WHEREAS, Kalef Jones was one of six people out of 24,000 Corps members nationally to be recognized at the National Corps Network Conference held in Washington, D.C. from February 11 to 15 as a 2017 Corpsman of the Year; and
WHEREAS, Kalef’s award was a result of his participation in PowerCorpsPHL, an AmeriCorps initiative, which was the engine of his transformation by helping him and other young adults find guidance and stability through projects that improve the environment; and
WHEREAS, Kalef’s outlook on life changed in 2014 when he was referred by the Youth Violence Reduction Program to PowerCorpsPHL; and
WHEREAS, Kalef
rose quickly through the PowerCorpsPHL ranks after he joined as a general member. He started out as an assistant crew leader and then associate crew leader. Now at age 25, he is a full-time leader of the Green Stormwater infrastructure crew. As a leader, Jones says he starts the day by checking on his crew members, who work together to check between five and six stormwater sites a day. As part of each site inspection, his crew does aesthetic maintenance such as clearing debris and sediment; and
WHEREAS, Kalef
received plenty of recognition for his work before he earned the Corpsman of the Year honor. He won the PowerCorps Organic Leadership award and the Outstanding Youth Partner award from the Youth Violence Reduction Program. In 2015, Jones was chosen as the featured speaker at the My Brother’s Keeper Summit; and
WHEREAS, Kalef’s nomination was not only for this level of commitment, but also for his humility and desire to constantly be better while serving; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That it hereby recognizes
Kalef Jones for being selected as a 2017 Corpsman of the Year for his outstanding public service and dedication to the beautification and improvement of the environment.
FURTHER RESOLVED, That an eEgrossed copy of this resolution be presented to Kalef Jones as evidence of the sincere sentiments of this legislative body.
End