Ms. Tee's Legacy of Love at Project HOME
For nearly three decades, Priscilla Bennett, known by most as “Ms. Tee”, has been the heartbeat of Project HOME. Her presence and commitment to the community, especially its children, helped shape the organization from a handful of passionate workers to the transformative force it is today. As Ms. Tee gears up to retire, her story stands as a living testament to what can happen when someone leads with love, vision, and diligence.
Ms. Tee first came to Project HOME in the early 1990s, long before it became the large, multifaceted organization we all know today. She lived in the Diamond Street area, where she first encountered the organization through an after-school program her son attended. “I met Miss Chris [Whaley], and I just started volunteering,” she recalled. “And it turned into a job,” and little did she know how this would spark a plethora of new opportunities for the future of Project HOME.
Those first few years were humble beginnings. The team was small with just a handful of people including Sister Mary [Scullion], Joan [Dawson McConnon], Miss Helen [Brown], Miss Chris, and Sister Claire. (These folks initiated the work we still do in the 19121 ZIP code.) “We did a little bit of everything,” Ms. Tee said. She pitched in wherever she was needed, whether it was with the outreach team, the recovery house, or after-school activities. “It was really, really new. In the infant stages of Project HOME.”
From the start, her passion was grounded in the children of the North Philadelphia neighborhood. At the time she didn’t have a formal background in education, but Ms. Tee quickly found herself teaching and nurturing kids who lacked access to quality attention and resources. “I really enjoyed working with the children,” she said. “A lot of our children on Diamond Street didn’t have much and didn’t have the attention they should have had as children.” That discovery eventually led her back to school to study early childhood education, deepening her commitment to creating safe, enriching spaces for the youth.
Ms. Tee’s approach has always been hands-on and humble. “I don’t do the title thing,” she laughed. “I just do what needs to be done.” Whether assisting with programming or cleaning up after an event, she has been a constant figure in the lives of countless youth and families. Her work wasn’t just about running programs, rather it was about building and sustaining trust. “The most important thing I could say about doing this work is building trust with the people in the community,” she said. “That’s how you can be most effective. When people trust you and see that you’re committed.”
That trust extended to the co-founders as well. Ms. Tee spoke highly of Sister Mary’s deep commitment to the community, something the pair shared which inevitably strengthened their efforts as a team. “When Sister Mary came and said she wanted to do this work, the residents asked, ‘Are you willing to live here?’ And she did. She lived in a building that was being renovated. That meant everything to the community.” It also meant everything to Ms. Tee. Seeing Sister Mary immerse herself within the community she served fostered even more trust between them.
Over the years, Ms. Tee was involved in many of the organization’s signature educational developments, including the creation of educational programs, after-school centers, and advocating for the construction of a quality childcare center to replace the inadequate facilities in the neighborhood. Honickman Learning Center Comcast Technology Labs would be the result, thanks to support and encouragement from Ms. Tee and our other neighborhood leaders. “Children need to be stimulated,” she explained. “If we can just touch a few of their lives in a good way, that will give them a chance to learn. That would be a great thing.” Like planting a seed and nurturing it until it sprouts, Ms. Tee understood the value of investing in our youth.
Ms. Tee also had the privilege of witnessing Project HOME grow from a small, grassroots effort into a mature nonprofit organization with nearly 500 employees. Yet, in her eyes, what mattered the most wasn’t its size, but it's the mission to end and prevent chronic street homelessness in the city. “It’s amazing to see the consistency of the mission statement and the reputation Project HOME has in the nonprofit world,” she said. “People really respect what Sister Mary and Joan built.”
Her hopes for the future are rooted in faith and continuity. “I hope Donna [Bullock] gets the support she needs,” Ms. Tee said about Project HOME’s new president and CEO. “If she can build that same trust that Sister Mary had, I think she can carry the mission forward.” Ms. Tee remains optimistic. As a supporter from nearly its inception, she’s confident that Project HOME will continue to flourish and extend its resources throughout the city for years to come.
Though she’s retiring from teaching, Ms. Tee isn’t disappearing from Project HOME. She’ll still be around the Helen Brown Community Center (HBCC), present in the neighborhood, and available to lend her wisdom and warmth to the next generation. “I’ll still be around HBCC. The kids in the neighborhood, they’ll see me.”
As she reflected on her time at Project HOME, Ms. Tee summed it up in a way only she could: “It’s been one hell of a ride,” she said with a smile. “I’ve been fortunate to meet so many people; rich, poor, Black, white. It’s been an experience and a privilege.”
Project HOME wouldn’t be what it is today without Ms. Tee’s dedication and desire to help others wherever she could. Her legacy is imprinted on every child she guided, every parent she comforted, and every colleague she inspired. As Ms. Tee steps into a well-earned retirement, we thank her deeply for her service, her spirit, and most of all, her love.
