Dr. Ronald Patrick McManus, Jr. dedicated his career to giving back to the community and providing valuable resources. He worked as a Family Medicine Faculty Physician at Thomas Jefferson University for 25 years before sadly passing away last month. "There is nothing that he would not do to support those he worked with. He was available after hours and would guide young people in getting the best care possible," says Gwen Bailey, Vice President of HopePHL Programs. Gwen collaborated with Dr. McManus from the beginning, when he first had the idea to bring a medical clinic to the teen shelter in 1995.

Dr. McManus served as the Medical Director for Youth Emergency Service (YES) adolescent health program. During his peak involvement, he was at YES twice a week, supervising four to five residents from Jefferson’s Department of Family and Community Medicine who conducted health assessments and provided individualized follow-ups.

He also established a connection between YES and the summer resident program at Jefferson called Bridging the Gap. This initiative brought two medical residents to YES, where they designed and implemented a summer program based on activities requested by teens. These included both fun and educational activities.

Dr. McManus was devoted to supporting teens in need and made himself available for consultations at any time of day or night. He provided counseling to teens in a trauma-sensitive manner. Even after concluding his tenure with Jefferson, he continued to contribute in different ways, especially during the holiday season where he would fulfill wish lists for the teens at YES, to ensure that they were able to experience the joy of the holidays. Additionally, he served on the board of Youth Service, Inc.

We are deeply grateful for the years of service that Dr. McManus contributed to our community. In honor of his legacy in community medicine, we will be naming the Wellness Room at YES after him. Additionally, we will feature a permanent health-related article in our monthly newsletter, titled "The McManus Memo." He will be greatly missed, but his impact will be lasting.

In the face of overwhelming adversity, a single mother of six fought every day to keep her family afloat. She fell behind on rent and bills when she was unable to work for over a year. A temporary reduction in her children’s SSI, coupled with inflexible property management, created a perfect storm of financial hardship. The situation reached a critical point when, for more than three long months, the electricity was shut off, and an overwhelming bill of over $8,000.

HopePHL's timely intervention paid the entire electricity bill, restoring power and, with it, a renewed sense of hope. Empowered by this crucial support, the mother found a part-time job, and gradually, the family began to rebuild their lives – a testament to the transformative power of compassion and community support.

Earth Day, celebrated annually on April 22, emphasizes our collective duty to protect the planet and promote sustainability. It aims to raise awareness of environmental issues such as climate change and pollution, encourage action at all levels, and celebrate progress in conservation.

In Philadelphia, both HopePHL and Vault + Vine exemplify this mission through their commitment to sustainability and community empowerment. Omari Baye, Director of Early Childhood Programs at HopePHL, connects these two spaces to foster environmental and social resilience.

Vault + Vine, located at 3507 Midvale Avenue in Philadelphia, embodies environmental stewardship and community care. The black woman-owned café and plant nursery, co-owned by Diana Baye (Omari’s wife), offers locally sourced breakfast and lunch options, a consignment space for local artisans, and a licensed plant nursery.

Omari volunteers at Vault + Vine, tending to plants and helping to maintain the space. His connection to Vault + Vine extends into his work at HopePHL as he often incorporates plants and natural elements from the café into the Children’s Services Department at HopePHL’s Families First Building. These touches create a calming and supportive environment for him and the Children’s Services team, who often work with children and families at-risk. 

A key feature of Vault + Vine is the East Falls Community Fridge, a food pantry with the slogan "take what you want and leave what you can." This shared resource, supported by volunteers and initiatives like Fresh Food Connect, provides access to fresh food to community members. Fresh Food Connect links local gardeners with hunger relief organizations to redirect surplus produce, supporting community fridges and food pantries in East Falls and Greater Philadelphia. This initiative promotes sustainability by reducing food waste and enhancing access to healthy food, in line with Earth Day's goals.

As Earth Day 2025 approaches, HopePHL and Vault + Vine remind us that building sustainable communities involves nurturing both the planet and its people. 

We hope to see you at our Earth Day event on April 22nd!

HopePHL is thrilled and thankful to announce that William Penn Foundation has generously awarded us a $345,000 grant to expand mental health services for young children and their families. Our plans include hiring additional staff, providing training, expanding work hours and supporting the licensure process for current staff, and organizing community workshops. As we help those in our programs navigate obstacles and significant life changes, mental health serves as the essential foundation for our families to use the tools provided and create happy, fulfilling lives.

Vanessa Ingram, our Lead Youth and Young Adult Therapist in the Behavioral Health program, highlights an important aspect that many may not realize: the impact of fostering positive mental health practices from a young age. “Research has helped us understand the critical development that occurs from birth to age 5. With this expanded focus, we will be able to equip families with the necessary tools during these early stages of life, which will support resilience and provide a solid foundation for managing life's difficulties,” Vanessa explains.

William Penn Foundation’s support of our program will provide mental health services for 125 families over two years. This grant also will allow our behavioral health team to expand their unique skills. “This is an excellent opportunity for our mental health clinicians to integrate evidence-based interventions, build trusting relationships, and a strong therapeutic alliance to carry out HopePHL's mission,” HopePHL therapist Kimeesha Reed-Walker says.

​HopePHL Managing Director of Adult & Family Services, Erica Makowski, expressed the shared gratitude across the organization, “we are incredibly grateful to the William Penn Foundation for this opportunity to expand mental health services. This funding allows us to further support families and communities while working alongside dedicated staff who make a profound impact in the community.”

HopePHL was honored to be a part of Jack and Jill's 75th Annual Teen Leadership Conference! 1200 teens from the Eastern Region chapters of Jack and Jill gathered for the weekend in Philadelphia to focus on community, expand their leadership skills, and to give back to selected Philadelphia organizations.

As part of their "Share the Love" event, three sessions were held on Thursday afternoon where around 300 teens per session took the time to pack Cope and Care kits that included hand written notes of encouragement, self care tips, a notebook, stress ball, stickers, coloring book, and colored pencils!

We are so grateful that Jack & Jill selected HopePHL to receive these kits to share with the teens in our programs.

A new report from the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) shows the increase in young children experiencing homelessness in Pennsylvania.

Highlights include:

• Overall, the PDE identified 10,158 children (more than the seating capacity of Palestra Arena in Philadelphia) aged birth to Kindergarten as homeless in 2023, an 11 percent increase from 2022, and an 8 percent increase from 2020.
  
• These young children represent 22 percent of all of Pennsylvania’s homeless children and youth.
  
• Of the four age categories used by PDE, infants and toddlers are the largest group of these young children, representing 35 percent of the 10,158 young children.
  
• The largest percentage increase was in Pre-Kindergarten at 34 percent since 2022 and 49 percent since 2020.

This report seeks to inform practitioners and policy makers about young children experiencing homelessness in Pennsylvania. HopePHL’s series called the “Children Cannot Wait Campaign” aims to increase awareness of children and youth experiencing homelessness.

We provide a summary which identifies children in various categories, using recently published data from the PDE of its the Education of Children and Youth Experiencing Homelessness (ECYEH) program.