Rally Round the City by: CCPA Vice President, David Lane President/CEO LevLane Advertising/PR/Interactive

I love the city. Philadelphia. Or Philly. Where America began. Cheesesteak capitol of the world. “The place that loves you back.” The blue-collar town that has grown so dramatically over the years. Young people moving in. Businesses, too. People world-wide getting to know us better. Our brand just beginning to flourish. And now, faced with uncertainty and challenges, as never before in our lifetimes, how will we respond? Positive attitudes and resilience are important. Sacrifices, too. While many of us have been working from home, others, less fortunate, just home and unemployed, we see Philadelphians caring for and working in the city. Healthcare workers, city employees, volunteers helping people get food, essential businesses that are keeping the city going, ensuring the city will be there for us when it is safe to return. We will be a very much changed city from what we were just several months ago. No one is quite sure what that will be.

Yes, we want to return to normal. We miss the city’s vibrancy, the opportunity for human connection, our culture, energy. But what better time to rethink our future? We’ve all now realized the new heroes among us, the value of workers at all levels, the importance of many jobs we took for granted, the extreme hardships of our neighbors trying to cope with unimaginable challenges. There could not be a better time to join together, assess the lessons learned, gather input from all, and rethink how to rebuild and truly remake Philadelphia into even a better stronger community for everyone. Join-together. Join us. Help “rally round the city.”