free or purchase (copy of the book included) on Eventbrite.

» Register here.

Event: Covenant House

Annual ‘Sleep Out’ raises over $600,000 for local youth homelessness

In the bitter cold on Thursday night into Friday morning, people traded their beds for a sleeping bag and a cardboard box. Participants raised funds for Covenant House’s services for homeless youth.

Get the full scoop here: Via Channel 6/ABC
(Early on in the segment, you get a glimpse of our facility manager, John Gibson, moving some supplies!)

EQUITY PARTNER NEWS

Decolonizing Thanksgiving Is An Oxymoron – Kids Books Dismantling The Myth of a ‘First Thanksgiving’

Teach your kids the truth of Thanksgiving—modeling generosity and gratitude all year long—but don’t whitewash the violent history of colonization.

Emerging Leaders for Liberation

This year, AFSC launched Emerging Leaders for Liberation (ELL) to help young people strengthen their social justice and leadership skills. Over eight months, youth get trained on anti-racism, organizing, advocacy, nonviolent direct action, and more. They also develop projects to address systemic issues in their own communities.

“It’s vital that young people understand how much their voices matter and the power they have to create change. We need to continue investing in their leadership for a better future for everyone,” says Mariana Martinez,
ELL program director.

The inaugural cohort of ELL participants includes 30 young people from 15 states. Many have worked with local AFSC programs or are part of Quaker meetings or colleges.

Meet three of this year’s participants.

Stockton Rush Bartol Foundation

CPMM AUTHOR EVENT
The Library Committee warmly invites you to hear CPMM member Steve Davison talk about and read from 3 of his books of poetry on Saturday, Dec. 3, from 11 a.m. – 12 noon (via Zoom).

The Road to Continental Heart: Befriending and Defending the Spirit of North America — A coffee-table-style book featuring poems he wrote once a week for a friend who walked across the country with a group environmental activists;
Continental Heart — A meditation on our relationship with the land we live in and an appeal for a more spiritual culture of place;
Dancing Mockingbird — A collection of nature poems.

CLICK HERE to join in on the poetry and discussion!

Or cut and paste this URL into your internet browser:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87989229096?pwd=ZkhoTXJ3M2ExZ0c5V1BUMTE1WklXQT09

Meeting ID: 879 8922 9096
Passcode: 084669
To find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kbs4ogRVI

TENANT NEWS

Fundamentals of Game Design for the Classroom

December 5, 2022, 4:00 pm – 5:30 pm

Come join Global Writes to learn the fundamentals of game design with the integration of a variety of technology tools to plan and create board and video games that can be used to teach content-based themes in the classroom. Their Skin in the Game process utilizes game design and concepts in Science, Technology, Reading, Engineering, Art, and Math (STREAM) to engage participants in advanced, interdisciplinary learning. Please have on hand a computer that can support Chrome browser as well as some plain paper and pencil.

ANNA Crusis Feminist Choir

This fall, small groups of ANNA singers took to the streets to sing, hoping the current cultural climate would bend toward justice. We are pleased to present a full choir concert in person and broadcast online. In this concert, we sing to remind ourselves that when we connect and collaborate, our power is much more than when we move through the world alone. Together, People Have the Power.

Tickets available here.

(Community Sing starts at 7:00 pm before the concert.)

December 10^th & 11^th @ 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm

BEYOND FRIENDS CENTER

Season One Episodes:

Episode 1: How Do We Stop Doing Things that Make No Sense? With Rev. Mariama White-Hammond
Episode 2: Where Do You Find Hope? With Corina Newsome
Episode 3: What Do We Tell the Children? With Craig Santos Perez
Episode 4: What is Wrong with Me? With Keyana Pardilla, Robin Wall Kimmerer, and Sherri Mitchell
Episode 5: If I Can’t Make a Difference, then What Do I Do? With Veronice Miles
Episode 6: Daddy, Did We Hurt Them? With Ben Yosua-Davis

Friends Center Tenant Newsletter

October 22, 2021

October Tenant Newsletter: Renovation & Parking Updates, Famous African American Quaker, FCNL is Hiring

Issue 75, October 2021

DIRECTOR’S NOTE

Greetings and best wishes for fall!

With changes in climate, our local autumn season seems to come later than ever. One bonus is that the native plants in the front garden and the courtyard oval are still blooming—and attracting pollinators. The gardens have filled in nicely over the years. I like to see it as a metaphor for the millions of people working in communities for positive change, including the few hundred based here at Friends Center. Through your steady, persistent work, through your showing up again and again, may the systems in which we are embedded also evolve, just like the gardens have grown—even if it’s hard to see the change at any given moment.

