By Marcia Z. Siegal
"Whatever I need done," says Doris Washington (right), block captain Josephine Blow (left) 'always does." Blow says she 'keeps an eye on things."
“How long will it be before we realize that others won’t care how much we know until they know how much we care?” Those are the first words you hear on Josephine Blow’s telephone answering machine.
“It’s been so long, I don’t remember exactly how I got started,” Blow reflects of her volunteer work as a block captain on the 5400 and 5500 blocks of Chester Avenue in Southwest Philadelphia. “We didn’t have a block captain — I saw a need for one.”
Now retired from managing a card and gift shop, Blow has been a block captain for well over a decade. She helps spearhead clean-up activities, promote neighborhood safety, reach out to senior neighbors, and engage youngsters in helpful activities.
“I keep an eye on things,” she says.
Making sure her fellow seniors feel safe and secure in their neighborhood is important, she points out. Three older neighbors are currently under her ‘watch.’ Blow has engaged children and teens to clean up trash, shovel older residents’ sidewalks, help plant and maintain seniors’ gardens and to run errands on their behalf. She also arranges for young volunteers to read books and newspapers to their older neighbors.
“I’ll call or stop by,” she says, “and ask seniors: ‘How are things going?’ If the weather’s hot, for instance, I’ll check to make sure they’re OK — if they have enough water, if they need anything and if their house is ventilated.”
Doris Washington is one of those seniors. She says Blow’s many acts of caring make a difference in her life.
“I have arthritis, so I am not able to stand for a long time or get out often. My son usually goes to the market for me. But Miss Josephine is always asking if I am running out of bread or milk or anything. She’ll go to the grocery store for me if I ask — whatever I need her to do, she always does,” Washington says.
“She also keeps me up-to-date on what’s going on in the neighborhood. If a new business is opening or if we’re having a block meeting or some sort of event, she’ll bring word about it.”
Washington called Blow when she heard noises from the vacant house next door. “Miss Josephine told me, ‘It’s nothing. I’ve already checked into it. The bank took over the house and hired people to clean it out. Don’t you worry.’
“She’s always looking out for me,” says Washington of her block captain. “She’s a just a very good neighbor.”
If you or your group would like help or information about how to help seniors in your community, free brochures and free training are available from Philadelphia Corporation for Aging (215-765-9000, ext. 5086).
For information about becoming a block captain, you may call the Philadelphia More Beautiful Committee, 215-685-3968, or United Block Captains Association, 215-662-1612, ext. 13.