REV. LEON H. SULLIVAN COMMUNITY IMPACT CENTER H. CHASE LENFEST BRIEFING Wednesday, December 8, 2021
Called To Serve’s BriDDge (Bridging the Digital Divide) Program and ESports Center “COME FOR THE GAMES LEAVE WITH A CAREER” Called To Serve’s Executive Director Jeff Harley
The Rev. Leon H. Sullivan Community Impact Center will be home to the BriDDge (Bridging the Digital Divide) Program and ESports Center. Modeled after the very successful Zion Basketball League of the late 20th century and early 21st century, through the medium of ESports as a pathway, underserved youth will gain the necessary skills required to be successful in the 21st century. When Rev. Sullivan came to Philadelphia in 1950, he engaged community youth using his own basketball skills as a former scholarship player at West Virginia University. Basketball became the ESports Related Professions pathway for youth engagement. Athletes competing in the league went on to attend colleges such as Harvard, George Washington University, Georgia Institute of Technology, University of Pittsburgh, and Temple University to name some. The Zion Annex purchased in 1969 when Zion was led Rev. Sullivan, and named the Zion Educational Annex, the building and the programming offered in the space for the community was integrated with the sports program. Beneficiary of this interdisciplinary model of sports, academics and enrichment was Rev. Michael Major a Senior Technology Business Analyst at Susquehanna International Group (SIG a leading Wall Street) and founder and Board President of Called To Serve CDC. Floor plans on the previous page show the 145 seat 6x6 ESports Competition Center. Program participants will be involved in all aspects of hosting and operating events. This will include: Shoutcasting from the Shoutcasting booth located to the right below the elevator, marketing, event planning, live-streaming and others. When not in use as an event space the center will provide community youth and other residents with access to a state of the art 60-station computer lab.
Esports, or electronic sports, is one of the newest and fastest-growing forms of competition today. The global esports market is valued over $1 billion this year and is expected to surpass $1.8 billion next year. … Colleges have taken notice and now offer esports scholarships alongside athletic ones. The concept is relatively new, but there are already 175 U.S. colleges that offer varsity esports programs recognized by the National Association of Collegiate Esports (NACE). The College Gazette April 29, 2021 https://collegegazette.com/best-colleges-for-gamers-esports-scholarships/
Jaden Ashman’s (UK) story of Fortnite World Cup glory is one that any gamer can hold up when admonished for spending too much time playing videogames. At the age of just 15 years 229 days, Jaden, better known among gamers as "Wolfiez", walked away from one of the biggest esports tournaments with over $1 million in his pocket, making him the youngest esports millionaire from a single tournament. Perhaps even more incredibly, Jaden didn’t even come in first place; he placed second in the Duo tournament with his team-mate Dave "Rojo" Jong from the Netherlands.
