Page 8 - December 2016 Newsletter
P. 8
Haddonfield, NJ; Center City Award, recognizing her selflessness,
Philadelphia; and Ardmore, PA. integrity, leadership, and kindness,
and she continues to work closely
Having spent 20 years as an activist with the Ardmore Initiative as an
in Center City Philadelphia, Nancy Ardmore activist for positive change.
presently serves as a Community
Revitalization Expert in Ardmore, In 2011, she formed TKC Business
PA. As a Center City activist, she was Consultants, and The King's Writer,
among the first to press for the as divisions of The King's Collar
zoning of outside dining in the city, Corporation. Both companies offer
and was instrumental in enrolling the support services for start-ups, and
city's residents and building owners allow Nancy to continue her work as
into supporting the Business District an entrepreneurial coach for small
Authority, which created the Center businesses. She is a familiar voice
City District (CCD). In 1990, when on KYW Newsradio 1060, and has
the city was looking for humane ways done the voiceovers and ad copy for
to treat the problem of panhandling, a myriad of companies over the
Nancy founded the I Do Care years. She has served as a keynote
Foundation, and authored The speaker, as well as a guest
Vendor Food Coupon Program, which editorialist, for The Daily News, The
provided vendor meals for those Philadelphia Inquirer, and several
begging for food on the streets of community papers.
Philadelphia. 27,000 coupons were
sold, and the program ultimately led In answer to our question about how
to several proactive solutions to GHS impacted her later life, Nancy
panhandling. wrote: "As I answer these questions,
I am reminded of the role that Girls’
She has been honored as an Inc. High played in my life and the
Magazine Entrepreneur of the Year difference it made for my family and
[1991] and in 1994 she was my community. The strengths I
presented with The Award of developed carried me through many
Honor by The Alumnae Association of dark days and allowed me to achieve
the Philadelphia High School for Girls. goals that for others may have
In 1996, she was named by Governor seemed impossible to accomplish.
Tom Ridge as one of Pennsylvania's Girls’ High taught me how to be an
Best 50 Women in Business. She independent member of my
is President Emeritus of both the community and to take pride in its
Center City Proprietors Association tenets, which included being part of
and the Ardmore Business an all-girl school. I learned to value
Association, and is a Founding Officer my female friends and the strengths
of the Center City District (CCD) in they possessed. I found I held myself
Philadelphia, where she served its as someone on an equal par with
businesses, and worked to support a men, and when I later became the
healthy business climate. In first woman in the country to enter
2008, the Ardmore the men’s custom shirt industry, this
Initiative presented Nancy with the served me well."
Charles F. Ward Service to Ardmore
