Germantown: Faces Never Fade Remembrance Ceremony

Face to Face, 109 E. Price St., held a Rembrance Ceremony at St. Vincent De Paul Church in Germantown on Saturday morning to remember and honor community members that died, many of whom were homeless and struggling to survive day-to-day. Students from the University of Pennsylvania School of Business and Face to Face collaberated on a community service project to pay tribute to their lives.

Face to Face is a non-profit organization that seeks to provide "dignity, compassion and a sense of community" to the homeless. For many people it is a home-a place to find a homemade meal, compassion and access to much needed resources. Face to Face provides free meals, nurse managed health care, legal and social services, computer training, creative arts studios, children's after school and summer programming.

Face to Face recently lost two community members: Alice Renzulli and George Winston. Glenn Murchinson, 62, spoke during the ceremony about his friend, George Winston.

"He was a nice guy. People were drawn to him. I knew he was sick but you would never know it; because, he was always smiling. He had this nothing is going to get me down attitude. George could endure anything that fell upon him. Being in the ceremony made me think about how other people have influenced my life," Murchinson said.

Judith Fields, 66, came to remember and honor her mother, Lila Hill.

"My mother went to church every Sunday. She was a kind and loving person. If she could help you out, she would." she said.

Ernest "Flip" Flippen, 70, remembered his friend, Alice Renzulli.

"To Alice, everybody was a friend. She used to make sure I received the newsletter every week so I knew what activities were going on at Face to Face," he said.

Alice was a gentle soul, who loved children. As a member of St. Vincent De Paul Church and casserole cook for Face to Face, Alice's gentle smile and dancing blue eyes will be missed by my family-especially my children, who loved to eat donuts with her and chat about what they learned at church that day.

"You can feel the manifestation of God's love for all human beings here. We are all family here. Everyone should pull together to help each other," Dominque Echevarria, 55, said.

Butch O'Leary is a volunteer at Face to Face. The volunteers are great here, he said. Many of the volunteers at Face to Face are homeless. It is a place where people can come and enjoy a warm meal and peace and quiet. The atmosphere is warm and cheerful, O'Leary said.

"This was a great opportunity to do something meanful and to make an impact on people's lives," said Edward Wadsworth, 19, an University of Pennsylvania student.

"Participating in this community service project has given me the opportunity to work with the homeless and learn from them," said Chris Miller, 19, a student from the University of Pennsylvania.

"The homeless are all sweet and grateful," said Rebecca Wu, 18, said.

She said she is going to continue to volunteer here because there is a sense of community.

Face to Face is hosting a Thanksgiving Dinner on November 25, Thursday from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. in the Dining hall at 109 E. Price St.

Face to Face is more than just a place to enjoy a warm meal and socialize. Jonathan Thompson summed it up when he said, "I will be here on Christmas because this is my family."

By Sue Ann Rybak and Jillian Horn

Fa1028Germantown

Photo 1- Sheila Sharp, who is a volunteer at Face to Face, reads during the Remembrance Ceremony at St. Vincent De Paul Church. 109 E. Price Street. Face to Face held "Faces Never Fade Remembrance Ceremony" to honor homeless men and women that recently died.
Photo 2-Ernest "Flip" Flippen and Mary Kay Meeks-Hank at the reception after the Remembrance Ceremony at St. Vicent De Paul Church in Germantown.
Photo 3- Alice Renzulli hugs a friend outside St. Vincent Church 's rectory. photo credit Blaise Tobia
Photo 4-Chris Miller, 19, a University of Pennsylvania student plays the piano at the reception in the dining room at Face to Face in Germantown on Saturday afternoon.
Photo 5- Jonathan Thompson and Howard Cherry enjoy lunch in Face to Face's dining room.