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ABPnews
Spring 2007
CELEBRATING TWO YEARS!
New Strategy Takes Us Into 2007
As we forge ahead into our third year, we are pleased that we can do so with much vision and clarity of purpose. The mission of A Better Philadelphia is to end youth violence by creating collaborations among leaders. So let’s break it down.
ENDING YOUTH VIOLENCE
Our goal is very specific and concrete. We want to see an end to youth violence. We want to eliminate, eradicate, wipe out, destroy, exterminate, stamp out, and
remove permanently youth violence. These are pretty strong words and it is a
lofty (some may even say impossible!) goal. In all honesty though, decreasing it is not enough. And addressing youth violence – what does this mean? It doesn’t really mean anything.We intend to not only do away with youth violence, but we plan to create a cultural transformation in Philadelphia that does not permit or tolerate violence.
Instead, we will live in a city that rewards education, promotes opportunities and
celebrates successes.What will Philadelphia look like without youth violence? Our vision is that:
- Children and youth are excited to go to school and enjoy learning.
- Young people are graduating from school and moving into productive secondary education and career opportunities at record levels.
- Youth groups have been significantly redirected from negative to positive activities and have become “natural helpers” within the community.
- Parents are reporting significant personal growth as well as improved family and teacher relations.
- Teachers are more effective with each other, administrative staff, parents and students, and are more satisfied with their jobs.
CREATING COLLABORATIONS
Trying to do this kind of work alone is so boring! And ineffective. So part of our mission statement asserts that we are forming and creating collaborations
to achieve a better Philadelphia. These collaborations can be across and within
agencies, schools, parent groups, businesses, health care partners, and more. Instead of working and living with a mentality of scarcity of resources and a culture of unnecessary competition, why not explore the possibility of mutual support and an abundance of resources?
This is what it could look like:
- Agencies, organizations, and businesses are communicating, collaborating, and cooperating with each other.
- New relationships, alliances, and sustained partnerships are working effectively to end youth violence and create opportunity.
AMONG LEADERS
We need to bring together our current leadership for more effective and sustained growth in Philadelphia. And we have so many emerging leaders and unidentified leaders who could - and already are in most cases – forging ahead with their creative energy. Let’s celebrate these leaders! Let’s find more and build more leaders. And let’s be thankful for the wonderful organizations that already cultivate our leaders of tomorrow such as Leadership Philadelphia, GPUAC, and the Chamber of Commerce to name a few. What does it look like when a leader arrives?
- The knowledge and skills of community leaders have been mobilized which has allowed all residents to accept personal responsibility, achieve their potential, and also to create positive and sustained change.
How do we end youth violence? To end youth violence, A BETTER PHILADELPHIA asks everyone– especially adults - to be accountable and responsible for their role in creating the current culture in which we live. Youth did not create this current culture of violence, adults did. And we as adults need to create a new, different, and positive Philadelphia.
A BETTER PHILADELPHIA’s strategy is to get to the root cause of violence. The root cause of violence is the way we think (or don’t think). The foundation (root cause) of all human action is human thought. Our thought process forms the foundation on which we build every facet of our lives. Therefore, is it important for each of us to understand how our minds work - how we got the habits, attitudes and beliefs that may stand in the way of creating fulfilling and purposeful lives. Our beliefs and expectations about ourselves, our families, our organizations, our communities- indeed, our world - are directly reflected in our own behaviors.
A BETTER PHILADELPHIA provides a variety of programs and services that target destructive and unproductive behaviors at their core, doing it one mind at a time. We work with communities to address violence at its root cause and to encourage personal and cultural change.
In essence, A BETTER PHILADELPHIA is a new approach to harness the existing critical mass in Philadelphia to bring hope, revive people’s spirits, and inspire the determination to create “a new normal” - a Philadelphia region that is safe, healthy, and happy. A similar effort is underway in Los Angeles where community leaders from a variety of sectors have joined hands to create a holistic, root-cause approach.
"Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it.
