October 11, 2024 • 28 mins
East Falls is rapidly evolving into a vibrant neighborhood destination, featuring a variety of restaurants, businesses, and new residential developments, all nestled alongside the Schuylkill River. I chat with Michelle Feldman, Executive Director of the East Falls Development Corporation, about the exciting things happening in the area and the upcoming East FallsFest! Hosted by the East Falls Development Corporation, East Falls Business Association, and East Falls Community Council, the event will take place on October 19th from 11 AM to 5 PM at the heart of the neighborhood. It’s a fun-filled day for all ages with bites and brews, live music, fall activities like apple bobbing, a 17-foot farm maze, and more.
More Info
East FallsFest Details
I also speak with Samantha Mathews, Founder & CEO of Andrée Collective, a nonprofit providing transitional employment in the events industry for survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking. We discuss their impactful work and their annual Celebrations for Freedom Gala and Silent Auction, happening on November 3rd at 5 PM at Union Trust.
Learn more: andreecollective.org
Follow on Social Media:
• Instagram: @andreecollective
• Facebook: facebook.com/andreecollective
• LinkedIn: Andrée Collective
Finally, I’m joined by Angela Giampolo of Giampolo Law Group for our monthly SpeakOUT feature, where we explore critical topics affecting the LGBTQIA community. This week, we discuss October as LGBT History Month and the significance of National Coming Out Day in 2024.
Learn more at: Philly Gay Lawyer | Giampolo Law Group
More Info
East FallsFest Details
I also speak with Samantha Mathews, Founder & CEO of Andrée Collective, a nonprofit providing transitional employment in the events industry for survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking. We discuss their impactful work and their annual Celebrations for Freedom Gala and Silent Auction, happening on November 3rd at 5 PM at Union Trust.
Learn more: andreecollective.org
Follow on Social Media:
• Instagram: @andreecollective
• Facebook: facebook.com/andreecollective
• LinkedIn: Andrée Collective
Finally, I’m joined by Angela Giampolo of Giampolo Law Group for our monthly SpeakOUT feature, where we explore critical topics affecting the LGBTQIA community. This week, we discuss October as LGBT History Month and the significance of National Coming Out Day in 2024.
Learn more at: Philly Gay Lawyer | Giampolo Law Group
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Good morning, Welcome to What's going On, a show about
making a difference in our lives and our communities. I'm
Lorraine Ballardmorrow. We speak to the founder of the Andre Collective,
which provides transitional employment to survivors of domestic violence and
human trafficking through their wedding and events planning organization. We
chat with Angela Gimpolo for a monthly feature speak Out.
(00:22):
We talk about LGBT History Month and National Coming Out Day.
But first, as I drive to work every day, I
pass by East Falls and I've come to see some
great changes and evolution of that East Falls neighborhood. And
to tell us more about what's happening there and also
about an upcoming East Falls Fest, is Michelle Feldman, director
(00:43):
of the East Falls Development Corporation. First of all, congratulations
on your wedding.
Speaker 2 (00:48):
Thank you so much, and thank you for having me
again to talk about all the things that we've got
going on in East Fall.
Speaker 1 (00:54):
Yeah, You've got a lot going on, and let's begin
by talking about this fest that's coming up on October nineteenth.
Speaker 2 (01:01):
Yeah, So the East Falls Fest October nineteenth from eleven
am to five pm at Ridge in Midvale. We have
not had sort of a neighborhood festival like this in
at least five years, So COVID was not our friend
with large neighborhood festivals, and our business community and our
residents said, you know what, it's time to throw a
(01:22):
big party and celebrate all that East Falls has to
offer and to spread some East Falls pride and cheer.
So it's going to be a really fun day. We're
going to have a stage full of great music. We
have a local performing arts venue called the fallser Club
that's helping us to book some really fun, great bands,
and then we're gonna have a number of different vendors
(01:43):
as well, So and come expecting things that are family friendly,
like big mazes to go through.
Speaker 3 (01:52):
It's going to be a little.
Speaker 2 (01:53):
Wild and fun, but also pumpkin painting and all sorts
of other fun active right in inn Yard Park.
Speaker 1 (02:01):
Yeah. Well, it's really an opportunity for us to see
a little bit more of East Falls. I mean maybe
a lot of people pass by East Falls on Kelly Drive,
but they may not make that little turn on Midvale
Ridge Avenue and check out what's happening here. So tell
us what's been happening at East Falls there's been a
lot of new development, new businesses coming in tell us more.
Speaker 2 (02:22):
Yeah, so it's been a really exciting few years in
East Falls. We have a number of new mixed use
developments for coming online that came online this year alone,
and some new commercial spaces along with that, and some
great new neighbors as well, so you know that has
brought a lot of energy and excitement to the neighborhood
as well as some new businesses. So you have a
(02:43):
dog grooming business that's going to open up soon, and
some of our legacy businesses are you know, Real Gems,
Vault and Vine which is a wonderful both cafe but
also floral shop is a staple. Majors right at Rigid Midvale.
Best hogis in the city. You can head to Majors
and then fitness, we're definitely especially because we're so close
(03:06):
to the Parkland fitness whether it's rowing or strength training,
you know, the yoga. There's a lot going on in
the world of fitness too in East Falls.
Speaker 1 (03:15):
And your adjacency to the Schoogl River does add a
little element to it. So you've got some activities and
some opportunities related to the river as well.
Speaker 2 (03:27):
Yeah, so we actually about three years ago, now a
little bit more than three years ago, we finished construction
on the East Falls River Landing. So it is a
boat launch on the forty four hundred block of Calli
Drive that is for non motorized boating, paddling, canoeing, but
also for fishing, birding, and migration of all kinds. I mean,
I've been there early in the morning and just found
(03:49):
you know, some beautiful scenes of people reading or praying
or writing, drawing. So it's a really sort of peaceful
place right inside the city. And for us, we're just
really proud that it is an access point to the
river for everyone ADA compliant as well, so that was
really important us too, and we have a great friends
group that works with our organization to help steward the site. Actually,
(04:13):
I should say we are nominated for a sustain PHL
Award for the River landings. You can root for us
in the Neighboring Champion category.
Speaker 1 (04:21):
Oh that's fantastic. Well, you know, you've done a lot
to raise awareness about East Falls and it's certainly a
place to shop and to exercise and do lots of
different things, but also to live. Right, So you mentioned
there's some new developments that are opening up.