Video games are not simply entertaining media; they also serve as a potent opportunity for socializing for teens with new friends and old. Fully 83% of American teens who play games say they play video games with others in the same room, with 91% of boys and 72% of girls doing so. Pew Research Center 2015 https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2015/08/06/chapter-3-videogames-are-key-elements-in-friendships-for-many-boys/
COMMUNITY ART CENTER DESCRIPTION
ALICE & DAISY'S KIN
We are a design house specializing in commissioned merchandise, event decor, and arts events. As artists we are committed to creating high quality, educational, art that will lead to lasting memories. We are named after Alice Shirley and Daisy Shirley who were remarkably creative women that migrated from South Carolina to Philadelphia in the mid 1900s. While both women were very creative, they were not afforded the opportunities to pursue many of their dreams in the arts. We, their kinfolk, are here to continue their legacy. Monica is Alice's daughter a visual artist and an art teacher in the Philadelphia School District. She studied Fashion Merchandising at Philadelphia Textile College of Arts (now Thomas Jefferson University) and Arts Education at The University of the Arts. Monique is Alice's granddaughter and visual artists as well. She is a creativity researcher and scholar who studied
Art therapy, facilitated by a professional art therapist, effectively supports personal and relational treatment goals as well as community concerns. Art therapy is used to improve cognitive and sensorimotor functions, foster self-esteem and selfawareness, cultivate emotional resilience, promote insight, enhance social skills, reduce and resolve conflicts and distress, and advance societal and ecological change
Sanctuary open space Temple Programming Legacy of the Lion The Rev. Leon Sullivan (1922-2001) was a giant of a man – in physical stature and in vision. He used the pulpit of Zion Baptist church, where he presided as pastor for 37 years, as a launch point for history-making global campaigns on behalf of human rights, civil rights, and economic justice. Sullivan became a leading voice against apartheid in South Africa. He would serve on the board of General Motors, the first African American to do so. And he would continue the fight for economic opportunity in North Philadelphia, opening Progress Plaza, the nation’s first Black-owned shopping center. Leon Sullivan’s courage and power inspired his nickname, the Lion of Zion, still invoked today. The Leon Sullivan Community Impact Center will honor the spirit of the Lion.
Dear Chase, I appreciate the opportunity to share in more detail our plans for revitalizing the Zion Annex at Broad and Venango into the Rev. Leon Sullivan Community Impact Center. When realized, the Sullivan Center will complement North10’s impact on our North Philadelphia neighborhood, making a powerful synergy with Be a GEM Crossing and other initiatives. Transforming a Beloved Space The four-story Annex building is structurally sound and eligible for historic designation. For many years, it was the vibrant home to more than a dozen programs run by Zion Baptist Church until it closed in 2014. It has sat vacant since but has been the focus of intensive planning since 2018. The William Penn Foundation supported concept design development through the initiative “Infill Philadelphia: Sacred Places/Civic Spaces,” engaging the community, architect and engineers to imagine a new future. Called to Serve CDC is leading the work and the campaign to support the Sullivan Community Impact Center. With key stakeholders and Mosaic Development Partners, tenants have been identified for the building’s 27,000 square feet of leasable space and 10-year commitments are being signed. Temple University, Health System and Katz School of Medicine will be the anchor tenant. The Center is projected to open in 2023 with every floor alive with programs: Impact by the Numbers • • •
Through the Café/Bookstore ten-twelve new • employment/cooperative business ownership opportunities • Four new full-time positions Eleven new part-time positions
Thirty-nine existing full-time positions Four existing part-time positions
Capital Stack The total budget for reconstructing the Annex into the Community Impact Center is projected to be $10.75 million. Expected sources of funding include: • $3 million in New Markets Tax Credit equity (in process through PIDC) • $1.75 million in Historic Tax Credits • $1 million in RACP funding from the Commonwealth (decision expected December 2021) • $1 million in financing to be covered by tenant rental income • $4 million in philanthropic support from individual and institutional donors Mosaic expects the New Markets Tax Credit application to close in early spring 2022, meaning that we are seeking all philanthropic commitments now that will be required for closing. Given the accelerated timeframe and the complexity of the project, we are focusing on securing leadership gifts in the range of $250,000 - $500,000. We are inviting you, and others, to consider a contribution of that magnitude and welcome a pledge over 2 to 3 years. The resounding impact of your commitment will power our collective strategy in our North Philadelphia neighborhoods, uplifting multiple generations and replicate my own personal story. Kind Regards
Rev. Michael A. Major, Sr. Founder and Board President
Broad, Germantown and Erie Development Projects Completed, Current and Planned
Fish Park BUTLER STREET
ERIE AVENUE Buery 1 & 2 Community Legal Services
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Reverend Leon H. Sullivan Community Impact Center
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Zion Baptist Church
ONTARIO STREET Bethune Elementary School
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Be A GEM Crossing
OLD YORK ROAD
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PARK AVENUE
CARLISLE STREET
15TH STREET