It was a busy yet successful summer for Devine + Partners’ clients! From innovative news to milestone events, meaningful community partnerships and noteworthy achievements, check out the latest from our clients in stories from Forbes, 6abc Action News, MetroKids, The Philadelphia Inquirer and more!
Cristo Rey High School Philadelphia
This summer, Cristo Rey High School Philadelphia kicked off the 2023-2024 school year with a few of its signature programs, including its Summer Bridge orientation and Signing Day celebration. As featured on 6abc Action News, incoming freshmen learned about Cristo Rey’s work-study program, completed math and reading foundations classes and got a head start on forming friendships during the school’s two-week Summer Bridge program.
Once students arrived on campus in August, it was time for them to be matched with their work-study partner — the company that they will work for one day each week throughout the year. Students are matched with more than 100 companies on Signing Day, an event that rivals the high energy of the NFL Draft. Check out all of the fanfare on CBS3 News.
FuelCell Energy
This summer, FuelCell Energy completed the world’s first “tri-gen” system, an energy platform at Toyota’s Southern California port facility that turns methane-rich waste gas into electricity, clean hydrogen and water. Toyota plans to use the hydrogen made from the system for the next 20 years to power various port operations. Learn more about the tri-gen system and hear from FuelCell CEO in Forbes and Bloomberg News.
Gaudenzia
Gaudenzia released its 2023 Frontline Report this summer via a news conference. The annual report provides the most complete, ground-level snapshot of addiction trends county by county in Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland and Washington D.C. The report’s contents were cited in stories by Delaware Online, PennLive, ABC 27, and Erie News Now.
Gaudenzia received a $75,000 grant from the Dauphin County Opioid Remediation Grant Program to launch a reentry program for justice-involved individuals with substance use disorder. Learn more from CBS 21 News.
On International Overdose Awareness Day (Aug. 31), Tim Sullivan, Program Director for Gaudenzia’s Dr. Daniel Snow Halfway House in Erie, was interviewed by Erie News Now on the importance of raising awareness of overdoses and tips for prevention.
Gaudenzia also named its new Chief Financial Officer, Robert Bickford. Bickford’s role will play an integral part in Gaudenzia’s evolution as an industry leader while ensuring the continued growth of services and scope to meet the needs of its clients and communities. Catch the story on MyChesCo and HMP Global.
The Mann Center for the Performing Arts
The Mann showcased the world premiere of Darin Atwater’s Black Metropolis, a symphonic piece commissioned to celebrate hip-hop’s 50th anniversary. The Philadelphia Orchestra, led by Jonathan Taylor Rush, and Chill Moody, artist, entrepreneur and The Mann’s first-ever Community Artist-in-Residence, joined forces to explore the pillars of hip-hop and Black culture through an architecture of sound. Also featuring the Soulful Symphony Choir and DJ Wendel Patrick, the piece focused on hip-hop as a social movement and reflected on the struggles of disenfranchised voices. Read more from The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Before the premiere, the Mann partnered with the African American Museum in Philadelphia and hosted their Black Metropolis Symposium with panelists Darin Atwater and Chill Moody to discuss issues affecting Philadelphia’s African-American community. Hear more about the panel in this clip from FOX29.
Downstage @ the Mann returned for its second season with performances curated by Chill Moody to celebrate the hip-hop’s 50th anniversary. Headliners included Low Cut Connie, DJ Aktive and DJ Cash Money, with Time for Three closing out the series on Oct. 11. Check out WXPN’s review of Philly Pillars & Pioneers: a dance party with legendary DJs Aktive and Cash Money.
Movies @ The Mann also returned this summer with Jurassic Park In Concert. The 30-year-old classic film was projected on giant HD screens at the Mann with The Philadelphia Orchestra performing John Williams’ iconic score live to picture. Learn more about the experience and the score in this SyFy interview with guest conductor Constantine Kitsopoulos.
Amos Lee, folk, rock and soul artist from Philadelphia, blended his signature sound with a classical twist in a performance alongside The Philadelphia Orchestra this summer in the TD Pavilion. Hear about Lee’s story from a second-grade teacher to a star in WHYY.
Students of The School District of Philadelphia dusted off their instruments once again for the return of the annual All City Orchestra Summer Academy (ACOSA), a premier summer orchestra training camp for young musicians The Mann annually collaborates with The Philadelphia Orchestra, the School District of Philadelphia, Project 440 and other program partners to produce a high-quality, two-week orchestra training experience at zero cost to local students. Students engage in instrumental masterclasses, composition workshops and mind and body sessions as part of the academy. Learn more from 6abc Action News.
