Priscilla Chan Visits Franklin

Priscilla Chan '07, along with PBHA staff and students, visited with members of the Franklin community on Sunday afternoon. As a Harvard undergraduate, Chan, a Stride alum, served as a director for PBHA's Franklin Afterschool Enrichment Program (FASE), which offers one-on-one afterschool tutoring to grade school students in Dorchester's Franklin Field and Franklin Hill housing developments. After the visit, she took to her Facebook page to reflect on her time with FASE:

The kids, families and volunteers at the Franklin Hill Afterschool Enrichment program were my family and home away from home when I was at Harvard. The opportunity allowed me to work with and empower kids living in the neighborhood next to where I grew up - kids who were just like me. The experience would end up being the inspiration for my career in service.

I am thrilled to see that work and spirit are alive and strong today. Take the current director of the after school program - a student named Carmella who grew up in Dorchester. By bringing her own life experience to bear, she is able to do so much more than just help Franklin kids with their homework. She's able to connect with them as a friend and mentor in a way that has made a real difference in their lives. Like one of the kids she works with told me today, "I don't come here for the homework help. I come for the people."