Take care and stay safe,

Chris Mohr, Executive Director

AROUND FRIENDS CENTER

Renovation of 1520 Race Street

The renovation of the 1520 Race Street building by Friends Select School began this week, starting with interior demolition.

While most of the work will not have an impact on users of the Friends Center, there will be some temporary changes in the courtyard. The contractor will put fencing and barriers in place to provide a safe distance from the building. This will impact Friends Child Care Center the most, and so we will be in frequent communication with them.

Note that the loading zone is being used by contractors for both Friends Center and Friends Select. The loading zone is only for deliveries, pickups, and dropoffs. There is no tenant parking until further notice. See the updated LOADING ZONE GUIDELINES (right).

We will be in close touch with the contractor, so that we may do our best to alert the Friends Center community to any significant changes before they occur. Our priority is to maintain safety for everyone. Please reach out to Erick Emerick with any concerns and we will do our best to address them.

EQUITY PARTNER NEWS

Famous Quaker: Benjamin Banneker, an Astronomer and Mathematician

Benjamin Banneker (1731-1806) was a self-educated African American mathematician, astronomer, surveyor, compiler of almanacs, and writer. He was also a regular attender at Quaker meetings and an abolitionist who gained fame and recognition for his contributions to science and his prescient correspondence on multiple subjects, including race, with key intellectuals of the time. Click link above to read the full article.

On the Issues: 50 Years Since the Attica Uprising

On Sept. 9, 1971, over 1200 people incarcerated at the Attica Correctional Facility in New York took control of the prison to demand better living conditions and human rights. After four tense days, law enforcement retook the prison by force, leading to the deaths of at least 43 people. In the 50 years since, organizations like AFSC have been entrenched in the work to advocate with incarcerated people for improvements to the system that respect basic human dignity, as well as the growing movement to #FreeThemAll and abolish the prison system as we know it.

Join AFSC staff from our Healing Justice program as they discuss how our work was catalyzed by the events of the Attica Uprising, and hear from campers from the Liberation Summer Camp, which had a focus on this moment in history. Speakers include Healing Justice program coordinator Lewis Webb, Jr., filmmaker and advocate Kharon Benson, Liberation Camp intern Akira Rose, Joeli Valerio, and others.

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81840863719?pwd=ZmdUSmVUL2orbmxpZGtxc05sYmwxZz09

Author Reading by Pamela Haines

Pamela Haines will speak via Zoom on her book of poetry, ALIVE IN THIS WORLD, on October 30th at 11:00 AM.

The collection of poetry is organized into three sections. The first, A HOME WITH THE TREES, explores a relationship with trees with a growing understanding and gratitude. In COMMUTER ENCOUNTERS, intimate contact with strangers on a trolley or bus invites reflection on humanity, connection and justice. In the final section, A HOME WITH THE EARTH, the soil is a medium for meditation on nourishment and how living in small green city spaces can bring big gifts. The poems are a call to pay attention to Life and to not let the world go by unnoticed.

Please log in using the Zoom platform listed below:

Meeting ID: 818 4086 3719

Password: 979529

TENANT NEWS

COUNCIL ON AMERICAN-ISLAMIC RELATIONS (CAIR), PHILADELPHIA CHAPTER
“On the anniversary of Sept. 11, local Muslims contemplate what they’ve endured the last 20 years”
From the Philadelphia Inquirer, 9/11/2021:

…In general… Philadelphia is a “hospitable place for American Muslims, both African American and immigrants,” said Jacob Bender, executive director of CAIR Philadelphia, the Council on American Islamic Relations, a Muslim civil liberties and advocacy group. “Perhaps it’s the city’s Quaker background, opening it to different religious minorities.”…

Bender estimates that close to 200,000 Muslims live in Philadelphia, 80% of whom he identified as African Americans. The Pennsylvania suburbs are home to another 200,000, mostly Arab immigrants and their children….

Another unfortunate aftermath of Sept. 11 was that many young Muslim Americans wanted to disassociate themselves from their religious background, said Ahmet Selim Tekelioglu,education and outreach director for CAIR-Philadelphia.

