Vax Up Philly Parade offers fun and free vaccinations at multiple locations for one-day-only event

PHILADELPHIA, PA, August 23, 2021 – Philadelphians will take to the streets with the high-spirited Vax Up Philly Parade, a one-day-only, multi-location, an effervescent community-minded event offering free vaccinations, live music, education, and more with Jefferson Health, Snacktime Philly, Radio Kismet, Philadelphia’s Acting Health Commissioner Dr. Cheryl Bettigole, Philadelphia 76ers SQUAD 76 dancers, Conrad Benner’s Streets Dept and others, on Sunday, August 29, starting at 11 am at FDR Park, continuing to Dilworth Park, and culminating at Philadelphia OIC located at 1231 North Broad Street.
“Philadelphians are known for being real, direct, and down to earth. The honest truth is we need more people to be vaccinated in order to protect the people who live here from more harm. There is pride and resilience in our communities, and we need to leverage those things to encourage everyone we know to get vaccinated. We know that vaccination helps to prevent serious disease, hospitalization, and death,” said Sandra E. Brooks, MD, MBA, Executive Vice President, Chief Community Health Equity Officer, Thomas Jefferson University; Chief Medical Officer – Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Inc. “We have to do this now, lest the virus wreaks further havoc on the people of our city, our local businesses, and hospitals. Do it for yourself, do it for your family, do it for all of us!”
As for live entertainment at the Vax Up Philly Parade, attendees can expect the following:
• Local hip hop artist The Bul Bey as event MC and performer
• The smooth sounds of local band Snacktime Philly
• High-voltage house music ensemble Worldtown Soundsystem
• Philadelphia 76ers professional dance team Squad 76
• Fun surprises and giveaways from Wawa, 12th Street Catering, and more!
Radio Kismet will assist in crafting an elaborate, well-executed event in collaboration with Jefferson Health. The Vax Up Philly Parade is designed to raise awareness and build positivity around being vaccinated. To ramp up the amount of vaccinations in the state of Pennsylvania, this socially distanced, publicly accessible parade will promote and facilitate a massive public expression to promote more awareness around vaccinations.
“Radio Kismet is a community-minded organization that is thrilled to join in this activist-focused effort to create additional awareness about vaccinations so that we can all move forward with our lives,” said Christopher Plant, Owner of Radio Kismet.
Vax Up Philly Parade starts at 11 am at FDR Park, located at 1500 Pattison Avenue and South Broad Street, with suggested arrival by 12:30 pm. Free and accessible vaccinations will be provided by Jefferson Mobile Community Vaccination Program. The parade route is as follows:
• 11 am – 1 pm: FDR Vaccine Clinic at Asian and Latinx Markets
• 12:00 pm: All Parade Participants Call Time at FDR Park o At loop just past Richie Ashburn Fields on Park Road
• 1:00 pm: Parade Depart FDR for Broad Street
• 2:00 pm: Parade arrives at City Hall and marches around the building
• 2:30 pm: Parade Stop and Free Vaccine Clinic at Dilworth Park
• 3:00 pm: Press Conference at Dilworth Park
• 3:30 pm: Parade Depart Dilworth for N Broad Street
• 4:00 pm: Parade Stop and Free Vaccine Clinic at Philadelphia OIC 1231 N Broad Street
• 5:00pm: Event End
“The Jefferson Mobile Community Vaccination team has been providing COVID-19 vaccines to residents all over Philadelphia,” said Robert S. Pugliese, PharmD, Director of Innovation Design, Jefferson; Co-Director, Mobile Community Vaccination Program, Jefferson Health. “Even though the pandemic is far from over, we wanted to come together to celebrate the triumphs we have had and send a message to everyone in Philadelphia that NOW is the time to get vaccinated more than ever!”
“Getting vaccinated and protecting yourself and your community is a beautiful thing that should be celebrated, and that’s just what we plan to do with the Vax Up Philly Parade,” said Conrad Benner, Founder of StreetsDept.com. “Excited to join so many other Philadelphians in creating this first-in-the-nation kind of action to help get that word out that we’re doing this for each other!”
In addition to the above and City Representative Sheila Hess, Acting Health Commissioner Dr. Cheryl Bettigole will join the line-up of speakers at the podium in Dilworth Park.
“Getting vaccinated is the best way to cut your risk of being hospitalized or dying from COVID,” said Acting Health Commissioner Dr. Cheryl Bettigole. “We are so excited to see Jefferson help spread the good news about vaccines and make it fun to get vaccinated. With thousands of Philadelphians getting vaccinated every day, it really is a chance to celebrate!”
Continuing up to North Broad, the final stop of Vax Up Philly Parade will be Philadelphia OIC, a non-profit organization dedicated to the elimination of poverty and unemployment in the Philadelphia area.
“With the COVID-19 virus surging, Philadelphia OIC is once again on the forefront partnering with Jefferson Health to host a free vaccination event to help stop COVID-19,” said President and CEO of Philadelphia OIC Judge Renée Cardwell Hughes. “We are honored to participate in Jefferson Health’s efforts to vaccinate our community. We urge folks to attend this free vaccination event. Together we can keep essential workers and our City moving forward.”
For more information on the Vax Up Philly Parade, follow Conrad Benner of Streets Dept on Instagram and Twitter.
ABOUT JEFFERSON HEALTH:
Jefferson Health, home of Sidney Kimmel Medical College, is reimagining health care in the greater Philadelphia region and southern New Jersey. Jefferson’s dedicated team of doctors, nurses, health professionals, and staff provide a range of primary to highly-specialized care through 14 hospitals (seven are Magnet®-designated by the ANCC for nursing excellence), more than 40 outpatient and urgent care locations, the NCI-designated Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, Magee Rehabilitation and the JeffConnect® telemedicine program. For 2021-2022, U.S. News & World Report has ranked Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals among the nation’s best hospitals in six specialties, with three high performing specialty rankings and 14 high performing rankings in procedures and conditions. Jefferson Health’s mission is to improve the lives of patients in the communities it is privileged to serve through safe, effective, equitable, compassionate care.
ABOUT RADIOKISMET:
RADIOKISMET is Philadelphia’s creative content incubator broadcasting the diverse & ambitious voices shaping The Greater Philadelphia Story. RADIOKISMET believes in the inherent value of every person’s story and increasing equity in representation, and they offer a platform for voices, ideas, and solutions that address the challenges facing Philadelphia and our local communities. Additionally, RADIOKISMET aims to fight systematic oppression and inspire progressive change by amplifying marginalized voices. https://radiokismet.com/
ABOUT STREETS DEPT:
Streets Dept is a Philadelphia-based blog that discovers art on the streets of Philadelphia. The primary focus of the Streets Dept is documenting and celebrating street art and muralism across Philly’s public spaces. Established in January of 2011, Streets Dept was founded by Fishtown, Philadelphia born-and-raised photo-blogger, curator, podcaster, and photographer Conrad Benner. https://streetsdept.com/