Great news for Malcolm X Memorial Park and local community advocates! The 188th District was recently awarded a state grant of over $76,000 which will be used to bring important improvements to the park. The grant will be used to repair the park gazebo, bathrooms and lighting. State Rep. Rick Krajewski, whose office worked on securing the grant, posted the following message on social media:

“If we want to fight for our young people and build a real sense of public safety for all, we need to make more investments like this one. Congrats to the Friends of Malcolm X Park! This will make a big difference for the 188th.”

Friends of Malcolm X Park is a volunteer-run group who organizes various events and activities at the park, including regular cleanups, and advocates for new resources. In recent years, the park has been home to such events as community/health fairs, outdoor theater shows by Theatre in the X, Juneteenth Festival, outdoor film screenings, and many recreational activities.

Here’s some great news for the old Calvary Church building, which has been home to many local community and arts organizations over the last few decades. As a result of the fundraising efforts supported by the community, a new, much-needed HVAC system has finally been installed and will provide heating and air-conditioning at this historic building.

The new HVAC system was installed at the end of last month and has been working well, according to Calvary Center’s social media posts.

The fundraiser was announced last summer with a goal to match a $100,000 grant from the National Fund for Sacred Places.

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The annual community art project, Fun-A-Day, is celebrating its 20th anniversary next month and inviting community members to participate in the 2024 project and art show.

Community members are encouraged to pick a creative project or activity to do every day during the month of January, then display their work in a big group art show at Studio 34 Yoga in February!

“You can do anything! Draw a picture, take a photo, sing a song, bake a cake, write a novel – come up with a daily creative practice and HAVE FUN!” reads the project description.

The Fun-A-Day project and art show is free, non-juried, non-commercial, and all-ages. All skill levels and mediums are welcome.

The project starts on January 1, 2024. The Fun-A-Day Community Art Show will take place on Friday, Feb. 9 and Saturday, Feb. 10 at Studio 34 Yoga (4522 Baltimore Ave).

Fun-A-Day was started by a group of artists known as the Artclash Collective in West Philadelphia and has spread to other cities throughout the world!

For more details and to sign up, visit artclash.com.

The University City District (UCD) has announced the Green Giving Challenge that would support their greening efforts in the area. UCD’s Green Team has been taking care of the green spaces at The Porch at 30th Street Station, Trolley Portal Gardens at 40th and Baltimore, which have become beautiful urban oases. The team also maintains planters and pedestrian plazas in the neighborhood as well as participates in community cleanups.

Funds raised through the Green Giving Challenge will go to support the Green Team’s work. Here’s how it works:

Community members are invited to contribute to the Challenge online. Donations will be matched up to $25,000 thanks to a generous support from a longtime Spruce Hill resident and founding UCD Board member Barry Grossbach.

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Team Panbo, known for their recent Halloween Data Project that collected information on West Philly kids’ most popular candy, has some exciting news. This past Friday the group, comprised of senior Penn students Melissa Nong, Ethan Markwalter, Turner Halle, and Julianna Cimillo, installed a solar-powered lights display at the triangle intersection on 45th and Baltimore (see map). The funds for the display (over $300!) were raised from selling the West Philly Variety packs containing local kids’ favorite candies at Clark Park Farmers Market.

The lights charge during the day and automatically turn on once it gets dark.

“We’re hoping it adds some warmth and brightness to an area that gets quite a lot of foot traffic but is pretty poorly lit at night,” Melissa Nong wrote to West Philly Local.

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The Calvary Center for Culture and Community (CCCC), a nonprofit created by Calvary United Methodist Church in 2000 to manage staffing, space rental and fundraising related to the Calvary building, is in the process of restructuring its governance, organizational structure, and business model. The organization is hosting an informal meet-and-greet with current CCCC Board members, Calvary United Methodist Church leadership and other community stakeholders, on Monday, Dec. 11, 5-6 p.m.

The purpose of the gathering is three-fold:

1. To provide important updates on the Calvary building, including plans to restructure the CCCC Board to provide for broader community representation and more effective management and maintenance.

2. To encourage networking and relationship-building in support of Calvary’s ongoing function as a critical center of community activity.

3. To invite your consideration as to how you (and/or your office/organization) might be involved in or otherwise support the CCCC’s mission going forward.

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