Big Brothers Big Sisters of America is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization whose goal is to help all children reach their potential through professionally supported, one-to-one relationships with volunteer mentors.
Elizabeth Griscom Ross, née Griscom, also known by her second and third married names, Ashburn and Claypoole, was an American upholsterer who has been credited in the past with making the first American flag. According to Ross family tradition, General George Washington, commander-in-chief of the Continental Army and two members of a congressional committee--Robert Morris and George Ross--visited Mrs. Ross in 1776. Mrs. Ross convinced George Washington to change the shape of the stars in a sketch of a flag he showed her from six-pointed to five-pointed by demonstrating that it was easier and speedier to cut the latter. However, there is no archival evidence or other recorded verbal tradition to substantiate this story of the first American flag. It appears that the story first surfaced in the writings of her grandson in the 1870s, with no mention or documentation in earlier decades.
Nancy Hanks (1927–1983) was the second chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). She was appointed by President Richard M. Nixon and served from 1969 to 1977, continuing her service under President Gerald R. Ford. During this period, Hanks was active in the fight to save the historic Old Post Office building in Washington, D.C. from demolition. In 1983, it was officially renamed the Nancy Hanks Center, in her honor.
Sigma Delta Tau (ΣΔΤ) is a national sorority and member of the National Panhellenic Conference. The original name, Sigma Delta Phi, was changed after the women discovered a sorority with the same name already existed.
Violet Oakley was an American artist. She was the first American woman to receive a public mural commission. During the first quarter of the twentieth century, she was renowned as a pathbreaker in mural decoration, a field that had been exclusively practiced by men. Oakley excelled at murals and stained glass designs that addressed themes from history and literature in Renaissance-revival styles.
Founded in 1901, The Savoy Company is the oldest amateur theater company in the world dedicated solely to the production of the 13 surviving operas of Gilbert and Sullivan. Based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the Savoy Company has performed at the spacious Academy of Music and Longwood Gardens, where it was invited by founder Pierre S. du Pont.
Edward Michel Khayat is a thirty-five year National Football League veteran, ten years as a player and twenty-five as a coach. He was a starting defensive tackle for the victorious Philadelphia Eagles in the 1960 NFL Championship Game and later their head coach in 1971 and 1972. He has been inducted into six Halls of Fame. Currently he serves on the Former Players Board of Directors of the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA).
Blondell Reynolds Brown is an American politician and member of the Democratic Party. She is currently serving her fifth term as a member of Philadelphia City Council.
The Ed Block Courage Award is an annual award presented to selected players in the National Football League (NFL), who are voted for by their teammates as role models of inspiration, sportsmanship, and courage. Named in memory of Ed Block, a well-liked humanitarian and trainer for the Baltimore Colts, the award is administered by the Ed Block Courage Award Foundation. Sponsorship proceeds promote the prevention of child abuse by raising awareness of the epidemic and assisting agencies who provide for the care and treatment of abused children.
Christine M. "Tina" Tartaglione is a Democratic member of the Pennsylvania State Senate, representing the 2nd District since 1995. The district is located in lower Northeast Philadelphia.
Rosemarie Greco began her career in the Financial Services industry as a bank-branch secretary; ultimately rising to the distinction of being recognized as the highest-ranking woman in banking in the United States. She currently is co-Chair of VISION 2020, a national initiative for women's economic and social equality that works with affiliated organizations to advance the issues most important to women.
Empower Orphans is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization which intends to address the problems associated with orphans and abandoned children, and children born into homes living in poverty. The organization’s goal is to help create self-sufficiency by supplying children with the tools to gain a basic education and technical skills to enable a sustainable livelihood. In addition to education, Empower Orphans provides food, clothing, health care, and medical supplies to establish an effective learning environment.
Ariana Brannigan Kelly is an American politician from Maryland and a member of the Democratic Party. She currently serves in the Maryland House of Delegates. She has represented District 16 since 2010, which is located in Montgomery County, and includes Bethesda, Cabin John, Glen Echo and parts of Chevy Chase, Potomac and Rockville. Kelly lives in the Wyngate neighborhood.
Lynn Hardy Yeakel is an American administrator and political figure. She is the Director of Drexel University College of Medicine's Institute for Women's Health and Leadership and holds the Betty A. Cohen Chair in Women's Health. Yeakel conducted an unsuccessful campaign for the U.S. Senate in 1992.
Christina Weiss Lurie is a documentary producer, philanthropist and minority owner of the Philadelphia Eagles.
JoAnne A. Epps is an American law professor, legal author, and Executive Vice President and Provost of Temple University. Epps' primary areas of expertise include criminal procedure, evidence and trial advocacy. She teaches Litigation Basics, a required course for first-year law students at Temple. Named by National Jurist as one of the 25 most influential leaders in legal education, her commitment to curricular innovation and experiential legal education inspired the creation of the Stephen and Sandra Sheller Center for Social Justice at Temple Law School, which introduces students to the many roles that lawyers can play in securing access to civil justice. Her students have included lawyers from China, Bosnia and Japan. She has trained Sudanese lawyers representing victims of the Darfur crisis, and taught prosecutors for the UN International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. She has been named as a potential Barack Obama Supreme Court candidate. Before becoming Temple's Provost, she served as Dean of Temple University Beasley School of Law from 2008-2016. Epps joined the Temple Law School as a faculty member in 1985 and then served as associate dean for Academic Affairs from 1989 to 2008. Prior to coming to Temple, Epps was an Assistant U.S. Attorney in Philadelphia and a Deputy City Attorney for the City of Los Angeles. Epps received a B.A. from Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, and a J.D. from Yale Law School.
Shefali Razdan Duggal is an Indian-born American Democratic political activist. She was appointed by President Barack Obama to the United States Holocaust Memorial Council, which supervises the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, for a term which expired in January 2018.
