Photography

Tom Wolf Walk-A-Day

6 Min Read
Tom WolfPennsylvania gubernatorial candidate Tom Wolf walks a day in the shoes of home health care worker Aretha Spady as she cares for her client Leroy Evans in the West Oak Lane section of Philadelphia on October 3, 2014. Wolf helped Spady with tasks such as cleaning and making Mr. Evansí bed, doing laundry, washing dishes, taking Mr. Evans for a walk, and sweeping up the floors. Wolf and Spady held a short press conference about the role of home health workers.

Pennsylvania gubernatorial candidate Tom Wolf walks a day in the shoes of home health care worker Aretha Spady as she cares for her client Leroy Evans in the West Oak Lane section of Philadelphia on October 3, 2014. Wolf helped Spady with tasks such as cleaning and making Mr. Evans’ bed, doing laundry, washing dishes, taking Mr. Evans for a walk, and sweeping up the floors. Wolf and Spady held a short press conference about the role of home health workers. (Dave Tavani)

Millionaire Pennsylvania gubernatorial candidate Tom Wolf got a first-hand view of what it is like to be a low-wage home health aid on October 3, 2014. Wolf’s experience was part of a “Walk-A-Day,” where a candidate spends a day on the job with a service worker. Tom Wolf spent the day with Aretha Spady, a home health care worker from North Philadelphia and a member of the United Home Care Workers of Pennsylvania, a local affiliate of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU).

Aretha Spady was working with her client, Leroy Evans, in the West Oak Lane section of Philadelphia on October 3. Tom Wolf met her at the home of Mr. Evans and helped Spady with tasks such as cleaning and making Mr. Evans’ bed, doing laundry, washing dishes, taking Mr. Evans for a walk, and sweeping up the floors. In addition to helping Spady with her work, Wolf also learned about Spady’s long day which includes a two hour bus commute on each end of her day, even though she only lives a few miles from Mr. Evans.

After finishing with most of the chores Wolf and Spady held a brief press conference with local media.

Pennsylvania gubernatorial candidate Tom Wolf walks a day in the shoes of home health care worker Aretha Spady as she cares for her client Leroy Evans in the West Oak Lane section of Philadelphia on October 3, 2014. Wolf helped Spady with tasks such as cleaning and making Mr. Evans’ bed, doing laundry, washing dishes, taking Mr. Evans for a walk, and sweeping up the floors. Wolf and Spady held a short press conference about the role of home health workers. (Dave Tavani) Pennsylvania gubernatorial candidate Tom Wolf walks a day in the shoes of home health care worker Aretha Spady as she cares for her client Leroy Evans in the West Oak Lane section of Philadelphia on October 3, 2014. Wolf helped Spady with tasks such as cleaning and making Mr. Evans’ bed, doing laundry, washing dishes, taking Mr. Evans for a walk, and sweeping up the floors. Wolf and Spady held a short press conference about the role of home health workers. (Dave Tavani)Pennsylvania gubernatorial candidate Tom Wolf walks a day in the shoes of home health care worker Aretha Spady as she cares for her client Leroy Evans in the West Oak Lane section of Philadelphia on October 3, 2014. Wolf helped Spady with tasks such as cleaning and making Mr. Evans’ bed, doing laundry, washing dishes, taking Mr. Evans for a walk, and sweeping up the floors. Wolf and Spady held a short press conference about the role of home health workers. (Dave Tavani)Pennsylvania gubernatorial candidate Tom Wolf walks a day in the shoes of home health care worker Aretha Spady as she cares for her client Leroy Evans in the West Oak Lane section of Philadelphia on October 3, 2014. Wolf helped Spady with tasks such as cleaning and making Mr. Evans’ bed, doing laundry, washing dishes, taking Mr. Evans for a walk, and sweeping up the floors. Wolf and Spady held a short press conference about the role of home health workers. (Dave Tavani)Pennsylvania gubernatorial candidate Tom Wolf walks a day in the shoes of home health care worker Aretha Spady as she cares for her client Leroy Evans in the West Oak Lane section of Philadelphia on October 3, 2014. Wolf helped Spady with tasks such as cleaning and making Mr. Evans’ bed, doing laundry, washing dishes, taking Mr. Evans for a walk, and sweeping up the floors. Wolf and Spady held a short press conference about the role of home health workers. (Dave Tavani)Pennsylvania gubernatorial candidate Tom Wolf walks a day in the shoes of home health care worker Aretha Spady as she cares for her client Leroy Evans in the West Oak Lane section of Philadelphia on October 3, 2014. Wolf helped Spady with tasks such as cleaning and making Mr. Evans’ bed, doing laundry, washing dishes, taking Mr. Evans for a walk, and sweeping up the floors. Wolf and Spady held a short press conference about the role of home health workers. (Dave Tavani)Pennsylvania gubernatorial candidate Tom Wolf walks a day in the shoes of home health care worker Aretha Spady as she cares for her client Leroy Evans in the West Oak Lane section of Philadelphia on October 3, 2014. Wolf helped Spady with tasks such as cleaning and making Mr. Evans’ bed, doing laundry, washing dishes, taking Mr. Evans for a walk, and sweeping up the floors. Wolf and Spady held a short press conference about the role of home health workers. (Dave Tavani)Pennsylvania gubernatorial candidate Tom Wolf walks a day in the shoes of home health care worker Aretha Spady as she cares for her client Leroy Evans in the West Oak Lane section of Philadelphia on October 3, 2014. Wolf helped Spady with tasks such as cleaning and making Mr. Evans’ bed, doing laundry, washing dishes, taking Mr. Evans for a walk, and sweeping up the floors. Wolf and Spady held a short press conference about the role of home health workers. (Dave Tavani)Pennsylvania gubernatorial candidate Tom Wolf walks a day in the shoes of home health care worker Aretha Spady as she cares for her client Leroy Evans in the West Oak Lane section of Philadelphia on October 3, 2014. Wolf helped Spady with tasks such as cleaning and making Mr. Evans’ bed, doing laundry, washing dishes, taking Mr. Evans for a walk, and sweeping up the floors. Wolf and Spady held a short press conference about the role of home health workers. (Dave Tavani)