James Ballengee

Change Agent, Educator/Teacher, Event planner, Philanthropist

I am the Founder of The Center for Public Purpose at William Penn Charter School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Center for Public Purpose engages Penn Charter students in service and community-based work as they seek to address the most pressing social issues in Philadelphia - education, food insecurity and poverty. The Center's work aligns with Penn Charter's Quaker values and curriculum, and students act, reflect and demonstrate their learning through collaborative and creative responses. These opportunities empower students, help them develop empathy and give them a skill-set to engage in lives of service that will positively impact the community and the common good.

Working together with the public and the private sectors to bring about equity and opportunity for all of the students in the city of Philadelphia.

We have worked to put together the Allegheny West Consortium which is a coalition of ten neighborhood public schools, charter schools, faith-based schools, a "street school" and two universities in our neighborhood in the city of Philadelphia. The mission of this group is to bring together students and teachers from a diverse group of Allegheny West neighborhood schools to develop student character strengths and to enhance the local community through a series of service projects. We also have an active program of professional development for the teachers from these schools.