Claire McEachern
Manager of Youth Services
Claire McEachern, a transplant to Philadelphia, was born in Cape Cod, MA. At the age of 6 she moved with her family to Micronesia where the Marianas Trench, the deepest part of the ocean, was her back yard. In 2008, she earned her Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Delaware majoring in Agriculture and Natural Resources with a minor in Landscape Horticulture.
As part of her curriculum at UD, she visited Brazil in the winter of 2008 and worked in the
Jardim Botanico with at-risk youth from the Rio de Janeiro Favelas (or slums).
This sparked the idea of working with youth in an urban setting.
After college, she moved to Philadelphia and volunteered a year with City Year, an Americorps affiliate. City Year is a national non-profit made up of idealistic 17-24 year olds who serve as tutors, mentors and role models for at-risk youth. Claire served on the Civic Engagement team, where she planned large-scale service events such as MLK Day and the Mayor’s City Wide Cleanup initiative for over 2,000 volunteers. Additionally, she helped to pilot a civics after-school program at the Delaware Valley High School,
an alternative school for youth who have been removed from the Philadelphia School District.
After serving over 1,700 volunteer hours with City Year, Claire joined the Federation in the summer of 2009 as a site supervisor at the Teens 4 Good urban farm in South Philadelphia. She has remained part of the Federation and helped to pilot the Urban Sustainability Leadership Academy that targets 11th and 12th grade youth and aims to build 21st Century Skills.
As the Manager of Youth Services, she oversees the youth development programs offered at the Federation.
Fun facts: Claire enjoys working in the garden, making crafts, and her new puppy, Ozzie, a Golden Retriever.
She also enjoys cooking, but not baking.