WHEREAS, April is recognized nationally as National Volunteer Month, established to honor the individuals who dedicate their time and talents to the betterment of their communities. In Philadelphia, that tradition of service runs deep, and it is embodied most fully by those who give not out of obligation, but out of genuine conviction that their neighbors deserve better; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Charlotte Brown, Ph.D(h.c.), came to Philadelphia from Tennessee and never left because this City became hers. As founder of The Elite 30 Association and Coalition, she has spent years pushing for real and sustainable change across youth advocacy, job creation, safe haven for displaced youth, and the public health crisis of gun violence. She served as a Youth Aid Panelist for the District Attorney’s Office, sat on the 22nd & 39th Police District Advisory Council, and currently serves as Chief of Staff for Pennsylvania State Representative Keith Harris. Her background spans pharmacy, mental health, special education, political science, and business and she has brought all of it to bear on the community she calls home; and
WHEREAS, among the members of The Elite 30 Association and Coalition are four Philadelphia women whose individual contributions to this city reflect the very mission Dr. Brown built that organization to advance, and who each deserve recognition in their own right; and
WHEREAS, Rachael Hanible did not grow up with financial security. She grew up watching neighbors struggle without the basic knowledge that could have helped them. Over the past 12 years, she has taught financial literacy to thousands of young people and adults across more than 140 Philadelphia schools and organizations. In 2025, the National Financial Educators Council named her Financial Education Instructor of the Year; and
WHEREAS, Tijania “Tee” Goodwin left a corporate career because she had something more important to do. Through her Divine Connections Agency, she has coached small business owners, mentored students, and spoken to anyone willing to listen about how to stop letting hard circumstances write the ending of their story. She also serves her neighborhood daily as Coordinator of Community Outreach for Central Division Victim Services; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Jasmyn Wright created a classroom affirmation called “I’m Gonna Push Through” that spread to more than 40 countries because it was true and kids knew it. A Philadelphia native with a doctorate in educational leadership, she has spent 16 years in high-need schools developing a social-emotional learning curriculum that has produced measurable gains in student confidence, engagement, and reading proficiency, and has taken her teacher training to Ghana, Bangladesh, Liberia, London, and beyond; and
WHEREAS, Mecca Robinson founded Forget Me Knot Children and Youth Services in 2015 after watching too many teenagers age out of foster care with no plan and nowhere to go. Her organization does not run like a shelter. It runs like a family. Youth between 12 and 20 get birthday celebrations, shared meals, and the kind of regular check-ins that remind them that someone is paying attention. She has opened three locations and has not slowed down, after having serious challenges of her own; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, Hereby honors and recognizes Dr. Charlotte Brown, Rachael Hanible, Tijania “Tee” Goodwin, Dr. Jasmyn Wright, and Latisha “Mecca” Robinson. Each of them looked at a problem in this city and decided it was theirs to solve. Philadelphia is better for it.
FURTHER RESOLVED, That five Engrossed copies of this Resolution be presented to Dr. Charlotte Brown, Rachael Hanible, Tijania “Tee” Goodwin, Dr. Jasmyn Wright, and Latisha “Mecca” Robinson as evidence of the admiration of the Council of the City of Philadelphia.
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