It wasn’t just about finding love
“It was certainly against my comfort nature.”
Adam Bruckner was running the nonprofit Philly Restart — which helps people experiencing homelessness get IDs so they can find jobs and vote — when we recruited him to take part in the Singles project in 2015. A former professional soccer player, he told me he felt totally out of his element on the red carpet at our annual party, but he graciously accepted the opportunity.
“It was certainly against my comfort nature,” recalled Bruckner, now 48, recently. “But also if you’re looking for adventure, you might as well say yes when opportunities are put before you, and that’s kind of what that was.”
Some people might have been surprised to have seen a man who has dedicated his life to helping the disadvantaged improve their circumstances participate in what was once Philly’s biggest singles event of the summer.
But as Donavan West, who was featured in the first class of Singles in 2003, said, “I think people need to understand that we all have different dimensions to ourselves, and it’s OK to show all of it.”
Participating in the Singles project wasn’t so different from running for City Council (as he did this year), West said recently. “People do have a desire to connect in ways that feel really authentic,” he said. Running for office felt like “speed dating” Philadelphians, he said. “I am asking that you consider me. I am asking that you trust me.”
The Singles project was a great experience, West said. “I really enjoyed myself.”