Memory Café, a monthly pop-up café for Penn Memory Center patients and their caregivers, has secured six months of funding from Christ Church Neighborhood House.
With the grant, the Penn Memory Center will be able to invite local artists to each month’s café. Upcoming performances include cellist and Curtis Institute alumna Arlen Hlusko and Theatre of Witness creator Teya Sepinuck.
Additionally, guests will have an improved “café experience” through a set of new café tables and entertainment options such as adult coloring books, said Christ Church Neighborhood House Program Director Abigail Guay. A wider selection of coffee and snacks — previously donated from Kitchen Gia — will be purchased from a variety of local vendors.
Christ Church Neighborhood House, which has donated space for the café since its inception in 2015, was built in 1915 to provide social services to the Old City community.
“We’re going through a strategic planning process right now, and part of what we are trying to do is reengage that mission by having a social justice lens,” Guay said. The Memory Café is one of the first steps in that direction, she said.
Memory Café was founded in 2015 to provide a safe, social space for Penn Memory Center patients and their caregivers.
“The challenges of living with memory loss can sever social connection at a time when it is needed the most,” said Felicia Greenfield, LCSW. “Memory Café gatherings are a way for people with memory loss and their companions to come together to make new friendships.”