QVNA Spotlight

The members of QVNA’s Board are members of our community. Their responsibilities include business planning, budgeting, determining programs and services, and association oversight. The 2021 board term begins January 1.

President Eleanor Ingersoll (2021-2022)

Vice President Justin Fishman (2021-2022)

Treasurer Tom Bonney (2020-2021)

Secretary Meredith Piotrowski (2020-2021)

Cait Allen (2021-2022) Caroline Allen (2020-2021) Matt Atkins (2021-2022)

Joe Brin (2021-2022) Mark Grabarits (2020-2021) Michelle Grimley (2021-2022) Rosamond Howard

(2020-2021) Mike McPhilmy

(2021-2022) Noah Swistak (2020-2021)

QVNA Vice President Inez Green is retiring from the association’s board of directors, effective December 31, 2020. In 2015, during her first year of board service, Inez co-founded Summer at Courtyard, the free learning enrichment program for Queen Village children ages 5 through 11, which has helped educate more than 100 students since its inception.

Community leadership is second nature to Inez. For more than 25 years, she has served as President of the Courtyard Residents Council (CRC) and Chief Executive Officer of its Board of Directors. Within the Courtyard Apartments community, Inez has garnered a reputation for being a person of her word and a persistent advocate for residents and their quality of life. More than 1,298 residents live in the Courtyard community.

When Courtyard Apartments sought much-needed funding to replace 25-year-old heating/air conditioning systems, major appliances, the elevator in its senior citizen apartment hi-rise, and needed upgrades, Inez worked closely with the Philadelphia Public Housing Authority and Courtyard’s management company, The Michaels Organization, to obtain it. Necessary funding was obtained through a federal grant program and city tax subsidies.

When $32 million in funding for necessary renovations and upgrades became available, Inez led a carefully planned, staged rollout and kept the community informed. Then she worked directly with each Courtyard family before and during their move to temporary housing while their home was under renovation. When it was time to replace the elevator in Riverview Apartments at Courtyard, Queen Village’s senior center, Inez telephoned each resident with advice on what to expect. In addition, she met with seniors if they had questions about the replacement of their appliances or carpet. The project was completed in 2019, 1,298 residents were relocated to temporary housing and back to their homes, and Inez was credited with putting residents at ease throughout the process.

Inez and Jerry, her husband of 34 years, are grandparents to four, but Inez is also a grandmotherly figure to dozens of Courtyard children who fondly call her “Miss Kandi.” While President of the CRC, and during her first year as a QVNA Director, Inez co-founded Summer at Courtyard, a six-week learning enrichment program, designed to help stem the typical summer reading learning loss experienced by children ages 5 through 11. Since 2015, Summer at Courtyard has provided Queen Village children with six weeks of structured learning experiences and weekly field trips during late June and July. More than 100 children have benefitted from this program. Had it not been for the pandemic, 2020 would have been the sixth year of Summer at Courtyard.

Although Inez (a.k.a. Kandi) is retiring from QVNA’s board, she will remain an ardent QVNA volunteer and leader of next year’s Summer at Courtyard program.

Thank you, Inez for your leadership and community to the Queen Village community! ■

Thank you, Anita Dupree Brook for your service as a Director on the QVNA Board. A Queen Village resident since 1979, Anita has seen enormous changes in our community and, as a result, brought a unique balance of longtime resident perspective and a deep love for our neighborhood to board discussion.

A former teacher at Meredith Elementary School, Anita raised three children in Queen Village. Her love of children and education helped identify educational equipment needs at our public high school, Horace Furness, and her encouragement led the school to apply for a QVNA Community Grant. The need was such that a grant was awarded. QVNA sincerely appreciates Anita’s volunteer contributions and her caring for our community. ■ Thank you, Mike Seidenberg, for your service on QVNA’s Board. Shortly after his election as Director, Mike accepted a presidential appointment to the position of Board Treasurer and Chair of QVNA’s Finance Committee through December 2019. In this role, Mike oversaw QVNA’s financial reports, worked closely with staff, and was instrumental in the development of the association’s 2020 budget. His unique skill set, combined with his willingness to serve out the remainder of the Treasurer board term, will always be appreciated. In January 2020, Mike resumed his elected role of Director.

His strong desire to support QVNA’s mission led Mike to contribute generously of his time and share his unique perspectives with the board. Mike, we appreciate your service. ■

In a chariot of light, from the regions of the day, The Goddess of Liberty came, Ten thousand celestials directed her way, And hither conducted the dame. A fair budding branch from the gardens above, Where millions with millions agree, She brought in her hand as a pledge of her love, And the plant she named Liberty Tree. The celestial exotic stuck deep in the ground, Like a native it flourished and bore; The fame of its fruit drew the nations around, To seek out this peaceable shore. Unmindful of names or distinctions they came, For freemen like brothers agree; With one spirit endued, they one friendship pursued, And their temple was Liberty Tree. Beneath this fair tree, like the patriarchs of old, Their bread in contentment they ate, Unvexed with the troubles of silver or gold, The cares of the grand and the great. With timber and tar they

Old England supplied, And supported her power on the sea; Her battles they fought, without getting a groat, For the honor of Liberty Tree. But hear, O ye swains (’tis a tale most profane), How all the tyrannical powers, Kings, Commons and Lords, are uniting amain To cut down this guardian of ours. From the East to the West blow the trumpet to arms, Thro’ the land let the sound of it flee; Let the far and the near all unite with a cheer, In defense of our Liberty Tree.

215.886.6111 (Glenside, PA) 215.725.3637 (Philadelphia, PA) 215.572.6937 (Fax) www.libertytreecare.com

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