Project HOME Is Richer Today, Thanks to Phils
Mayor Nutter and Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper decided to pass on the traditional food bets, so local homeless outreach organization Project HOME is $2,000 richer today, thanks to the Phillies victory over the Colorado Rockies in the National League Division Series last night.
Local homeless outreach organization Project HOME is $2,000 richer today, thanks to the Phillies victory over the Colorado Rockies in the National League Division Series last night.
Mayor Nutter and Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper decided to pass on the traditional food bets -- like cheesesteaks or pretzels -- made by mayors of competing sports teams. Instead, they agreed that the winning city in the series would get $2,000 and the losing city $500, to go to homeless programs.
"It's a very important issue in Philadelphia for me and I know it is for Mayor Hickenlooper out in Denver," Nutter said today.
In Philly, Project HOME was designated as the beneficiary. The money is being put up by Citizens Bank and Comcast here, and by First Bank in Colorado.
Sister Mary Scullion, the founder of Project HOME, said the funds would be used for one of two purposes -- to finance a safe haven program for women living on the streets this winter, or to help put a green roof on a residential building Project HOME is developing in Center City.
Scullion said she was thrilled that the sports bet would benefit the needy.
"It's usually cheesesteaks and all this," she said. "It makes us proud to have a team that thinks about people that are struggling and to have a mayor in our city that uses this kind of wonderful occasion to shine a light on the issue of homelessness."
Nutter said he was hopeful that he and the Los Angeles mayor could find another socially beneficial bet for the Phillies' upcoming face-off with the LA Dodgers in the National League Championship Series.