Bridging Philly

Latest Episodes:

Care Not Control puts music to the message of ending juvenile incarceration Nov 19, 2022

Show notes

This week on Bridging Philly, KYW community impact reporter Racquel Williams speaks with Care Not Control, a Philly nonprofit working to end juvenile incarceration. They just released a new project that puts their message to music.

For the Newsmaker of the Week, KYW's Shara Dae Howard introduces us to Imperfect Gallery, an artist run gallery opened in 2012 in Germantown. They welcome the community to connect and grow together through conversations around art and well as civic engagement. This election season, they doubled down on that mission.

The Philly Rising Changemaker is David Evans, a father, realtor, part-time coach with Philadelphia Youth Basketball, and concerned citizen. Local politics first piqued his interest with a question: How could he get speed bumps installed in his North Philadelphia neighborhood for the safety of his 11-year-old son who plays outside? KYW's Antionette Lee follows his story.

"It's not sparing anyone." The app makers behind Philly Truce are trying to prevent gun violence in Philadelphia Nov 13, 2022

Show notes

This week on Bridging Philly, KYW Community Impact Reporter Racquel Williams speaks with Mazzie Casher and Steven Pickens of Philly Truce, a violence prevention group working tirelessly to stave the gun violence in Philadelphia.

The newsmaker this week is Beyond Literacy, a group in Philadelphia working to raise the literacy levels in the city. KYW's Shara Dae Howard learned how the organization aims to increase good outcomes for Philadelphia children by improving literacy in the home and in schools.

The Philly Rising Changemaker of the week is eight-year-old Gideon Ansah, who goes by the stage name “Star Jr.”. He's been DJing for most of his life, and KYW's Antionette Lee explains how he fulfilled his civic duty this past Election Day by using his love for music to bring beats to a West Philly polling location.

Connecting families in need to important resources with Literacy and More Nov 06, 2022

Show notes

This week on Bridging Philly, KYW community impact reporter Racquel Williams speaks with Rachel Honore and Anne Kennan of Literacy and More. Literacy and More is a Philadelphia-based nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide access to community resources for the empowerment of Philadelphia families living in resource-scarce areas.

Our newsmaker this week is Christine Brunson, founder of Purple House Project PA, a local nonprofit focused on strengthening women fallen victim to domestic violence. She tells KYW's Shara Dae Howard that her approach is one of connection and expansion with an emphasis on holistic healing.

This week's Philly Rising changemaker is 8-year-old Addie Auth, a leukemia survivor who made a video to cheer on the Philadelphia Phillies in the World Series.

Lifting Up Camden's Youth with after-school mentoring Oct 29, 2022

Show notes

LUCY Camden (or Lifting Up Camden's Youth) is a comprehensive after-school and summer youth mentoring program. KYW Community Impact reporter Racquel Williams visited their state of the art, renovated space to find out more about the work they're doing and what's in store for the organization.

The Newsmaker of the week is Joss Duncan Asé, the founder of a new multimedia platform that focuses on lifting up communities across the city. She’s recently been recognized by the Philadelphia Association of Black Journalists as a trailblazer for her new take on reporting local news, and she talks with KYW's Shara Dae Howard.

This week's Philly Rising Changemaker is Maureen Carreno. During the pandemic, Maureen Carreno of Delaware County became known as “Souper Mummum,” sharing her soup recipes on Facebook and meals with the community. The weekly soup drive-bys have ended, but the giving hasn’t. Lately, Carreno has been using her passion and talent for cooking to help families fleeing abuse at the Domestic Abuse Project of Delaware County, as KYW's Antionette Lee reports.

Important programs helping students with disabilities learn job skills, travel training, and independent living Oct 22, 2022

Show notes

This week on Bridging Philly, Racquel Williams talks with Kathy Rafter, Cara Gimble and Cait Pringle from Abington Senior High School. The school has two programs for young adults, ages 18-21, with IEPs, or Individualized Education Programs. ACTIVE academy and STRIVE utilizes the classroom and community to teach students vocational, travel training, and independent living skills. Students are given opportunities to practice these skills in the classroom, at their job site, and in the community.

Our newsmaker this week is Nile Livingston, a public muralist with deep Philly roots. She uses her community connections to inform her work while also using her art as a form of representation for those same communities. Recently she’s gotten a lot of attention for two high profile mural commissions at both the children’s hospital of Philadelphia and another in the Gayborhood.

This week's Philly Rising Changemaker is Dr. Bernadette Wheeler. By day, she is a gynecologist at the University of Pennsylvania. But Wheeler says her passion is the nonprofit store named in honor of her son Eric, who has Down syndrome. You can find Something Different by Eric at 814 W. Lancaster Ave., where the goal is not to make a profit, but to create a community.

