On Friday, February 2, 2018, twenty-four Penn’s Village members and volunteers, board, advisory board and committee members met to envision the Penn’s Village of 2023, establish strategic priorities and generate exciting possibilities for advancing those priorities over the next three to five years.

We began with a frank discussion of our distinguishing strengths, critical priorities and needs. The services and programs we offer are perceived as high quality and the dynamic Philadelphia communities we serve offer many opportunities for growth and enrichment. And, there was consensus that we have a strong sense of mission and a stable infrastructure with dedicated, talented and passionate members, volunteers and staff.

There is still work to do.  We need to get the Penn’s Village word out, increasing  our visibility so that more of our neighbors join and volunteer.  Our reach to the business community needs to be broadened so they understand what a vital asset Penn’s Village is to Central Philadelphians…and their business. The Penn’s Village leadership ‘bench’ needs to be strengthened with more mentoring of the next generation.

Many thanks to our energetic consultants Andy Mozenter and Corky Potter for their innovative and, frankly, fun approach to strategic thinking, and to board members Lois Evans, Mindy Mozenter and Avalie Saperstein who put much effort into making the day as productive as possible.

We move now to action planning, defining the specific steps that we need to take and assigning responsibilities so that our vision, mission and strategic goals are achieved.

We Are Listening to You

To all our members and volunteers who took the time to complete our recent Penn’s Village survey, a big THANK YOU.   We very much appreciate your responses and positivity.  As your thoughtful comments get integrated into our strategic planning, we thought you might like to know some of the survey results.

A New Way to Reach Out

Look for the launch of the Penn's Village blog in March. This year's theme, Taking Charge - Striving To Be Our Best Selves, will include timely topics for each month from tips for summer travel to planning for the holidays and interesting stories for interesting people. New blog posts will be shared on our website and social media sites.

Are You Interested in Joining Our New Men’s Group?

The Penn’s Village Men’s Group has launched. Members and volunteers, male of course, will be getting together to share common interests; for example, current affairs. The group has met twice so far.  The Group is still welcoming new members, so let us know by emailing info@pennsvillage.org or calling 215 925 7333.

It will be Spring!

We greet Spring on April 11 with Author Tom McAllister speaking about his new book How to be Safe. On April 30 we will Remember the Titanic with Mark Klinger and on April 25 Penn professor professor Kermit Roosevelt will challenge our traditional view of the Declaration of Independence and Constitution.  We welcome another Philadelphia author on April 30: Thom Nichols will introduce us to Philadelphia Mansions. More information at www. pennsvillage.org.

Thank You to Our Business Supporters

Many thanks to volunteer Maria Cesare and to The Verizon Foundation. Marie, a Verizon employee, contributed over 50 hours of caring to our members in 2017 and The Verizon Foundation recognized her service by donating $750 to Penn’s Village. We welcome new business sponsor Nova Hair Salon, located at 1324 Locust Street. Our local businesses are our neighbors.