SquashSmartsNews |
PFCF Helps Feed 151 SqSm Families
Wednesday, April 29, 2020
One phone call turned an altruistic idea into a kinetic delivery project thanks to the Philly Family Covid Fund, Tania Rorke and a partnership with SquashSmarts, SCH Squash, and the Union League of Philadelphia What started as a grassroots effort launched by Melissa & Josh Haims last month became the Philly Family Covid Fund (PFCF) raisuing funds to support local restaurants who, in turn, provide meals to local organizations. Since inception on March 25, 2020, PFCF has raised $23,000+ from 197 donors to feed first responders, nursing homes, food banks, and -- last Monday -- SquashSmarts students and families. To date, PFCF has provided meals to more than two dozen organizations partnering with over 20 restaurants and caterers. [Complete List At Bottom] "When this is all over," says Josh Haims, "we want to remember this time not for how much stress it was, but for how much good we were able to do for people in this city." Read how Melissa & Josh launched PFCF. SquashSmarts' project began when Rorke reached out to Jeanie Shanahan, Nabilla Ariffin and Stephen Gregg. A Thursday concept call lead to a firm commitment on Monday to personally deliver fresh groceries to every single SquashSmarts student, staff, alumni and immediate family member who might need and want them. It would be SquashSmarts first and PFCF's largest direct-to-residence delivery effort during the current crises. Within hours, Rorke mobilized a network: volunteer drivers from the SCH squash teams (where her two daughters played competitively); $5,000+ in groceries purchased/transported from restaurant supply stores; WhatsApp project communication; printed delivery instructions; addresses mapped with phone numbers (but no names to mantain privacy); and safe, sanitized prep spaces at the Union League-Torresdale Club House where volunteers met Monday at 2:00pm to package thousands of food items for delivery based upon each household's size. As 'conductor of the orchestra', Rorke oversaw each detail with SquashSmarts staff providing 20-years of experience working directly with families in North and West Philadelphia. Logistics ranged from 10:00pm texts, to constant spreadsheet updates, to 7:00am emails about the healthiest grocery options which ultimately included: milk, eggs, bread, pasta, marinara sauce, fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, beans, rice, homemade cookies, and more. The result: 200 bags of fresh groceries delivered personally and directly to SquashSmarts students, families and alumni – 622 Philadelphians living in 151 households around the city – in under five hours. Equally meaningful: the community of Philadelphian's who came together (or, technically, six feet apart) who might no otherwise have met if not for PFCF's vision and the common bond of squash. In one afternoon, PFCF made the City of Love & Affection a bit more Brotherly and a bit more Sisterly... "Huge thank you and shout out to SquashSmarts for taking care of our [SquashSmarts partner school] Overbrook Education Center students and families. J. loves be a member of the team." "Our son G. and his family would just like to thank everyone at SquashSmarts who took time out of their very busy schedules to pick up food and necessities for our family. We would also like to thank you, Ross [Squash Director], for taking time out of your busy schedule to deliver the food and necessities to our home... It will help us get through this pandemic... Along with the food and necessities, G. was very excited to receive a squash ball, so that he would be able to practice his squash skills during the pandemic... We just wanted to let the SquashSmarts staff know that we really appreciate all that SquashSmarts do and has done for G and our family. Again, Thank You All! Sincerely, G. and Family Round Two? A second group of friends and donors are discussing a separate effort to deliver VISA gift cards, cleaning products, and hand sanitizer to every SquashSmarts family . Special thanks to PFCF Founders, Donors & Volunteers, SCH Boys & Girls Squash Teams, Union League of Philadephia Staff, and SquashSmarts Students, Families & Staff who 'rallied' together: Nabilla Ariffin, Ross Bolling, Quinetta Bowden, Tempest Bowden, Sandee Cataldi, Alix Cummin, Megan Douglas, Debby Dowlin, Diana Giegerich, Stephen Gregg, Joshua Haims, Melissa Moddonni Haims, Steve Majewski, Anna Mazzarelli, Celia Mazzarelli, Christian Mazzarelli, Janine Mazzarelli, Joe Millman, Liz Pearson, Lucy Pearson, Margaret Pearson, Kareem Price, Grace Rorke, Tania Rorke, Jose Rubert-Zayas, Sarah Scanlin, Susan