December 5, 2014
Winter holidays are approaching fast and a great way to get into the holiday spirit is by helping neighbors in need. If you would like to help out here are a few drives going on in the neighborhood.
• Rep. James Roebuck and Penn Nursing are teaming up again for the “Socks for Seniors” drive. Through Friday, Dec. 19, donate a new pair or pairs of socks by dropping them off at Roebuck’s office located at 4712 Baltimore Ave. Your donations will go to senior residents and local nursing facilities.
Roebuck is also hosting a free senior fair this Saturday, from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m., at the Calvary Community Center (48th and Baltimore, entrance on 48th). The fair will feature free health screenings and several nonprofit and for-profit exhibitors, and will also provide information on state and local resources for seniors. Refreshments and door prizes will also be available. For more information, please contact Roebuck’s office at 215-724-2227.
• Local 44, a neighborhood pub at 44th and Spruce, is holding a Toy and Personal Care Items Drive, also through Friday, Dec. 19. All donations will go to women and children at the People’s Emergency Center, a West Philly community center. Please note that only new and unwrapped toys or personal care items are accepted. Click here for a list of most needed items.
• The People’s Emergency Center (PEC) is holding a non-perishable food drive. If you have any unopened Thanksgiving canned goods, please consider donating them to PEC. Donations can be dropped off at Rowan House (325 N. 39th St), on Wednesday-Friday, from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Check out the flier below for more information.
• We’d like to remind that Cedar Park Neighbors’ Holiday Food Basket Drive is also underway. A suggested donation is $36. This amount will help CPN and their partners feed two families. To donate to the CPN Holiday Basket Drive, click here.
December 2, 2014
Today is #GivingTuesday, a nationwide campaign encouraging people to support not-for-profit organizations. We’re joining in and would like to remind our readers that there are dozens of great non-profits in West Philly, working on improving communities and schools, and providing help to those who need it most. Please visit our Civic Life page and choose an organization you would like to support. We will also be tweeting and re-tweeting #GivingTuesday messages from local non-profits throughout the day (@westphillylocal). Here are some of them:
While many non-profit organizations would appreciate a monetary donation today, others are seeking volunteers. Repair The World: Philadelphia is teaming up with the West Philadelphia Alliance for Children (WePAC) to reopen a school library that has been closed for over a decade. Volunteers are welcome to help these organizations clean up the Andrew Hamilton Elementary School library this afternoon, from 4 to 7 p.m. The school is located at 5640 Spruce Street. Here’s the flier:
November 24, 2014
UPDATE (11/24/2014): The Holiday Basket Drive continues in Cedar Park and Cedar Park Neighbors will also be sending out letters to residents asking for donations, starting this week. To donate online, visit this page.
11/6/2014: Winter holidays are approaching fast – an exciting time for all, but also worrying for many neighbors who will struggle putting food on the table during this time. In a continuous effort to help Cedar Park residents and families in need, Cedar Park Neighbors (CPN) is holding a holiday food basket drive again this year.
CPN, in cooperation with some local churches and other nonprofit organizations, will prepare and distribute food baskets during the holiday season. Last year, they were able to help over 600 people in the neighborhood. In order to make this event successful again, they are asking for help from the community.
A suggested donation is $36. This amount will help CPN and their partners feed two families. To donate to the CPN Holiday Basket Drive, go to this page.
If you have questions, please contact Michelle at mlewis1071@gmail.com.
November 18, 2014
Click to enlarge.
A free storytelling project aimed at youth ages 18-21 is looking for participants interested in sharing their stories while learning skills in live performance, mixed media performance and improvisation.
Project organizers want to reach out to the LGBT community and young adults dealing with poverty, addiction and special needs.
“The general idea is to create a nurturing environment where all participants feel included and safe, as well as given the skills to share about the meaningful experiences in their lives,” according to a flyer for the project.
Project Arts will run the project, which begins on Jan. 7 at The Rotunda and runs every Wednesday evening from 5-8 p.m. for seven weeks, culminating in a live performance.
More information is available at the Project Arts website here. There will be 15 spots available and the deadline to apply is Dec. 15. Decisions will be made by Dec. 20.
November 14, 2014
Saturday park cleanup map.
It’s that time of year again when you get to love on your local park a little. Calls for volunteers have gone out for the “Love Your Park Fall Service Day” on Saturday, Nov. 15, when neighbors get together in their favorite green space and help each other spruce it up. Tools are usually provided, but it wouldn’t hurt to bring a rake and some gloves if you have them.
At Cedar Park (49th and Cedar) they need help planting trees, bulbs and ground cover. They are also raking leaves and doing general cleanup to get the park ready for winter. Work will go on at the park from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and volunteers are asked to email tatemch (at) aol.com to let an organizer know you’re coming.
Lifelong park volunteer Doris Gwaltney, who died in January 2014, will be honored in a celebration at Carroll Park (58th St. and Girard Ave). Doris started the Carroll Park Neighbors Advisory Council, one of the first groups to partner with nonprofit organizations and city government to build community through revitalization of urban parks. Several speakers will get start at noon and the cleanup efforts at Carroll Park start at 11 a.m. Continue Reading
November 10, 2014
There will be a great event this Tuesday to support free childbirth classes in the area. Microbirth, a brand new documentary looking at childbirth through the lens of a microscope and raising awareness of the importance of “seeding the baby’s microbiome,” will be screened. All proceeds from the screening will benefit childbirth classes offered by the Helen O. Dickens Clinic at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.
In addition to free childbirth classes, the clinic provides birth balls, sleep sacks, baby books, and healthy snacks to attendees, mostly low-income families.
The film will be followed by a discussion panel with Penn/CHOP faculty and researchers, and there will also be concessions and a lot of fun items to raffle off. Suggested donation is $5-$20 (click here to buy tickets).
West Philly community members are welcome to attend this event. “The film is awesome, and it would be great for everyone to see,” writes Nicole Chaney, one of the event organizers and the Dickens Clinic staff member.
The event will be held at the University of Pennsylvania (Hall of Flags, Houston Hall, 3417 Spruce St), from 5:45 – 10 p.m. Check out the event’s Facebook page.
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