Full Article Here

PENNSYLVANIA HEALTH ACCESS NETWORK (PHAN)

Please join us for PHAN’s 13th annual health conference

WHEN: Thursday October 21st, 10am – 3pm and Friday October 22nd from 10am-1:30pmWHERE: We’re going virtual again this year!QUESTIONS?: Contact Jennifer at jennifer@pahealthaccess.org or 267-908-9100 x704

As the only conference of its kind, PHAN brings together health care policy experts, advocates, industry representatives, enrollment assisters, and government leaders to discuss key health policy issues directly affecting the Commonwealth.

This fall, join us as we discuss such critical healthcare issues as: lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic (thus far); the federal and state landscape for healthcare policy; lowering the cost of prescription drugs; health equity & the role of Medicaid; hospital consolidation & the changing healthcare landscape; and much more!

» Register Here

IN THE (QUAKER) NEIGHBORHOOD

Haddonfield Quarterly Meeting

“The Underground Railroad in South Jersey
and Its Importance Today”

Featuring
Linda Shockley, Executive Board President,
Lawnside Historical Society

“Oral history identifies Peter Mott as an agent and conductor for the Underground Railroad, working from his home and Mt. Pisgah A.M.E. Church in present day Lawnside. Freedom seekers would continue their journey north via Evesham, Haddonfield, and Pennsauken. The Lawnside Historical Society has restored Mott’s home for use as a museum of the Underground Railroad and the Lawnside community, the only historically African-American incorporated municipality in the northern USA.: (www.petermotthouse.org)

Sunday, October 24, 2021

Worship – 10 AM; Program – 11 AM

At Medford Meeting and via Zoom.

Email Haddonfieldquarterly@yahoo.com for more information.

Now Hiring:
Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) is searching for their next General Secretary.

Friends Committee On National Legislation (fcnl.org)

The new General Secretary will be a courageous Quaker leader with a commitment to justice, peace, and environmental sustainability; to expanding diversity, equity and inclusion within the FCNL community and beyond; and to building and nurturing relationships across political and organizational divides.

We Seek a World Free of War and the Threat of War
We seek a Society with Equity and Justice for All
We seek Community where Every Person’s Potential Can be Fulfilled
We Seek an Earth Restored

For more information, contact DeAnne Butterfield, Clerk, Search Committee gssearch@fcnl.org

September Tenant Newsletter: End of Summer Vacation, 9/11, Celebrating 90 years & Quaker Trivia

September 13, 2021

Issue 74, September 2021

Friends Center Tenant Newsletter

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S NOTE

Vacation called and I had to answer! I hope you’ll do the same when the same when the opportunity comes.

– Chris Mohr, Executive Director

AROUND FRIENDS CENTER

Please continue to be diligent in wearing your facemask in common areas of the building and practice handwashing regularly.

EQUITY PARTNER NEWS

Morning sessions are also available from 10:30 am – 12:30 pm. Click here for more details

The lasting impact of U.S. decisions in the aftermath of 9/11 – By Mary Zerkel

Twenty years ago, on Sept. 11, 2001, the world was shocked at the coordinated attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, resulting in the deaths of nearly 3,000 people.

Expressions of sympathy and grief came from throughout the world. But rather than use the moment to forge global cooperation, the United States embarked on a disastrous course driven by narratives of fear and retribution. Continue reading here.

Quakerism 101 – Quaker Discernment, Decision Making, and the Meeting for Business

Overview

Our second session will explore the Quaker understanding of spiritual discernment and the Quaker processes for making decisions, including the meeting for worship with attention to business and the life of the meeting.

Date: October 24, 1:00-3:00 pm

Zoom: The Zoom link is the same as the link for meeting for worship. The worship meeting will simply be extended.

Facilitators: Barry Scott and Jennifer Walker

TENANT NEWS

The Center For Healing & Justice Through Sport (CHJS)

Launch Tour Recap

Last week The Collaborative partnered with the Center for Healing and Justice Through Sport to introduce their work and vision of CHJS, highlight some of the amazing work happening in Philadelphia, and continue the conversation around how the Philadelphia SBYD community can continue to push our field forward.

The mission of CHJS is to make sport healing for all youth, everywhere, through training, consulting, and movement building. They believe that underneath the fun and camaraderie, sport can be used as a vehicle to provide creative and accessible solutions to some of society’s biggest issues. Click Here to stay up to date with CHJS and their upcoming events!

YOU’RE INVITED!

Join Friends Council on Education for an evening of Light — poetry, music, thought — to uplift and sustain us on this next stretch of the road we are traveling.

