St. Anthony Hall Fundraising Campaign

The brothers of St. Anthony Hall are standing in support of the members of the Black Community to combat racism, injustice, and prejudice within society. The unacceptable atrocities we have seen in recent events, such as the murder of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and countless others must not be tolerated.

As an organization that celebrates diversity, we will continue to uphold our values as a group and promote inclusivity and equality for all.

We have created this gofundme page to raise funds for an organization we as a brotherhood strongly stand by. Any contributions are greatly appreciated. This is our first step in the fight to right the systematic wrongs that have gone on for too long. We are committed to making continued efforts to serve the marginalized communities in not just Philadelphia, but across the country. Now, more than ever, the brothers of St. Anthony Hall want to say that Black Lives Matter.

The charity we have partnered with, Helping Hand, provides support and mentorship to underserved communities in the city of Philadelphia. The mission opened in 1905 as a soup kitchen, but has also operated as a youth center in North Philadelphia, hiring community teenagers to work as tutors in their Junior Leader program. The mission has helped create a Kindergarten to college path, and currently supports 11 Junior Leaders in higher education.

To provide more specific insight into our fundraising efforts, we would like to highlight a student that will be receiving the funds raised by this fundraiser - Angel. The funds raised will go towards a scholarship for Angel. Helping hands has provided us with some more detail on who Angel is as a person: 

“ “I’ve never had popcorn before,” Angel shared on a Tuesday night many Tuesdays ago. Angel was just a little guy who was new to the Mission. It was hard to believe he hadn’t had a kernel in his 11 years in Philly. 

Angel was in the foster care system before being adopted into the neighborhood with his brother Savion. Besides missing out on popcorn, it was clear that there had been some tough years for Angel, and he was bullied regularly. It didn’t help that he lost a front tooth. And then another. Somehow Angel found a way through the tough years, even embracing them with his humor. When he was teased about his teeth, he smiled and said he sold them for food stamps. He created a SuperGuy cartoon series. He co-authored a book called “Better Bullying” to bring light to the tough topic of school harassment. And he sold copies of the book to raise money for our Ugandan water program. And in his Senior year at Bodine High School, he did something even more amazing. He decided to play high school football. And since his school didn’t have a team, he had to play for Mastbaum High. Angel, a kid who had often been bullied, walked into the bully bowl, the football locker room. A helmet and pads can’t protect you from mean words, but it didn’t matter, his teammates loved him. 

Those who know Angel are amazed by him. Instead of avoiding challenges, he crashes into them. He is a truly remarkable young man. He is one of our wonderful Junior Leaders. He is an example of hope and courage. He is quick with a joke. He is a role model. And now he is a college student, attending Manor in September.”