GenPhilly aims to help seniors deal with snow removal

It’s been a pretty mild winter so far, and this week’s forecasts call for more of the same. But when the snow does fall, it’s harder for some to deal with it than others.

Kate Clark, a planner with the Philadelphia Corporation for Aging, is also a chairwoman of GenPhilly. That’s Generation Appreciation, an organization that promotes interaction between young and old.

“When I’m walking down the street and I see a home that’s not shoveled, sometimes I think, ‘Oh, wow, I wonder if that’s a senior that can’t get out and shovel,'” said Clark.

So, she’s helping to coordinate Philadelphia Senior Snow Corps.

Once a storm hits, organized neighborhood volunteers would head out to make sure every senior’s sidewalk gets shoveled.

“It is a major worry for me, not to be able to clear my sidewalk,” said Patricia Hilsinger, a 77-year-old retired attorney. She has a heart condition, and a corner house in Northeast Philly with a lot of sidewalk.

“My concern really is people getting hurt on my sidewalk,” said Hilsinger. “Because I actually had a neighbor fall a couple of years ago. Fortunately she was not hurt. I myself fell on another person’s sidewalk and broke my little finger. So I know, first of all, that people can be hurt. And also sued.”

GenPhilly plans to hold a meeting next month to get Community Development Corporations, civic associations, and other groups involved with the planning.

Hopefully before the next big snow.