Speaker 2 (04:36):
Yeah, so there are four, two on Ridge and then
two on Midvale, but that doesn't count ones that are
coming online. So there are new town homes as well
in the area, some in Paradise or Redulghanny Hunting Parks,
some in these Falls. And then more buildings coming online
too with additional apartments and mixed use opportunities. So there's
(04:58):
definitely come on down, come on down to East Falls.
Speaker 1 (05:01):
What else would you say that you'd like to tell
people about East Falls that maybe they don't know.
Speaker 2 (05:07):
So I think it is such a I don't want
to say hidden gem, but I think it is such
a special and unique neighborhood because of its proximity to
the river. It is idyllic in so many ways, but
you also have all of the access to everything else
in Philadelphia like that, whether you're driving or biking or
(05:28):
running or commuting Bisepta, you can sort of come home
and have all the beauty of the schoogle and wonderful,
wonderful small businesses to patronize, but then also be a hop,
skip and a jump into the city. It's a ten
minute train ride, so it's just this wonderful.
Speaker 3 (05:46):
Pocket and Jam with its own character too.
Speaker 2 (05:49):
And every neighborhood has its own character and is unique,
but East Falls certainly has its own character as well.
So I think you have sort of all of that
wrapped up into a real gem of a neighborhood.
Speaker 1 (06:02):
Yeah. Well, of course, if you want to check out
East Falls, what better way to do it than to
check out the East Falls Fest on October nineteenth from
eleven to five, sponsored by Philadelphia Federal Credit Union at
Ridge and Midvale. If people want more information about finding
out more discovering East Falls, how do they find out more?
Speaker 2 (06:21):
So we are on the world wide Web on the
internets at discover Eastfalls dot org. And then also we
are on Instagram and our handle there is at discover
East Falls. So you can find out more about the
fests either place.
Speaker 1 (06:36):
Great and also about all the businesses and other restaurants, etc.
That are located in East Falls. So discover Eastfalls dot org.
Michelle Feldman, Director of East Falls Development Corporation, thank you
so much. When you think about weddings or big parties,
(06:56):
you think about flowers and decorations, dancing and all those
wonderful things. Well, what if you combined creating great events
with something that really makes a huge difference in the
lives of survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking. Well,
that's why we're speaking with Samantha Matthews, founder and CEO
of the Andre Collective, which is an organization that provides
(07:21):
transitional employment in the events industry for survivors of domestic
violence and human trafficking who are starting over. Thank you
so much for joining us here today and tell us
about the organization. Very unique. You do a lot of
event planning, but you take it one step further and
provide a lifeline for those survivors. Tell us more.
Speaker 3 (07:40):
Absolutely, thanks so much for having me.
Speaker 4 (07:42):
Yeah, so we have found a way to really tap
into the events industry, the wedding industry, which is a
very lucrative industry, very untapped when it comes to being
able to have opportunities to give back, and we have
done so by providing transitional employment for survivors. So I
am a therapist by trade, and my experience has been
(08:06):
in working with female trauma survivors, primarily domestic violence, and
one of the biggest struggles that women have when they're
in this position of having to start over is figuring
out how am I going to sustain myself, How am
I going to sustain a family? How am I going
to do so in a way that's not going to
be constantly triggering or that I'm going to lose my
job because I maybe have to coparent with an abuser
(08:28):
or I have to show up in a place that's
not understanding of my circumstances or situation.
Speaker 3 (08:33):
And a lot of times, you know, folks might not
have been.
Speaker 4 (08:36):
Able to have the levels of education, maybe the resume
that they would like. They might have had large gaps
in their education due to you know, financial abuse, and
so we really wanted to create a space where we
can use this really beautiful industry to be able to
provide opportunities for employment and really therapeutic employment.
Speaker 3 (08:57):
So we we do parts.
Speaker 4 (08:59):
Of employment where we're teaching the transitional job skills that
come alongside of event planning, a lot of customer service
meets product management as well as they're really beautiful kind
of design, fun kind of artistic pieces that come with
events in those beautiful spaces, and we really use it
as an opportunities, yeah, teach those skills to help folks
(09:22):
have that opportunity in their resume to have a great job,
a great career that will hopefully be able to spur
them onto whatever their goals are next. So anyone who
has been a part of planning a large event, especially
a wedding, knows that when you start planning, you start
with a budget, and oftentimes it is sticker shock on
(09:43):
how expensive everything is and how much money goes into planning,
especially a wedding.
Speaker 3 (09:47):
You tell someone it's a wedding, and all of a sudden,
the price tag goes up. And it's a really interesting
kind of industry in that way.
Speaker 4 (09:54):
And we know there's so many couples out there who
are really looking for ways to be able to take
that investment into this beautiful day and want to be able.
Speaker 3 (10:04):
To make it something that they can really use for good.
Speaker 4 (10:09):
Right, it's not only about how can I have the
most beautiful wedding days? How can I have the most
beautiful wedding day and also feel like all of.
Speaker 3 (10:17):
This money that I'm spending is really making a difference.
Speaker 4 (10:19):
And so we think it's a really sweet spot of
being both obviously helpful to the folks that we're getting
to train and teach and provide this employment opportunity as
well as being really helpful to couples who are feeling
the stress and pinch of all of the money that
they're spending and knowing, man, there's got to be some
(10:41):
way that this can be helpful to other people. And
so we're excited to be able to provide an opportunity
for couples, and not even just weddings, right for parties
in general. Right people who are who are planning any
kind of events. We're excited to provide an opportunity for
them to get back as well.
Speaker 1 (10:56):
I wonder if you can share with us any stories
of wai or individuals who have benefited from this program
for sure.
Speaker 4 (11:04):
So we have three programs are our employment program is the.
Speaker 3 (11:08):
Kind of bread and butter of the work we do.
Speaker 4 (11:10):
But folks who come into our program come through being
referred from other agencies and they come through either our
group therapy program or our financial literacy program. They can
choose one or the other, and once they've been a
part of one of those, they have the opportunity when
an apprenticeship opens, to be able to be a part
of that. So we've got so many stores of lives
(11:33):
who've been impacted by all three of those programs in
our Apprenticeship, which that program is the newest of our
three programs. But we have been able to offer employment
to folks who have been in a situation where they
need a couple of paychecks from a stable job in
order to be able to get housing.
Speaker 5 (11:52):
So they might be in a.
