As part of the Historic Germantown Holiday Party, Dr. Jessica Kahn was recognized for her service as Historic Fair Hill’s volunteer of the year.
Part of Historic Fair Hill’s mission is carrying on the legacies of the abolitionists, activists, and changemakers buried at our site. We believe literacy is liberation and so our school partnership work includes re-opening, maintaining, and staffing school libraries.
The school district of Philadelphia does not currently fund school libraries and out of 216 schools in the district, there is only 1 full time equivalent librarian on staff. Most kids do not have access to library books or a library program. Since 2010, Jessica has been working to change that.
Jessica has worked to open over a dozen libraries and we have had the privilege of being part of 4 of those in Fairhill. Because of her, over 2000 kids in Fairhill have access to books, dreams, and joy. Most recently, she spent the last year collecting, cataloging, and organizing thousands of books for our newest school partner Bethune Elementary. She has also helped to provide furniture, train staff, and volunteer when needed. Jessica is always there to cheer us on and provide guidance when needed.
We absolutely would not be able to do the work that we do without Jessica. We are incredibly grateful to have her as a volunteer, a partner for literacy advocacy, and as a friend.
