Welcome!
At Philadelphia’s Masonic Temple
Thank you Bethesda Project Staff for the sacrifices each of you make every day during these extremely difficult times in America. You are the keepers of Bethesda’s mission.
Dick Canel
Who We Are
In the last 45 years, Bethesda Project grew from a single apartment to 11 locations across Philadelphia, including emergency shelter, entry-level programs, and supportive housing.
Our guests’ and residents’ needs are not one-size-fits-all, and we offer a continuum of care, including individualized care plans, long-term case management, referrals to outside providers, connection to legal aid, and walk-up meal services to nearly 1,200 individuals experiencing homelessness every year. We foster community within our residences with house meetings, special holiday meals, and frequent group and volunteer activities.
We are driven by our core values of compassion, service, and the inherent worth and dignity of all people.
Our mission is to find and care for the abandoned poor and to be family with those who have none.
Our Board of Directors
President
Daniel T Hirst - AmerisourceBergen (retired)
Vice President
Dwayne Edghill - Comcast
Secretary
Glenn Hauler - Copy That, LLC
Treasurer
Robert Kuehl - Financial Executive (retired)
Members
Genna Abele - Golub Capital Board Fellow
Viktoria Boening - Golub Capital Board Fellow
Carolyn Lewis Bradley – Morgan Stanley
Gina Daley - L’Oreal USA
Hazelita Hayes – Former Bethesda Project Resident
Danielle LaGuerre – Bank of America
Erin Leffler – Shook, Hardy & Bacon LLP
Anthony V. Mannino, Esq.- STP Investment Services
Tina Pagotto, MSW – Bethesda Project CEO
Igor Pleskov - Saul Ewing, LLP
Abbot Domenic Rossi, Ex Officio – Bethesda Project Founder
Daniel Ticona - FreddieMac
Kyle J. Werder – Comcast
Special thanks to our Development Committee
Glenn Hauler (co-chair), Marc Taub (co-chair), Carolyn Bradley, Michael Catrino, Bill Cotter, Daniel T. Hirst, Alison Houghton, Roshonda Jones, Tina Pagotto, Brielle Saracini, Emma Stern, David Swoyer, Marie Thibault and Kyle Werder.
Bethesda Project would like to recognize its dedicated staff and volunteers who helped make tonight possible!
Honorary Chair, Scott R. Emerson
Scott R. Emerson is the founder and CEO of The Emerson Group and its divisions: Emerson Logistics, Emerson Retail Commerce, Emerson Digital Commerce, EmersonInsights, Emerson Brand Management, Emerson Marketing, and Emerson Consumer Care. The Emerson Group is a forward-thinking consumer products equity organization that manages CPG brands above $8 billion and holds equity positions with small and medium-size brands. It operates internationally, providing partners in the European, Central American, and Asian regions with the expertise and infrastructure necessary to infiltrate the U.S. market successfully. It also maintains divisions in Canada and Mexico. The Emerson Logistics business unit is a consumer products turnkey logistics solutions provider, managing over 3.8 billion dollars in volume.
Mr. Emerson has over 40 years of experience with companies, including Johnson & Johnson, Unilever, and Novartis Consumer Health. Before founding the Emerson Group, he held senior management positions in Fortune 500 companies in brand management, new business development, sales operations, and field sales. He received his B.A. in Accounting and Business Management from Texas State University.
A Family’s Journey of Service at Trinity Memorial’s Winter Shelter
Forsevenseasons,theDoanefamilyvolunteeredatTrinityMemorial Church’swintershelterprograminpartnershipwithBethesdaProject.What beganasaserviceprojectfortheirson’sconfirmationbecameadeeply meaningfultraditionthatshapedtheirfamilyandtouchedmanylives.
When t, we were in and Connie nd they returned inspired. I joined them two weeks later and that began our seven-year journey of serving together once a month during Winter Shelter season
Our sons were just 10 and 12 when we began. Over time, what started as a commitment became a joy. We learned how to plan meals for 25, asked the men what they wanted, and brought birthday cake every January for our son soon becoming a monthly tradition to celebrate everyone. One man, Mark, once said, “It’s been so long since I’ve been asked what I wanted and got a choice.” That stayed with us.
We handed out socks through the Joy of Sox, then added t-shirts and underwear after realizing how needed they were. Friends donated and joined our effort, creating a ripple effect of giving. One night, the shelter manager told us the men would check the roster and say, “The family is coming!” That simple phrase meant everything. Even now, with our sons grown, the spirit of service they learned there lives on Winter Shelter became not just something we did—but part of who we are
Champion of Change Awardee
Trinity@22nd
The Champion of Change Award was introduced in 2017 to recognize and celebrate members of the Philadelphia community and partners of Bethesda Project who have created dynamic and impactful opportunities to support the organization’s life-changing work.
The 2025 Champion of Change awardee is Trinity@22nd for their unwavering commitment to serving individuals experiencing homelessness. Trinity Memorial Church has partnered with Bethesda Project for seasonal emergency shelter since 1984 and currently partners to operate Bethesda Project's only year-round church shelter program. Trinity@22 has been a cornerstone of Philadelphia's Fitler Square neighborhood for over 150 years. Founded in 1874 as Holy Trinity Chapel, it was established to serve the growing community west of Rittenhouse Square. In 1949, the chapel became an independent parish, Trinity Memorial Church, and has since been dedicated to worship, education, and community service.
How Mobile Bidding Works
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Program
6:00 - 6:45 P.M.
Foyer Under the Stars - Cocktails & Tours
7:00 P.M.
Ballroom Opens (Dinner, Bar, Silent Auction)
Entertainment by Lindsey Noel, Magical Mind Reader
7:45 P.M. Formal Program
Lindsey Noel
Tina Pagotto, CEO of Bethesda Project Scott Emerson, Honorary Chair
Trinity@22, Champion of Change Awardee
T Sanders & Lamarr Miller, Bethesda Project Entry-Level Programs
8:30 P.M.
Dessert & Coffee Served
Silent Auction Closes and Gift Checkout Begins
9:00 P M
Thank You to Our Sponsors!
Presenting Sponsor
The Emerson Group
Corporate Partner
Richard Canel
Community Builders
Bethesda Project’s Legacy Society
Daylesford Abbey
Family Circle
1031 CORP.
ForeThought, Inc.
Healy Family Trust
International Raw Materials, LTD
Bill Oliver
Pennsylvania Convention Center
Santander Bank
The Philadelphia Phillies Safe Haven
A Place For Pat
Brandywine Realty Trust
Independence Blue Cross
Lucid Group
Dennis and Moira Murphy
OceanFirst Bank
Saul Ewing
Tito's Vodka
Bank
Hope Society
Glenn and Jill Bronson
Colligas Family Markets, LP
Conner Strong & Buckelew
Exude
Jenkintown Building Services
St. Norbert Parish
Wall & Walsh - Wood Mode
Workpartners
Friends of Bethesda Project BRE Presents Regional Housing Legal Services
(As of May 9, 2025)
Wall & Walsh is proud to be a continuing sponsor of Bethesda Project!
Investing in Our Future
As we celebrate our 46th year of being family with those who have none, Bethesda Project is strategically focused on investing in our facilities, programs, services and staff in order to help our guests and residents achieve their life goals.
You can support both our present and future by making a financial gift today. Together, we can change the lives of those experiencing homelessness.