Speaker 4 (11:52):
Situation where they're in a transitional shelter situation, and by
having that offer of employment, by having a couple of
those first pay steps, they're actually not only in a
place where they're able to show up at work and
be seen and and their trauma is not going to
keep them from being able to be employed, right, but
it also is this opportunity of man, are my whole
(12:14):
life just opened up? Because now we can have housing,
Now I have a job, and now I am moving
into this place in my life where I can really
feel like like I'm moving into where I want to be.
We've also had experiences where we've had folks in our
program who have had to.
Speaker 3 (12:30):
Be late because they're maybe a user is you know.
Speaker 4 (12:34):
Messaging them or showing up in places, and those are
really really scary experiences and experiences where in uh, you know,
a traditional job, they might lose their job over something
like that, right, whereas you come here and we get it,
like we we understand that, and we we might even
pause what we're doing and spend time just really helping them,
you know, regulate and talk through what's going on and
(12:56):
make a safety plan and get some action steps in place.
And so we're really proud of being able to do that.
And the part of the way that we are able
to do is we have a phenomenal staff of event
planners that make sure that our events continue flawlessly throughout
that process, while we have folks who can kind of
slow down and step in in those situations with our survivors.
(13:16):
So we're able to so far really do both have
phenomenal events and also be able to meet those individual
needs as they come up that are so unique to
this population.
Speaker 1 (13:28):
Well, the name of your organization, the Andrea Collective, sounds
very appropriate from what you told me before we started talking.
Tell us who Andrea was.
Speaker 3 (13:39):
Yeah, Andre Dejn. She was a little known World War
two hero.
Speaker 4 (13:44):
She was part of the resistance out of Belgium, and
she was this very huge, petite young person who was
just a fireball of desire to make a difference, and
so she actually created one of the largest resistance networks
out of Belgium where they employed many, many mostly women spies,
(14:06):
which was really kind of not known or heard of at.
Speaker 3 (14:09):
The time and would be able to help folks.
Speaker 4 (14:11):
Who you know, soldiers or people who are needing to
escape from occupied areas into safety. And one story I
loved about her that really sealed the deal for us
naming the organization after her was there was one moment
where she was captured by German soldiers and they looked
at her and said.
Speaker 3 (14:29):
This can't be her, This can't be the you know
woman she would buy DDI or the post the postman.
This can't be her, this is just this.
Speaker 4 (14:37):
Cute, little, you know, twenty something female and actually let
her go, and that she eventually did get captured and
ended up in a flustration camp and ended up surviving it.
And I had a phenomenal story in life. But that
story made me think so much of what people respond
when I tell them that we're using the events industry
or the wedding industry to make a difference in the.
Speaker 3 (14:58):
Lives of survivors. You know, it's often the wedding industry,
like events, you know.
Speaker 4 (15:02):
No one, No one would imagine that that's the way
that we're going to help bring people into this new
station of life when they've had to leave an abuser
and myrophone. So it's yep, the wedding industry, you know, yep,
the events industry. Yeah, we're using this industry that is
pretty and cute and you know, things that people might
look at and go oh not that you know, and
(15:23):
we're like, yeah, no's that's what we're using to do it.
And just like Andre did, being able to really bring
specifically women, but people together from whether it's vendors, whether
it's couples, whether it's corporations planning an event, to be
able to come together in this network, to be able
to support survivors who are starting over.
Speaker 1 (15:42):
Well, we have an opportunity to see you in action
and see how fabulous you can make a space become
because you are having celebrations for Freedom Gala and Silent
Auction at Union Trust tell us More.
Speaker 3 (15:55):
Yeah, we're very excited about it. It is our annual
big events.
Speaker 4 (15:59):
It's an opportun unity for us to show off the
beautiful event work that we do as well as here
from some of the folks who've been through our programs
to talk about their experience here from some of our
couples who have hired us to do events, and so
we were really excited to be able to share the
story sea. So we'll be at Union Trust November three
at five o'clock. Tickets are on sale now, I think
(16:21):
actually tickets are on sale on our website Andre Collective
dot org and you can go there and check them out.
We would love to have more folks come out and
learn about the work that we're doing, and then we're
also it's a great opportunity to learn about not only
how to support the survivors, but also how to book
us for events.
Speaker 1 (16:39):
Fabulous, Well you can have a celebration but do good
at the same time. What a wonderful opportunity that is
and really unique and very cool that you're doing that,
and we love what the Andrea Collective is doing. Samantha Matthews,
founder and CEO, Thank you so much.
Speaker 5 (16:56):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (17:01):
AIDS Fund Philly raises crucial funds to provide emergency financial
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These small grants can literally keep the lights on and
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signing up for the thirty eighth annual AIDS Walkphilly five
(17:24):
k Sunday, October twentieth. Go to Aidswalkphilly dot org. As
we do once a month every month, we spend time
talking about issues related to the LGBTQIA community and how
it relates to us all. And this segment is called
(17:45):
speak Out. And joining me is Angela Gimpolo. She is
the principal for Gmpolo Law Group and also the author
of Philly Gay Lawyer. Thank you so much for joining
us here today, and it's very auspicious. October is LGBTQIA
plus History Month.
Speaker 5 (18:05):
Tell us more. That's about so many things.
Speaker 6 (18:10):
Every month is Pride Month, no, so yes, October is
LGBTQ History Month, and within the month of October we
also have National Coming Out Day, Right.
Speaker 1 (18:21):
You know, I think it's especially important to talk about
representation because I think you know, when we talk about
Women's History Month, we talk about Black History Month. What
that does is it brings into the conversation the contributions
and the stories of those in those particular groups. And
by knowing those stories, we have a better sense of
(18:43):
ourselves and of our country. And one of the things
that LGBTQI History Month does is it puts a focus
on the tremendous advances that have occurred over the many decades,
but also it shines a light on some of the
things that we need to look at as we go forward,
the challenges of the future. And I wonder if you
(19:04):
can maybe reflect on what this means to you.
Speaker 6 (19:08):
You hit the nail on the head in terms of
what my morning was like reflecting on this, you know,
wanting to talk about LGBTQ History Month with you, and
so just doing a deep dive and researching LGBTQ history
because I've had my firm for seventeen years, I've dedicated
my career in my life to serving the LGBTQ community
(19:30):
for all of their legal needs and really just their rights,
their equal rights, and their right to exist in this
society as they are. And so then doing a deep
dive on the history, right, and you'd think I know
all the history and things.
Speaker 5 (19:45):
And so the one thing that we always say.