Boldness has genius, power and magic in it."
Johann Wolfgang bon Goetha
Meet Our Board of Directors
Each issue we will introduce a member of our Board of Directors
Introducing Gary DeSanto Vice Chair, A BETTER PHILADELPHIA
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Meet Gary DeSanto Gary L. DeSanto is Chief Executive Officer of the DeSanto Realty Group (DRG). Gary has served as Chief Executive Officer since 2000. He joined DRG in 1993 to help manage the firm’s portfolio of rental properties and to develop the firm’s growth strategy. In 2002, Gary identified a new growth opportunity in Tenant-in-Common (TIC) transactions, and began employing DRG’s real estate expertise to identify properties with solid cash flow in high-opportunity areas that would be attractive to TIC investors. Under Gary’s leadership, DRG developed the management and finance infrastructure to attack the growing TIC market, and today the company is widely regarded as an emerging leader in the TIC investment arena. Gary is a real estate industry expert who has been quoted in publications such as Debt & Equity Journal, The Philadelphia Business Journal, TIC Monthly, and Multi-Housing Forum, among others. Prior to joining DRG, Gary was a successful entrepreneur in the B2B services outsourcing industry. As such, he transacted business with some of the most recognizable multinational corporations in the world, including DuPont, 3M and PECO Energy, among others. Gary also served as a partner at Aston Financial, a residential mortgage brokerage firm, before leaving the operation to concentrate on his active real estate transaction business at DRG. |
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CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OUR NEW GRADUATES
Best Wishes to Our Most Recent Graduates!
Haddington - Cobbs Creek
Community Development Corporation (HCC-CdC):
We are so excited to be working with a group of dedicated leaders
from West Philadelphia who are determined to transform their
community through leadership and teambuilding workshops, and
strategy sessions with A BETTER PHILADELPHIA, the following
participants are ready to forge ahead:Lillian Smith, Community College of Philadelphia
Barbara Akins, HCC-CDC
Grace M. Lindsay, HCC-CDC
Dennis Sparks, Mercy Hospital
Ruth Bazemore, Block Coalition of Haddington
Jerome Napson, Head Start Learning Tree
Derise S. Stovall, Phila Commercial Development Corp
Phyllis Cater, Spectrum Health Services, Inc.
Norma Newberry, HCC-CDC
Nicole Thomas, Penn-Cheyney EXPORT Center
Betty Dowdy, Head Start Learning Tree
Skip Wiener, Urban Tree Connection
Terry Guerra, AchieveAbility
Danyl Patterson, President, HCC-CDC
Carolyn Harris, West Chestnut Street Educational Institute
Glen Pratt, AchieveAbility
Jamila Harris-Morrison, AchieveAbility
Richard Redding, Philadelphia City PlanningAUGUST 2006 TEACHER TRAINING PROGRAM:
Teachers and members of leadership teams from seven West
Philadelphia schools participated in and completed a 3 day workshop
designed to change the culture within their schools.From Bartram High School:
Earl Carter, John Cavella, Sandra Jordon, Jason Lafferty,
Constance McAlister, Jeff Romm, Beverly Yancey-Thomas
From Bryant Elementry School:
Craig Amarnick, Elizabeth Bechtel, Rosemary Burke, Oneka Milner
From Hamilton Elementry School:
Joyce Abbott, Sheila Colson, Annette Gittelman, Nancy McCafferty,
Barbara Thomas
From Overbrook High School:
Ingrid Bell, Kevin Leary, Patricia Mathis, George May,
Dorothy Plappert, Armetta Scott, Kathryn Sundeen
From Sayre High School:
Paul Allen, Teresa Brooks, Whitney Peterson-Dockett
From Turner Middle School:
Leatha Hawkins-Walker, William Hodge Sr.DECEMBER 2006 TEACHER TRAINING PROGRAM
Fourteen teachers and administrative staff took part in a 3-day workshop
designed to create a culture of academic excellence and safety at
Bartram High School. These participants were intrigued and inspired by
their peers who had attended the August Training Workshop.Jack Schaffer
Antoinette Calimag
Herman Daniel
Daniel Antolick
Lynette Jenkins
Peter Exarhoulakis
Robert Curry
Elaine Marra
Joanne T. Rossi
Sandra Jordan
Sharon Breslow
Necia H. Rashied
Deanna M. Stephan
Zankhana Sheth
A BETTER PHILADELPHIA JOINS GOODSEARCH
Search and Support!
