Join us on Thursday, October 6 for our annual event to celebrate the core conviction of democracy: “of the people, by the people, for the people.”

Of the People • By the People • For the People
Thursday, October 6, 2016, 6-8:30 p.m.

***Award program runs promptly from 6:30 – 7:00 p.m.***

Fringe Arts, 140 N. Columbus Blvd. (at Race St.) 

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Getting to Fringe Arts

Parking Information

Valet parking will be available! Just show up at Fringe Arts, 140 N. Columbus Blvd. (at Race St.)

Additional parking options here: http://fringearts.com/contact/parking-info/

Public Transportation

Please check SEPTA for all schedules. Times may vary greatly.

Market-Frankford Line: stops at 2nd & Market St. Approximately a 10-minute walk to FringeArts.
Head North on 2nd St. towards Church St. Turn right at Race St. and walk towards the waterfront. FringeArts will be on your right at the corner of Race St. and Columbus Blvd.Connections to the Market-Frankford Line, take trains headed towards Frankford Transportation Center and exit at 2nd St. stop.

Buses:

#25 Frankford Transportation Center to Columbus Commons: Stops at corner of N. Columbus Blvd. and Race St. (directly across the street from our building) or S. Columbus Blvd. (between our building at the Holiday Inn). Approximately a 1-minute walk to FringeArts.

#21 Penn’s Landing to 69th Street Transportation Center, #33 Penn’s Landing to 23rd-Venango & #42 Penn’s Landing to Wycombe: Stops at Columbus Blvd. & Penn’s Landing. Approximately a 4-minute walk to FringeArts. Head North on Columbus Blvd. towards the Ben Franklin Bridge. FringeArts is located across the street at the corner of Race St. & Columbus Blvd.

#5 Front-Market to Frankford Transportation Center: Stops at 2nd St. & Race St. Approximately a 5-minute walk to FringeArts. Head down Race St. towards the waterfront until you reach Columbus Blvd. FringeArts will be on your right, on the corner.

#57 Whitman Plaza to Rising Sun-Olney or Fern Rock Transportation Center:Stops at 4th St. & Race St. Approximately a 6-minute walk to FringeArts. Head down Race St. towards the waterfront until you reach Columbus Blvd. FringeArts will be on your right, on the corner.

#48 Front-Market to 27th-Allegheny: Stops at 2nd St. & Arch St. Approximately a 7-minute walk to FringeArts. Head North on 2nd St. towards Race St. Turn right onto Race St. and continue until you reach the Columbus Blvd. We will be on your right, on the corner.

#17 Front-Market to 20th-Johnston and Broad-Pattison: Stops at 2nd St. & Market St. Approximately a 10-minute walk to FringeArts. First, take the pedestrian bridge at the end of Market St. When you reach the opposite end, head down the set of stairs on the left-hand side. From the stairs, turn right and walk up Columbus Blvd. towards the Ben Franklin Bridge. We are across the street at the corner of Race St. & Columbus Blvd.

PATCO: Stops at 8th St. & Market St. Approximately a 20-minute walk to FringeArts or change to the Market-Frankford Line to 2nd & Market St. stop for a 10-minute walk. Walk down Market St., take the pedestrian bridge, and head down the set of stairs on the left hand side when you reach the opposite end. From stairs, turn right and walk up Columbus Blvd. towards the Ben Franklin Bridge. We are across the street at the corner of Race St. & Columbus St.
Click here for the PATCO schedule.

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2016 Honorees

We will honor Soil Generation (left), a black-led coalition of urban farmers and community gardeners; longtime board member Nick Chimicles (center) of Chimicles & Tikellis LLP; and Boies, Schiller & Flexner LLP (right), our dedicated co-counsel in our case on behalf of children enrolled in Medicaid in Florida.

Learn more about the Honorees

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Boies, Schiller & Flexner LLP

Formed in 1997, Boies, Schiller & Flexner LLP quickly became one of the leading law firms in the country with over 200 lawyers on staff today.

In 2005, the Public Interest Law Center partnered with Boies, Schiller & Flexner LLP to file a class action lawsuit against top officials in the Florida Department of Health, the Department of Children and Family services, and the Department of Healthcare Administration in an effort to secure medical and dental care for low-income children in Florida. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of the Florida Pediatric Society and all children — currently numbering 1.9 million — enrolled in, or eligible for, Medicaid in the state. Boies, Schiller & Flexner LLP attorneys on this case include Carl E. Goldfarb, Lauren F. Louis, Thomas McCawley, Pascual Oliu, Joshua Riley, and Stuart H. Singer.