When: September 22^nd, 2021

Time: 7-8:30 pm EDT

Location: Event held via Zoom

Register Here

We hope that you will join us for this and other activities throughout the year in celebration of Friends Council’s 90th Anniversary!

IN THE (QUAKER) NEIGHBORHOOD

Quaker Speak is a bi-weekly video series that highlights a variety of relevant topics and how they tie into Quakerism.

This particular video touches on the difference between a welcoming space and an inclusive space. Click here to watch!

Quaker Trivia

Four of the five women who convened the 1848 convention on women’s rights at Seneca Falls were Quakers. It is presumed that the reason Quaker women played a large part in the struggle for women’s suffrage was due to the leadership skills acquired throughout two centuries of women’s experience speaking publicly and adopting administrative leadership roles within the Quaker community—opportunities unmatched for women in any other western religion at that time.

Friends Center Tenant Newsletter: Going Once, Going Twice, SOLD!, Upgrades, Job Openings and more!

August 4, 2021

Issue 73, August 2021

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S NOTE

As announced in February, we have now completed the sale of the 1520 Race Street building to Friends Select School, effective today!

Thank you to everyone involved, including former tenants of 1520, who collaborated with us on plans for relocation of workplaces and storage; the advisors & board of directors of Friends Center, who thoroughly reviewed every aspect of the deal; and especially the staff and contractors of Friends Center. In particular, a big shout-out to Erick Emerick for managing our side of the move-out.

– Chris Mohr, Executive Director

AROUND FRIENDS CENTER

We’ve upgraded! That’s right, our Historical Quaker Meetinghouse has been updated with some modern-day technology. The Race Street Room now features a built in PC, camera and microphones giving super hosts the ability to hold Zoom meetings.

What’s that??? Over having zoom meeting you say?!!? No problem! You can now invite up to 300 in person guests to meetings in the worship room. And the room now has air conditioning for hot weather! (Masks required.)

EQUITY PARTNER NEWS

Philadelphia Yearly Meeting recently completed their 341st Annual Sessions, which was virtual again this year. You may review all of Annual Sessions or focus on the parts that speak to you the most:

Read News, Epistles, and Meeting Minutes
Watch videos of keynotes and business sessions on PYM’s YouTube channel playlist

ARE THERE HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS HIDDEN IN YOUR INVESTMENTS?

Knowing what you own is the first step to aligning your investments with your values. You be invested in state violence through companies involved in mass incarceration, immigrant detention and surveillance, military occupation, or the border industry.

Our database includes original research and lists over 150 company and industry profiles. Learn how companies profit from and support state violence. Then use this knowledge to create change.

Keystone Energy Efficiency Alliance

Central Philadelphia Monthly Meeting is now hosting in person and virtual Meeting for Worship. Meeting for Worship will begin at 11a.m., and unfortunately is no longer followed by coffee hour. The building will close at 1 pm. If you wish to attend CPMM’s virtual Worship, please email the meeting office at office@cpmm.org to get the meeting ID and password.

TENANT NEWS

The Conference

What does the future of energy efficiency look like? A difficult year has given us new appreciation for “business-as-usual” conditions. But as the industry recovers, we’re facing a unique opportunity to look beyond the old “normal” and shape the future. KEEA and EEA-NJ’s first in-person event of 2021, Forging the Future for Energy Efficiency, presents two days of forward-looking programming examining the policies, technologies, and companies pushing our industry into a new period of growth and innovation.

When: September 22-23rd at the Philadelphia Navy Yard; act by August 13th for early bird pricing!

» Register here.

Community Ventures

Job Opening: Assistant Rental Manager

Community Ventures is a non-profit, mission-driven developer and property manager of affordable housing in Philadelphia.

Seeking a career-minded and energetic Assistant Rental Manager to join the team managing a group of affordable residential properties in North Philadelphia. Click here for responsibilities, requirements and benefits.

IN THE (QUAKER) NEIGHBORHOOD

Do you know a Quaker leader?  

FCNL is searching for a new General Secretary.

The Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) seeks a Spirit-led, seasoned, and strategic leader who brings vision, inspiration, and executive experience to the role of General Secretary. The new General Secretary will be a courageous Quaker leader with a commitment to justice, peace, and environmental stewardship; to expanding diversity, equity, and inclusion within the FCNL community and beyond; and to building and nurturing relationships across political and organizational divides that promote healing of divisions in the Congress and the country.

A position profile is posted on the FCNL website at www.fcnl.org/gssearch.

A Fond Farewell, 11 years LEED Platinum, Local Rollin’ Fun!

