The Jawn
Philadelphia Children’s Alliance 2014 Bear Affair
by Lissa Alicia
The Philadelphia Children’s Alliance (PCA) may be one of the city’s most outstanding non-profit organizations. On Thursday, May 1st, The Crystal Tea Room was home to the PCA Bear Affair.
The trauma that over 2,400 Philly children face during and after sexual abuse is unimaginable to most. This experience is intensified if the child ends up having to recount their abuse numerous times to detectives in a gloomy precinct. The PCA is an organization that encourages child victims of sexual abuse to speak to authorities without stepping foot into a police station. Instead, the PCA building located in the heart of North Philadelphia, maintains a warm and friendly environment through kid-friendly aesthetics and welcoming staff.
Upon entering the facility, children are given a teddy bear; a simple gesture that creates a foundation of trust and comfort. In addition to the cheery decor and a collection of toys, the organization finds some of the kindest and well-trained individuals to encourage the child to open up about their tragedy, thus helping PCA help them.
There is nothing easy about listening to a child retell the horrors of sexual abuse and exploitation, but the staff at PCA are dedicated to ensuring that these children begin their healing in the easiest way possible.
“Sometimes when there are allegations where abuse is prevalent and there is evidence of abuse and a child is not ready to disclose, it can be frustrating because we want to make sure that the child is safe. If the adult is close like a parent and a family member, and they don’t disclose, then we can’t take any action.”, Says PCA Forensic Investigator, Christian Dozier.
500 people gathered in the ornate ballroom located just inches from City Hall, to raise thousands of dollars to help support the priceless work that the PCA does on the daily bases. Five-star restaurant gift cards, high end beauty products and Phillies box tickets were just a few of the prizes for both the live and silent auctions. Even Rita’s Water Ice got in on the philanthropist action. Clearly, there was something for even the most modest of donors.
Between the live musical performances of the Slicked Up 9s and auction announcements, Peggy Caroll-Henry; adult survivor of child sexual abuse spoke about the healing process.
“You never really shed it, the voices are quieter though. Those negative, ugly, yucky, scary voices get quieter and you deal with it better. That’s the thing with sexual abuse or any kind of abuse- it comes again. It comes up again.”
Music was and still is a major part of Caroll-Henry’s healing.
“I’ve been writing sad songs since I was 5. Singing since I was 4. I have been writing my entire life. The MECA (Musicians Empowering Children of Abuse) Music Heals project started with a song in particular about my abuse; a therapy session I had where I allowed myself to get angry at my perpetrator. Musis has been going on for many years and hopefully the rest of my life.”
MECA Music Heals is an organization that Caroll-Henry, created to help promote catharsis in children who are victims of sexual abuse victims through relatable music.
“We actually put together a compilation CD of local Philly artists, all these awesome Philly artists. They either wrote a song about abuse, healing, surviving, or overcoming things. We did a concert for PCA last fall and we raised money for them and we are hoping to do another concert and succession of concerts to raise money for this amazing organization. Philadelphia Children’s Alliance, they are amazing.”
Every year the PCA help thousands of children fight back against all kinds of sexual abuse by creating a friendly place to speak about their trying experience, without the actual pressure of being in a police station or hectic ER.
If you are interested in donating to the Philadelphia Children’s Alliance or are in need of their services please visit their website.
Photography by Antwain Melvin Photography
“PMO is a digital department store designed as a one stop shop for our customers using a single front page to advertise varying businesses in the Philadelphia marketplace.”
Philadelphia!!! We are excited to have our first event to support the black community, its youth, elders, business owners, community leaders, and more. Come out and share your business & skills with the community on this lovely occasion. Join us Sunday, November 19th at Homeschool 5429 Chestnut St for the Digital Black Business Expo with special guests Shelly Shell Williams aka Philly’s Oprah of Urban X-Pressions and Patrice Hawthorne of Peaches and Herb!
