50TH ANNIVERSARY SPEAKER SERIES

In 1970, Philadelphia’s Latino population numbered over 60,000 residents, but basic social services were largely unavailable to any of the city’s Hispanic residents. Itwas during this time that a group of Puerto Rican social activists energized the community while providing a coordinated action to access important resources. 

The success of Asociación Puertorriqueños en Marcha, Inc. (APM) today is the result of their efforts.

APM began with a staff of five, housed in a Germantown Avenue storefront. Today, nearly 400 multilingual professionals offer a broad network of services at 13 sitesthroughout North Philadelphia.  As the community has grown and diversified, so has APM, providing services to tens of thousands of Philadelphians yearly. 

Each day, we work to embody our slogan “APM for Everyone.” Each day we remember that “We are the community.”

We are proud of our half-century of helping families achieve their greatest potential, and look towards the future. What are the challenges we’ll meet? How will we respond efficiently and effectively?  What will APM need to continue the good work that began five decades ago?

Join us as we explore these questions through our 50th Anniversary Speaker Series.

Behavioral Health Speaker Panel

Thursday, February 13, 2020

Focus Area: Cultural Competency and Economics in the Provision of Care

Featured Speaker: Mackenzie Phillips, Actress, Author, &  Survivor of Substance Abuse

Additonal Confirmed Panelists: Derrick Pelletier, Director of Intergovernmental Affairs, Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs

We are a nation in crisis. Drug overdoses claimed 72,000 lives in 2017. Suicide rates continue to climb. Life expectancy is on target to drop for a third straight year. We must look past the numbers and understand this crisis is about people, our people. Access to medical treatment. Opportunities for mental health services. Offering community stakeholders engagement and ownership in their health-related care. What is the financial key to meet these necessary and basic community needs?  APM’s goal is to make that personal connection between families and services; provide isolated elderly with community, aid single-parent households, all with the goal to stabilize families. Our approach is to communicate, educate, and empower.  This in-depth discussion brings together professionals from health care and academia to public policy and community stakeholders to explore these issues and consider solutions.

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Education Speaker Panel

Thursday, March 19, 2020

Focus Area: Early Childhood

Featured Speaker: Sonia Manzano

An actress on Sesame Street & Author

The positive impact of early childhood education on child development has been proven. One of the best indicators of whether a child could go to college is the simple act of a parent reading to a child. Added to this is the belief that when a family is provided the tools and resources to support the child on an early educational journey, that family also learns and grows.  Parental involvement can pave the way to greater family stability and an increased interest in education.  How will our community maximize this interest and provide needed support resulting in benefits for the entire family?  Early intervention in childhood development is an effective tool in keeping a child on the best path forward.  How do we strengthen those interventions?  This speaker panel will identify the best tools and resources as APM continues to invest in children and in their families.

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Community and Economic Development Speaker Panel

Wednesday, April 22, 2020

Focus Area: Inequality, Race, and Gentrification

Featured Speaker: John Quiñones

ABC News Correspondent &  Host of What Would you Do?

Non-profit organizations throughout Philadelphia have worked for decades to create homeownership, affordable rentals, and economic opportunities for low-income residents.  This has enabled thousands to climb out of poverty and increase individual wealth, while the wealth and attractiveness of the community also increases.  As the community prospers, more affluent residents move in and the area becomes “gentrified.”  Property taxes and rents increase, thereby leading to potential displacement for long-time residents.  Class, racial, and ethnic differences between long-time and newer residents generate distrust and lead to increased tensions. How can these tensions be addressed? How has gentrification exacerbated racial inequities in property ownership, and what can be done to address those inequities?  How can the “American Dream” be made available to everyone?  We are all too familiar with the lack of affordability in San Francisco, Boston, Washington DC, New York, and Chicago and yet we continue to keep making the same mistakes….

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Child Protective Services Speaker Panel

Thursday, May 21, 2020

Focus Area: Childhood Trauma

Featured Speaker: Elizabeth Smart,

Child Safety Activist

How can we each contribute to raising children who thrive, despite adversity? We in the foster care community work to improve the safety, permanency, and well-being of children and families in our care, but all too often it is an unfortunate truism that children in foster care experience long-lasting trauma, either from their parents or from a system that has a “one size fits all” approach. Children who age-out of care often have little to no supportive networks available to them. Despite these challenges, there are children who not only survive traumatic experiences but thrive. What can we learn from these children that we can then share? How do we prepare children who “age-out” of the foster care system and better equip them for independence? We can positively impact the foster care system, making it more responsive and compassionate to all children. This speaker panel will examine the possibilities and solutions.

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In addition to the Speaker Series, APM will be hosting a 50^th Anniversary Sugar Cane Festival on June 13, 2020, and a 50^th Anniversary Gala on September 19, 2020. For more information about sponsorship opportunities for the Speaker Series or for our events later in 2020, please contact Teresa Mulligan, Director of Fund Development, at terry.mulligan@apmphila.org or at 267-296-7363.

Thank You to Our 50th Anniversary Sponsors:

Goya Foods

Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency

Temple University

Fox Rothschild LLP