The Billies look back at a year full of notable Philadelphians

By Ben Bennett, Billy Penn | December 11, 2025

Stoneleigh Emerging Leader Fellow Oronde McClain receives one of Billy Penn’s 2025 Billies Awards for his work developing the Philadelphia Center for Gun Violence Reporting’s Survivor Connection, a resource intended to make experts from the gun violence survivor community more readily accessible to journalists.

About 150 Billy Penn readers and fans gathered to celebrate all things Philly at WHYY on Wednesday night, as the hyperlocal news site hosted its Billies Awards, an annual celebration honoring notable community members and groups in the City of Brotherly Love.

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Oronde McClain, BS Emerging Leader Fellow

Who We Are

The Stoneleigh Foundation was founded in 2006 by John and Chara Haas to improve the life outcomes of our community's youth. We meet our mission by awarding Fellowships to exceptional leaders who advance change in the systems that serve these young people.

Our Priorities

We seek to improve the life outcomes of our community’s youth by advancing change in the systems that serve them. Because we believe that youth are best served when systems work together to holistically address their needs, Stoneleigh prioritizes work designed to strengthen coordination between or among these systems.

Our Projects

We award two types of projects that catalyze change within, alongside, and outside of youth-serving systems. Our Fellowship Projects enhance how systems work together, improve practice, shift narratives, and generate new knowledge through action-oriented research. Our Youth Partnership Projects support youth-centric organizations that build the leadership and advocacy skills of young people.

Advancing The Field

We are pragmatic and have a bias toward action. We advance the field by hosting public events, publishing policy-relevant research and reports, and elevating the work of our Fellows and grantees in the media.

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We award two types of Fellowships to exceptional individuals who work within and alongside youth-serving systems to catalyze change. Our Fellows undertake projects that enhance how systems work together, improve practice, and generate new knowledge through action-oriented research.