There are some great new recreation and sports programs in the area, for kids and adults alike:

Philadelphia Athletics Youth Sports Association (48th & Woodland Playground). Opening Ceremony this Saturday

The Philadelphia Athletics Youth Sports Association (PAYSA) is a new baseball league in West Philadelphia (founded in the fall of 2013). It provides basic to advanced level instruction and works on building character through teamwork, sportsmanship, leadership and decision-making in a competitive sports environment. The league currently has four tee-ball teams, five rookie league teams, two softball teams and four travel teams. Over 170 kids are currently enrolled in the league. The first PAYSA practice was on Wednesday.

The Opening Day Ceremony will take place tomorrow (Saturday, April 5) at 48th & Woodland and all families, friends and neighbors are invited. Please assemble in the outfield of the Small Field around 9 a.m. for a short ceremony followed by the initial Tee Ball League Games at 10 a.m. For more information on PAYSA visit: www.phillyathletics.org

uGO Community Fitness Challenge (36th & Aspen)

Neighbors are invited to join the uGO Challenge, a free eight-week fitness and nutrition program currently underway in the Mantua neighborhood. uGOers enjoy walking and running groups as well as group fitness – Zumba, Line Dancing, African Dance, walks through the community and more.

All programs are led by local fitness instructors. On the first and last days of the Challenge, doctors and nurses from Drexel University will offer health screenings to track body mass index (BMI), blood pressure, and blood sugar as well as share professional medical advice with uGOers. Health Chats are led by trained Ambassadors who live within the community and local facilitators from the hospitals.

The sessions take place every Saturday between March 29 and May 17 starting at 10 a.m. at Miles Mack Playground, 36^th and Aspen Streets. Despite the rain last Saturday over 20 participants showed up at Miles Mack Playground’s indoor facility, according to the organizers. Stop by this Saturday (April 5) to participate in the Line Dancing class and learn about healthy food choices.

uGO partners include People’s Emergency Center, We Are Mantua, LISC, and SCI West. See the flyer below for more information.

For more information, visit: ugocommunity.com

Healthy Kids Running Series (4328 Haverford Ave)

Healthy Kids Running Series is a five-week program, kicking off on Saturday, April 5. Kids ages 3-14 are invited to compete in racing events at the Lee Cultural Center Field on Haverford Avenue (4328 Haverford Ave) on Saturdays from 10 – 11 a.m. Registration for the series is only $5 and includes medals, gift bags, and snacks. This is a great opportunity to introduce your child to running. For more details and to register, go here.

Here’s a great opportunity for local youth this summer. West Philadelphia Financial Services Institution (WPFSI) is currently accepting applications for their WesGold Fellows summer internship program for current 10th and 11th grades in Philadelphia high schools. The internship covers topics of personal finance, college planning, career and personal development through college level instruction, field trips, networking with professionals and giving presentations (see flyer below for more information).

The application can be found on www.wpfsi.com, by calling 215-452-0100 or emailing: juliana@wpfsi.com. Application deadline is April 1, 2014.

The Minor Threats are posing with the 1st place trophy they received at the Masterminds Summer League. (Photo by Jason Bui)

West Philly’s Minor Threats school chess club, which West Philly Local featured last winter, participated in state and national championships last spring thanks, in part, to community support. The young chess players brought home several trophies, but more importantly lots of positive experiences. The club also participates year-round in local tournaments –  since the beginning of last school year the kids have practiced and competed in more than 30 tournaments.

This spring, Jason Bui, a teacher and the club director, would like to take his kids to three more prestigious tournaments, one state and two national championships, but it only would be possible with financial support from the community. Bui has set up an online fundraising page where everyone who wants to help the club can donate money. The page lists the tournaments The Minor Threats would love to go to and even breaks down the expenses. The club hopes to raise $20,000 so the kids are able to compete in these tournaments. Nearly $3,000 has already been raised.

To read more about the club, the tournaments and to donate, go to: http://www.gofundme.com/506jqo

Lil’ Pop Shop on 44th St near Spruce is hosting a pop-up cookie shop starting Saturday, Jan. 18. (Photo by Amy Kwasnicki).