Speaker 6 (19:47):
Is stone Wall, which most people know infamously, right, they
view it as the beginning of the LGBTQ movement, but
it was really a turning point in the LGBTQ movement,
and that the history, you know, goes much longer, and
so I was just reading through and Don't Ask, Don't
Tell was one of, you know, the most egregious discrimination
(20:09):
laws preventing LGBTQ folks from being able to serve in
the military. And I didn't until this morning know that
that was already enacted in nineteen fifty three by deut d.
Speaker 5 (20:20):
Eisenhower.
Speaker 6 (20:21):
When you said it tells stories and teaches us our history, right, Like,
I never knew that that in nineteen fifty three that
was enacted, but it was just Bill Clinton that gave
it a name and then actually enforced it. But it
was already in the books. And so long winded personal
way to say, what my reflection is is that knowing
(20:42):
your history and the history of this country, regardless of
who it's applied to, whether it's Black History Month or
Women's History Month, right, Like, they are stories and snippets
of things that have happened over the decades, and it's fascinating.
Like I looked at that as if I was not
myself a lesbian and just looking at how this country
operates and runs, and like, of course it already existed
(21:03):
and the president just made it, gave it a name.
I just think it's important for again everyone, whether or
not you're LGBTQ or not, you know, to pay attention
during LGBTQ History Month or Pride Month and just learn.
You know, you have me who's been doing this for
seventeen years, learning something new and interesting about history that.
Speaker 5 (21:22):
I didn't otherwise until today.
Speaker 6 (21:24):
And so let alone if it's not what you do
for a living, Like, if you just learn one little snippet,
you know more today than you did yesterday.
Speaker 1 (21:31):
Yeah, and you actually knew an LGBTQ history maker.
Speaker 5 (21:37):
Yeah, Ed Windsor.
Speaker 6 (21:38):
Ed Windsor shockingly was shockingly taller than me at eighty three.
If that does not bode well for how tall I
will be in forty years. But that was her claim
to fame, was that without heels, who's actually taller than me?
But she went to Temple University and left Temple University
(21:59):
divorce to her husband, lived here in Philadelphia and knew
she was a lesbian, but didn't feel like she could
continue to live here in Philadelphia in nineteen fifty divorced
already and as an out lesbian, so she moved to
New York and then that's where and she called herself
an accidental activist. Her partner of forty four years. They
(22:21):
were engaged for forty four years. A great documentary called
The Longest Engagement.
Speaker 5 (22:26):
I have chills.
Speaker 6 (22:27):
They were engaged for forty four years, and then marriage
equality hit in Canada, and her partner had MS and
was going to pass away from it, and so they
flew up to Canada, got married, came back to the
United States.
Speaker 5 (22:42):
United States did.
Speaker 6 (22:42):
Not yet recognize marriage equality, but New York recognized your
marriage if it was legal where you celebrated it, and
so since they celebrated in Canada, even though there was
not marriage in the US, there was in New York.
And so when THEA her partner died, the federal government
did not yet recognize their marriage, but the state of
(23:02):
New York did, and so then ensued a tax debacle
where if Edi and THEA had been legally married at
the time of thea's depth, Edie would have owed zero
dollars in taxes, but she otherwise owed three hundred and
sixty four thousand dollars in taxes or because they were
(23:23):
deemed unmarried. They made really good investment choices in the
seventies and bought in the Hamptons and bought a condo
in New York which were then millions of dollars each
forty years later.
Speaker 5 (23:33):
So the Windsor v.
Speaker 6 (23:35):
United States, which gave us marriage equality in the United States,
was really a tax case. But they found Edie Windsor,
this amazing, affable, funny, great eighty three year old woman,
to be the face of this very boring tax case. Right,
but inherent in marriage is one one hundred and thirty
eight state and federal rights, and Edie's case showcased some
(23:58):
of the most financially advantageous benefits of marriage inheritance rights
and tax rights and social security survivor benefits rights and
all of that. But she called herself an accidental activist.
You know, she was eighty something when she came onto
the scene as you know.
Speaker 5 (24:17):
Gay rights pioneer.
Speaker 6 (24:19):
But it's due to the fact that her partner died,
and had they been married, it would have been a
non issue had they been deemed married. They were legally married,
but had they been deemed married by the United States.
Speaker 1 (24:29):
Yeah, well, there's so much history to dig into. But
I do want to touch on a very important date,
and that is National Coming Out Day, which has passed. However,
I think it might be interesting to reflect on what
that actually means in twenty twenty four. How do you
relate to that today?
Speaker 6 (24:48):
I see it as ever evolving and ever expanding in
that we are very lucky here on the coast and
on the coasts and in large cities where it is
easier to in twenty twenty four, then even in year
two thousand to quote unquote come out right as LGBTQ.
But we need to not forget our LGBTQ folks in
(25:12):
Alabama and Tennessee and in places where it's not as easy,
and so coming out it is still a journey for many, many,
many folks. Forty percent of kids in foster care LGBTQ
because they've come out and then been kicked out of
their homes. But I say evolving because now folks are
coming out as as gender queer, as non binary. At
(25:34):
Out in Equal, which is a conference of corporate conference
for LGBTQ folks in the corporate setting, and there was
a whole panel on the new coming out being polyamorous
and open relationships right, that it's not just about using
a pronoun at the water cooler of I'm a woman
and I said, would you do this weekend? You know
(25:54):
my wife and I but like my four partners, and
I did X Y.
Speaker 1 (26:00):
I right, Like I can be very complicated these days.
Speaker 6 (26:03):
But it's exactly so they feel like they can't come
out as their true polycule right of what makes up
their entire relationship. So I view it as ever evolving
and never expanding. And I'm in the midst of writing
a book called Everybody's Getting and it's because we all
have something to come out about. And so I take
(26:26):
it a step further of even you, Lorraine Ballad, moral
have an studies show that every human on average is
harboring thirteen secrets in some way, shape or form. Thirteen
significant not that you didn't brush your teeth this morning
and rolled out of bed, but.
Speaker 5 (26:42):
Something more significant than that. And so my goal is that.
Speaker 6 (26:46):
Everybody comes out, that everybody has something to come out about,
and that the world would be a much better place
if we all came out about whatever it is that
we're holding in.
Speaker 1 (26:56):
Right, I think life is better when we are able
to be our true authentic self. Well, of course, as
we celebrate LGBTQ History Month, you are a bit of
a history maker and your own right, your activism and
getting the word out and just raising people's awareness about
the issues that not only affect the LGBTQ community but
(27:19):
also us all, and that's what we tend to do
in this interview. So if people want more information about
the work that you do, certainly your law practice, but
also following you on your blog Philly Gay Lawyer, how
do we find out more?