June 28, 2021

Issue 72, May-June 2021

Friends Center Tenant Newsletter

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S NOTE

Although Friends Center remains relatively quiet a fair amount of the time, a lot of change is happening below the surface, in some respects, quite literally.

As of now, we plan to close on the sale of our 1520 Race Street building to Friends Select School on August 3.

We appreciate all the staff from the equity partners and the tenants with storage in that building who have worked so hard to reduce and move over their materials. As you have heard, our remaining storage is quite limited.

Stay tuned for future updates.

Meanwhile, stay safe, be healthy, act for justice, and find time for peaceful reflection as you are able.

– Chris Mohr, Executive Director

AROUND FRIENDS CENTER

→→→ FC Furniture GIVEAWAY ←←←

June 21-25, 2021

Sending a big thank you all of the tenants who moved out of the 1520 building and chose to leave furniture and office supplies behind. We would like to pay their kindness forward by opening the doors and offering our entire community the chance to browse what’s there and take what you like.

Stop by the 1520 Race Street building

the week of June 21-25

for our office furnishings giveaway!

First-come, first-served!
You are responsible for hauling away items you want. Friends Center staff is not able to assist.
Please mark claim larger items by taping a sign or post-it to the item your name, organization, and phone number.
Other questions? Contact Erick.

CHANGES IN THE RACE STREET ROOM

also known as the Worship Room

Friends Center has two exciting changes to announce for the Race Street Room, betteer known as the Worship Room of the Meetinghouse:

Our contractor Spinnaker Multimedia Solutions recently upgraded the AV system in the Race Street Room. We can now host hybrid meetings with participants who are both in person and online through Zoom!! Please contact Shakirah Holloway in our office if you would like to know more.

Our facility manager John Gibson and our building controls contractor Carrier Systems recently upgraded the HVAC system in the Race Street Room to provide cooled air! While it will probably never be truly cool on a hot day, this solution will make the space bearable in summer. All powered by our path-breaking geothermal heating and cooling system, of course!

CHANGES IN EVENT ROOM USE

Friends Child Care Center is moving out of the 1520 Race Street building and is now occupying the Cherry Street Room and Rufus Jones Room for the foreseeable future. We are in the process of developing a new facility for them in the Lower Level of the 1501 Cherry Street building.

Our hope is to have the new facility available in early 2022. Stay tuned as more details become available!

EQUITY PARTNER NEWS

Reflections on the Light and Languages of Pentecost: Fire. Light. The Holy Spirit.

Reflections by Melinda Wenner Bradley, Youth Religious Life Coordinator for PYM

“While Friends did not traditionally celebrate religious holidays aligned with the liturgical calendar of the Christian church, Pentecost feels to me like a story our children should hear…. How can seeking the Light, receiving gifts of the Spirit, and sharing a message of God’s love for all people across the boundaries of place and language be part of all of our days as Friends?”

AFSC Calls for Pathway to Citizenship

Every person without permanent immigration status deserves a lasting solution to keep families and communities together. But today, there are about 11 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S. without a viable pathway to permanent residency and citizenship.

» Read AFSC’s call for a pathway to citizenship.

AFSC Opposes Weapons Sales

The Biden administration has approved a new sale of $735 million in weapons to Israel, despite objections in Congress. At the same time, the Biden administration also announced it would commit just $5 million to support reconstruction in Gaza—a fraction of what the U.S. is providing in weapons. AFSC is working to change U.S. policy to support those pushing for nonviolent change. Everyone deserves to live in safety and peace.

» AFSC’s position against weapons sales and in support of reconstruction

» Learn more about AFSC’s global peace policy: Shared Security

GEORGE LAKEY:
STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS WITH DIVERSE LEARNERS

Saturday, June 5^th, 11:00 AM

George Lakey of Central Philadelphia Monthly Meeting will read from one of his newest books. Facilitating Group Learning is an essential resource designed to help educators, trainers, workshop leaders, and anyone who assists groups to learn. George Lakey will discuss the core principles and proven techniques of direct education, an approach he developed for effectively teaching adults in groups. The author emphasizes critical issues related to diversity, as well as authenticity and emotions. Please log in on the Zoom platform.
Login info and other details here.

.O on Transforming Love Ministry

Sunday, June 6^th, 1:00 pm

CPMM member .O will talk about her transforming love ministry on June 6, 2021 at 1 pm.

