White Dog owner receives service award

Judy Wicks serves Philadelphia in two ways -- not only does she serve food as the owner of the White Dog Cafe, but she serves the community by donating her time and effort to promote a united community. Wicks was recently awarded the Paradigm Award which is given to women in business for taking initiative in utilizing their business as a vehicle for social change. The Philadelphia Sister Restaurant Project, directed by Wicks, is an example of her effort to unify the many existing cultures in her community. As part of this program, many restaurant customers, who subscribe to the White Dog's newsletter, are invited to join in a night of dining at a participating sister restaurant and then welcomed to visit either a cultural center or a neighborhood theater performance, according to the restaurant owner. "It has been really successful," said Wicks, when asked about the project."It has had a big turnout." White Dog employees have also helped the community by giving of their time as mentors to high school students as part of another Wicks program. Eight to 10 students from the Restaurant and Tourism Academy of West Philadelphia are paired up with a member of the White Dog staff as part of the mentoring program. The students either spend a day out with their mentors individually or participate in group activities. Currently students and their mentors are planning a fund raising block party for their senior trip to the Bahamas which will tentatively be in June. Melissa Jacobs, an employee of White Dog, is one of the mentors in the program and is helping the students plan the block party. "The kids really respond to us," Jacobs said. "It's an exchange of cultures, where we learn from each other." Along with her community work, she is in the process of creating a local chapter of the national organization called Business for Social Responsibility. Its purpose is to meet with other businesses that share the goal of social change, and to compare ideas and experiences with one another, Wicks said. The organization attempts to locate restaurant suppliers with environmentally and socially sound practices so they can give these companies their business. They also try to seek out companies that are minority owned. As a social activist, Wicks, who studied accounting and economics at the University, said she sees her former school in a favorable light when it comes to community and voluntary involvement. Wicks recalled "the effort of the Hackney administration to expand the amount of work done on the community." "I am aware of the large number of volunteers from Penn, and the work that fraternities and sororities do," Wicks said. She added that she believes the University is very active, more so than in the past, but that, "there could be more [activism]." Wicks will receive the second annual Paradigm Award on March 18th at the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce Luncheon . Along with the distinction, is a $30,000 aid to organizations benefitting young women in Philadelphia region. Wicks will put $5000 of this sum into a venture capital pool that will lend money to minority business owners at low interest rates, she said.