George Donnelly testifying

We helped secure a major legislative victory for Philadelphia kids. On Thursday, September 26, City Council unanimously passed a new ordinance requiring universal lead inspections and certification for rental units built before 1978. Lead poisoning is a pernicious health problem in Philadelphia, affecting an estimated 2,000 children every year. This law strengthens the City's previous lead ordinance, which only required lead-safety certification in homes where children age six or younger resided. According to city data, less than 6,000 of the estimated 22,000 units covered by this law were compliant. By making lead safety a universal requirement--becoming the largest United States city to do so--Philadelphia will protect thousands of children from a life-altering environmental hazard, while making it clear that landlords have an obligation to provide safe and healthy housing to all. Read more about the bill in coverage from WHYY and a piece from bill sponsor Councilmember Blondell Reynolds-Brown in the Philadelphia Tribune. We are proud to have worked with Council staff, Public Citizens for Children and Youth, Community Legal Services, the Tenant Union Representation Network, and other organizations throughout the city to ensure passage of this bill.

Yesterday, our attorney George Donnelly testified to City Council, urging them to enact this lead bill. "We have a moral obligation to protect our children from the public health crisis caused by lead paint," he said. "The ordinance passed today by City Council creates a comprehensive framework to protect kids living in rental properties. By enacting this legislation, Philadelphia has become a national leader in preventing childhood lead poisoning."

	Carol Miller

Our dedicated volunteers play a major role in helping our organization succeed. Since June, Carol Miller has served as our volunteer coordinator. She recruits and interviews new volunteers and manages the project of cataloging and digitizing our archives. "It's an organization that aligns with my values and does work that is meaningful to me," Carol said. Before retiring in February, Carol was the Director of Operations at Community Learning Center, a nonprofit adult literacy organization, and before that she was Director of Associate Administration at Dechert LLP. 

In her work curating our archives, Carol has learned of many groundbreaking cases. She was particularly struck by our work representing Penelope Brace, a detective who challenged the Philadelphia Police Departments' policy of barring women from many roles in the 1970s. It was a great example of one person's struggle changing an unjust system, she said. "I was shocked that I wasn't aware of this case," Carol said. In addition to volunteering with us, Carol volunteers for the Village of Hope, a home for orphaned, hearing impaired, and other at-risk children in Vietnam. She recently returned from an annual trip to Vietnam. Carol is also a competitive ballroom dancer, and she has a small business finding and selling high-end special occasion dresses at low prices.