Craig Hosay, vice president of the Water Tower Advisory Council, had never heard of The Philadelphia Project when he received an “out of the blue” email from the organization. The message asked if a group of volunteers could come to the Water Tower Recreation Center and help out with any projects needed.

Hosay said he initially did not have high expectations.

“I’ve worked with a couple of groups at the Water Tower doing volunteer work,” Hosay said. “They need a lot of supervision. They’re not necessarily very motivated. They don’t follow directions terribly well.”

Yet, when the group of volunteers from The Philadelphia Project arrived at the Water Tower on July 7, Hosay soon learned he was mistaken.

“What I soon realized is you guys are the farthest thing from the worst image I had in my mind possible,” Hosay said in an address to the volunteers. “You have been the group that has been the easiest to work with, the most motivated, the hardest working, and most importantly, the most collegial and cordial and nice people in the world.”

The Philadelphia Project

The Philadelphia Project is a Christian nonprofit based out of Mt. Airy’s New Covenant Church campus that partners with churches to complete service projects. The organization also offers a variety of mission trips, kids’ camps, after-school programs, and home repair initiatives.

Now in its 16th year, The Philadelphia Project has helped more than 80 homeowners with free repairs, including light, plumbing, and electrical fixes. The organization has a lengthy waitlist for future projects as well.

Danielle Giovinco, service trip promoter for The Philadelphia Project, said the organization serves to “be the hands and feet of Jesus.”

“The reason we do what we do is because we love Jesus, we love our neighbors, and we really want to see transformation happen throughout our neighborhoods,” Giovinco said. “It’s just an honor to be a part of that.”

According to Giovinco, the majority of people that come to The Philadelphia Project are in middle school or high school, but there are some college students and older adults as well. Participants come from all denominations and walks of life.

The group at the Water Tower came from LutheranHANDS, a foundation based in the Harrisburg area.

A remarkable partnership

A little less than 20 volunteers spent time at the Water Tower from July 7-10, helping to clear a neglected and overgrown area behind the pickleball and tennis courts. According to Hosay, this space had never been used in the 10 years he has been on the advisory council. Volunteers pulled out trees, tore down vines, and removed piled garbage and old bleachers.

Before the project, Hosay predicted that it would take 10 days to complete. In four days, the job was done.

“You guys have turned it into this remarkable new space that we will hopefully find some use for at the Water Tower to benefit the community,” Hosay told the group. “I think the partnership between you folks and the Water Tower has been nothing short of remarkable, quite frankly. I truly wish I had you for the rest of the summer to help us here.”

Barbara Diaz, secretary of the Water Tower Advisory Council, said that million-dollar grants for renovations are valuable, but this type of project can be just as significant. She also noted that the collaboration was beneficial for both groups.

“Volunteering cures depression,” Diaz said. “There’s so much that they are gaining by doing that for the Water Tower.”

Giovinco agreed that the experience had been special.

“The staff and team here has been fantastic,” Giovinco said. “We’d had so much fun just being here in the community.”

Learn more about The Philadelphia Project at thephillyproject.org. Learn more about the Water Tower Recreation Center at wtrec.org.

Maggie Dougherty can be reached at Margaret@chestnuthilllocal.com.