Speaker 6 (27:33):
Absolutely, you can go to my website jampololaw dot com
and find us there. And also if you want to
follow my Careman of Hope, which is a nonprofit that
we take cross country providing pro bono legal services to
LGBTQ folks in fourteen cities, you can find us at
the caremanof Hope dot lgbt Angela Gimpolo.
Speaker 1 (27:54):
She is the founder of Gimpolo Law Group and also
the author of Philly Gay Lawyer, a blog. Always a
pleasure to hear your words, Angelie Dianpola, Thank you so much.
Speaker 5 (28:05):
Thank you, Laren.
Speaker 1 (28:06):
You can listen to all of today's interviews by going
to our station website and typing in keyword Community. You
can also listen on the iHeartRadio app yay Words Philadelphia
Community Podcast. Follow me on Twitter and Instagram at Lorraine Ballard.
I'm Lorraine Ballard Morrel and I stand for service to
our community and media that empowers. What will you stand for?
(28:27):
You've been listening to what's going on, and thank you
Good morning, Welcome to What's going On, a show about
making a difference in our lives and our communities. I'm
Lorraine Ballardmorrow. We speak to the founder of the Andre Collective,
which provides transitional employment to survivors of domestic violence and
human trafficking through their wedding and events planning organization. We
chat with Angela Gimpolo for a monthly feature speak Out.
(00:22):
We talk about LGBT History Month and National Coming Out Day.
But first, as I drive to work every day, I
pass by East Falls and I've come to see some
great changes and evolution of that East Falls neighborhood. And
to tell us more about what's happening there and also
about an upcoming East Falls Fest, is Michelle Feldman, director
(00:43):
of the East Falls Development Corporation. First of all, congratulations
on your wedding.
Speaker 2 (00:48):
Thank you so much, and thank you for having me
again to talk about all the things that we've got
going on in East Fall.
Speaker 1 (00:54):
Yeah, You've got a lot going on, and let's begin
by talking about this fest that's coming up on October nineteenth.
Speaker 2 (01:01):
Yeah, So the East Falls Fest October nineteenth from eleven
am to five pm at Ridge in Midvale. We have
not had sort of a neighborhood festival like this in
at least five years, So COVID was not our friend
with large neighborhood festivals, and our business community and our
residents said, you know what, it's time to throw a
(01:22):
big party and celebrate all that East Falls has to
offer and to spread some East Falls pride and cheer.
So it's going to be a really fun day. We're
going to have a stage full of great music. We
have a local performing arts venue called the fallser Club
that's helping us to book some really fun, great bands,
and then we're gonna have a number of different vendors
(01:43):
as well, So and come expecting things that are family friendly,
like big mazes to go through.
Speaker 3 (01:52):
It's going to be a little.
Speaker 2 (01:53):
Wild and fun, but also pumpkin painting and all sorts
of other fun active right in inn Yard Park.
Speaker 1 (02:01):
Yeah. Well, it's really an opportunity for us to see
a little bit more of East Falls. I mean maybe
a lot of people pass by East Falls on Kelly Drive,
but they may not make that little turn on Midvale
Ridge Avenue and check out what's happening here. So tell
us what's been happening at East Falls there's been a
lot of new development, new businesses coming in tell us more.
Speaker 2 (02:22):
Yeah, so it's been a really exciting few years in
East Falls. We have a number of new mixed use
developments for coming online that came online this year alone,
and some new commercial spaces along with that, and some
great new neighbors as well, so you know that has
brought a lot of energy and excitement to the neighborhood
as well as some new businesses. So you have a
(02:43):
dog grooming business that's going to open up soon, and
some of our legacy businesses are you know, Real Gems,
Vault and Vine which is a wonderful both cafe but
also floral shop is a staple. Majors right at Rigid Midvale.
Best hogis in the city. You can head to Majors
and then fitness, we're definitely especially because we're so close
(03:06):
to the Parkland fitness whether it's rowing or strength training,
you know, the yoga. There's a lot going on in
the world of fitness too in East Falls.
Speaker 1 (03:15):
And your adjacency to the Schoogl River does add a
little element to it. So you've got some activities and
some opportunities related to the river as well.
Speaker 2 (03:27):
Yeah, so we actually about three years ago, now a
little bit more than three years ago, we finished construction
on the East Falls River Landing. So it is a
boat launch on the forty four hundred block of Calli
Drive that is for non motorized boating, paddling, canoeing, but
also for fishing, birding, and migration of all kinds. I mean,
I've been there early in the morning and just found
(03:49):
you know, some beautiful scenes of people reading or praying
or writing, drawing. So it's a really sort of peaceful
place right inside the city. And for us, we're just
really proud that it is an access point to the
river for everyone ADA compliant as well, so that was
really important us too, and we have a great friends
group that works with our organization to help steward the site. Actually,
(04:13):
I should say we are nominated for a sustain PHL
Award for the River landings. You can root for us
in the Neighboring Champion category.
Speaker 1 (04:21):
Oh that's fantastic. Well, you know, you've done a lot
to raise awareness about East Falls and it's certainly a
place to shop and to exercise and do lots of
different things, but also to live. Right, So you mentioned
there's some new developments that are opening up.
Speaker 2 (04:36):
Yeah, so there are four, two on Ridge and then
two on Midvale, but that doesn't count ones that are
coming online. So there are new town homes as well
in the area, some in Paradise or Redulghanny Hunting Parks,
some in these Falls. And then more buildings coming online
too with additional apartments and mixed use opportunities. So there's
(04:58):
definitely come on down, come on down to East Falls.
Speaker 1 (05:01):
What else would you say that you'd like to tell
people about East Falls that maybe they don't know.
Speaker 2 (05:07):
So I think it is such a I don't want
to say hidden gem, but I think it is such
a special and unique neighborhood because of its proximity to
the river. It is idyllic in so many ways, but
you also have all of the access to everything else
in Philadelphia like that, whether you're driving or biking or
(05:28):
running or commuting Bisepta, you can sort of come home
and have all the beauty of the schoogle and wonderful,
wonderful small businesses to patronize, but then also be a hop,
skip and a jump into the city. It's a ten
minute train ride, so it's just this wonderful.
Speaker 3 (05:46):
Pocket and Jam with its own character too.
Speaker 2 (05:49):
And every neighborhood has its own character and is unique,
but East Falls certainly has its own character as well.
So I think you have sort of all of that
wrapped up into a real gem of a neighborhood.