.O invites participants to bring a seed of their liking, and to watch ahead of time this 6-minute video showing the lived experience of inseparable oneness:

This is part of a series, Meeting for Worship with Attention to Ministry, sponsored by the Committee on Gifts and Leadings.

» Calendar Listing

TENANT NEWS

A Fond Farewell to

Girls Inc.

of Greater Philadelphia & Southern N.J.

After six dynamic years at Friends Center, Girls Inc. of Greater Philadelphia & Southern N.J. is moving to the Bok Building in mid-June. While we are sorry to see them go, we recognize they have outgrown the available space at Friends Center.

Executive Director Dena Herrin was new in her job when she contacted us in 2015 about leasing space for four staff and some interns. Their work of “inspiring all girls to be strong, smart, and bold” was a great fit with the Quaker testimony of equality, and the long history of women in leadership roles in the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers).

Since 2015, thanks to the efforts of Dena, Natasha Andrews, Cherice Arrington, and the rest of the team, Girls Inc. has nearly doubled in size! No doubt, they have also increased their impact on the girls and young women they serve by even more than that. They also did a lively and informative podcast with us.

Many people at Friends Center also benefited from Girls Inc. sharing their resources with the community, especially the many seasonal craft supplies.

Good luck, Girls Inc.! We look forward to hearing reports of how your programs continue to flourish and grow in your new home.

And welcome back to

Keystone Energy Efficiency Alliance

This month we welcome back Keystone Energy Efficiency Alliance—better known as KEEA—to Friends Center. Their work to advance energy efficiency in the Mid-Atlantic through energy education and awareness is an excellent fit with our mission to promote Quaker values such as stewardship of the environment. It also fits extremely well with our 1501 Cherry Street building, which was renovated to LEED Platinum certification level 11 years ago now.

KEEA had been a tenant from 2013 to 2018, so it is nice to welcome them back to our tenant community now.

IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD

Local Rollin’ Fun!

Lace up your skates and get ready to roll back in time as live DJs spin throwback tunes at the Rothman Orthopaedics Roller Rink, including hits from the 80s, 90s and early 2000s! Now in place at Dilworth Park next to City Hall.

Friends Center Newsletter 4/2021: Shredding Day II, Chauvin Verdict Responses, Tenants in the News

May 4, 2021June 2, 2021

Issue 71, April 2021

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S NOTE

Although this newsletter is going out late in April, it has plenty of interesting information. Send us your updates, so we can share more news again in just a few weeks. Happy spring!

– Chris Mohr, Executive Director

AROUND FRIENDS CENTER

Shredding Day II – First week of May

Shredding Day was so successful, we’re making a sequel!

Please drop off paper for shredding inside the loading dock entrance in the Meetinghouse basement, Monday, May 3—Thursday May 6. (The vendor will be here very early that Friday, so Friday is too late to drop material off.)

EQUITY PARTNER NEWS

Runway to Annual Sessions 2021

May 4—July 24, 2021

The Runway to Annual Sessions is filled with virtual workshops, gatherings, Business Q&As, an All Ages Gathering, and a Collaborative Fair!

During the week of Annual Sessions, July 27 through August 1, we will gather to begin our week with the 4th Annual Spiritual Formation retreat. Following the virtual retreat, we will connect as a yearly meeting in All Ages Worship, Meeting for Worship with Attention to Business, five fantastic keynotes, an awesome Artist in Residence, Youth programs, Young Adult programs, Fellowship, worship sharing, Affinity Spaces, epistle writing, and Bible studies.

This year’s Annual Sessions theme is “Uproot Injustice, Root Justice” and is present and woven into all aspects of our work together including Meeting for Worship with Attention to Business, our keynote presentations, the Collaborative Fair, and the workshops.

To receive the latest schedule of events, registration details, upcoming events and stories, please check the Annual Sessions page and sign up for our weekly News & Events newsletter.

Despite Chauvin conviction, trauma of police violence continues

Young Black and Brown people in the Twin Cities need accountability and healing

SAINT PAUL, MN (April 20, 2021) A Minneapolis jury found Derek Chauvin—a white police officer—guilty for the murder of George Floyd. George Floyd—a Black 46-year-old Minneapolis resident—was killed by Chauvin and three other officers on May 25 of last year. Floyd’s murder sparked widespread condemnation and protests across the Twin Cities and across the country. The American Friends Service Committee (AFSC)—a Quaker social justice organization—organized against this killing and police violence nationwide.

» Read the full statement from Shanene Herbert, director of AFSC’s Healing Justice program in Saint Paul.