Photo courtesy of WPCS.

The West Philadelphia Cooperative School (WPCS) is hosting a Night Out for parents and neighbors on Saturday, Feb. 6 from 6 – 9 p.m. to support diversity at the school. The event will be held at the University City Arts League (4226 Spruce St) and all proceeds will benefit the school’s 2016 Diversity Scholarship.

Community members are invited to join WPCS staff, parents and teachers in support of this great cause. This is an opportunity to mingle, enjoy local wine and beer, small bites from Harvest Seasonal Grill, student art, and fantastic raffles and door prizes. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased online (go to: www.wpcsnightout.eventbrite.com). If you can’t make it to the Night Out but would like to contribute to the WPCS Scholarship, please make a donation here.

WPCS began in 2005 as a group of parents providing education in their own homes. The coop was founded on the idea that families from all backgrounds and walks of life deserve access to quality, affordable childcare. WPCS provides a learning environment that is inclusive and welcoming of difference. WPCS preschool now offers full-time care for ages 2-5 at their 4625 Baltimore Ave. location.

For more information, visit: http://www.westphillycoopschool.com/

This Monday, we’ll be celebrating the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. We have compiled a list of many of the MLK Day of Service projects and events (including events for the whole family) happening in West Philadelphia. We have also included information about MLK Day celebration at the African American Museum in Philadelphia.

Check www.mlkdayofservice.org to find more projects in your area. If you know of more MLK Day events or projects, please post them in the comments below.

MLK Commemorative Symposium for Social Change at University of Pennsylvania

The University of Pennsylvania and the surrounding communities come together to commemorate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. This commemoration includes a day of service and special programming and events through Friday, Jan. 29, 2016 (click here for more events):

Friday, Jan. 15, 6 p.m. – God’s Great Expectations of Men of Color, Christian Association, 118 S 37th St – A panel discussion on men of color’s shared understanding of God or a higher power’s relationship to them and their mission in everyday work.

Monday, Jan. 18:

8:00 – 9:30 a.m. – MLK Day of Service Breakfast, Hall of Flags, Houston Hall, 3417 Spruce St. – Day of Service Breakfast with include performers and guest speakers, including Jasmine Senior, Affinity Group Director, NeXT Philadelphia, and Urban League Youth Outreach. Free and open to the public.

10 a.m. – 2 p.m. – Community Beautification Projects at Comegys Benjamin B School, 5100 Greenway Ave., Community Education Center (CEC), 3500 Lancaster Ave., Martha Washington School, 766 N. 44th St. Volunteers will clean, paint, and organize. Refreshments will be served. Come dressed for painting and doing light cleaning. Meet at Houston Hall for transportation to sites at 9:45 a.m. Free and open to the public. Contact: Robert Carter to register at 215.898.0104.  Continue Reading

Herban Quality Eats, a fast-casual restaurant that recently opened at 36th and Market, is kicking off its dinner service on Tuesday, Jan. 12 with a Pay-What-You-Want dinner. All the proceeds from the event will go directly to Morton McMichael School, a K-8 school located in West Philadelphia’s Mantua neighborhood. Dinner will be served from 5 – 9 p.m.

Herban, which is run by two Wharton grads, specializes in homestyle plates with a wholesome twist. The team’s mission is to “make nutritious taste delicious.”

The restaurant is currently open Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. Starting Wednesday, January 13 Herban Quality Eats will be open Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. – 9 p.m. For more information, visit www.herbanqualityeats.com.

If you are still feeling generous during this holiday season, there are a few local community organizations that could use some help. Plus, you might get the added benefit of a last-minute, 2015 tax write-off.

Here are some chances to help out:

• The West Philly Coalition for Neighborhood Schools has made great strides in remaking the Henry Lea School playground into a terrific community asset. But they’re not done. In 2016, the organization wants to repaint the basketball court, install seating and new flags. They need some more funding help to get it done. Go here to learn more and donate.

Some of the work done so far at the Henry Lea School playground at 47th and Spruce. (Photo from the West Philly Coalition for Neighborhood Schools website)

• Curio Theatre Company also relies on contributions to survive (along, of course, with income from their performances). In addition to its line-up of fabulous performances, Curio runs a a theatre school for neighborhood kids that has never turned a child away because of financial need. They want to keep that going in 2016. Click here to donate.

• The Soapbox Community Print Shop and Zine Library is in the middle of a fundraising effort to get its new 4,500-square-foot book arts and printmaking studio up and running. They are about halfway there and only have a couple of days left to hit their goal of $15,000. They have all kinds of cool stuff available for donors, including memberships, zine packs and even hand-bound sketchbooks. Check out their campaign here.

Henry C. Lea Elementary School (47th and Locust)

Dock Street Brewery is joining efforts to support public education in Philadelphia, with a focus on West Philly schools.

Every month, they will be tapping a special beer (aged, soured, oaked, irresponsibly hopped, blended…) and giving it away. In return, they ask that you bring in and exchange school supplies that will be donated to West Philadelphia public schools. This month, Dock Street will be working with Lea Elementary at 47th and Locust.

Photo from Dock Street Brewery’s Facebook page.

If you like beer and want to help Lea Elementary, come to Dock Street at 50th and Baltimore this Wednesday (Dec. 16) and bring one ream of 8 x 11 copy paper (paper is an essential tool in most classrooms and is often in short supply). In return, you’ll get a 6 oz pour of Mah Nà Mah Nà, a Belgian Golden Ale, aged for eight months in a freshly drained tequila barrel. If you want you can bring more school supplies; they will be gladly accepted and delivered to the school. The event starts at 3 p.m. and goes on all night.

If you can’t make it to Dock Street this Wednesday, you can follow them on Facebook for information on future school supply drives. You can also donate to Lea Elementary and other schools on the Donors Choose website. Check out this list of school projects that need funding, compiled by the West Philly Coalition for Neighborhood Schools:

Lea Elementary School

1. Reaching Higher Resources
This project is about halfway to its goal but only has 15 days left for funding. Ms. Harris is hoping to buy sets of reading and math games to offer her students hands-on practice.
http://www.donorschoose.org/…/reaching-higher-reso…/1660214/  Continue Reading

There are a few efforts in the area to help neighbors in need during the holidays. Recently, we wrote about the annual Cedar Park Holiday Food Drive. Here are two more opportunities to help out:

Holiday Drive at Local 44 (44th and Spruce)

Get into the Holiday Spirit by donating new and unwrapped toys or personal care items for the People’s Emergency Center, a West Philly shelter offering support services to women and children. Click here for a list of most wanted items. Drop off your donations in the Bottle Shop through Dec. 18.

Winter Coat and Book Drive at Renewal Presbyterian Church (47th and Cedar)

Winter coat and book drive benefits Cradles to Crayons, a local charity that serves communities in the Philadelphia area. With cold weather on the way, there is an urgent need for coats, socks, gloves, and PJs for children of all ages. Only new and gently used items are accepted. Donations can be dropped off between 8:30 a.m.- 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 19 at Renewal Presbyterian Church, located on the corner of 47th and Cedar Ave. You can also contact Jeannette Bennicelli (jbennice[at]mail.med.upenn.edu) and bring donations to her house (now until Dec. 20).