On Tuesday, November 19, Councilmember-elect Jamie Gauthier served as the Keynote Speaker at the Community Connectors Institute Celebration at the The Discovery Center in East Fairmount Park. The celebration honored 30 diverse Philadelphians, who completed a six-week intensive Connectors Institute. 

LISC is responsible for facilitating the Institute, and provides support to six community partners in the ongoing program. Connectors are residents of the neighborhoods they serve, sharing information with community members about events, resources and opportunities for families who may not have access to the internet or social media. The outgoing graduates have undergone a six-week training program where they learned how to be conduits for change while applying modern strategies and new technology to engage their neighbors in a meaningful way.

Councilmember-elect Gauthier, an urban planner and former LISC Staff Member and Executive Director of the Fairmount Park Conservancy, has dedicated herself to protecting West Philadelphians from displacement and defending them against tax increases. She has also made connecting low-income residents to better jobs and finding more affordable housing solutions cornerstones of her public service. Her agenda aligns with everything LISC Philadelphia has broadly supported and lent their financial support to for almost 40 years.

“LISC and our partners believe that residents and neighbors are vital sources of shared information that drives community development,” says LISC Philadelphia Executive Director Andrew Frishkoff. “The Community Connectors are an integral part of engagement meeting their neighbors at their individual points of need and access.”

Read more about LISC's commitment to Equitable Community Development & the Connectors Program.