National Medal of Honor Leadership & Education Center
The National Medal of Honor Leadership & Education Center funded a $3.5 million renovation project for the Congressional Medal of Honor Museum at Patriots Point on the U.S.S. Yorktown. A press conference on Sept. 14 announced the official groundbreaking for the renovations, as reported by the Post and Courier, Live 5 News in Charleston and other regional outlets. The project highlights a partnership between the Leadership & Education Center, the Congressional Medal of Honor Society and Patriots Point to to build a world-class destination for visitors to the region and shape the leaders of tomorrow by helping them find the core values of the Medal of Honor in themselves.
Reach Cyber Charter School
Students, families and faculty of Reach Cyber Charter School launched into Back-to-School season together with in-person, interactive, space-themed activities at science centers and facilities across Pennsylvania. Students dove right into science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) skill-building in an environment conducive to collaborative learning among their virtual classmates. Students’ caretakers met face-to-face with faculty members and asked questions. Get an inside look from 6ABC Action News in Philadelphia, WBRE/WYOU in Lackawanna County, WFMZ in Lehigh Valley, KDKA-TV News in Pittsburgh.
Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary
Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary welcomed new students for the last time at its historic campus in Wynnewood. The 192nd academic year marks the last year before the seminary relocated to its new campus in Lower Gwynedd in the summer of 2024. A total of 36 men enrolled to become priests. Hear more about move-in day at the seminary from seminarians and Father Chylinski, seminary rector, online at 6abc Action News.
The Circuit Trails
The Circuit Trails network was featured in AL DÍA, which included an interview with Sarah Stuart, chair of the Circuit Trails Coalition. The story highlighted the region’s hundreds of miles of multi-use trails, connecting the area’s urban, suburban, and rural areas together in a steadily growing network of trails in the Greater Philadelphia and southern New Jersey region.
The National Shrine of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton
The National Shrine of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton unveiled its $4.3 million new museum and visitor center on its campus in Emmitsburg, MD. The renovations of the new museum featured state-of-the-art exhibits featuring artifacts, personal writings, digital interactive exhibits, and hands-on activities for all ages that focus on the life of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, who was canonized as the first native-born American saint. Learn more about the grand opening and the new museum in this online story from The Frederick News-Post.
A teacher and student in the Shrine’s Junior History Interpreters program was also interviewed by the Catholic Review, highlighting the Living History program seeking to show in real terms what life was like for a 19th-century girl at the school on the Shrine’s campus. Year-round, on afternoons and weekend days, members of the Living History program play real historical characters who come to life and interact with guests. In character, these volunteers share about their lives as sisters and students who lived and worked with Mother Seton.
The Quaker School at Horsham
The Quaker School at Horsham wrapped up its 2022 – 2023 academic year with many milestones and smiles. The K-12 school for students with complex challenges, including ADHD, learning disabilities, autism, expressive and receptive language disorders, anxiety disorders and more, launched its new business literacy instruction and internship program, which moves its upper school students through a curriculum that helps them develop a wide range of professional skills through educational courses and hands-on internships at a local Weavers Way Co-op and Patriot Chevrolet of Warminster. Learn more about the program in this MetroKids (page 16) story.
The Salvation Army Eastern Pennsylvania and Delaware Division
Salvation Army Officers across the Division settled into their new appointments this summer, including the Officers at The Salvation Army Reading Corps. Read more about the leadership change at The Salvation Army in Reading in the online news story from WFMZ.
Corps in Eastern Pennsylvania and Delaware also prepared children in need for the back-to-school season with backpack and school supplies distributions. The Salvation Army volunteers at the Allentown location briskly worked to hand out backpacks full of school supplies. This was the 19th annual backpack distribution and community street fair, where more than a thousand backpacks were handed out.
The Salvation Army in Scranton also teamed up with Minor League Baseball pitchers Mitch Spencer and Anthony Misiewicz from the Scranton Wilkes-Barre RailRiders to distribute food boxes to local families in need. The players volunteered at the Corps’ food pantry, which distributes 60 meal boxes a week to local families. Learn more about the distribution from WNEPTV.
Devine + Partners
This summer marked D+P’s 20th anniversary! Read more about our firm’s growth, diverse clientele, and dedication to innovation at Agility PR Solutions and MyChesCo.
