On the 4th of July, the Office of the City Representative produced the Celebration of Freedom Ceremony at Independence Hall. The Celebration of Freedom is a stirring salute to our nation’s history connecting the colonial era to modern-day Philadelphia.
City Representative, Sheila Hess, set the tone for the morning by welcoming the crowd as well as the audience who was watching live on NBC10 and Telemundo62. The program included entertainment by the Philly POPS & gospel group Sisterly Love.
The highlight of the program was the presentation of the 4th Annual Mayor’s Magis Award. Mayor Kenney’s Magis Award goes to a person or organization demonstrating the spirit of community by going the extra step to achieve more in every-day service. The Latin Magis translates into “the more universal good.” This year, the Mayor’s Magis award was presented to Connor Barwin and his Make the World Better foundation. The former Eagles linebacker (2013-2016) is a nine-year NFL veteran who also has played for the Houston Texans, Los Angeles Rams and New York Giants but Philadelphia has become his adopted home. Barwin created Make the World Better (MTWB) in 2013 during his first season in Philadelphia. MTWB connects people and inspires stewardship through public space revitalization projects. They envision a world were people of all ages are empowered to make an impact on their communities.
MTWB was recently announced as a partner for Rebuild, Mayor Kenney’s signature initiative to make improvements to neighborhood parks, recreation centers and libraries. MTWD will lead community engagement, design and construction for South Philadelphia’s Vare Recreation Center, which had been facing potential closure.
Another notable star during the ceremony was Philly living legend and music icon, Patti LaBelle. Patti LaBelle received the City of Philadelphia Liberty Bell in honor of her street naming (Broad and Spruce Street is now Patti LaBelle Way!) and read an excerpt of the Declaration of Independence.
In this jam packed hour, we also had the first ever Swearing In of Future Soldiers as well as the annual Wawa Everyday Hero Award. To see more of the action, you can watch here!
