Would you believe it’s been over a year now since the John C. Anderson LGBT-friendly senior apartments opened to much fanfare? Well, all of us involved in the process of developing the building have been so exhausted from the quick four-year building project that we didn’t plan a celebration.
But, all you have to do to celebrate is walk into the building and meet the residents. To this day, whenever I get the chance, I wander on over there and it just inspires me.
The residents are more than what any of us on the board of Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld Fund ever expected. Many of them have become true community and neighborhood activists. Numerous organizations have utilized the building for their own events and fundraisers. My personal favorite event at the JCAA over the last year happened just a few weeks ago.
The National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association and the Haas Foundation’s annual LGBT Media Convening, a convention of LGBT journalists and bloggers from around the country, was held for the second time in Philadelphia in March. About 70 writers converged on the city, many of whom had heard of the project and wanted to visit JCAA. So, we offered up a cocktail party with our residents.
Most of the summit attendees were young and the interaction between them and the residents was amazing to watch. The residents led groups of 10 on tours of the building and many even opened their apartments to show them their new homes.
The building has won lots of accolades in the last year, but watching the residents show off their homes was worth so much more than any award.