Scanlin, Tommy Scanlin, Vera Sciarra, Jeanie Shanahan, Amy Spiller, Charlotte Stahlecker, Hilary Stahlecker, Ernie Tracy, Winslow Tracy, Ashley Trawick, Austin Youngren, Malcolm Youngren, Ava Zimmer, Dana Zimmer, and Roz. PFCF has provided meals to: Broad Street Ministries, Sunday Breakfast Mission, Stenton Manor, Face to Face (St. Vincents), Chestnut Hill Meals on Wheels, Germantown Boys and Girls Club, Roxborough Home for Women, Interfaith Hospitality and now – SquashSmarts. PFCF has delivered meals to: Bryn Mawr Hospital Covid ICU (day and evening shift), HUP Covid ICU (day shift), Jefferson ER and Covid ICU Units (evening Shift) Einstein Medical Center (evening shift), 14th Precinct Police Station (day and evening shifts), Philadelphia Fire Department - Engine Houses 9 and 37 (day and evening shifts) Chestnut Hill and Germantown Post Offices, Bryn Mawr ER (day and evening shifts – all staff and security), Narberth Ambulance (4 Locations) and NE and SW Philabundance Warehouse workers PFCF has supported these Restaurants & Caters: Baker Street, Barry’s Buns, Brendenbecks Bakery, Bridge Foys, Campbell’s Place, Carlino’s, Cry Baby Pasta, Brick and Brew, Chestnut Hill Brewing Company, Cosimos, Fiesta Pizza, Gabriella Catering, Gypsy, High Point Café, Jansen, Leporbaq, Locals Café, McKloskey’s, Night Kitchen Bakery, Taqueria Feliz Zsa’s, Union League of Philadelphia, Viggianos, Weavers Way Co-op and Zsa’s Icecream. SquashSmarts Press Inquiries: Community Impact Director Nabilla Ariffin College Acceptances + Carols Kids Scholarships
Friday, March 27, 2020
Carols Kids Awards Two College Scholarships Aaliyah Galloway earns $1,000 Grant High School Senior just accepted to Chatham University 8-year SquashSmarts Team Member Monish Das earns $1,000 Grant Drexel University College Senior, double majoring in Psychology & Philosophy 12-year SquashSmarts Team Member & Alumna 4-Year SquashSmarts Volunteer Tutor College & Career Program Acceptances Katherine Burgos to Chatham University Kyla Core to Mount Holyoke College Aaliyah Galloway to Chatham University Anthony Islam to Syracuse University Daniel Islam to Chatham University Melliah Santos to City Year Students First: 100% Committed during Pandemic
Wednesday, March 25, 2020
In response to the recent pandemic, SquashSmarts Board of Directors has made an early and firm committment to retain and full and part-time staff so that they can remain focused on supporting our Students and Families Needs Assessment: 3 Points of Contact per Week per Family
Continued Virtual Learning
Continued Volunteer Support
New Focus Groups
SPECIAL COVID-19 ANNOUNCEMENT
Wednesday, March 13, 2020
SquashSmarts will be closed until further notice due to community health concerns and state requirements. Ostaff remains committed to our students and will be contact each family 2-3 times per week until we re-open. We encourage every student and family you to call or email our staff for any reason. Mientras nuestro programa está cerrado hasta nuevo aviso debido a problemas de salud de la comunidad y requisitos estatales, nuestro personal llamará a cada familia 2-3 veces por semana hasta que reabramos. También le recomendamos que llame o envíe un correo electrónico a nuestro personal por cualquier motivo CANCELLED: Philly Public League Squash Championships
Wednesday, March 15, 2020
SquashSmarts, the official provider of Squash for the School District of Philadelphia (SDoP), has cancelled the launch of the inaugural Philadelphia Public League Squash (PPLS) Individual and Team Squash Championships orginally schedule for March 20 and April 3. The tournament will be reschedule for a later date and will remain open to any of the 200,000+ girls and boys in our city's public schools and 100% free to all SDoP Entrants! Individual Squash Championships - CANCELED Date: Friday-Saturday, March 20-21 Venue: SquashSmarts Lenfest Center, 3890 North 10th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19140 Divisions: High School Girls & Boys/Co-Ed; Middle School Girls & Boys/Co-Ed Questions: Joe Millman 215-221-6860 Sign Up Team Squash Championships - CANCELED Date: Friday-Saturday, April 3-4 Venue: SquashSmarts Lenfest Center, 3890 North 10th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19140 Divisions: High School Girls & Boys/Co-Ed; Middle School Girls & Boys/Co-Ed Questions: Joe Millman 215-221-6860 Sign Up Dreams & Detours by Quinetta Bowden
Tuesday, December 30, 2019