Great news for Girl Scout cookie fans: The annual sale that supports local Girl Scout troops, Junior troop 91143, Brownie 93273, and Daisy 91569, starts Thursday, Jan. 16 and will go on until Sunday, Jan. 26. There will be several opportunities and table locations to choose from in the neighborhood. Here’s the schedule:

Thursday, Jan. 16 & Friday, Jan. 17

3:45-6:15 p.m. – on Locust Walk in front of St. Mary’s Church (40th & Locust)

3:45-6:30 p.m. – in front of Eastern Mountain Sports, the corner of 34th and Chestnut Streets

Saturday, Jan. 18

10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. – Clark Park “B” Park, on 43rd near corner of Chester Avenue

10:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. – “Pop-up Cookie Shop” in the Lil’ Pop Shop store, 265 S 44th St, between Locust and Spruce

Sunday, Jan. 19

10:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. – “Pop-up Cookie Shop” in the Lil’ Pop Shop store

Tuesday, Jan. 21

3:30-7:30 p.m. – SEPTA El Station, between 30th and 31st Streets on Market

Wednesday, Jan. 22

3:45-6:15 p.m. – on Locust Walk in front of St. Mary’s Church

Thursday, Jan. 23

3:45-6:30 p.m. – in front of Eastern Mountain Sports

Saturday, Jan. 25

10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. – Clark Park “B” Park (43rd & Chester)

10:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. – “Pop-up Cookie Shop” in the Lil’ Pop Shop store

Sunday, Jan. 26

10:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. – “Pop-up Cookie Shop” in the Lil’ Pop Shop store

For more information e-mail Amy Kwasnicki at: kwaszilla@gmail.com.

Click to enlarge.

Rich Wexler, the director of Project Arts (formerly known as Project Theater Project), invites teenagers to audition for a local production of “Avenue Q School Edition” to be staged at The Rotunda (40th & Walnut) this year. Wexler successfully produced RENT School Edition, also at The Rotunda, in 2011.

This will be an after school program in partnership with The Rotunda and teens aged 15-19 are welcome to audition for the project. Project Arts is an educational theater company that incorporates a curriculum into each project. The program also focuses on issues of social justice in each of its productions. This is a great chance for teens to get theater experiences at a time in which schools are forced to cut such needed programs.

Project Arts programs are free to all participants and production shows are priced very affordable for the audiences. Auditions will take place beginning this week (Saturday, Jan. 11) at The Rotunda. Here are the dates and times:

Saturday, Jan. 11, 11am-5pm
Sunday, Jan. 12, 11am-5pm
Monday, Jan. 13, 4pm-9pm
Saturday, Jan. 18, 12pm-4pm

The teens do not have to have any formal theater training to be considered for a part and can help with many other aspects of the production, such as puppetry, set, light, audio, video, crew, etc. More information about the requirements for the auditions can be found here. Also, feel free to email Rich at projecttheaterproject@gmail.com if you have any questions.

West Philly resident Jay Sand has big, big plans to expand his popular world music program for youths that began out of his Pine Street living room. Sand’s goal is “to create the opportunity for every child to meet the world through music.”

Jay Sand

Sand, who has taught more than 1,000 classes to neighborhood kids, has launched an ambitious campaign to crowdfund this expansion. Last spring he took his program, which combines music and cultural exploration, into the public schools. His curriculum includes some 300 songs from more than 100 countries.

Now he wants to make it even more accessible to kids throughout the city regardless of income. Part of that plan is to create a series of CDs (and digital music) with all kinds of performers. He has already released one – All Around this World: Latin America – this fall. And two more, which will include music from Africa, are currently in post production. You can see some of the studio recordings in the video below.

So far he has self-financed these efforts, but now he is offering a chance for you to get involved through tax-deductible contributions (and get a special gift such as a CD or a “musical map” or even a free private concert for you and your family and friends).

To help promote his expansion, Sand is also putting on 24 straight one-hour webcast classes on December 7-8. You and yours can attend the free classes in person if you RSVP here. The classes start at 9 a.m. on Dec. 7 and Sand says the only song he will repeat during all of the classes is the Ugandan song “We Are Happy,” which he uses to mark the beginning of each class. Here is the schedule.