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Swarthmore alums use their tech skills to deliver PPE to health care workers across the U.S.

Jessica Press

June 03, 2020 |

The Philadelphia Citizen |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

A group of tech-savy Swarthmore College alumni are helping to get a surplus of personal protective equipment into the hands of the medical professionals who need it most. Tapping into communities where it's not uncommon to have spare PPE due to environmental reasons such as wildfires, the group created a database that pairs donors with recipients. The process has allowed for more than 666,000 masks transferred to health care workers nationwide.

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The Precisionists pairs people with autism in jobs in which they'll thrive

Jessica Press

April 06, 2020 |

The Philadelphia Citizen |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Wilmington, Delaware

A technology service company based in Wilmington, DE hires neurodiverse employees, people with developmental disabilities, to fulfill roles that they may typically be overlooked for despite their skillsets. TPI avoids the typical hiring practices that include interviews, small talk, or eye contact. Instead, they are tested through complicated LEGO kits, allowing potential employees to shine within their comfort zones. TPI's hiring practices have been so successful that they are in the process of scaling their business to other cities in order to tap into this typically overlooked pool of candidates.

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Penn alums use 3-D printers to make face masks for local medical workers

Jessica Press

April 06, 2020 |

The Philadelphia Citizen |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

A group of University of Pennsylvania alums are working together to combine their skills and knowledge to make 3-D printed NIH-approved face shields for healthcare workers to use during the coronavirus pandemic. After using crowdfunding to support the project, and working with healthcare workers to perfect the design, the group is now being asked to send their face shields throughout the country.

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Leveling the Playing Field

Jessica Press

February 24, 2020 |

The Philadelphia Citizen |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States

Black Girl Ventures levels the playing field for women of color who seek capital for their business ventures. Entrepreneurs are invited to pitch their ideas at crowdfunded sessions, which means the funding varies depending on the size of the crowd and its willingness to invest. In addition to capital, BGV recognizes the need for minorities to access a network, mentoring, and business coaching to navigate the systems necessary to build a business. The nonprofit has chapters in several cities and works with local organizations that are already in place helping black businesses.

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Our Closet provides clothing—and dignity—to Philadelphians of all walks of life

Jessica Press

February 19, 2020 |

The Philadelphia Citizen |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

A Philadelphia program called Our Closet offers a judgement-free way for people to access high-quality donated clothes without any barriers to entry—no paperwork, referral, or ID needed. As their services grew, they joined with Jewish Family and Children’s Services (JFCS) to open 18 pop-up retail-style locations around the city. 90% of their donations come from community members, and "in 2019 alone, Our Closet held 85 pop-ups, distributing 33,451 items of clothing, shoes, and accessories via 6,208 shopping experiences and 575 crises and reentry packages with the help of 2,524 volunteers."

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Free Our Youth

Jessica Press

January 28, 2020 |

The Philadelphia Citizen |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Philadelphia’s Youth Art & Self-Empowerment Project (YASP) offers support for youth experiencing incarceration. Funded by personal donations and grants, they offer art workshops and classes on how to navigate the justice system, manage funds to bail individuals out, and advocate for criminal justice reform. Their advocacy also helped end the practice of sentencing juveniles to life without parole.

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Honeycomb Credit expands to Philly to help small business owners get crowdsourced loans

Jessica Press

January 14, 2020 |

The Philadelphia Citizen |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Founded in Pittsburgh, Honeycomb Credit expands to Philadelphia as a way to offer small businesses help with microfinance challenges. The company hosts a platform that allows businesses to create fundraising profiles; community members can watch a video about the business and decide to invest and receive monthly payouts from their contribution.

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Citizens of the Week Gaye Harley and Jamie Powell

Jessica Press

August 12, 2019 |

The Philadelphia Citizen |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Wilmington, Delaware

In Wilmington, Delaware, Gaye Harley repurposes her hospital's operating room wraps, the oversize sheets of synthetic material used to package instruments, into portable maps for the homeless. Instead of disposing of the materials, she has urged the hospital to recycle them into nearly 100 mats and counting. They have also used the mats to make tote bags, which they distribute with donated socks, also to the homeless.

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Social Media for...Good?

Jessica Press

July 08, 2019 |

The Philadelphia Citizen |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

After providing emotional support to peers who were struggling with suicidal thoughts, a college student in Philadelphia created a Twitter group "to prevent suicide and raise awareness for mental health." Although not a replacement for professional help, the Buddy Project has provided support for 230,000 people worldwide and raised $36,000 for mental health and recovery centers.

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Free Childcare at City Meetings

Jessica Press

May 22, 2019 |

The Philadelphia Citizen |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Ithaca, New York

In Ithaca, New York, city meetings are now offering free childcare to parents who want to civically engage but are unable to do so because of childcare responsibilities. Recognizing that their meetings skewed older and whiter than their demographic reality, the city instituted the low cost, high reward policy.

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