February Newsletter: FC on TV, Fracking Discussion, Friends Journal job opening

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S NOTE

Friends Center—Famous in Chile!

Last summer we had a visit from Chilean TV personality Federico Sánchez. His original show, “CityTour,” features the architecture, culture, and people of Chilean cities. For his second show, “CityTour on Tour,” he does the same while visiting cities in other countries.

                While in Philadelphia, he and his film crew stopped in at Friends Center. They interviewed Robin Mohr, executive secretary of the Friends World Committee for Consultation (FWCC), Section of the Americas. (Special thanks to Ralph Medley of AFSC for introducing Sánchez to us that day.)

                The whole episode is now on YouTube. Friends Center is featured from 28:15 to 31:15. It’s fun to see the Race Street Quaker Meetinghouse from a different, global perspective!

– Chris Mohr, Executive Director

AROUND FRIENDS CENTER

COMPOSTING CHANGES

Friends Center has changed composting companies to better fit what we dispose of and to keep up with changes in the composting industry.

Here is what we will be collecting:

  • Paper towels from the restrooms
  • Compostable paper plates. They should not have anything printed on them, or any type of coating.
  • All food items, including meat.

We will no longer collect:

  • compostable plastics (cups and utensils).

We are in the process of deploying new signage to help make sense of the changes. We all strive to compost as much as possible, but please keep in mind that getting the wrong materials in the collection bins hinders the sorting process, so please remember: “When in doubt, throw it out.”

If you have questions, please contact Erick Emerick at (215) 241-7190 or eemerick@friendscentecorp.org.

Environmental Event

AMERICAN FRIENDS SERVICE COMMITTEE (AFSC)

“Our federal budget should be used to improve our communities, not tear them apart.”

Article: Trump’s budget is bad for New Hampshire! By Maggie Fogarty and Sandra Pontoh

PHILADELPHIA YEARLY MEETING (PYM)

The Annual Sessions 2020 Workshop application proposals are now being accepted.

Please consider sharing your work and witness, as well as your gifts and skills with the yearly meeting at Annual Sessions.
Annual Sessions will be at The College of New Jersey from July 29 through August 2, 2020.

To be considered for a workshop, please fill out an application:

  • There is a firm deadline of February 28, 2020. We will not be able to accept applications past the deadline this year.
  • The workshop dates are Thursday, July 30th, Friday, July 31st, and Saturday, August 1st.
  • Workshops are 3 hours, with a 1 or 2 day option.

CENTRAL PHILADELPHIA MONTHLY MEETING (CPMM)

CPMM is one local point of Light in a wider constellation of Quaker organizations. We are directly affiliated with some and more loosely associated with others. We provide links to these organizations’ websites here.

TENANT NEWS

Friends Council on Education invites you to join them for the following panel workshop they are hosting on the opening day of the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) 2020 Conference in Philadelphia.

Legacy and Future: Quaker Education Preparing Students to Transform the World

A panel of Friends school alumni educators share how their experience of Friends education has lead them to where they are today.

Wednesday, February 26, 2020

Friends Center

4pm-5pm with closing worship until 5:30, followed by a reception at Con Murphy.

Panelists:

Darryl Ford (Friends Select School ‘83)

Rachel Kane (Westtown ‘98)
Lee Payton (Friends Select School ‘95)
Drew Smith (Westtown ‘82) – moderator and host

Rebecca Zug (Westtown ‘89)

Philadelphia Lawyers for Social Equity (PLSE)

Two Temple Law students join Philadelphia Lawyers for Social Equity for the spring term.

The only possible way PLSE can file 3,000 expungement petitions per year with just two staff attorneys is by relying on law students for help.

OF INTEREST OUTSIDE FRIENDS CENTER

  • Philadelphia, otherwise known as the City of Brotherly Love, changed its nickname Thursday in honor of the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment. The city’s honorary nickname will be the City of Sisterly Love until the end of 2020!