Despite proper medical and dental care being a necessity, children born into low income families in Florida were often shut out of care. State Medicaid programs in Florida failed to compensate doctors are competitive levels, making treating these individuals economically unrealistic. Without access to proper care, these low income children faced the risk of allowing simple minor alignments to develop in to major health problems.

After 90 days of trial over the course of more than 10 years, federal Judge Adalberto Jordan found that Florida was not meeting federal requirements in providing preventive medical care. Specifically, he concluded that Florida’s physician reimbursement structure failed to provide an adequate compensation level needed to ensure equal access to care for those on Medicaid. In April 2016, a settlement was reached that provides for state agencies to make substantial improvements in the access of children enrolled in Medicaid to medical and dental care throughout the state, and is designed to raise rates of services to children in Florida to at least national norms over several years.

Mr. Singer said about working with the Public Interest Law Center, “I am delighted that our firm is working together with the Public Interest Law Center on these issues. It is precisely the type of public interest pro bono work we aspire as lawyers to do.”

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Soil Generation

Soil Generation is a coalition of activist gardeners, market farmers and individuals representing community-based organizations that is working to build a hyper-local urban food system that promotes healthy communities and equity at all stages of production, distribution, and consumption. Through grassroots organization, community education and advocacy, its vision is for the people of Philadelphia to have access to wholesome foods, clean water, and safe and vibrant communities.

The Law Center helped found Soil Generation and works with the coalition to systemically improve the viability of urban agriculture. This includes connecting urban gardeners and farmers to build a self-determined, organized constituency that can advocate to improve local policies. Soil Generation also helps communities create self-determined food systems through the appropriate use of vacant public land. Member Brianna Burton said, “For me, Soil Generation is about community, knowledge, and solidarity. It’s about solid relationships serving as the foundation for sharing information, offering support, and strengthening the connections between racial, food and environmental justice.”

Soil Generation has completed three successful major campaigns. The organization prevented a proposed zoning amendment that would have threatened 20% of existing gardens and farms in the city. It assisted with the passage of Philadelphia’s land bank bill, returning vacant properties to productive use. Soil Garden also influenced the strategic planning process for the land bank to prioritize urban agriculture and open space projects. Future endeavors include creating a threatened gardens resource guidebook and transforming the coalition into a multi-stakeholder, cooperative model that would generate revenue and help gardeners and farmers sell their produce.

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Thank you to our sponsors!

Presenting

Premiere

Sustainer
Berger & Montague, P.C.
Chimicles & Tikellis LLP
Cozen O’Connor
Dechert LLP
Drinker Biddle & Reath, LLP
Kenneth and Andrea Frazier
Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP
Pepper Hamilton LLP

Benefactor
Angeion Group
Cafferty Clobes Meriwether & Sprengel LLP/Ellen Meriwether and Steven Goldfield
Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP
Ellen & Steven Friedell/Reaching Agreement ADR LLC
Greenberg Traurig, LLP
Johnson & Johnson
Kline & Specter, P.C.
Rust Consulting, Inc.

Patron
Archer & Greiner P.C.
Blank Rome LLP
Boies, Schiller & Flexner LLP
DLA Piper
Duane Morris LLP
Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott, LLC
Ernst & Young/Kathleen Meriwether and Thomas Mahoney
Huntington National Bank
Jeffrey Golan and Frances Vilella-Velez
KML Law Group, P.C.
Marshall Dennehey Warner Coleman & Goggin, P.C.
White and Williams LLP

Supporter
Baker Tilly Virchow Krause, LLP
Fineman Krekstein & Harris P.C.
Flora Barth Wolf and Laslo Boyd
Joseph Trautwein & Associates, LLC
Law Offices of David J. Berney
Reliable
Shook, Hardy & Bacon L.L.P.

Friend
Dennis C. McAndrews/McAndrews Law Offices, P.C.
Dilworth Paxson LLP
Faruqi and Faruqi, LLP
Kairys, Rudovsky, Messing & Feinberg LLP
Littler Mendelson P.C.
Saul Ewing LLP
Tim Hunter

Event Host Committee

David Caputo, Co-Chair
Ellen Meriwether, Co-Chair
Wilson Brown
Ellen Friedell
Stacy Hawkins
Marciene Mattleman
Mike McKeever
Peter Newman
Albert Parker
Ashleigh Reibach
Stephanie Saunders
The Honorable Flora Barth Wolf