DNA results changed their lives Oct 18, 2022

Show notes

Today on Bridging Philly, Racquel Williams talks with two Philadelphia women who decided to take a DNA test to trace their ancestry and they got way more than they bargained for. Lisa Swyer and Donna Garey learned their true identities and reached out to Right To Know, a national support group founded by Kara Rubinstein Deyerin and Alecia Weiss. The group helps individuals who learn their true identity after using popular DNA testing kits.

The Newsmaker of the week is Dr. Monique Gary, a breast cancer surgeon and local LGBTQ activist of color. Dr. Gary recently established a foundation to encourage healing in a more wholistic way, through farming. She talks with Shara Dae Howard about the foundation. Find out more at https://www.stillrisefarms.com.

The Philly Rising Changemaker is YEAH Philly, the Youth Empowerment Advancement Hangout. Antionette Lee speaks with Kendra Van De Water, executive director and co-founder of YEAH Philly.

Why Ya Fav Trashman is running for City Council Oct 09, 2022

Show notes

Terrill Haigler might be better known in Philadelphia as Ya Fav Trashman. The former sanitation worker has built a reputation and an online as an advocate for sanitation workers and cleaner streets. He's written a children’s book that teaches kids about clean communities. And now he's running for Philadelphia City Council. Racquel Williams sits down with Haigler to talk about why he's running and his big ideas for Philadelphia.

Our Philly Rising Changemaker is Crystal Jackson, the founder of the Perfectly Flawless Foundation, a Philadelphia nonprofit that gives clothes to people in transition. Shara Dae Howard sits down with Jackson to talk about her story, what the Perfectly Flawless Foundation does, and the message she wants to get out.

The cancer screening crisis, artists honor Harriet Tubman, and Muslims Serve tackles food insecurity Oct 01, 2022

Show notes

The City of Philadelphia is working with the American Cancer Society to remind everyone to get screened for cancer. Today on Bridging Philly, we talk with some doctors from ACS about the importance of early detection.

Dr. Carmen Guerra is a professor of medicine at the University of Pennsylvania's School of Medicine. Dr. Guerra talks with Racquel Williams about cancer screenings, the disparities in cancer screenings, and the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic on cancer screenings and cancer outcomes. We also talk with Dr. Arnold M. Baskies, a surgeon, past chairman of the National Board of Directors of the American Cancer Society, and chair of the Philadelphia Region for the American Cancer Society, to ask some questions about what happens when surgery is needed after a breast cancer diagnosis.

Shara Dae Howard talks with Casandra Gunkel and Gloria Davis from the Sankofa Artisans Guild about a traveling exhibit honoring Harriet Tubman's legacy, currently in Bucks County.

The Philly Rising Changemaker of the week is Abdellah Abdul-Qawi, who is working to tackle food insecurity in Philadelphia and Camden as director of Muslims Serve, an organization that prepares and serves free meals to those in need.

I'm Listening: Talking about mental health saves lives Sep 21, 2022

Show notes

I'm Listening is a Bridging Philly special presentation about suicide prevention and the importance of talking about mental health.

In this special edition of the show, we talk about the importance of checking in on your mental health and how to get support when you need it, how kids are doing in these times of change and uncertainty, the unique struggles faced by people in marginalized communities, and the devastating impact of gun violence.

KYW's Racquel Williams speaks with Dr. Ann Rosen Spector, a clinical psychologist in Philadelphia, about the state of our mental health, why there's stigma around talking about it, when to know you need help, and how to find it.

KYW's Mike DeNardo speaks with Samantha Anthony, a clinician at the Uplift Center for Grieving Children in Philadelphia, about how grief and trauma affect children.

KYW's Shara Dae howard speaks with Rashida Henry, the founder of mental health and counseling company Knows No Face, about mental health in marginalized communities.

KYW's Kristen Johanson speaks with Melany Nelson, director of the Philadelphia DAO's CARES Unit, about the impact of gun violence, traumatic stress and unresolved trauma, PTSD, and the very long road to healing for families impacted by gun violence.

Philly locals using their experiences to bring change to their community Sep 12, 2022

Show notes

This week on Bridging Philly, Sistahs in Transformation speak on their upcoming Women's Empowerment Conference happening at the end of September. Sistahs in Transformation is a non-profit that was founded amid the COVID-19 pandemic. We hear how three local women came together to make a safe space for Black and Brown women to be empowered by taking control of their mental, physical, and financial health, while supporting others along the journey.

Our Newsmaker of the Week highlights Raheem Bell. Bell was a victim of a carjacking attempt when he got shot at close range earlier this year. Now, the public school teacher is inspired to share his experience while healing through community give-back events.

This week’s Philly Rising Changemaker started out by spending a day feeding the homeless in Kensington. That grew into serving the community every day by helping those recovering from addiction. As National Recovery Month begins, we talk with Darnell Hinton , President and CEO of Teach One Feed One, which helps individuals get through every stage of recovery.

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Bridging Philly

Related Podcasts

1

2

3

4

5

6