"There are many important values, but PASSION is what drives my everyday life and actions. Passion steered my life in 2016. After completing two years with City Year, I had two job offers: one as a School Teacher in New Jersey, the other as an Academic Director for SquashSmarts. I chose SquashSmarts. Why? At the time, I was passionate about giving back to the youth program and family that had given me so much as a young student. I'm still quite certain my dream job is to teach 9th grade English – and choosing the job in NJ would have put me on a path toward that dream sooner – but at 24 I decided to take a detour... A detour that lead me to discover something I'm even more passionate about than a dream job: SquashSmarts To say that this program has given me a lot isn’t sufficient. When I joined SquashSmarts in 6th grade I was a very different person than I am now. I was more shy and reserved. That doesn’t mean who I am now didn’t exist then, it was just buried under so much fear, concern and anxiety. SquashSmarts gave – and gives – me the space to be who I am and it now allows me to work with students and give them the space they need to be who they are. In middle school, this is especially important as many of our girls and boys are just starting to discover themselves, their identities and their passions. Now my passion is to make sure those young people are kind to each another and kind to the space they are in, and to help each one of them stay and grow and learn in a safe, caring place. In short, following my passion lead me to a dream I didn’t know I had: being 'me' in space that invites and encourages others to be who they are too. On behalf of our SquashSmarts family, I want to thank you all of for making the Dreams and the Detours of our student-athletes - including mine - possible. - Quinetta Bowden Middle School Academic Director Alumna, Class of 2009 A SquashSmarts Holiday Week
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#1... A Mother's Gift
Merylin Vega-Rivera, mother of SqSm 9th grader Francisco, created a FaceBook page to spread this message: “SquashSmarts helps kids emotionally, mentally, and they look after the Children's Health... I'm so happy for my son and this wonderful program because being a single and disabled mom it’s hard for me to be able to spend time like I wish I could with my son... Thanks to this program my son stays out of trouble and gets out of the house to have fun... Please Donate. #2... A Global Voice In August, SqSm Community Impact Director Nabilla Ariffin was 1 of 20 young leaders invited to Lake Como, Italy by the International Youth Foundation, Carnegie Mellon University and Rockefeller Foundation to discuss 17 U.N. Global Sustainability Development Goals. Last week, Nabilla was the sole non-profit representative invited to a round-table at the Brookings Institute in Washington, D.C. to continue the conversation with city officials from around the U.S.. This Friday, Nabilla will host I.Y.F. President Susan Reichle during YouthBuild's Global Opportunity Summit in Philadelphia addressing youth unemployment. Finally, the London-based International Youth Federation named Nabilla its Director for Bureau of Sports - a voluntary post connecting innovative sports leaders around the globe! “Global change happens locally,” says Ariffin, “and each opportunity is a unique chance for me to showcase SquashSmarts' high-quality, high-impact work with kids.” Press Release Here #3... Intense Academics Did You Know SquashSmarts Academic Directors: - Teach a year-round curriculum? - Run two academic sessions per day, 5 days per week? - Meet with every child's parent, teacher and counselor? - Give bus/subway tokens to high school students for every practice? - Pick up and drive middle school students from school every day? - Collect, track and discuss report cards with every child? - Manage college placement, SAT and financial aid for every 12th graders? - Manage high school placement for every 8th grader? - Rely on 90+ volunteers to tutor students in our classrooms? - Oversee two national academic essay contests? - Support 70+ alumni through college, career and financial counseling? - Organize 80+ summer opportunities for our student-athletes? 4... 2019 Pierce Junior Squash Tournament 89 kids from Washington state to Washington, D.C. gathered last weekend at SqSm for the 2018 Pierce Junior Silver, a US Squash-sanctioned tournament named in honor of the Pierce family and created to promote access and friendly competition among new, up-and-coming squash players. 5... SquashSmarts in Tennessee? SquashSmarts 'flew south for the winter' thanks to Scenic City Squash Club Director Richard Millman who hired SqSm 7-year graduate Jose Rupert-Zayas to help create and coach four new school programs in Chattanooga, TN. Check Out Jose's First Lesson |