Photo courtesy of Cedar Park Neighbors.

Philadelphia is on track to record 1,200 drug-overdose deaths this year, according to City health officials. All kinds of people – from police to librarians – are being trained to use Narcan kits to reverse overdoses.

On Monday, Sept. 18, Cedar Park Neighbors is hosting a training on how to reverse an opioid overdose. Prevention Point, a longtime community based organization that has worked with tens of thousands of community members struggling with the effects of opioid addiction, will conduct the training.

The training will include detailed information on how to obtain and administer Narcan™ (naloxone), a medication that, when administered promptly to individuals who are experiencing an overdose, can save their lives. Prevention Point will also provide information on how to obtain this medication.

The training will take place at the Calvary Center Chapel (48th and Baltimore), beginning at 6:30 p.m., and will take approximately 1.5 hours. No RSVP is required, but trainees are asked to be on time and remain for the full training.

The Philadelphia general election is on November 7, and here’s an opportunity for West Philly residents to meet some of the Democratic candidates, including Larry Krasner, Philadephia District Attorney. A Democratic Candidates’ Night, organized by the 27th Ward Democratic Committee, will be held Thursday, Sept. 14, at University of the Sciences (Rosenberger Hall, 600 S. 43rd St).  Continue Reading

This is a great example of neighbors helping neighbors. Senior residents of the Renaissance Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center located at 4712 Chester Avenue recently raised money to help one of the largest emergency family shelters in the area, Families Forward Philadelphia, get school supplies for their clients.

Renaissance residents and staff created a donation box crafted as a box of “Renaissance” Crayons. Staff, visitors, and family members dropped off items in the lobby, and a traveling store was made available for all residents interested in using bingo winnings to make donations.  Continue Reading

Former Provident Mutual Life Insurance building at 4601 Market St (archived photo).

Three West Philly neighborhood organizations have written to Mayor Jim Kenney to express their disappointment with the decision to pull the plan to move police headquarters to the old Provident Mutual Life Insurance Building at 4601 Market St, calling the decision “stunning.”

In May, the city canceled plans devised during the Nutter administration to relocate the police headquarters. Instead, it will reportedly move to the former Philadelphia Inquirer building at 400 N. Broad St. The city has spent about $50 million to purchase and renovate the 90-year-old Provident building.

The community associations of Garden Court, Spruce Hill and Walnut Hill neighborhoods also asked that the city continue to renovate the building and include the community in decisions about its future use.  Continue Reading

The School District of Philadelphia is inviting families and community members to the School of the Future (4021 Parkside Ave.) for an annual Back to School Education Day on Friday, Aug. 18.

The event, which will be held from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., will feature on-site student registration, dental screenings, free book bags and supplies while materials last, important educational information sessions to help prepare families for next school year, and live entertainment.

Highlights of the event include a Family Engagement Pavilion and a Kids Zone with fun and educational games for students.

For more information, please visit http://www.philasd.org/face/backtoschool

In response to the recent protest and tragedy in Charlottesville, Virginia, Philadelphia religious organizations will be holding the following events this week:

On Wednesday, Aug. 16, a march and rally under the banner of “Unmasking White Supremacy in Philadelphia” will take place beginning at 7 p.m. The following agenda has been scheduled, according to the event organizer “POWER”, an interfaith organization:

7:00 p.m. – Gather outside Congregation Rodeph Shalom Synagogue (615 N. Broad Street)
7:15 p.m. – March down Broad Street as “we unmask white supremacy in Philadelphia institutions”
8:00 p.m. – Rally and action inside Arch Street United Methodist Church (55 N. Broad Street)  Continue Reading