ANNUAL REPORT 2009 ~ growing and sustaining a community of readers, writers, and thinkers in north central philadelphia ~

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A Small Non-Profit in 2009survivor:

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Letter from the President of the Board of Directors Letter from the Executive Director Program Report Timeline 2009 : SURVIVOR

Statement of Activities

Board of Directors and Staff

Thank You to our Donors and Partners

Volunteer Staff

How You Can Help

Contents

Start

Hello, friends! This has been a memorable year, exemplified by one of Tree House’s greatest strengths – reaching across borders by bringing together North Philadelphia residents, their children, undergraduate students, graduate students, writers, university professors, social activists, filmmakers, journalists and many others. We acknowledge that Tree House has become a vital community center for many people. This is very gratifying.

Beyond that, we are pleased with Tree House’s strong focus on building leaders. Darcy and her team focus diligently on creating many opportunities for people to become leaders. We have the Junior Staff Member program for motivated middle schoolers and The Roots Committee of volunteer leaders. We encourage anyone with an interest to come in and help Tree House grow.A third accomplishment that we are very proud of is Tree House’s success at producing tangible, creative work. Tree House has now produced or hosted many performance events, open mike nights, and poetry readings. And our most tangible, and most creative work, is the third edition of our inspiring children’s magazine, The Ave.We had many other accomplishments—large and small—that we could discuss. But that’s what the rest of this Annual Report is for. I think I can speak for the entire Board of Directors that we each are proud of and inspired by our growth in 2009. We hope that your experiences with Tree House leave you equally excited. Of course, the only way that Tree House can sustain its wonderful accomplishments is by the continued support and involvement of the people reading this report. With your help, we remain confident that Tree House Books will continue its growth, continue having an impact on many people’s lives, and continue to grow and sustain a community of readers, writers, and thinkers.

Jonathan Weiss, President

“Make books your companions; let your bookshelves be your gardens: bask in their beauty, gather their fruit, pluck their roses, take their spices and myrrh. And when your soul be weary, change from garden to garden, and from prospect to prospect.”— Ibn Tibbon, c.1120-1190, Medieval Spanish Jewish Scholar —

LETTER FROM THE PREsIDENT OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORs

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Jonathan Weiss, President, with a copy of The Ave.

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• Tutoring TimeTutoring Time is held Tuesdays through Fridays from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm. During Tutoring Time, our adult volunteers and JSMs (see pg. 6 for more info on JSMs!) assist children with their homework. When homework is done, we engage the children in reading time and creative activities from playing games such as chess or trivia, to learning Spanish or knitting. Our afternoons end with a healthy snack around our round table. One of our favorite round-table activities is “One Good Thing, One Bad Thing” – we go around the table and each child shares one good thing and one bad thing that happened that day. Today our good thing is that we were able to share Tree House with you!

144 children were served in 2009.

• Magazine Workshop Magazine Workshop is held every Wednesday night from 5:30 to 7:00pm. During the workshops, we work on pieces to be included in The Ave. – our community’s literary magazine. In 2009, we focused on two themes. The first was archiving the work produced during our summer camp. The second theme was studying various African-American art forms and creating work in those styles. Students wrote their own blues, jazz, and rap lyrics, designed African masks and countries, and created art collages in the tradition of Jacob Lawrence and Romare Bearden.

Once every 6 weeks Magazine Workshop hosts International Night. During this time we get to “travel” to another country, learn about their language and culture and even try ethnic foods! This year our passport includes stamps from Mexico, Spain, Italy, and Japan.

In 2009, we distributed 500 copies of The Ave.We served 91 children and 10 adults—and we hosted

over 200 guests at our Open Mike Community Nights!

PROGRAM REPORTLETTER FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTORIt was 2009 in Philadelphia. Imagine the materials: one full-time staff

person, two part-time staff people, the worst financial moment of recent

America, hundreds of children within walking distance, one block from

one of the country’s most violent blocks, and only two half-empty glue

bottles on Tree House’s supply shelves. Or were they half full?

These challenging materials were matched up with Tree House’s mission

to grow and sustain a community of readers, writers, and thinkers in

North Central Philadelphia. Could we fail?

Michael Reid (Tree House’s Program Coordinator) and I decided that we

needed a game for the year. And this was The Game: We must grow

the team around Tree House so much that, if we had to close down, the

entire city would be upset about the loss of Tree House Books.

So we played that game. And our volunteers played that game.

Our Temple University student partners at Phi Sigma Sigma and the

Progressive NAACP played that game. Our board members played;

donors talked to their friends; our friends had a fundraising barbeque

for Tree House Books. We sold raffle tickets; we sold books. We

squeaked by.

