West Philly Strike and Rally flyer.

In an effort to provide an opportunity for West Philly residents and businesses to protest the decisions by the current administration and to show solidarity with the general strike that is taking place across the country, a West Philadelphia Community Strike and Rally is being planned for Friday, Feb. 17.

Neighbors and businesses in West Philly will be gathering for a rally in Clark Park from 12:30 – 1:30 p.m. the rally that will include interactive work by Theater of the Oppressed, puppets from Spiral Q, and a speaker from local activist organization West Philly Forward Together. Participating local businesses will be closing their doors from 12 – 2:00 p.m., if not for the entire day, according to event organizers, local activists Thomas Morello and Jessica St. Jacobs.

“Another aspect of this event’s purpose is in the location, as travel to Center City presents a barrier to some members of our community and does not highlight and empower our specific neighborhood as such,” Morello wrote in an e-mail.  Continue Reading

Here’s a chance for West Philly community members who want to beautify their neighborhood to get some financial help. Greensgrow Farms, which recently opened a larger and more permanent West Philly location at 5123 Baltimore Ave., is offering small grants to individuals or organizations in the area for projects that will:

• Improve neighborhood public spaces;
• Beautify the community;
• Nurture a shared sense of neighborhood identity and community pride

The grants are being offered as part of Mary’s Community Fund, a legacy project to continue the life and work of Mary Seton Corboy, the founder of Greensgrow and a supporter of a greener Philadelphia.

Each applicant group must represent a specific neighborhood or organization and may request up to $1000 in direct grant support towards the project budget. Applications are due on March 11, 2017. Grantees will be announced at Greensgrow’s 20th Anniversary Opening Event on March 25.

The application form as well as more information about eligibility, funding guidelines, and project ideas can be found here.

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Campaign for Working Families has again opened sites across the city, where volunteers are helping qualified individuals and families to prepare and file their taxes. Free tax preparation services are being offered to families with incomes less than $54,000 and individuals with incomes less than $20,000.

The following tax preparation sites are currently operating in West and Southwest Philadelphia:

Ebenezer Church

5649 Christian St.
Mon. & Tues. – 12-6:30 p.m.
Weds. & Thurs. – 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Sat – 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

ACHIEVEability

59 N. 60th street
Tues. & Thurs. – 9 a.m.-7 p.m.
Sat. – 9 a.m.-1 p.m.  Continue Reading

Shakespeare in Clark Park will return in July with five nights of Coriolanus. The company is continuing its commitment to “radical community engagement,” which for the past three years has seen the community become a part of its annual summer show.

Shakespeare in Clark Park community workshop (Photo courtesy SCP).

Since this fall, Shakespeare in Clark Park has been hosting free acting workshops for the community and private workshops at senior centers and youth groups.

On February 16 and 17, the company will host two workshops in West Philly, where community members can hone their acting skills, have a good time, and even prep for the upcoming community auditions for Coriolanus. Community members will receive training on voice, movement and scene work from professional actors.

Here’s more information on the workshops:  Continue Reading

After President Trump administration issued the temporary Travel Ban for the citizens coming from seven majority-Muslim countries, many West Philly residents and a number of local groups participated in the Philadelphia airport protests over the weekend. We’re posting some photos and tweets from the airport and from around the neighborhood. Also, check out this recent story by Philly.com on West Philly’s interfaith immigrant rights group, the New Sanctuary Movement.

Photo by Elaine Fultz.

Photo courtesy of Clark Park Youth Soccer.

From daily jogging to youth soccer to boot camps, Clark Park is a great place for physical activities. But, does it need any improvements?

The next Clark Park General Membership meeting will take place Monday, Jan. 30 at the University of the Sciences, where Friends of Clark Park (FoCP) members and all interested community members are invited to ask questions and voice their concerns or ideas about the park. The focus of the upcoming meeting is how the park can contribute to the health of its users.

“The discussion will go beyond general environmental health sources such as tree cover and air quality, focusing more acutely on opportunities for evaluating the physical attributes of the park and healthy programming for all ages,” according to a message on the FoCP website.

So, if you would like to participate in this discussion and share your thoughts and ideas for improvements to the park-built environment and programming, come USciences’ Griffith Hall (43rd and Woodland) on Monday. The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. More information can be found on the Friends of Clark Park website.