Thanking Comcast Cares
I’m most grateful that Comcast and NBC employees rallied and decided to ask their employer to include Mazzoni Center in their Comcast Cares Day this past Saturday, April 21. About 55 Comcast employees helped us scrub down Mazzoni’s medical center at 809 Locust St., completely clean inside and out Washington West Project at 1201 Locust, paint a bunch of walls and ceilings, add new shelving units to our basement and put in new wooden floors in two large rooms. The floors are beautiful cherry-wood planks and were donated by Dan Higgins Wood Flooring Warehouse in Medford, N.J. The large crew came equipped with breakfast and lunch for everyone and about a dozen Mazzoni Center staff joined in the work for the day. With Comcast, we also put together 200 media packets and produced a mailing for 600 all by hand.
Although the heat got up to almost 80 degrees by the end of the day, the enthusiasm and the energy didn’t wane. Many wanted to come back and offered to do so. Our CFO was ecstatic with the quality of the work and the executive director, Nurit Shein, was equally amazed by the contributions that came to us all in one day. We are appreciative of the value of the gifts in kind, which was estimated at $16,177.58. This is truly an awesome gift to the entire community.
About 1,000 people visit our health center each month and at least 7,000 step through the doors of Washington West Project each year. These individuals are in part why Comcast chose to support Mazzoni Center for the Comcast Cares Day. Thank you to all who participated to make this happen. — Perry Monastero Director of Development & Marketing, Mazzoni Center
In response to “SEPTA to drop gender markers in 2013,” April 20-26:
While I am elated at the news, please note that we are not completely out of the woods yet, as there are many months that we will still have gender stickers, and I can envision at least something holding it back (i.e., perhaps maybe the board could end up upholding the gender stickers). I will celebrate when I finally see a pass that does not have gender markers on it.
Things tend to move at a snail’s pace in Pennsylvania, and we have been burned before. I am happy at the news, but we need to be ever vigilant.
— JordanGwendolynDavis
In response to “Why I’m voting for Babette Josephs,” April 20-26:
Just a quick layer of perspective to add to this.
We wouldn’t just be electing an openly gay leader: We’d be unseating the highest seniority and staunchest advocate for LGBT rights in the state legislature and installing a freshman.
“Ideas” can come from anywhere (isn’t that part of the reason PGN exists, to leverage an under-heard voice into the conversation?). What you can’t replace is the procedural power that comes from having someone on your side who has survived enough battles to gain an important committee chair. In a state like Pennsylvnia that seems to tread water a few lengths behind the arc of history in terms of LGBT civil rights, Mr. Pinto is correct that having a committee chair in place who can put some weight down on destructive and unjust bills is invaluable.
Symbolic victories feel good, but they don’t do much good.
— itsbd