Speaker 1 (06:02):
Yeah. Well, of course, if you want to check out
East Falls, what better way to do it than to
check out the East Falls Fest on October nineteenth from
eleven to five, sponsored by Philadelphia Federal Credit Union at
Ridge and Midvale. If people want more information about finding
out more discovering East Falls, how do they find out more?
Speaker 2 (06:21):
So we are on the world wide Web on the
internets at discover Eastfalls dot org. And then also we
are on Instagram and our handle there is at discover
East Falls. So you can find out more about the
fests either place.
Speaker 1 (06:36):
Great and also about all the businesses and other restaurants, etc.
That are located in East Falls. So discover Eastfalls dot org.
Michelle Feldman, Director of East Falls Development Corporation, thank you
so much. When you think about weddings or big parties,
(06:56):
you think about flowers and decorations, dancing and all those
wonderful things. Well, what if you combined creating great events
with something that really makes a huge difference in the
lives of survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking. Well,
that's why we're speaking with Samantha Matthews, founder and CEO
of the Andre Collective, which is an organization that provides
(07:21):
transitional employment in the events industry for survivors of domestic
violence and human trafficking who are starting over. Thank you
so much for joining us here today and tell us
about the organization. Very unique. You do a lot of
event planning, but you take it one step further and
provide a lifeline for those survivors. Tell us more.
Speaker 3 (07:40):
Absolutely, thanks so much for having me.
Speaker 4 (07:42):
Yeah, so we have found a way to really tap
into the events industry, the wedding industry, which is a
very lucrative industry, very untapped when it comes to being
able to have opportunities to give back, and we have
done so by providing transitional employment for survivors. So I
am a therapist by trade, and my experience has been
(08:06):
in working with female trauma survivors, primarily domestic violence, and
one of the biggest struggles that women have when they're
in this position of having to start over is figuring
out how am I going to sustain myself, How am
I going to sustain a family? How am I going
to do so in a way that's not going to
be constantly triggering or that I'm going to lose my
job because I maybe have to coparent with an abuser
(08:28):
or I have to show up in a place that's
not understanding of my circumstances or situation.
Speaker 3 (08:33):
And a lot of times, you know, folks might not
have been.
Speaker 4 (08:36):
Able to have the levels of education, maybe the resume
that they would like. They might have had large gaps
in their education due to you know, financial abuse, and
so we really wanted to create a space where we
can use this really beautiful industry to be able to
provide opportunities for employment and really therapeutic employment.
Speaker 3 (08:57):
So we we do parts.
Speaker 4 (08:59):
Of employment where we're teaching the transitional job skills that
come alongside of event planning, a lot of customer service
meets product management as well as they're really beautiful kind
of design, fun kind of artistic pieces that come with
events in those beautiful spaces, and we really use it
as an opportunities, yeah, teach those skills to help folks
(09:22):
have that opportunity in their resume to have a great job,
a great career that will hopefully be able to spur
them onto whatever their goals are next. So anyone who
has been a part of planning a large event, especially
a wedding, knows that when you start planning, you start
with a budget, and oftentimes it is sticker shock on
(09:43):
how expensive everything is and how much money goes into planning,
especially a wedding.
Speaker 3 (09:47):
You tell someone it's a wedding, and all of a sudden,
the price tag goes up. And it's a really interesting
kind of industry in that way.
Speaker 4 (09:54):
And we know there's so many couples out there who
are really looking for ways to be able to take
that investment into this beautiful day and want to be able.
Speaker 3 (10:04):
To make it something that they can really use for good.
Speaker 4 (10:09):
Right, it's not only about how can I have the
most beautiful wedding days? How can I have the most
beautiful wedding day and also feel like all of.
Speaker 3 (10:17):
This money that I'm spending is really making a difference.
Speaker 4 (10:19):
And so we think it's a really sweet spot of
being both obviously helpful to the folks that we're getting
to train and teach and provide this employment opportunity as
well as being really helpful to couples who are feeling
the stress and pinch of all of the money that
they're spending and knowing, man, there's got to be some
(10:41):
way that this can be helpful to other people. And
so we're excited to be able to provide an opportunity
for couples, and not even just weddings, right for parties
in general. Right people who are who are planning any
kind of events. We're excited to provide an opportunity for
them to get back as well.
Speaker 1 (10:56):
I wonder if you can share with us any stories
of wai or individuals who have benefited from this program
for sure.
Speaker 4 (11:04):
So we have three programs are our employment program is the.
Speaker 3 (11:08):
Kind of bread and butter of the work we do.
Speaker 4 (11:10):
But folks who come into our program come through being
referred from other agencies and they come through either our
group therapy program or our financial literacy program. They can
choose one or the other, and once they've been a
part of one of those, they have the opportunity when
an apprenticeship opens, to be able to be a part
of that. So we've got so many stores of lives
(11:33):
who've been impacted by all three of those programs in
our Apprenticeship, which that program is the newest of our
three programs. But we have been able to offer employment
to folks who have been in a situation where they
need a couple of paychecks from a stable job in
order to be able to get housing.
Speaker 5 (11:52):
So they might be in a.
Speaker 4 (11:52):
Situation where they're in a transitional shelter situation, and by
having that offer of employment, by having a couple of
those first pay steps, they're actually not only in a
place where they're able to show up at work and
be seen and and their trauma is not going to
keep them from being able to be employed, right, but
it also is this opportunity of man, are my whole
(12:14):
life just opened up? Because now we can have housing,
Now I have a job, and now I am moving
into this place in my life where I can really
feel like like I'm moving into where I want to be.
We've also had experiences where we've had folks in our
program who have had to.
Speaker 3 (12:30):
Be late because they're maybe a user is you know.
Speaker 4 (12:34):
Messaging them or showing up in places, and those are
really really scary experiences and experiences where in uh, you know,
a traditional job, they might lose their job over something
like that, right, whereas you come here and we get it,
like we we understand that, and we we might even
pause what we're doing and spend time just really helping them,
you know, regulate and talk through what's going on and
(12:56):
make a safety plan and get some action steps in place.
And so we're really proud of being able to do that.
And the part of the way that we are able
to do is we have a phenomenal staff of event
planners that make sure that our events continue flawlessly throughout
that process, while we have folks who can kind of
slow down and step in in those situations with our survivors.
(13:16):
So we're able to so far really do both have
phenomenal events and also be able to meet those individual
needs as they come up that are so unique to
this population.
Speaker 1 (13:28):
Well, the name of your organization, the Andrea Collective, sounds
very appropriate from what you told me before we started talking.