Tickets Includes: Refreshments, performances, giveaways, speakers and more…
Business owners who purchase a ticket qualify for 3 months of free advertising on our home page.
Doors open: 10:30 AM
Entry Fee: $40-$50 https://tinyurl.com/2cjjhp22
Note: Children 13 and under are free and must be fully supervised by an adult.
Vendor applications are now available. Tables are $75. First come, first serve.
Sponsored by MAIN COURSE PHL
Philadelphia, the Tri-State and beyond! Checkout what our locals are hosting, and where to go for video games, trading card games and more. Madden, NBA 2K, One Piece and Yugioh? We have you covered. Email events@maincoursephl.com to have your event featured on our site.
SuperGameDay: TakeoverGame Day
Date & Time: Saturday, 11 AM – 6 PM
Location: Cherry St Pier, 121 N Columbus Blvd, Philadelphia, PA
Entry: Free
Click here for more information click here
PG April Playstation 5 Tournament
Date & Time: Saturday, April 22. Doors open at 10 am, tournaments starts at 12pm.
Location: 100 N. White Horse Pike, Lindenwold, NJ, United States, New Jersey
Entry: $25 to enter. All entrants will receive your 5 OTS packs WHEN YOU TURN IN YOUR DECKLIST SHEET. All attendees will turn in their decklist the day of the event.
For more information click here
Waffles and Enthusiasm’s Yu-Gi-Oh! 3 vs 3 Tournament
Date & Time: Sunday, April 23rd at 5pm
Location: 500 W Germantown Pike Ste 2270, Plymouth Meeting, PA 19462
Entry: $75 per team ($25 per player), each player will receive six booster packs for participation.
For more information click here
OKND’s L.I.P. Center NBA 2K23 Tournament
Date & Time: April 22nd, 2023 at 12pm
Location: North 59th Street
Entry: click here
Who Run Phill 2K – What’s the Bet Meetup Pt.3
Date & Time: April 22, 2023 at 12:00 pm
Location: 4101 B Island Ave, Philadelphia, Pa 19153
Entry: $5-$20
For more information click here
One Piece Card Game 1K Tournament – at AU Wilmington
Date & time: Saturday, May 6th. Registration opens at 11 am, tournament starts at Noon
Location: Alternate Universes 3617 Silverside Road Wilmington, Wilmington, Delaware 19810 in Talleyville Shopping Center
Entry: $30
For more information click here
Thy Geekdom Con 2023
Date & time: MAY 26 AT 4 PM – MAY 28 AT 7 PM
Location: The Greater Philadelphia Expo Center, 100 Station Ave, Oaks, PA 19456
Entry: $20-$40
For more information click here
Since the coming of COVID-19 and the onset of quarantine many families, friends and peers have struggled to ensure they have food. This can turn into health issues manifesting at work, school and around loved ones.
To push back, Main Course PHL is partnering with Broad St. Ministries and Philabundance to tackle this problem. All of the food collected will be donated to the organizations to help fight against this crisis. Put your #PhillySupportPhilly on display with your donation to those enduring the pandemic.
You can donate directly to our site 4542 Greene St, Philadelphia, PA 19144 from 10am to 6pm.
Please use the link to donate directly to Philabundance. Below is the list of goods and donations we are accepting:
Please use the link to donate directly to Broad St Ministries or to purchase from their amazon wishlist.
We cannot accept:
- Open products
- Prepared foods (cheese trays, vegetable trays, already cooked meals, etc.) Cans of food (exceptions: tomato products, beans, pumpkin puree, coconut milk) inaddition, the cans must either be large (#10 cans) or full cases. NO INDIVIDUAL CANS
- Food that has been time/temperature abused
We can accept:
- Oils, vinegar, rice, dry pastas, grains, flours, sugar, salt, dried spices
- Raw whole produce (minimum 50 pounds) that will be good for at least 1 week
- Raw protein (minimum 100 pounds) that will be good for at least 1 week
- Cheese, must be vacuum sealed (minimum 20 pounds)
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