Hope for the Future: Celebrating Graduates of the 2017 PECO/Exelon Employment Program

On a beautiful afternoon in mid-July, eleven remarkable men and women were celebrated for graduating from PECO/Excelon Employment Program.  All of them were veterans of the U.S. military, including representatives from all four branches of the service – army, navy, marine corps, and air force.  Also, all of them had worked hard to overcome experiences of homelessness.

Project HOME began the PECO/Excelon program in 2011 with the goal of empowering formerly homeless veterans in reaching their full potential. This valuable partnership is a six-month program during which participants engage in job-readiness training and on-the-job work experience with employers who partner with Project HOME to provide paid internships. In addition to PECO, our partners include:  Manna, SEPTA, Fresh Grocer, Sheraton Society Hill Hotel, DiSorb Systems, Independence Blue Cross, AmeriHealth, Allied Barton, the City of Philadelphia CLIP, Team Clean Inc., and bar HYGGE.

At the July 17 ceremony, graduates were welcomed by Craig T. Adams, Executive Vice President of Excelon.  In addition, Phillip S. Barnett, PECO’s Senior Vice President, CFO, and Treasurer, spoke about PECO’s commitment to the graduates who have served their country.  Zeb Congdon, President of Tarpon Strategies, spoke on behalf of  DiSorb Systems about the value of  hard work and endurance. 

Project HOME’s Executive Director Sister Mary Scullion also spoke at the ceremony.  She thanked the partnering companies for their invaluable support in providing opportunities for our graduates, and she presented all eleven graduates with certificates of completion. 

The program was enhanced by the performance of Warren Oree and the Arpeggio Jazz Ensemble. The entire event was marked by a wonderful feeling of camaraderie among the eleven remarkable graduates.  One could sense in all of them a deep joy of accomplishment and a palpable sense of hope for the future.  

Photo by Ed Savaria