In honor of the late Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s recognition that local engagement is essential to the struggle for equality, the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemorative Symposium on Social Change Executive Planning Committee of the University of Pennsylvania announces the 2019 Community Involvement Recognition Awardees.

The awards honor members of the Philadelphia community whose active service to others best exemplifies the ideals Dr. King espoused.

The following five individuals were honored at the annual MLK Interfaith Program and Awards Commemoration last month:

Anea Moore (Student Award)—Penn senior majoring in sociology and urban studies with a concentration in law and a minor in Africana studies. She completed over 500 hours of community service while in high school. At Penn, she has tutored and mentored West Philly students through the Netter Center, Ase Academy and the West Philadelphia Tutoring Project, and she served as a liaison and assistant for the School District of Philadelphia’s office of Family and Community Engagement (FACE) at Lea Elementary. She is co-president of Penn’s Collective Success Network, chair of the Netter Center’s student advisory board, student government representative for Penn First, co-chair of the national 2018 IvyG Conference at Penn, and she is a recipient of a Rhodes Scholarship (Almanac November 20, 2018).

Jamel Harvey (Staff Award)—A UPHS enrollment coordinator in Medical Affairs. He has been reaching out for years to help the homeless. Mr. Harvey and friend Sarah Lyongs started Project Reborn USA, a grassroots community organization which provides a support system and resources to steer participants in the direction of resources and opportunities.

Anton Moore (Community Award)—Founder and CEO of Unity in the Community, a non-profit serving South Philly that has executed numerous community philanthropic initiatives, including an annual block party, Ultimate Prom Experience, Thanksgiving Community Feast, Operation Holiday Help and Peace Week.

Jordan Grabelle (Community Award)—Created Love Letters for Literacy (LLL) to promote literacy among pre-readers and foster a love of reading by supplying children with handmade packets of alphabet learning cards. LLL has provided learning materials to over 1,000 children in five states and Fiji. She also founded Bracelets for Bosnia, which has donated over 1,200 handmade bracelets to orphans in the Balkans to spread friendship and love.

Richard M. Gordon IV (Dr. Judith Rodin Community Education Award)—Under the leadership of Mr. Gordon, Paul Robeson High School for Human Services in West Philly, which had been slated for permanent closure, transformed and earned recognition as the “2017 Most Improved High School” in the city. He is credited with developing a model program for college & career readiness and for achieving a 95% annual graduation rate. His work has earned personal endorsements from Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney and the City Council of Philadelphia. He was selected to be a member of the Neubauer Fellowship in Educational Leadership (Philadelphia Academy of School Leaders).