The Stained Glass Project: Windows that Open Doors

The Stained Glass Project (SGP) is a volunteer run after-school arts program that introduces under-served Philadelphia public high school students to the technically demanding artistic discipline of making stained glass.

The program, which originally began at the First United Methodist Church of Germantown (FUMCOG) with Germantown High School students has launched dozens of school children on unprecedented explorations of themselves, their artistic creativity, and their ability to brighten places around the city, country – and the world – where their arrestingly beautiful pieces have been installed over the years.

Each year students come every week and create magnificent stained glass windows for worthy institutions. After working so hard on them, they then donate their windows to deserving students all over the world. They receive social service credits from their schools for attending this program.

After co-founding and running the program for the past 20 years, Paula Mandel and Joan Myerson Shrager are stepping down from their roles. They are passing the torch to Sammie Gualtieri and Kate Crankshaw, who will be stepping into the roles as co-directors. As a way to honor the impact that Paula and Joan have had over the past 20 years, we are raising money in their honor to establish a scholarship fund. This fund will allow students to continue their glass education at craft schools nationwide. Our goal of $10,000 would allow us to provide approximately 10 students with scholarships to further their education in glass.

Our Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/TheStainedGlassProject

We’d also like to extend a heartfelt thank you to our volunteers who are retiring from the program this year after many years of mentorship and volunteering:

Jackie Witkin Raszeja

Caren Borowsky

Lillian Davis

Charry Burr