Contact sheet of “Everyone is Photogenic” Test Run / Photos by JJ Tiziou.

Stand in line at your local pharmacy and you’ll see the message loud and clear: your beauty is only worth the skin you’re in. It’s a message displayed between the lines of bright and bold typography—insistent typeface meant to catch your attention.

The messages we receive about how beauty’s defined—and what defines it—are a daily part of our lives. The way we regard ourselves is evidence of that.

But for West Philly photographer Jacques-Jean “JJ” Tiziou, there’s another epistle that should be shared—one that, if held with the same earnestness as it envisages, could dismantle superficial beauty standards.

That message? “Everyone is photogenic.”  Continue Reading

UPDATED 8/20/13 at 9 a.m.: Last Friday, NBC Philadelphia reported that Indiegogo reinstated Meyers‘ campaign as it “is indeed in compliance with Indiegogo’s terms of service,” according to a statement issued to the media outlet. According to Meyers, the crowdsourcing site only returned donations made through PayPal to both campaigns, totaling about $1,500, and waived all fees associated with the fundraiser. “I’m happy, but frustrated, it took them 20 days to respond and I do not get all the donations I lost,” she told West Philly Local.

7/29/13: A week ago, Jessica Meyers went from squatter to homeowner.

The 28-year-old Syracuse native landed the winning bid for her makeshift West Philly home at 52^nd and Funston Streets during Philadelphia Housing Authority’s July 16 auction. The legally abandoned PHA-owned site was one of 196 properties the housing authority was selling off at First District Plaza, 3801 Market Street, and there was no way she’d let possible ownership slip through the cracks. After all, Meyers has squatted in that house for eight years, and has spent countless time and energy refurbishing it into a livable space shared with friends and traveling punks.  Continue Reading

We recently published information about two school supply drives in West Philadelphia to help local families in need get ready for the new school year. Here’s information on two other back-to-school drives and fundraising efforts happening in the area.

The Nehemiah Davis Foundation (NDF), is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that works hard to serve our city through efforts such as the Back-to-school Book Bag Giveaway, annual Thanksgiving dinners for veterans, seniors and homeless, an annual Christmas toy drive for youth, and more. On Sept. 1, 2013, NDF will be holding its Fifth Annual “Back-to-School Book Bag Giveaway” at Malcolm X Park (51st and Pine). Community volunteers will help to distribute donated book bags filled with schools supplies and clothing to over 300 local children.

During the event, NDF will also provide entertainment, free food and haircuts for all of the families who attend (see flyer for more information).

NDF would appreciate donations of school supplies, book bags, or clothes for the giveaway. Book bags are especially wanted so if you can donate one it would be greatly appreciated. Donations can be dropped off at Myra Herbal Wellness, 666 N. 52nd Street, Philadelphia, PA 19131. Monetary donations are also accepted at: www.gofundme/neodaviso.

Families Forward, a local organization that assists homeless families and runs 75 transitional and permanent family residential units in West Philadelphia, is working hard on preparing their children for school as the school bells ring in 2013-2014. In the past, the School District of Philadelphia provided school uniforms vouchers to homeless children and children in transitional housing, but this year they have cut that funding dramatically, according to Families Forward’s Director of Fund Development Grace Hightower. Children K-8 will only receive $20 (previously it was $50) and students 9-12 will only receive $30 (previously it was $75).

Gifts of $50 can help Families Forward purchase two uniform pants, two shirts and a pair of shoes to help a child have a great start to the school year. Gift cards to Forman Mills are also a great way to help with purchasing school uniforms.

Typically, used items are accepted at Families Forward, but this is not the case with back to school. Donors are asked to collect NEW:

• Backpacks (youth and teen)
• Black and white composition books (MEAD)
• Plastic scissors
• Crayons (basic colors)
• Markers (erasable)
• Glue sticks
• Pencils and pencil cases
• Ink pens (Blue or Black)
• Highlighters
• Rulers
• 3 Ring Binders and dividers
• Loose leaf paper
• Folders (with side pockets)
• Index Cards/poster board
• Flash Drives
• Calculators
• Dictionary and Thesaurus
• Tissues/Hand sanitizer

If you would like to organize a drive or have any questions please contact Grace Hightower by phone at 215-240-4828 or email at: ghightower@taphilly.org. Donations can be delivered until August 30, 2013 to 111 N. 49th Street; Philadelphia, PA 19139. Gifts can also be made at www.familiesforwardphilly.org.