But, as we were pursuing survival in the financial element of the

game, what we gained was a thriving, passionate team surrounding

and upholding Tree House Books. Our volunteer staff body grew to

26 regular members; our donor base more than tripled! And, as a

direct result, we began serving more kids than ever before. In 2009,

we served 211 children and 189 adults. The Tree House family was

expanded and strengthened.

One of our Junior Staff Members, Michael Wright (age 12), said it like this:

I am going to tell you the definition of Tree House Books. The definition is

where family and friends come together all as one and help each other and love

each other. That is my definition of Tree House Books.

We are grateful for family and friends coming together in 2009, all as

one. With a family like this, how could we fail?

Warmly—

Darcy Sebright, Executive Director

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And this was The Game:

We must grow the team

‘‘around Tree House so much that,

if we had to close down, the entire

city would be upset about the loss

of Tree House Books.

Executive Director Darcy Sebright sharing her guitar at the end of an open mike night.

Which countries did THB students

“visit” during International Night?a) Spain, The Philippines, Japanb) South Africa, Canada, Luxembourg

c) The Netherlands, Netherlands Antilles, French Antilles

d) Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, Czech

RepublicSee back cover for the answer!

T R I V I A

Trying sushi for the first time at International Night!

How many hours were logged in

the creation of volumes 2 and 3

of The Ave.?

a) 200

b) 730

c) 527

d) 4 See back cover for the answer!

T R I V I AA volunteer assists a young man at Tree House’s Tutoring Time.

At magazine workshop, Tree House kids work on a tribute project for children’s illustrator Jerry Pinkney.

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In the second camp unit, Voice of Creativity, we found artistic inspiration in our neighborhood. We traveled to the Wagner Free Institute of Science, to the Uptown Theater, and to Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens to uncover ways in which our own creativity could be stirred.

Our final unit, Voice of Me, took everything we learned throughout the program and applied it to our own lives and to the future of our community. Campers wrote and performed monologues, mailed postcards from their future selves, and created a mural of what they envision for the future of their neighborhood.

All artwork and writing created during the Tree Shade program was shared at a community multi-media event. And our work was published in the 3rd edition of The Ave.!

• Project Voice: A Duckrey In-School WorkshopProject Voice was a podcast workshop that focused on personal narrative as a way to explore and improve reading and writing skills. Tree House ran this workshop at nearby Tanner G. Duckrey School with 5th, 6th, and 7th grade students. For their podcasts, students interviewed family members and community members; these interviews served to improve parent-school relationships and to capture recent and personal histories.

In 2009, 36 students completed Project Voice projects.

• Our BookstoreOur bookstore is stocked with new and lightly-used books. We specialize in children’s books and African-American literature. We offer books at affordable prices to encourage literacy and an appreciation for reading. Consistently, we give away more books than we sell.

In 2009, we gave away 2,500 books.

• Community EventsOur community events provide a space where members of the community can share their ideas, artwork, concerns, and writing with one another. Some of our monthly events include holiday parties, open microphone readings, film screenings, round-table discussions, and writing and art workshops.

• Junior Staff Member (JSM) ProgramThe mission of the Junior Staff Member (JSM) program is to serve as an avenue of support for the youth of North Central Philadelphia as they grow into readers, writers, thinkers, and future leaders of their neighborhood. The program encourages active exploration while building and fostering personal relationships and a sense of community within Tree House Books. To be a JSM, you must be in the 6th grade or older. Our application process includes writing an essay, having an interview, and getting recommendations from community members and teachers. Junior Staff Members can often be found tutoring younger children or helping them with problems. JSMs are also found at the front of the room, helping lead community events and workshops. Our JSMs participate in their own special reading group and writing workshop with their mentor leaders, and they are rewarded based on the number of hours that they volunteer. In summer 2009, four of our JSMs who worked 90 hours went on their first beach trip to Ocean City, Maryland. And in the fall, four of our JSMs went on their first trip to New York City! To see our pictures of these reward trips, please visit our Facebook page!

In 2009, we trained 10 JSM leaders.

• Tree Shade Summer ProgramIn summer 2009, students embarked on a 9-week journey exploring the surrounding Philadelphia community in the Tree Shade Summer Program: The Neighborhood Speaks. Our summer program had over 25 participants, as well as 9 adult counselors and 7 special guest artists. Our goal in summer 2009 was to explore the surrounding neighborhood and, in doing so, explore what it means to live in this particular place. The program was divided into three units, each with its own unique focus.