Tell us who Andrea was.
Speaker 3 (13:39):
Yeah, Andre Dejn. She was a little known World War
two hero.
Speaker 4 (13:44):
She was part of the resistance out of Belgium, and
she was this very huge, petite young person who was
just a fireball of desire to make a difference, and
so she actually created one of the largest resistance networks
out of Belgium where they employed many, many mostly women spies,
(14:06):
which was really kind of not known or heard of at.
Speaker 3 (14:09):
The time and would be able to help folks.
Speaker 4 (14:11):
Who you know, soldiers or people who are needing to
escape from occupied areas into safety. And one story I
loved about her that really sealed the deal for us
naming the organization after her was there was one moment
where she was captured by German soldiers and they looked
at her and said.
Speaker 3 (14:29):
This can't be her, This can't be the you know
woman she would buy DDI or the post the postman.
This can't be her, this is just this.
Speaker 4 (14:37):
Cute, little, you know, twenty something female and actually let
her go, and that she eventually did get captured and
ended up in a flustration camp and ended up surviving it.
And I had a phenomenal story in life. But that
story made me think so much of what people respond
when I tell them that we're using the events industry
or the wedding industry to make a difference in the.
Speaker 3 (14:58):
Lives of survivors. You know, it's often the wedding industry,
like events, you know.
Speaker 4 (15:02):
No one, No one would imagine that that's the way
that we're going to help bring people into this new
station of life when they've had to leave an abuser
and myrophone. So it's yep, the wedding industry, you know, yep,
the events industry. Yeah, we're using this industry that is
pretty and cute and you know, things that people might
look at and go oh not that you know, and
(15:23):
we're like, yeah, no's that's what we're using to do it.
And just like Andre did, being able to really bring
specifically women, but people together from whether it's vendors, whether
it's couples, whether it's corporations planning an event, to be
able to come together in this network, to be able
to support survivors who are starting over.
Speaker 1 (15:42):
Well, we have an opportunity to see you in action
and see how fabulous you can make a space become
because you are having celebrations for Freedom Gala and Silent
Auction at Union Trust tell us More.
Speaker 3 (15:55):
Yeah, we're very excited about it. It is our annual
big events.
Speaker 4 (15:59):
It's an opportun unity for us to show off the
beautiful event work that we do as well as here
from some of the folks who've been through our programs
to talk about their experience here from some of our
couples who have hired us to do events, and so
we were really excited to be able to share the
story sea. So we'll be at Union Trust November three
at five o'clock. Tickets are on sale now, I think
(16:21):
actually tickets are on sale on our website Andre Collective
dot org and you can go there and check them out.
We would love to have more folks come out and
learn about the work that we're doing, and then we're
also it's a great opportunity to learn about not only
how to support the survivors, but also how to book
us for events.
Speaker 1 (16:39):
Fabulous, Well you can have a celebration but do good
at the same time. What a wonderful opportunity that is
and really unique and very cool that you're doing that,
and we love what the Andrea Collective is doing. Samantha Matthews,
founder and CEO, Thank you so much.
Speaker 5 (16:56):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (17:01):
AIDS Fund Philly raises crucial funds to provide emergency financial
assistance to people living with HIV disease in the Philadelphia area.
These small grants can literally keep the lights on and
keep people safely housed, which helps them continue their treatment
and stay healthy. Support the most vulnerable among us by
signing up for the thirty eighth annual AIDS Walkphilly five
(17:24):
k Sunday, October twentieth. Go to Aidswalkphilly dot org. As
we do once a month every month, we spend time
talking about issues related to the LGBTQIA community and how
it relates to us all. And this segment is called
(17:45):
speak Out. And joining me is Angela Gimpolo. She is
the principal for Gmpolo Law Group and also the author
of Philly Gay Lawyer. Thank you so much for joining
us here today, and it's very auspicious. October is LGBTQIA
plus History Month.
Speaker 5 (18:05):
Tell us more. That's about so many things.
Speaker 6 (18:10):
Every month is Pride Month, no, so yes, October is
LGBTQ History Month, and within the month of October we
also have National Coming Out Day, Right.
Speaker 1 (18:21):
You know, I think it's especially important to talk about
representation because I think you know, when we talk about
Women's History Month, we talk about Black History Month. What
that does is it brings into the conversation the contributions
and the stories of those in those particular groups. And
by knowing those stories, we have a better sense of
(18:43):
ourselves and of our country. And one of the things
that LGBTQI History Month does is it puts a focus
on the tremendous advances that have occurred over the many decades,
but also it shines a light on some of the
things that we need to look at as we go forward,
the challenges of the future. And I wonder if you
(19:04):
can maybe reflect on what this means to you.
Speaker 6 (19:08):
You hit the nail on the head in terms of
what my morning was like reflecting on this, you know,
wanting to talk about LGBTQ History Month with you, and
so just doing a deep dive and researching LGBTQ history
because I've had my firm for seventeen years, I've dedicated
my career in my life to serving the LGBTQ community
(19:30):
for all of their legal needs and really just their rights,
their equal rights, and their right to exist in this
society as they are. And so then doing a deep
dive on the history, right, and you'd think I know
all the history and things.
Speaker 5 (19:45):
And so the one thing that we always say.
Speaker 6 (19:47):
Is stone Wall, which most people know infamously, right, they
view it as the beginning of the LGBTQ movement, but
it was really a turning point in the LGBTQ movement,
and that the history, you know, goes much longer, and
so I was just reading through and Don't Ask, Don't
Tell was one of, you know, the most egregious discrimination
(20:09):
laws preventing LGBTQ folks from being able to serve in
the military. And I didn't until this morning know that
that was already enacted in nineteen fifty three by deut d.
Speaker 5 (20:20):
Eisenhower.
Speaker 6 (20:21):
When you said it tells stories and teaches us our history, right, Like,
I never knew that that in nineteen fifty three that
was enacted, but it was just Bill Clinton that gave
it a name and then actually enforced it. But it
was already in the books. And so long winded personal
way to say, what my reflection is is that knowing
(20:42):
your history and the history of this country, regardless of
who it's applied to, whether it's Black History Month or
Women's History Month, right, Like, they are stories and snippets
of things that have happened over the decades, and it's fascinating.
Like I looked at that as if I was not
myself a lesbian and just looking at how this country
operates and runs, and like, of course it already existed
(21:03):
and the president just made it, gave it a name.
