By Jerry Janda Outside, it's another muggy Indian summer day. The temperature is soaring to a blistering high. But inside the West Philadelphia Community Center in Mantua, the air is cool and comfortable. The center is alive with activity. Under the watchful eyes of day-care supervisors, children bustle up and down the corridors.
Adolescents drift in to play sports, hang out with friends, escape the heat.
Across from her is a rack of medical literature on subjects such as teen pregnancy, STDs, drug abuse and child care. Everybody's nice to me. They take time when I have a problem. Health Corner is her brainchild. Prior to joining the community center in 1989, Ms. Whelan spent six years working in the emergency room at Children's Hospital.