The first unit, Voice of Philadelphia, was spent capturing the voices of our community. We focused on the sounds we heard in the community, everything from the birds chirping, to babies cooing, to the cars speeding past. Campers used digital recording equipment to capture sounds. We also had the opportunity to travel to Center City and interview Sharif Street, a former Diamond Street resident and son of the former Mayor. Campers created their own podcast from the digitally recorded interview coverage. Listen to our podcast on our web site!

Q: If Tree House Books were

a book, what book would it be

and why?

A: “The Tale of a Famous

Bookstore,” because a lot of

people come everyday.

Michael Wright, age 12, JSM

Q u e s t i o n

Above: Roots volunteer Lauren Macaluso with one of her best Tree House friends.

Below: Young Tree House women pose in Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens!

What States did the Junior Staff Members visit in 2009?a) Montana and Idahob) Alaska and Hawaii c) Virginia and Massachusetts

d) New York and MarylandSee back cover for the answer!

T R I V I A

Summer campers interview Sharif Street.

Q: How can Tree House Books

improve?

A: Advertise more. I wish I knew

about it sooner. It’s a great

program in the community.

Renee Asad, mother of Abdur-Raqib Asad, age 13

q u e s t i o n

A young man reads his work published in The Ave. at our Magazine Release Party.

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sTATEMENT OF ACTIVITIEs

Presenting the final results from a Magazine Workshop writing game.

Officers:Jonathan Weiss, President

Managing PartnerTempleTown Realty

Barbara Easley-Cox, Vice-PresidentTree House Books Volunteer & Community AdvocateCommunity Resident

Walter Jordan-Davis, Ph.D., SecretaryMobilization and Outreach DirectorNational Board for Professional Teaching Standards

Robert Balazs, TreasurerPresidentRenova Homes

Directors:David E. Baugh

Principal Tanner G. Duckrey School

Star BocasanMarketing ManagerTempleTown Realty

Eli Goldblatt, Ph.D. Executive Director New City WritingTemple University, Associate ProfessorTemple University, English Department

David KasievichDirector of Development Community Partnership School

Yvonne King, Ph.D.Academic CoordinatorCollege Achievement PartnershipCommunity College of Philadelphia

Staff:Darcy Sebright

Executive DirectorMichael Reid

Program CoordinatorDanielle Mancinelli

Junior Staff Member CoordinatorSummer Camp Coordinator

Elizabeth EarnshawJunior Staff Member Coordinator

bOARD OF DIRECTORs AND sTAFFFIsCAL YEAR:January 1, 2009 - December 31, 2009

REVENUE:Grants $40,250.00 54.6%

Donor Contributions $22,535.00 30.6%

Program Income and Fees $6,225.00 8.5%

Fundraising Events $2,947.00 4.0%

Book Sales $1,691.00 2.3%

Space Usage Fees $45.00 <0.1%

Excess Cash Carry Forward from 2008 $14,323.00

Liability Income: Bridge Loan $2,500.00

Total Revenue: $90,516.00

EXPENsEs:Payroll & Staffing $49,619.00 55.0%

Programming $19,289.00 21.4%

General Operations $10,006.00 11.1%

Development $7,101.00 7.9%

Professional Fees $3,003.00 3.3%

Volunteer Board and Staff Development $1,145.00 1.3%

Total Expenses: $90,163.00

Year End Balance: $353.00

Notes:Tree House will be completing its first audit in 2010. Cash Carry Forward and Liability Income are not reflected in 2009 Revenue graph and percentages

54.6%30.6%

8.5%

4.0%2.3%

55.0%

21.4%

11.1%

7.9%

3.3%1.3%

Learning origami at International Night!

Waiting for the subway, on our way to Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens!

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The Progressive NAACP of Temple University

Robin’s Bookstore & Paul HoganSafe Place & Kofi SmithStimulant DesignTanner G. Duckrey SchoolTemple University’s College of

Education & Dean Kent McGuireTemple University’s Community

Relations Department & L. Harrison Jay

Temple University’s Geography and Urban Studies Program & Andrew Buss

Temple University’s New City Writing: Institute for the Study of Literature, Literacy and Culture

These Extraordinary Friends provided creative vision, time, and support beyond reason:Evangelista CastroSean ChambersCity View PizzaCassandra OrylElizabeth ParksSharif StreetLori Yamashita

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THANK YOU to our DONORs and PARTNERs

FOREsT PARTNERs [gifts of $5,000 or more]

The Coleman Foundation Grant from New City Writing,

funded by a gift from Verizon Foundation to Temple University

The Samuel S. Fels FundWachovia Regional Foundation

ROOT PARTNERs [gifts of $1,000 -

$4,999]

