PPH employees show
their talents to volunteers

By Jon Campisi
Times Staff Writer

For all of their hard work, the volunteers who logged in around 42,000 hours of community service at the Philadelphia Protestant Home last year were treated to a little rest and relaxation.
“It’s the number one resident program. They love it,” Gregory Smith, PPH’s director of marketing and special events, said of the home’s annual talent show, held April 17.
The variety show is designed to give back to those who spend hours upon hours volunteering at PPH. The volunteers, most of them residents of the home, but some outside community members, do everything from ringing up items at the in-house gift shop and serving tasty treats at the ice cream parlor, to sewing items, such as baby blankets, for patients in area hospitals, and transporting PPH’s nursing home residents to doctors appointments and outside activities.
“There are a lot of residents who volunteer, who help out,” said Diane Chabin, an administrative assistant at PPH.
During last week’s talent show, the 300 or so volunteers who filled the social hall were treated to a luncheon served by, and a theatrical show performed by, PPH staff members. The variety show was billed as a trip “Around the World,” and the various skits had the actors performing song and dance numbers representative of countries including France, Ireland, China and Italy.
The final act, called “America — Grand Finale,” brought all the performers onstage in their respective costumes — which they made themselves — to round out the event in style.
Chabin said the residents have come to love the talent show, which is in its seventh year, and truly appreciate the fact that employees spend their personal time, such as weekends and weeknights, preparing for it.
“We were so well-received the first year that we decided to keep doing it,” Chabin said. “It kept getting better and better.”
The emcee for the day was the home’s CEO, Anthony Manzo. Donning a top hat and carrying a walking stick, Manzo, who played the part of the Wizard in The Wizard of Oz, was accompanied by Daphne Floyd, vice president of human resources, who played Dorothy, complete with ruby slippers and all.
“People just really get into it ... it’s a blast,” Manzo said of the event.
Manzo said in prior years, PPH brought in outside actors to perform for the residents, but that was nixed when the volunteers made clear that they strictly wanted to watch staffers in action.
Today, Manzo joked that some residents actually sign up to be volunteers just so they can receive an invite to the year-end spectacle. That’s how popular the show has become, he said.
And for those who wish to relive the show over and over, they are welcome to do so with a copy of the DVD, which is given out to those who request them.
While the show has been performed for seven years, the luncheon dates back years prior, said Smith, the marketing director.
The talent portion, he said, was developed as an added incentive for those who give so much of their time to the PPH community. ••
Reporter Jon Campisi can be reached at 215-354-3038 or jcampisi@phillynews.com