When this city steps onto the global stage to celebrate the nation’s 250th birthday, some 10,000 loyal Philadelphians will be showing up too.

They’re signed on as "Phambassadors," a citywide initiative launched by the Philadelphia Visitor Center Corporation that’s asking people who love their city to help our visitors love it too.

And Northwest is showing up. Of the 10,000 Philadelphians who’ve signed on as Phambassadors, about 14 are from Chestnut Hill, Mt. Airy, Germantown, Roxborough, Manayunk or East Falls. And the program is actively looking for more.

The economic stakes are significant. With Philadelphia hosting the FIFA World Cup, the MLB All-Star Game, the PGA Championship, and a full year of events tied to America’s 250th birthday, visitor spending is projected to reach anywhere from $800 million to $1.6 billion.

Cathy McVey, senior vice president at Visit Philadelphia, says that math only works if locals are part of the equation.

“So much of our visitation comes from people who are visiting friends and family,” she says. “If I’m feeling down on Philly, I’m certainly not inviting my family to come here and explore.”

What's the Pham, exactly?

It starts with a pledge, and it’s gloriously over-the-top. It opens with “Yo Philly!” and asks you to swear loyalty to the city above cheesesteaks, Ben Franklin’s kite, and Rocky’s love for Adrian.

From there, you choose your own level of involvement. Some members post about the city on social media. Others show up to monthly happy hours, rotating through different Philadelphia neighborhoods every fourth Thursday. The most committed attend Pham Camp, a half-day experience held several times a year that’s part education and part pep rally.

“There is no one way to be a Phambassador,” says program leader Tiphanie White. “You can be loud or quiet and as involved as you can. The goal isn’t perfection. It’s participation.”

McVey says Visit Philadelphia watched civic pride slip after COVID, when the media narrative about crime was taking a toll. People were losing faith. So the city launched a neighborhood pride campaign with hyper-local ads in more than 25 neighborhoods, from Port Richmond to Roxborough to Germantown. The Phambassador program is the next layer.

“The Phambassador program is all about connecting locals who have an irrational love for Philadelphia,” says program director Jacleen Mowery. “Our goal is to provide Phambassadors with opportunities to continue exploring the city, championing it to everyone they know, and bragging to visitors about how Philadelphia is truly a one-of-a-kind place."

Two locals who get it

Amee Shah, who teaches at Stockton University in New Jersey, moved to East Falls in 2014 from New York City, fully expecting Philadelphia to underwhelm her. It didn’t.

“I was a little bit worried that Philly might not be as culturally interesting,” she says. “So when I got here, right away I started looking for unique things off the beaten path.”

What she found was Chanticleer, the Academy of Music, the Wissahickon trails, the architecture of the bridges that cross them, and a brewery that names its beers after local landmarks.

In New York, she says, people often pointed each other toward things to do. Here, she found locals more likely to stick to their routines.

“It seemed like people were always telling each other about cool things to do,” she says. “Here in Philly, I find a lot of interesting things to do. But the people I would meet locally tended to stick to their routines and to their own neighborhood. If they wanted to do something, it would usually be eating, drinking or sports, and I wasn’t really so interested in those things.”

She has a theory about why. “I feel like Philadelphians in general lack confidence,” she says. “People here see their city as an underdog.”

Phambassadors, she says, is perfect for a newcomer who’s discovering the city with fresh eyes.

“They’re looking for people who want to explore their own city, understand what it’s worth, and share that with other people.”

Raichl Davenport, who lives in East Falls and teaches at William Penn Charter School, never had to discover any of this. She grew up on Gowen Circle in West Mount Airy, went to Allens Lane Art Center as a kid, and spent summers at the Water Tower.

“I was free to be a kid,” she says of growing up in Mount Airy. “I’ve lived in different neighborhoods, and they all have their own flavor and attitudes that make them special. But Mount Airy was different. I was free to express myself.”

She describes the Northwest the way only a lifer can. She zeros in on the lush greenery of the Wissahickon Park, and the people who actually know their neighbors.

“Just the fact that Chestnut Hill is called the garden district,” she says. “That’s really true. Our part of the city is so green, and with all the trails, you always feel like you’re close to nature.”

The people who live here are especially neighborly, she says, and there’s always some kind of festival going on, from spring until late fall.

“I love my city. I feel it, like, in my chest, every time I drive down 76 and see the skyline.”

Built to last

The program is designed to outlast the moment that created it. Monthly happy hours will keep rotating through neighborhoods, and Pham Camp will continue throughout the year. A new virtual series called Philly Phundamentals, held every second Wednesday of the month, covers history, culture, food, arts and the stories shaping the city right now. And this summer, the Philadelphia Visitor Center is launching neighborhood tours every Friday, Saturday and Sunday, with Northwest neighborhoods among the stops.

2026 will come and go, and the World Cup will move on. What will remain is the city itself, and the people who understand what it’s worth. The Philadelphia that inspires that burst of pride in Raichl’s chest will always need the people who love it back.

There are about 14 Phambassadors from Northwest Philadelphia right now. There’s room for a lot more.

Join up and sign the pledge, go to phambassador.com.