The Barra FoundationGeorge & Stephen Dail Walter & Jackie Jordan-DavisThe Alfred & Mary Douty

FoundationThe Allen Hilles FundAnthony MagochPhiladelphia Commercial

Development CorporationPhiladelphia Industrial

Development Corporation (PIDC)

Union Benevolent AssociationWachovia Wells Fargo

Community Partner ProgramJonathan & Jacquelyn Weiss The Henrietta Tower Wurts

Memorial

BRANCH PARTNERs [gifts of $100 - $999]

AnonymousBeech Community Services:

HERB program Robert BalazsMary Francis BaughEric BerleyStar BocasanConstance & Michael BovaWilliam BrimberryDavid & Kim BushnellDwight & Linda CareyCedar Park Presbyterian ChurchChrist’s Evangelical Lutheran

ChurchThe Church of the RedeemerJim & Colleen DiRaddoThe Do-Gooders ClubKevin Duffy and F.X. Duffy & Co. Lawrence & Marsha DworkinBarbara Easley-Cox Esther Ellis Franklin FountainNancy Geryk Eli Goldblatt & Wendy Osterweil Great Oak Capital: Pete Statz &

Brad SinrodScott & Brenda GustafsonMarie Hoguet & Kyle Sundin Brian HostetlerJohn & Mary Ann JudgeDavid Kasievich & Andrew

KellnerYvonne KingSuzanne LathamAmanda Lisle

Terry & John HannonAmy & Lee HuangPaul & Lisa JendrekJay KaminSalvatore & Carrie Macaluso James Marr, Jr.Kimberton & Joy Messner Adrian MoodyNicole NecoecheaChelsea NewtonMary Faith PuskarLillie ReidJane RoseLinda SallDavid SeidlerDarcella SessomesRichard & Gloria ShiaviRoberta SloanCraig & Patricia SwansonJohn Turner

FRIENds [gifts of $1 - $49]Stephen Ampofo & Joyce AmoakoLawrence & Joann BaiettiTimothy & Khristina BarnesLemont BellCharlie & Kristen BrownDaman CamaraDemetrius CarrollDenise CarterMichael CostaOmari DysonLucy EdwardsJosina & Michael GuessJaime HowardRachel Buchman Howe Emily Inlow-HoodCarolina HuarancaAdam LangDavid & Hertha Lange Robert & Dorothy LarsonMr. & Mrs. James LynchWendy & Matthew MahlikMatthew & Bonnie MarshallJames & Dianne McCloudHelen Menges

Yve-Car MomperousseKathleen O’Donnell & Deborah

ZubowTaryn Ortlip Joyce Platfoot & James Caccamo Phyllis RobertsSue & Harold RosenthalCindy RossJeff SalkowskiKristen SchierBill Sloyer Carli SteinerMeghan StephensMelanie TaylorVeronique ValcuKen & Sandie VosslerNaeemah WilsonPaul E. Wright & Kerri Lynn

Kennedy

TREE HOUsE BOOKs ACKNOWLEDGEs THE CONTRIBUTIONs OF THEsE COMMUNITY PARTNERS:Alpha Phi Alpha of Temple

UniversityArt SanctuaryBanana Republic & Rashima

SonsonDonna & Otis BullockChildren of the New EraCoo’s Sports Bar & Lounge and

Tom & Mike FarioDelta Sigma Theta of Temple

UniversityThe Franklin Fountain & Eric BerleyHewlett-Packard’s U.S. Employee

Product Giving ProgramThe Junior League of PhiladelphiaNorth Philadelphia Arts and Culture

AllianceTaryn OrtlipPhi Sigma Sigma of Temple

University

All of the magic Tree House Books helped cause this year was the direct result of the strength and commitment of our team of donors and partners. We are grateful for the support of our remarkable, growing team.

Michael & Linda LuetzowSandy MartinRobert Mason, Jr.Scott & Kim MeyerAllen & Prue MillerJoseph & Nancy NathPhi Sigma Sigma Chapter at

Temple UniversityChip PressmanPrince of Peace Ministries, Inc. &

Pastor Robert ShipmanEugene & Brenda Reid Carolee & Tim Risk Ruins Recycled: TR, Marcie, &

Jagger RiskYvonne ShipmanGreg & Lynsey SilvestiHoward SitronWill Smith, Sr. & PTME Productions Rochelle & James SolomonSydenham Commons & Chris

VecchiarelliTemple University Honors ProgramTempleTown RealtyPatricia Thomas Alan Wohlstetter, Jr.Lori Yamashita

ACORN PARTNERs [gifts of $50 - $99]Ben Adams Donna & Jerome AllenderArt SanctuaryTibor & Edith BalazsMichael BartoloJulia BlumenreichBill & Jody CharlesJoan E. ClarkeTracy-Elizabeth ClayFai CoffinDesiree Nicholas CoxBonita CummingsMary DeJongKevin & Beth DoughertyScott Geryk

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How many books did Tree House Books give away this year?a) 4000b) 2500c) 1300d) 12

T R I V I AHow many community

members did THB serve

during 2009?

a) 400

b) 200

c) 500

d) 17

T R I V I A

See back cover for the answers!

