LIFT-Philadelphia hosted its 2nd Annual Spring Celebration on April 14, 2011 at the Racquet Club of Philadelphia and welcomed over 120 guests to celebrate LIFT’s impact in the Philadelphia community.
Guests learned about LIFT’s tremendous impact this year, including the recruitment of more than 100 volunteers who are on track to provide resources and support for more than 2,500 individuals and families in Philadelphia. LIFT-Philadelphia also announced plans to grow and expand LIFT’s work with an expanded office space in West Philadelphia.
LIFT-Philadelphia volunteer Danielle Bainbridge shared her story of impact as a volunteer, working with clients to find jobs and access public benefits, even helping a widow file her taxes for the first time this year. She said that her LIFT experience will undoubtedly impact her life and career trajectory going forward.
LIFT-Philadelphia client Gary Farmer spoke about his 18-year career as an airline employee that was brought to a halt by an injury in 2008 – coinciding with the recession’s impact on the job market. He found LIFT-Philadelphia and worked with them to draft cover letters and revise his resume: “the best resume in the world” as he said. With LIFT-Philadelphia’s help, Gary secured two jobs immediately and is now working as a subcontractor with the Philadelphia Water Department. He expressed his sincere gratitude for the assistance that LIFT volunteers provided him, and is excited to continue moving forward, raising his son Khalil and marrying his fiance Sharon this year.
We want to extend a huge thank-you to Fred and Suzie Fletcher for their ongoing support, as well as our Host Committee, our staff and volunteers, and everyone in the room for their overwhelming enthusiasm and support.
For those still interested in giving to LIFT-Philadelphia, please visit www.liftcommunities.org/donate and support the work of our clients and volunteers on behalf of the Philadelphia community.
Visit our Flickr pages for photos from the event, courtesy of Albert Yee.