West Philadelphia Alliance for Children

WePAC

"...and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?" Micah 6:8

The West Philadelphia Alliance for Children began life in 2002 as an outgrowth of our church’s Urban-Suburban Partnership. As we listened to what those in our partner churches and others in West Philadelphia were saying about their greatest needs, we heard over and over that “We must do something to improve the lot of our children; we need to give them reason for hope.” A group of BMPC members met to consider how we could work with people in West Philadelphia to address this need. We sought to build relationships to work together on behalf of the children and their families.

Subsequently, we established a new non-profit corporation, WePAC, that legally allows the organization to receive tax-deductible charitable donations and other fund-raising benefits. BMPC continues a strong commitment to this vital ministry, designating funds from the church’s capital campaign to promote this children’s ministry. BMPC members are further engaged to lend an advisory hand and to volunteer in WePAC’s ministry to children.

Together with WePAC’S Volunteer Coordinator, the Youth Development & Community Coordinator, and the churches and West Philadelphia residents- a shared vision for this challenging ministry is evolving. The underlying values of WePAC are- Hope, Empowerment, Volunteerism, Growth, Partnering, Diversity, Leveraging, Participation, and Love.

WePAC’s initial goals are to address the identified needs for our children in West Philadelphia in three priority areas.

Assisting in elementary school classrooms: Volunteers donate 90 minutes a week for the school year; nearly 200 volunteers are already engaged. A Volunteer echoed by others speaks of the rewards…”A teacher with 34 students can’t possible do anything more than control chaos. When I’m in the room, it’s amazing to see how the students settle down and really pay attention…I never realized until now how much difference one person can make”.

For information or to volunteer, contact Paula Staton at WePAC, 1-800-705-4959, or info@wepac.org
Programs for After-School and Out-of-School Youth provide a safe haven and learning opportunities to fill the gap for these underserved children.
For information on how you can help, contact Lyn Kuebler at WePAC, 215-452-0333, or kuebler@WePAC.org
Addressing the gaps and leveraging and expanding opportunities for pre-school children is next on WePAC’s agenda…stay tuned and tell us of your want to join to help these young children.

As WePAC moves forward, our collective vision is to serve as a catalyst that brings together churches, faith communities, and community organizations acting in partnership to leverage the strengths of all. Our work is primarily accomplished by volunteers. We are committed to work for justice and equity for the children of West Philadelphia and their families.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Helen Dennis, Local Mission Coordinator, ext. 8831, Email Helen

Carol Schmidt, Program Assistant for Adult Education, Singles and Young Adults, Outreach and Worldwide Ministries, ext. 8819, Email Carol

Return to the Outreach Home Page