How many wrestling masks were made at Tree House Books?a) 4b) 3c) 2d) 1

T r i v i a

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VOLUNTEER sTAFFNearly 70 volunteers contributed 2400 hours of work to support the work at Tree House Books in 2009.

Several of our volunteers come to us from Temple University and are studying a variety of disciplines, such as Political Science, English, Journalism, Elementary Education, International Business, Spanish, and Art Education. We have hosted teams of volunteers from the Junior League of Philadelphia, Phi Sigma Sigma, Alpha Phi Alpha, and the Progressive NAACP. Some of our volunteers are neighborhood residents. Our volunteers are extraordinary people; their investment of time and energy is causing growth at Tree House that would not happen, apart from their commitment.

We acknowledge the following individuals for their steady and powerful work at Tree House. These individuals contributed 50 or more hours of their time to support the mission of Tree House Books in 2009.

Volunteer Staff:Hali Baumstein

Rebecca Bleznak

Star Bocasan

Elizabeth Earnshaw

Barbara Easley-Cox

Melissa Itidiare

Satia Koroma

Lauren Macaluso

Peter Maganas

Danielle Mancinelli

Elizabeth Parks

Lily Sitron

David Starr

Sharon Turner

Junior Volunteer Staff Members:Shaqujan Fowler

Christian Holmes

Zalika Moore

Nyseem Smith

Terron Wallace

Candace Watson

Nona Watson

Khala Wharton

Ijshayna Williams

Michael Wright

Q: If Tree House Books were a superhero, which superhero would it be and why?A: Wordgirl, because she is smart and helps people.Meajah Trice, age 8

Q u e s t i o n

Learning about African mask-making with Program Coordinator, Michael Reid.

Q: How can Tree House Books

improve?

A: Maybe stay open a little

longer or open on Saturdays.

Dawn Trice, mother of Malani Sanders

and Meajah Trice, ages 13 and 8

Q u e s t i o n

Core Tree House volunteer Danielle Mancinelli smiles with her young friends.

It’s amazing how the smallest things can have the biggest impact. After Tutoring Time, one of the residents of the community came by to pick up her two grandchildren, and she asked me if they had shown me their report cards. Before they could respond, she enthusiastically started talking about their school year.

It’s been amazing. I went to pick them up from school, and their teachers were saying how their reading has improved, and how much their writing has improved. I’m telling you. They were telling me about the difference they can see in them. They asked me what I’m doing different. I told them about y’all: ‘I’ve been sending them to this after school program where they really work with them. They work with the kids.’ I’m saying every kid in the neighborhood should go here. Send them all here.

This conversation was just one of the many little miracles that occurred throughout the year, and these miracles are the direct result of everyone who has ever supported us. I am always amazed that whenever I feel that Tree House is missing something, that exact thing somehow appears. You have created miracles for us and can continue to do so, which is why we’ve included this wish list. Everything that happens here belongs to all of the people who give themselves, their money, or their time.

Sincerely,

Michael D. Reid Program Coordinator

HOW YOU CAN HELP

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Volunteer staff member Sharon Turner stands with a recent middle-school graduate!

Showing off our Magazine Workshop projects!

Q: What differences have you noticed in him since he started coming to Tree House Books?

A: He wants to read more and isn’t

resistant when I ask him to read.

Renee Asad, mother of Abdur-Raqib Asad, age 13

q u e s t i o n

Add your card to the Tree House Books deck! Support our work in 2010

— It’s your move!

Finish!• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

1430 W. Susquehanna AvenuePhiladelphia, PA 19121(215) 236-1760www.treehousebooks.orgfacebook.com/TreeHouseBooks

Pg 5, Q1: APg 5, Q2, BPg 6: DPg 12: BPg 13, Q1: APg 13, Q2: D

T R I V I A A n s w e r s

Q: How can Tree House Books improve?

A: I wish there was a Tree House Books

on each corner so that all the children

can get the help they need.

Daisy Coffey, grandmother of Quymir and

Anyah Coffey, ages 7 and 8

Q u e s t i o n

Children from Tree House stand with members of Alpha Phi Alpha at the Constitution Center.