Photo from West Philly Grows Again Facebook page.

West Philly grows again… and again and again. If your child needs something and you don’t want to pay retail, check out the “West Philly Grows Again” kids’ consignment sale this Saturday, Oct 5. This is an annual event benefiting St. Mary’s Nursery School, so you’ll also be contributing to a great cause.

As always, there will be tons of great deals on clothing, toys, games, and other things that local kids have outgrown, all in great condition. The sale will be held at St. Mary’s Nursery School (3916 Locust Walk) on Saturday, from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

A limited number of Friday evening (9-10 p.m.) pre-sale tickets are available. The cost of the ticket ($20) will offset the cost of renting the space and running the sale. The ticket is good for a child-free shopping evening complete with wine and cheese. Please contact the West Philly Grows Again team at: westphillygrowsagain@stmarysnursery.org for more details and availability.

For more information about this event, click here or visit the event’s Facebook page.

As West Philly Local reported, Mighty Writers  recently opened its West Philly location, Mighty Writers West, in the People’s Emergency Center at 3861 Lancaster Avenue. Mighty Writers West welcomed their first students on Monday:

Day 1 at MW West! pic.twitter.com/h5ovxudj1i

— Mighty Writers (@MightyWriters) September 16, 2013

One of the programs offered by Mighty Writers is a daily after-school Academy where students get help with their homework and learn how to produce informative, persuasive, narrative and poetry writing.

This free program runs from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday during the school year and spaces are still available for students in grades 3-8. To download an application, click here. For more information, visit: http://www.mightywriters.org/west-philly-academy/

Volunteer soccer coaches with young players at Clark Park. Photo courtesy Clark Park Youth Soccer.

Do you enjoy playing soccer and know a little bit about the game? Do you like running around and having fun with kids? If so, read on.

The Clark Park Youth Soccer program is still looking for volunteer coaches for their Fall season, which starts on Saturday, Sept. 28 and continues until November 23. It takes place on Saturdays at Clark Park, with age groups 5-6 and 6-7 playing from 10:30 a.m. to noon, and age groups 7-8 and 9-11 playing from noon to 1:30 p.m. Volunteer coaches are asked to commit to being there most of the Saturdays through the season, but there will be three to four coaches assigned to each team so that you’ll always have backup.

Clark Park Soccer is a non-competitive program, aiming to give kids of any ability the opportunity to have fun, get some exercise, and learn the basic skills of the game. Coaches of all ages and abilities are welcome; the only requirement is that you like to have fun!

To read more about this program visit this page, or email: clarkparksoccer@yahoo.com if you’re interested.

This Fall local kids will have more opportunities to try the world’s greatest game in an organized manner without leaving their neighborhood. Starting in September, Soccer Shots, a national program created under the guidance of childhood education specialists, professional soccer players, and experienced and licensed soccer coaches, will bring youth soccer to Cedar Park (49th & Baltimore). The program uses creative and age-appropriate curricula and structures activities through a mixture of play and learning basic soccer skills.

The Soccer Shots Fall season runs from September 14 through November 16 and serves kids ages 2-4 (there will be two age groups: 2 year olds and 3-to-4 year olds). Soccer Shots will run for two hours (participants can choose one of three 40-minute sessions) once a week on Saturday mornings on two small grass sections of the park. There is a registration fee of $90 to $108 and you can register your child online at: http://philly.ssreg.org

The new Soccer Shots program will supplement the neighborhood’s long established Clark Park Youth Soccer League, which runs from September 28 to November 23. This volunteer-run program enrolls children ages 5-11 and is held at Clark Park (43rd & Chester) on Saturdays, 10:30-Noon and Noon to 1:30. This is a lower cost program ($20 per season) and “soccership” funds are available where there is financial need.

More information about the program, and the registration forms are available here.

Here’s a reminder that there will be a Back to School celebration and book bag giveaway on Sunday, Sept 1, at Malcolm X. Park (51st and Pine). The event will be held from 2 to 6 p.m. Community volunteers will help to distribute donated book bags filled with schools supplies and clothing to over 300 local children. The event is organized by The Nehemiah Davis Foundation (NDF). During the event, NDF will also provide entertainment, free food and haircuts for all of the families who attend.

On Saturday (Aug 31), Bible Way Baptist Church located at 1323 N. 52nd St is having a Back to School Giveaway. Families with kids who need school supplies are welcome to this event. The giveaway starts at noon and goes until supplies last. For questions, call (215) 477 0778 or email: info@biblewaybaptist.org.

As part of the “Kids Rock for Kids” rock concert series, on Tuesday, Aug. 27 and Wednesday, Aug. 28 more than 100 student musicians, age 8-17, will perform at World Cafe Live (3025 Walnut Street) to raise money for West Philly’s HMS School for Children with Cerebral Palsy. Twenty-five teenage rock bands and seven Glee groups will perform. The shows are a collaboration between World Cafe Live and Music Training Center, where the performers study. Both shows start at 6:30 p.m. and end at 9.

HMS School for Children with Cerebral Palsy, which is located in the Spruce Hill neighborhood at 44th & Baltimore, serves children through age 21 and uses special education, therapy programs and state-of-the-art assistive technology to maximize each child’s abilities and help prepare them for a full, active life in their community.

World Cafe Live’s “Kids Rock for Kids” rock concert series, which raises awareness and money for a different children’s medical charity in the Philadelphia area, debuted in 2006. To date, more than 20 concerts have raised over $10,000 for 24 different charities.

Tickets are $10 for adults and $8 for kids. Please note that ticket sales do not include a donation; HMS volunteers will ask for donations during the concert that will benefit HMS’s Scholarship Fund. For more information and to purchase tickets, click here.