Golden Slipper Club and Charities is hosting a night of fun and philanthropy with special guests — and probably your favorite Jewesses — Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer, the stars of the Comedy Central hit Broad City.
Golden Slipper Club and Charities will have you saying “Yas queen!” on May 21.
The organization is hosting a night of fun and philanthropy at the World Cafe Live at 8 p.m. with special guests — and probably your favorite Jewesses — Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer, the stars of the Comedy Central hit Broad City.
The goal of the evening is to help raise awareness about Golden Slipper or, as Ken Gilberg calls it, “Philadelphia’s best-kept secret.”
Gilberg served as president of the club and of the camp it runs, a role he has in common with Abbi Jacobson’s father, Alan, who is still involved with the organization.
“I’ve been involved in Slipper for 29 years,” Gilberg said, “and I think Golden Slipper is the Philadelphia community’s best-kept secret. We’re trying to change that.”
The club provides a summer camp for kids, a center for seniors, scholarships for college students and multitudes of philanthropic opportunities, among other initiatives.
Gilberg was president of the camp for three years, and it’s one of his favorite opportunities the club provides.
“For me, Golden Slipper Camp is a magical place where children of all backgrounds, shapes and sizes come together in a very unique and loving way,” he said. “If we could bottle up the magic of Golden Slipper Camp, the world would be a better place.”
The club has been around for 94 years, and he recognizes that the audience its programs could attract is always changing.
The goal of the event with Jacobson and Glazer is to appeal to a younger generation — though, he isn’t a fan of the term “millennials,” which might be the biggest age group Broad City attracts — who may not know too much about what Golden Slipper does in the community.
“We also recognize the world is changing,” he said. “For those under 40, we’re looking at ways to provide meaningful charitable opportunities where they can come and network, have fun and see a net result that they participated in on that night — whether it’s raising funds or getting a truck we need for the camp or doing other things, where they can be involved and have fun in a meaningful way and that’s also what we hope will come out of this event on the 21st.”
Event co-chair Helene Seydoux echoed that idea. While Golden Slipper is on the “older side” as a whole, she said, it’s been looking to grow that younger segment.
“More people are staying in Center City Philadelphia, the Philadelphia community is growing — we want to keep the Jewish philanthropic group with a really fun atmosphere, that’s been our goal,” Seydoux said. “With the help of Alan [Jacobson], Abbi and Ilana were happy to do this event and come to Philadelphia — it’s Abbi’s hometown — and create an energetic night out of it.”
The night will feature a band, a cocktail hour and a presentation from Jacobson and Glazer about Golden Slipper and the work it does for the community, but, of course, it will feature the duo’s comedic flair.
The audience will be able to interact with the Broad City stars interview-style and ask them questions about their careers and lives.
People can use the hashtags #AbbiForSlipper and #SlipperFitsPhilly during the event on social media, mainly Twitter or Instagram, to interact with Glazer and Jacobson in real time, even if they can’t make it to the event, said Director of Operations and Communications Lori Shuster.
Shuster also pointed out that the event is being put on entirely by volunteers, which is characteristic of the organization as a whole.
“The volunteers are incredible people, and I wanna share the love I have for this organization with other people,” Shuster said. “It shouldn’t be the best-kept secret. This is an amazing organization, it’s done great things and it has an amazing future, and we need to ensure that people are engaged in Philadelphia and all of the work.”
There will be other opportunities coming up geared toward a younger age group, including an event with Stateside Urbancraft Vodka at Federal Distillery on June 9 and a “First Thursday” event at Venturef0rth in July.
Seydoux is looking forward to Jacobson and Glazer talking about their path to success, their friendship and how they go from “Point A” to “Point B.”
“It’s going to be really interesting and very cool to listen to their story — how they became leaders, how they got involved with Comedy Central,” Seydoux said. “I do want Abbi and Ilana to touch upon the fact that they are two Jewish girls and how it is to be Jewish in a community. That connection is very important for us as well.”
The two have certainly not shied away from their Jewish identities on the show.
The final two episodes of the third season, which just ended in April, featured them on a plane heading to Israel for a Birthright Israel trip (or Birthmark, as it was called on the show) — though, of course, the trip doesn’t go as planned.
Seydoux hopes the night will allow younger Philadelphians to get to know the organization better and look into ways to get involved.
“What it comes down to with Golden Slipper is that what’s so great is that people are beyond wonderful, every time you need help everyone’s always willing to help out, and we’re a great community,” she said.
“I’m looking forward to having a fun Saturday night with the Philadelphia community, with a group of Jewish people around along with a wonderful show Abbi and Ilana will put on. I can’t wait to see them.”
Contact: [email protected]; 215-832-0740
