City Year Philadelphia Names Aldustus (A.J.) Jordan as Idealist of the Year for his support of service and education over the past decade

Media Contact:
Laurie Backall

Managing Director of Development

City Year Philadelphia

267.736.0089

lbackall@cityyear.org

City Year Philadelphia Names Aldustus (A.J.) Jordan as Idealist of the Year for his support of service and education over the past decade

A.J. will be honored at City Year Philadelphia’s virtual Red Jacket Gala on May 6, 2021 with proceeds supporting education equity in Philadelphia schools

Philadelphia, PA (April 19, 2021) — City Year Philadelphia is proud to announce that Aldustus (A.J.) Jordan, Senior Vice President & Community Relations Co-Head for Wells Fargo, has been named as the 2021 Idealist of the Year. This annual award is given to an individual who has demonstrated extraordinary leadership in their community and longstanding support of service and education in Philadelphia.

The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated existing inequities in the education system and disproportionately affected low-income students and students of color. City Year’s AmeriCorps members provide much-needed virtual and in-person academic and social-emotional support to students and teachers in 16 schools across Philadelphia.

“I’ve found City Year Corps members to be among the most inspirational, hardworking, dedicated, and impactful leaders I’ve met throughout my career,” says A.J. “Despite our many challenges as a region, we can all remain optimistic when this diverse group of young adults have been a beacon of hope and light to a countless number of children in Philadelphia public schools.”

Throughout his career A.J. has served as a strategic advisor, funder, and champion for City Year. In his current role as Wells Fargo’s Senior Vice President and Community Relations Co-Head, A.J. is leading the transformation of the company’s national Community Relations function and managing a team of geographically based philanthropy professionals working to increase positive societal impact across the United States.

A.J. has dedicated his career to developing highly effective partnerships that have empowered communities by harnessing the resources and influence of the private sector to benefit children and families. He began his career as a social worker for Head Start and a children and youth advocate, organizing community coalitions to push for equitable public school funding and educational opportunities for under resourced communities. A.J.’s professional impact has included working as a government relations leader in the healthcare sector to expand Medicaid services for low-income residents and helping implement an award-winning national philanthropic and employee volunteer program for a Fortune 500 hospitality company headquartered in Philadelphia.

A.J. will be formally honored as Idealist of the Year at City Year Philadelphia’s annual Red Jacket Gala on Thursday, May 6, 2021 at 6:00 p.m. EST. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s Gala will take place in a virtual format. The evening will also include networking opportunities; a live magic show with Digital Deception; speeches by Darryl Bundrige, Executive Director and Vice President of City Year Philadelphia, and Alexia Nebrao, AmeriCorps Team Leader at Mary McLeod Bethune School; and more.

In addition, City Year Philadelphia launched a fundraising campaign to support the organization’s work towards education equity in Philadelphia schools and virtual service activities. Anyone who makes a gift of any amount to support the campaign is invited to attend the virtual Red Jacket Gala on May 6. Donations can be made online at secure.qgiv.com/event/redjacketgala. City Year Philadelphia thanks all our partners and sponsors that made this event possible, especially our presenting sponsor Davis Polk.

About City Year

City Year helps students and schools succeed, while preparing the next generation of civically engaged leaders who can work across lines of difference. Diverse teams of City Year AmeriCorps members provide support to students, classrooms and the whole school. Schools that partner with City Year are up to two to three times more likely to improve in English and math assessments, and the more time students spend with AmeriCorps members, the more they improve on social, emotional and academic skills— skills that help students thrive in school and contribute to their community.

A proud member of the AmeriCorps national service network, City Year is supported by AmeriCorps, local school districts and private philanthropy. City Year partners with public schools in 29 communities across the U.S. and through international affiliates in the U.K. and South Africa. Learn more at cityyear.org/philadelphia, on Twitter, and Instagram.

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