How many times a day do you use the internet to find something? Well, every
time you search the internet, you could help us earn money! Just use GoodSearch as your search engine! The more you search, the more money A BETTER PHILADELPHIA raises, the more children, teachers, and communities we will reach.What is GoodSearch?
GoodSearch is a search engine which donates money to a charity or school
every time you search the Internet. The search engine is powered by Yahoo! so you will receive high quality search results and support your favorite organization – A BETTER PHILADELPHIA - while doing an everyday task.How does it work?
- On the GoodSearch homepage, select A Beter Philadelphia (or choose
from a list hundreds of thousands of charities or schools). You can even add your own favorite cause to the GoodSearch list.- Then search the Internet just like you would normally. Because the site is powered by Yahoo!, you will receive the same high-quality search results that you are accustomed to.
- Revenue generated from searches is then directed to A BETTER PHILADELPHIA (or another charity or school that you designate.)
How much money can my organization earn?
We estimate that each search will generate approximately $0.01 for the designated charity or school. Thus:
- A small charity or school with 100 supporters searching twice a day would receive $730 per year.
- A mid-sized charity or school with 1,000 supporters searching twice a day would receive $7,300 per year.
- And finally, a large charity or school with 10,000 supporters searching twice a day would receive $73,000 per year.
So Remember: Search GoodSearch and Support A Beter Philadelphia!
A Message From Mary
A BETTER PHILADELPHIA is pleased to provide a variety of programs and services designed to achieve our goal of ending youth violence. We have three main areas of programs and services: 1) community outreach, 2) leadership networking, and 3) organizational change. A description of one of our many workshop opportunities is provided in this issue. These programs are designed to challenge our thought processes and make way for positive individual and community change.
But what happens after the completion of a program? In addition to providing follow-up support to individuals and groups, we are in the midst of developing a process for alumni to meet and brainstorm about ways in which we can create positive cultural transformation in Philadelphia. We also engage in evaluation processes to provide feedback to participants and to continuously determine our progress and integrity. Finally, A BETTER PHILADELPHIA is also hosting a series of leadership networking events to provide opportunities for discussion, Participation, and fellowship.
I’m sure I’ll be seeing you soon!
MARY K. O’BRIEN
COMMUNITY WORKSHOPS
Start The Process of Change - Register Soon!
A Better Philadelphia is sponsoring 4-day workshops every month this year in the Haddington-Cobbs Creek community of West Philadelphia. The workshop, called Investment in Excellence,® is a powerful curriculum developed by The Pacific Institute.
The first 2 days of the workshop have a strong emphasis on personal growth. It is a seminar environment designed for reflection, insights, discussion, goal-setting, new commitments and building belief in strengths to affect change in oneself, family, organization and community.
The second half of Investment in Excellence continues to build on personal growth while also building a strong collective focus. The seminar is designed to support the community’s growth, team building, and address issues as they impact the specific group.
Once participants have completed the 4-day workshop, they become candidates for the Facilitator Training Workshop. This is a 2-day workshop that prepares persons to conduct the Investment in Excellence workshops.
For more information, dates and to register for these workshops visit the Schedule of Events page.
Space is limited in each workshop!
Other Issues
April 2006 (PDF)
April 2006 (HTML)
Contact Information
A Better Philadelphia, Inc.
PO Box 58132
Philadelphia, PA 19102T: 215.884.7238
F: 480.247.5277
A Better Philadelphia, Inc. is a non-profit organization serving the Delaware Valley to end youth violence.