The Philadelphia Building and Construction Trades Council announced a new charity recipient for sponsorship proceeds stemming from the upcoming All Star Labor Classic, the Trades’ largest annual fundraiser that showcases the region’s best male and female high school basketball players. The new charity partner is a nonprofit called The Superhero Project, which purchases and places “Angel Eye Cameras” into Neonatal Intensive Care Unit cribs that allow parents and their families to see their premature babies on their cell phones, even when they are unable to be at their baby’s bedside in the hospital. Parents say that connection to their babies – even though it’s through a camera lens – is vitally important to their mental and emotional well-being. The Superhero Project started in Philadelphia in 2015, but has since grown to have a presence in 49 states.
The Philadelphia Building Trades has a very personal reason for wanting to adopt The Superhero Project as its new charity partner. The Trades’ office manager, Kelly Ross, and her husband, Ryan, residents of Morrell Park, are parents of three prematurely born children: daughter Lacey (3) and twin boys Miles and Cole (1), who were born in 2022 at just 29 weeks gestation. The boys were severely underweight and had to spend 54 days in the Holy Redeemer Hospital NICU. The “Angel Eye Cameras” in the twin boys’ cribs, provided by The Superhero Project, enabled Kelly and Ryan Ross to see and feel connected to their twin boys when they weren’t physically able to be with them in the hospital.
“Kelly Ross is not only a highly valued member of our team, she’s also our dear friend,” said Building Trades Business Manager Ryan Boyer. “When she told us of the great work of The Superhero Project – and knowing the emotional turmoil she and her husband had been through with the birth of their daughter and twin sons – we knew we’d found our ideal new charity beneficiary. We look forward to raising a significant amount of money for them through our All Star Labor Classic event.”
The Philadelphia Building and Construction Trades Council has set a fundraising goal of $200,000 for the All Star Labor Classic, which would be the largest charitable donation the Superhero Project has ever received. This year’s showcase of the region’s best high school basketball players will be played on Sunday, April 14, at Holy Family University.
To become a sponsor or for more information, email laborclassic@gmail.com or visit www.allstarlaborclassic.com. ••
