Project Leader of the Month

Each month, Greater Philadelphia Cares spotlights one of our fantastic Project Leaders - we couldn't succeed without them! Thanks, Leaders!!!

February 2008
Helen Grey-Harley

"I started out as an annual Philadelphia Cares Day volunteer 11 years ago. Since then I have had the wonderful opportunity to climb the volunteer ladder. Philadelphia Cares is a wonderful organization with a great group of extremely HARD working individuals behind the scenes.

When the opportunity came for me to join the ranks as a Project Leader, I took it as a welcome and exciting opportunity. Fisher Park is a beautiful hidden treasure with acres of land in the Logan section of the city. They have an excellent Alliance that maintains and cares for the park throughout the year. It's a great opportunity for people of all ages to learn about the environment and the effect it has on our Parks throughout the city. KEEP IT CLEAN AND GO GREEN! I look forward to an exciting year beginning with MLK Day.

So, of you love the outdoors and feel like your volunteer meter is running low, consider joining me on the third Saturday of the month at Fisher Park."

January 2008
Kerry O'Brien

I started as a Philadelphia Cares volunteer with the Values Through Sports, Arts and Crafts program. I enjoyed working on the project so much that I soon became a project leader. I think Philadelphia Cares is a great way for people to get involved with community service. It also is a great asset for organizations who depend on volunteers to keep their projects functioning. I recently served as a chaparone for the Values Through Sports, Arts and Crafts field trip to the Adventure Aquarium in Camden. Seeing the excitement on the kids faces when they saw the sharks was a great feeling for me. The kids were so well behaved on the trip and that is due to the values which they have received by participating in the program.

December 2007
Sala Wyman

"In volunteering, I have the chance to constantly re-connect with that which makes us all alike rather than that which makes us different."

Kathy Kennedy

"Volunteering through Greater Philadelphia Cares has been a very enriching experience. It's opened up my world, and taught me countless lessons about how the simplest gesture or interaction can make a difference. As a project leader for Recipes for Success, I've seen the pride the young mothers feel from making a recipe for the first time, and the joy the volunteers get from helping."

September 2007
Lisa DeMeo

"Volunteering gives me the opportunity to broaden my scope by getting out into parts of the city I don't get a chance to visit in my day-to-day life. It offers me a regular reminder of all that Philadelphia has to offer its many communities. The projects I lead are all in different neighborhoods, and each adds value to the community. For a few hours a month, I get the chance to help increase that value. It's definitely time well spent."

August 2007
Andrea Johnson

"This is an honor for me. My Black Butterflies' Sisters and I have been introduced to so many wonderful people through Greater Philadelphia Cares, that I think we should be nominating your organization for its outstanding work for allowing us to be a part of such an awesome organization. Being a youth advocate and wanting to show kids how to give back to their community is something that I am really big on, and seeing these kids, whom some may view as menaces to society, acutally come out and help in their community and other communities and love doing it is all the appreciation I need and with a volunteer organization such as Greater Philadelphia Cares, I am able to help change lives. "

July 2007
Karen Bates

"What I've learned over time is that - especially since the loss of my son - when we open ourselves up to situations we can revitalize our minds and our souls, as a way to absolve the hurt and pain and use it in a positive way. Greater Philadelphia Cares offers many ways to new experiences and great people. And I'd like to say thank you for that. "

May 2007
Kara Rudolph

" Volunteering connects me to the community, whether the community is located just a few blocks, or miles from my home. This connection seems to make my world bigger - by volunteering, I find that my perspective broadens to include all the communities and people with whom I've made connections. Greater Philadelphia Cares, with its numerous, varied and flexible volunteer projects makes these connections easy as there are projects for any interest, in neighborhoods all over the region, and at all times and days. Contributing to our communities could not be easier. "

April 2007
Susan Wallack

To feel a part of the human community, to do some small thing for others that's truly useful - there's simply no better feeling!"

March 2007
Joy Ruff

"Greater Philadelphia Cares allows me the avenue to share my passion for science with students. I am very fulfilled when I see a child's eyes light up because they have just discovered something new about the world around them through the experiments we do. On a personal note, volunteering has not only allowed me to share my talents, but also has helped in applying to medical school. I have had several medical school interviews where the topic of volunteering with GPC through Discovery was brought up. I can only hope that more people will be inspired to encourage the next generation to be as enthusiastic about science as I am!."