Resolution 170030

..Title Honoring and Recognizing Sandy Sheller and the Sheller Family Foundation for their tireless work throughout the City of Philadelphia. ..Body WHEREAS, Sandy Sheller is president and director of the Sheller Family Foundation, an organization dedicated to advancing arts, preservation, and education; exposing corruption and unethical practices; and working towards the betterment of traumatized and marginalized individuals and families; and WHEREAS, Some of the Sheller Family Foundation's most recent projects include establishing the Stephen and Sandra Sheller Center for Social Justice at Temple University Law School and endowing a major building expansion of the Stephen and Sandra Sheller 11th Street Family Health Services Center of Drexel University, both located in North Philadelphia in the 5th Council District; and WHEREAS, As an Art and Family Therapist and Licensed Professional Counselor, Mrs. Sheller has substantial experience working with low income and families experiencing homelessness; minorities; adult perpetrators; abused children and adults; and chronically mentally-ill populations; and WHEREAS, Mrs. Sheller was a past Assistant Clinical Professor at Drexel University, teaching Family Therapy and trauma courses, and supervised and served as a thesis advisor for graduate students in the Creative Arts in Therapy Program; and WHEREAS, Mrs. Sheller co-founded and developed The Trauma-Informed Shelter Providers Network Group of Philadelphia where an average of 60 directors, clinicians, and providers of homeless services meet together bi-monthly to support and enhance the work they do; and WHEREAS, She also founded an innovative forum for women called Breaking Down the Walls where quarterly, women from disparate racial, political, religious, economic, and social backgrounds are brought together to find their common humanity and break down the walls and barriers that divide them. This group has significantly empowered a number of marginalized women living in the inner city of Philadelphia; and WHEREAS, To respond to the needs of the City of Philadelphia's Office of Supportive Housing, Mrs. Sheller, through the Sheller Family Foundation, funded part-time nurses for the Healthy Baby Project piloted by the Healthy Homeless Initiative at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia where a nurse visited one shelter every week to weigh and check the babies 0 to 4 months, and to support the mothers; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, THAT THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, Hereby honors and recognizes Sandy Sheller and the Sheller Family Foundation for their tireless work throughout the City of Philadelphia. FURTHER RESOLVED, That an Engrossed copy of this resolution be presented to Sandy Sheller as evidence of the true and sincere sentiments of this legislative body. ..End