Philly Rising: Difference Makers from KYW Newsradio

After a day of demonstrating the killing of George Floyd, Alexis Akarolo says she felt called to help support Black-owned businesses suffering from the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, magnified by long-existing racial and systemic inequities.

The Big Cleanup started with Gianni Lee bringing a group of artists and influencers together for a conversation following the George Floyd uprising.

Paya Williams works with teenagers around Philadelphia neighborhoods struggling with a health crisis on top of the coronavirus pandemic. As the city faces record gun violence, many of the teenagers she and her husband coach are from the worst-affected communities. 

Samyah Smalley and Sofia Cavicchia are both 17-year-old students at Central High School. Although they’re both not yet old enough to vote in the upcoming election, that hasn’t stopped them from stepping up to play their part in our democracy. KYW Newsradio's Antionette Lee shares their story on Philly Rising. 

Ava Rajappa, a creative 10-year-old who lives in Virginia,  is helping kids in the Philadelphia area facing homelessness, food insecutiry and mental illness by giving them artistic tools to help heal their trauma. Her project, Art Love, has donated more than 2,000 art supply kits to kids in 10 states, including Washington, D.C. 

Nonprofit SistaTalk has become a connector for single mothers in Philadelphia during the pandemic after founder Adam McNeil devised a way to help meet several needs through one essential service: laundry.

Carlos Aponte teaches history at an alternative high school in Fairhill, one of the most impoverished neighborhoods in Philadelphia. Aponte founded the nonprofit We Love Philly to help build students’ confidence, relationships, and experience through acts of service. "We help graduate those students that the school district couldn’t," he says.

Like many things, COVID-19 has complicated normal routines for trash collection. But it’s also festered an even larger waste problem for neighborhoods, creating a lot of “trash talk” in the city.

Tyreek Wanamaker’s "North Philadelphia story" on a recent episode of Netflix's "Queer Eye" has inspired people around the world during trying times. His newfound popularity has helped his volunteer work and social justice outreach.

Normally, Cat Parker would be doing photography and web design for the ballet school she works at. However, as she found herself mostly unemployed and stuck at home, she felt a calling to do something meaningful at a time when so many social inequalities are being revealed by the coronavirus.

Chris Donnay’s day job used to be teaching math and computer science at a K-12 school in Bryn Mawr. Lately, he’s been using those complex skills to measure up ingredients instead of grades.

A 5-year-old miniature horse that usually spends time with patients at a Philadelphia hospital gave some Philly kids a much needed pick-me-up in West Philadelphia. KYW’s Antionette Lee has more. 

Usually this time of the year, Farrell’s Florist in Drexel Hill is booked with back-to-back events, but the coronavirus changed all that. So Timothy Farrell decided to stay busy by delivering flowers with messages of appreciation and gratitude to health care workers on the front lines of the pandemic.

There’s much to love about Jerry Rice. Not to be confused with the Hall-of-Famer football legend, this Rice is more well-known for his big personality and lavish homemade desserts. KYW’s Antionette Lee has more.

In recent weeks, brands and businesses in Philadelphia and around the world have released statements, taken actions, and collected money to convey their stance on racial justice. Two Black businesswomen in Philadelphia are standing out as they figure out their roles in the fight.

In light of the recent looting in West Philadelphia, many businesses in the area have been closed and boarded up. But a few places were spared from damage, and they’re trying to be a beacon of hope during troubling times.

At the Arden Courts: Memory Care facility in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, a program that helps residents get a wish or special moment fulfilled has helped over 4,000 residents including 85-year-old Marianne S., whose wish recently just came true. KYW Newsradio's Antionette Lee reports 

KYW’s Antionette Lee reports on a teacher who is reinventing prom memories for her students. 

Richard Ost has operated the Philadelphia Pharmacy in Kensington for nearly 40 years. The pandemic has made an already important part of the community even more essential — especially for those who can’t easily get to it.

Spike’s Trophies (of Northeast Philly) has been around for nearly half a century…providing the awards & hardware for the city’s most popular sporting events like the Broad Street Run, Penn Relays and more. KYW Newsradio's Antionette Lee has more. 

Syreeta Scott founded Duafe Holistic Hair Care in North Philadelphia nearly 20 years ago. During the coronavirus pandemic, her business is on pause. "The moment this happened I started applying for loans and grants. Have we been approved? Yes, we have. Has it hit my account? No, it hasn’t," Scott said. In the meantime, she has made some adjustments to continue serving her community and employees w...

It all started with one Facebook post. Dayna Cavanagh of Delaware County asked people to chip in to help send lunch to her mother’s hospital department on the frontlines of COVID-19. Read more here.

Alan Brody, owner of Bryce’s Catering Company in Wynnewood, says most of his employees have been with the company for a long time. But, like many other business owners in similar situations, the ripple effect from COVID-19 really hit home.

Gregory Cooke is a historian and filmmaker who's been on a decade-long mission to get a group of women their overdue honor and recognition — 600,000 Black "Rosie the Riveters."

Danni Lewis doesn’t need Valentine’s Day to spread love — that’s what she does every day. She hand-writes inspirational messages on colorful cutouts shaped like hearts and passes them out to people around the city. "It's a mission. I was sent here to share love," she says.