Called to Serve (CTS) is spearheading the renewal, restoration and revitalization of underserved neighborhoods, like the Nicetown-Tioga community of North Philadelphia, where the majority Black residents face stark challenges. In the nation’s fourth worst city for asthma and the highest child mortality rate, CTS works to break through intergenerational poverty by improving education and supporting entrepreneurship to generate living wage jobs and vibrant commercial corridors. Founded in 2014, CTS offers programs like the Career Pathways Program, guiding youth toward college scholarships with training in broadcast communication, software development, and videography. Their $18 million Reverend Leon H. Sullivan Community Impact Center, scheduled to open in 2026, will provide shelter during dangerous summer heat waves while housing a community arts center, co-op café/bookstore, and clinic space for Temple’s Department of Family and Community Medicine, with 16 exam rooms designed specifically for Primary Care.
The Rev. Leon H. Sullivan Community Impact Center is officially underway, marking a major investment in the future of Nicetown-Tioga. This $18 million redevelopment will transform a long-neglected space into a vibrant hub for healthcare, education, and economic opportunity—providing primary care services, career pathways in esports and broadcasting, and a space for community-driven programs.
Source: Called to Serve’s FB page; Photographer, Daniel Burke
Led by Founder Reverend Mike Major, a six-person board, and dedicated volunteers, CTS is transforming the former Zion Baptist Church annex from disrepair into a community beacon. The Sullivan Center serves as a model for urban sustainability with public transit-oriented development, adaptive reuse of a historic building, energy-efficient building systems, green operations with maintenance training and education opportunities, use of low VOC materials, and plans for LEED Certification. CTC collaborates with Temple Lenfest North Philadelphia Workforce Initiative to deliver skills training at Temple University campuses and with the Black Contractors Coalition Association to build an ecosystem of entrepreneurs to secure fair shares of Philadelphia’s urban development resources for Black and Brown contractors. As 58-year resident Lenise Miller emphasized, this community development corporation and faith-based organization is creating “health, hope, and love” for multiple generations in a neighborhood that has long awaited such comprehensive investment.