{"id":114141,"date":"2026-02-14T19:29:10","date_gmt":"2026-02-14T19:29:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/114141\/"},"modified":"2026-02-14T19:29:10","modified_gmt":"2026-02-14T19:29:10","slug":"the-citizen-recommends-215-day-of-giving","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/114141\/","title":{"rendered":"The Citizen Recommends: 215 Day of Giving"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Does Philly really take care of its own? That question could be answered Sunday on the inaugural 215 Day of Giving,<\/a> a first-of-its-kind in Philly fundraiser supporting 10 community-focused organizations.<\/p>\n

Appropriately scheduled for February 15 (2-15), the philanthropic outing aims to raise $50,000 to be divided evenly among the selected groups, which support youth athletics, hands-on job training, and other needed programs.<\/p>\n

Long-time community activist Darrien Johnson was key to bringing together a steering committee that includes leaders of established nonprofits. She\u2019d like to see this day of giving become an annual event.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to create some sort of sustainable initiative for organizations that allows them to be seen and properly funded,\u201d says Johnson, who calls herself the \u201ccommunity curator.\u201d \u201cWe have over 3,000 nonprofits incorporated in Philadelphia, but there are barriers to get funding. These groups are always looking for where the next dollar is coming from.\u201d<\/p>\n

Johnson says government funding is usually limited to the largest and best-known programs and two-thirds of the city\u2019s grassroots operations operate with less than three months of cash reserves.<\/p>\n

Johnson believes the solution lies in \u201celiminating those barriers and saying, Even if you don\u2019t have the capacity, even if you don\u2019t have the experience, but if you have the heart and the love, we\u2019re here to support you and to give you the tools to be able to get to tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n

The 215 Day of Giving was inspired by the work CLLCTIVLY<\/a> does in Baltimore, Johnson says. Founded in 2019, that nonprofit holds a similar fundraiser to support grassroots, Black-led social programs with money and expertise. To date, CLLCTIVLY says it has supported 400 organizations and distributed $7 million.<\/p>\n

Johnson\u2019s program also aligns with that of nonprofit I Live Here I Give Here\u2019s annual Amplify Austin Day,<\/a> whose executive director spoke at The Citizen\u2019s 2024 Ideas We Should Steal Festival<\/a>. Since launching the annual day of giving in 2013, the Texas nonprofit has raised more than $122 million and supported more than 1,500 nonprofits.<\/p>\n

Among the potential grant recipients here in Philadelphia are The Children\u2019s Learning Institute, which assists with housing expenses, food, clothing and education opportunities; Positive Youth Outlook, a youth sports mentorship program; and Dez Kids (pronounced \u201cthese kids\u201d), which teaches construction skills to those aged 14 to 21.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery dollar counts and could be the difference between a program existing or not.\u201d \u2014 Emmanuel \u201cManny215\u201d Clark, What I Wish I Knew<\/p>\n

\u201cThere isn\u2019t just one particular zip code or focus. These [organizations] do many different things,\u201d Johnson says. \u201cIt\u2019s about getting people familiar with them and their missions.\u201d<\/p>\n

While the $50,000 goal may seem modest to some, Johnson notes this is the effort\u2019s first year and she\u2019d like to see it grow. She\u2019s also inspired by what she\u2019s seen so far as individuals have already started to contribute to the 215 Day of Giving pot, offering what they can, even if that amount is $10.38. (An actual donation.)<\/p>\n

The members of Johnson\u2019s steering committee involved with nonprofits know that even small contributions can be gamechangers, especially for an organization trying to find its footing.<\/p>\n

Emmanuel \u201cManny215\u201d Clark, who founded the nonprofit What I Wish I Knew in 2019, was part of Johnson\u2019s 215 Day of Giving steering committee. His group focuses on economic advancement, ending gun violence, and teaching life skills. In the organization\u2019s early years, a $500 donation allowed him to provide one more meal or give away one more back-to-school backpack, he says.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery dollar counts and could be the difference between a program existing or not,\u201d says Clark, who in 2025 received the annual Inspire Change Changemaker Award from the NFL and the Philadelphia Eagles. \u201cThis money can also be the morale and motivation boost we need as organizers and founders because it does get stressful when you\u2019re committing your life to serve in the community and there\u2019s no financial support.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ryan Harris, CEO and founder of Hunting Park-based As I Plant This Seed, echoed Clark\u2019s sentiment, knowing firsthand the impact an unexpected donation can have: In 2024, I Plant This Seed was one of four finalists for a Wawa Foundation Award. It finished in second place, receiving $10,000. Those funds further prop up the Treehouse, a repurposed house that is the base of his programming.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re meeting the organizations on the ground where they are so they can continue doing the good work they\u2019re doing,\u201d says Harris, whose organization, founded in 2012, provides mentorships and other programming for young people ages 7 to 17 and their families.<\/p>\n

In addition to the money, the selected nonprofits will also be offered technical assistance, education on capacity building, and other skills because \u201cfunding is not enough if they\u2019re not able to maintain, sustain, or actually scale that funding,\u201d Johnson says. There\u2019s also the hope that shining a light on these smaller organizations will help them attract volunteers and other supporters.<\/p>\n

\u201cBy all of us coming together with our different strengths \u2014 like marketing, programming, outreach \u2014 we\u2019re able to provide services that empower organizations and help them grow,\u201d she says of her committed steering committee.<\/p>\n

Johnson believes residents will step up to help their own as she has. \u201cPhiladelphia raised me,\u201d she says. \u201cEverything I do is about giving back.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\" MORE TO DO FROM THE CITIZEN<\/p>\n

Darrien Johnson and her team at City Hall. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Does Philly really take care of its own? That question could be answered Sunday on the inaugural 215…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":114142,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[8270,69,71,70,9511],"class_list":{"0":"post-114141","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-philadelphia","8":"tag-nonprofits","9":"tag-philadelphia","10":"tag-philadelphia-headlines","11":"tag-philadelphia-news","12":"tag-the-citizen-recommends"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/114141","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=114141"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/114141\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/114142"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=114141"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=114141"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=114141"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}