The City Representative serves as an ambassador for the Mayor and the City at public, civic, and business functions, as well as ceremonial events. Our office administers special projects assigned by the Mayor or requested by other City departments and agencies.
In addition to these special events and projects, OCR works with its city, community, and business partners to produce a number of events that attract both residents and visitors to Philadelphia each year.
The Philly Holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony
The ceremony serves as a launch point to invite Philadelphians and visitors to take advantage of the varied shopping and dining opportunities to be found in Center City. The ceremony highlights many of the live cultural offerings available in the city during the holidays.
The Mayor’s Centenarian Luncheon
Since 2001, with the organizational support of the OCR, the City has honored residents who are 100 years old or older as part of national “Older Americans Month.” Philadelphia is one of the few municipalities in the country to celebrate the longevity and contributions of centenarians by recognizing their life-long contributions and wisdom in one event.
PAL Day at City Hall
Mayor Jim Kenney is a champion of the Police Athletic League and serves as PAL’s honorary president. PAL after-school activities benefit more than 25,000 our city’s young people. Coordinated by the OCR, PAL Day at City Hall provides a day of workplace mentoring to PAL members by municipal officials who complement the student’s interests. Students representing more than 20 PAL centers spend the day as “honorary” city officials including a PAL Mayor of the Day. Few, if any, municipalities produce such a program nationwide.
Police and Firefighters Living Flame Memorial
In a moving ceremony hosted by the City and produced by the OCR, representatives of the Fraternal Order of Police, Philadelphia Fire Department, members of the clergy, and representatives of federal, state, and other law enforcement and fire services agencies gather to honor the Philadelphia Police Officers and Firefighters who have lost their lives in the line of duty and acknowledge the families who have lost their loved ones.
Subaru Cherry Blossom Festival of Greater Philadelphia
In 1926, Japan presented Philadelphia with blossoming cherry trees to honor the 150th Anniversary of American Independence in our country’s birthplace. The Japan America Society of Greater Philadelphia continues to support our city’s wealth of blossoming cherry trees and works with the OCR to coordinate publicity leading up to the festival’s Sakura Sunday event held in Fairmount Park. At the 2011 festival, Philadelphia welcomed Ambassador Shigeyuki Hiroki, consul general of Japan in New York.
Take Our Sons & Daughters To Work Day at City Hall
As part of a national initiative, OCR hosts a local career day to give young people an inside look into how the City works. Employers, employees, parents, mentors, and educators work together to strengthen the connection between education and work by opening up the workplace to students, who are guided by a mentor in City government. In 2014, foster-care children were introduced to the program through an initiative announced by President Obama who acknowledged Philadelphia’s leading efforts.