I just think it's important for again everyone, whether or
not you're LGBTQ or not, you know, to pay attention
during LGBTQ History Month or Pride Month and just learn.
You know, you have me who's been doing this for
seventeen years, learning something new and interesting about history that.
Speaker 5 (21:22):
I didn't otherwise until today.
Speaker 6 (21:24):
And so let alone if it's not what you do
for a living, Like, if you just learn one little snippet,
you know more today than you did yesterday.
Speaker 1 (21:31):
Yeah, and you actually knew an LGBTQ history maker.
Speaker 5 (21:37):
Yeah, Ed Windsor.
Speaker 6 (21:38):
Ed Windsor shockingly was shockingly taller than me at eighty three.
If that does not bode well for how tall I
will be in forty years. But that was her claim
to fame, was that without heels, who's actually taller than me?
But she went to Temple University and left Temple University
(21:59):
divorce to her husband, lived here in Philadelphia and knew
she was a lesbian, but didn't feel like she could
continue to live here in Philadelphia in nineteen fifty divorced
already and as an out lesbian, so she moved to
New York and then that's where and she called herself
an accidental activist. Her partner of forty four years. They
(22:21):
were engaged for forty four years. A great documentary called
The Longest Engagement.
Speaker 5 (22:26):
I have chills.
Speaker 6 (22:27):
They were engaged for forty four years, and then marriage
equality hit in Canada, and her partner had MS and
was going to pass away from it, and so they
flew up to Canada, got married, came back to the
United States.
Speaker 5 (22:42):
United States did.
Speaker 6 (22:42):
Not yet recognize marriage equality, but New York recognized your
marriage if it was legal where you celebrated it, and
so since they celebrated in Canada, even though there was
not marriage in the US, there was in New York.
And so when THEA her partner died, the federal government
did not yet recognize their marriage, but the state of
(23:02):
New York did, and so then ensued a tax debacle
where if Edi and THEA had been legally married at
the time of thea's depth, Edie would have owed zero
dollars in taxes, but she otherwise owed three hundred and
sixty four thousand dollars in taxes or because they were
(23:23):
deemed unmarried. They made really good investment choices in the
seventies and bought in the Hamptons and bought a condo
in New York which were then millions of dollars each
forty years later.
Speaker 5 (23:33):
So the Windsor v.
Speaker 6 (23:35):
United States, which gave us marriage equality in the United States,
was really a tax case. But they found Edie Windsor,
this amazing, affable, funny, great eighty three year old woman,
to be the face of this very boring tax case. Right,
but inherent in marriage is one one hundred and thirty
eight state and federal rights, and Edie's case showcased some
(23:58):
of the most financially advantageous benefits of marriage inheritance rights
and tax rights and social security survivor benefits rights and
all of that. But she called herself an accidental activist.
You know, she was eighty something when she came onto
the scene as you know.
Speaker 5 (24:17):
Gay rights pioneer.
Speaker 6 (24:19):
But it's due to the fact that her partner died,
and had they been married, it would have been a
non issue had they been deemed married. They were legally married,
but had they been deemed married by the United States.
Speaker 1 (24:29):
Yeah, well, there's so much history to dig into. But
I do want to touch on a very important date,
and that is National Coming Out Day, which has passed. However,
I think it might be interesting to reflect on what
that actually means in twenty twenty four. How do you
relate to that today?
Speaker 6 (24:48):
I see it as ever evolving and ever expanding in
that we are very lucky here on the coast and
on the coasts and in large cities where it is
easier to in twenty twenty four, then even in year
two thousand to quote unquote come out right as LGBTQ.
But we need to not forget our LGBTQ folks in
(25:12):
Alabama and Tennessee and in places where it's not as easy,
and so coming out it is still a journey for many, many,
many folks. Forty percent of kids in foster care LGBTQ
because they've come out and then been kicked out of
their homes. But I say evolving because now folks are
coming out as as gender queer, as non binary. At
(25:34):
Out in Equal, which is a conference of corporate conference
for LGBTQ folks in the corporate setting, and there was
a whole panel on the new coming out being polyamorous
and open relationships right, that it's not just about using
a pronoun at the water cooler of I'm a woman
and I said, would you do this weekend? You know
(25:54):
my wife and I but like my four partners, and
I did X Y.
Speaker 1 (26:00):
I right, Like I can be very complicated these days.
Speaker 6 (26:03):
But it's exactly so they feel like they can't come
out as their true polycule right of what makes up
their entire relationship. So I view it as ever evolving
and never expanding. And I'm in the midst of writing
a book called Everybody's Getting and it's because we all
have something to come out about. And so I take
(26:26):
it a step further of even you, Lorraine Ballad, moral
have an studies show that every human on average is
harboring thirteen secrets in some way, shape or form. Thirteen
significant not that you didn't brush your teeth this morning
and rolled out of bed, but.
Speaker 5 (26:42):
Something more significant than that. And so my goal is that.
Speaker 6 (26:46):
Everybody comes out, that everybody has something to come out about,
and that the world would be a much better place
if we all came out about whatever it is that
we're holding in.
Speaker 1 (26:56):
Right, I think life is better when we are able
to be our true authentic self. Well, of course, as
we celebrate LGBTQ History Month, you are a bit of
a history maker and your own right, your activism and
getting the word out and just raising people's awareness about
the issues that not only affect the LGBTQ community but
(27:19):
also us all, and that's what we tend to do
in this interview. So if people want more information about
the work that you do, certainly your law practice, but
also following you on your blog Philly Gay Lawyer, how
do we find out more?
Speaker 6 (27:33):
Absolutely, you can go to my website jampololaw dot com
and find us there. And also if you want to
follow my Careman of Hope, which is a nonprofit that
we take cross country providing pro bono legal services to
LGBTQ folks in fourteen cities, you can find us at
the caremanof Hope dot lgbt Angela Gimpolo.
Speaker 1 (27:54):
She is the founder of Gimpolo Law Group and also
the author of Philly Gay Lawyer, a blog. Always a
pleasure to hear your words, Angelie Dianpola, Thank you so much.
Speaker 5 (28:05):
Thank you, Laren.
Speaker 1 (28:06):
You can listen to all of today's interviews by going
to our station website and typing in keyword Community. You
can also listen on the iHeartRadio app yay Words Philadelphia
Community Podcast. Follow me on Twitter and Instagram at Lorraine Ballard.
I'm Lorraine Ballard Morrel and I stand for service to
our community and media that empowers. What will you stand for?
(28:27):
You've been listening to what's going on, and thank you
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