Community members who would like to contribute a few dollars to defray the funeral costs for 7-year-old Jabriel O’Connor, the boy who died Saturday after being found unconscious in a Cobbs Creek pool, are asked to stop by Cafe Renata (4305 Locust St) this afternoon and tomorrow morning.

West Philly Local will set up a table outside the cafe to accept cash contributions that will be passed along to Jabriel’s mother, Aisha Watson, who lives at an emergency shelter for homeless families run by the program Families Forward Philadelphia near the corner of Walnut and Melville Streets in the Spruce Hill section of West Philly.

Gloria Guard, who runs Families Forward, said Aisha is “hanging there.”

“She is in the process of making arrangements,” Guard said. “I think she would really appreciate it. Be sure to write down that you are neighbors.”

Collections will be taken from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. today and 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. tomorrow (Wednesday). Any contribution would help. There will also be a card to sign and you can pass along your own note to Aisha if you like. If it’s raining, the table will be inside.

All of the money collected will go directly to help with Aisha’s expenses.

Less than two weeks are left before the Indiegogo fundraising campaign for A Man Full of Trouble, writer/director Michael Johnston’s dark comedy about a suicidal Alexander Hamilton reenactor, comes to a close, and it’s under $300 shy of $7,000.

Money raised for the West Philly-based indie short (view trailer below), which serves as Johnston’s thesis project for Temple’s MFA program, will fund the bulk of production costs, including equipment and location rentals, and costume fabrication by Regalia Costumes, said A Man Full of Trouble’s producer, David Leith Fraser. The total budget, which ranges from $12,000 to $14,000 depending on the final Indiegogo amount, is also funded by a $4,500 Temple University Grant, and a $500 Allied Pixel gift certificate Johnston received with his 2013 Media Film Festival’s Allied Pixel Silver Award for his previous film, Irina. A Man Full Trouble is slated for completion this fall.

A Founding Father and one-half of one of the first sex scandals in American politics, Alexander Hamilton makes for mysterious and complicated anti-hero. A Man Full of Trouble explores his inexplicable life through the eyes of Nick Crane (the aforementioned suicidal reenactor), who is “fighting to keep Hamilton’s voice relevant in Philadelphia, a city dominated by Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and George Washington.” And in the midst of this battle, Nick unknowingly reenacts Hamilton’s affair with Maria Reynolds through his relationship with fellow reenactor, Isabella.

“Michael is fascinated with Philadelphia’s history and architecture. He wanted to write something that was specific to the city. Hamilton’s affair with Maria Reynolds, which took place in Philly, and Hamilton’s tragic end provided the perfect back-story for creating the film’s dark-comedic tone,” Fraser told West Philly Local. “The film examines one man’s conflict and the ending of the film will elicit different responses from different people. If I had to choose one, I would say the film asks that we study and preserve our history.”

The majority of the project will be filmed at The Woodlands Historic Mansion, Cemetery and Landscape, which was originally purchased in 1735 as a 250-acre swathe on the Schuylkill River’s west bank (today, the estate, overseen by The Woodlands Trust for Historic Preservation, consists of 53 acres nestled between S. University Ave and 41^st Street south of Woodland Avenue.) Other filming locations include Independence Hall, the Second Bank of the United States, and Society Hill.

According to Fraser, money allocated for filming on the cemetery grounds will go towards restoration efforts on the Mansion. The premiere party for A Man Full of Trouble will also be held at The Woodlands, planned for some time in late fall, and double as a fundraiser for the historic landmark.

– Annamarya Scaccia

Indiegogo: A Man Full of Trouble from Michael Johnston on Vimeo.

Update (Apr 17): The pre-sale deadline has been extended until Friday, Apr 19 and orders can be picked up at  PIC (4205 Spruce St) during sale days on May 3 and 4.

Thursday, Apr 4: The annual Parent Infant Center (PIC) plant sale is back and better than ever! There is an enormous selection of annuals, perennials, herbs, veggies, hanging baskets, and more, all supplied by local growers, so it’s a great chance to help West Philly go greener this spring and also support PIC that has been in the neighborhood for 35 years. Every penny raised from the sale will go to the PIC Scholarship Fund, established in 1986 so that more neighborhood families could afford high-quality child care.

The success of this event depends on pre-sales that are going on right now. Orders can be placed online at picplantsale.org.

If you would like to learn more about the sale and what it supports, visit www.parentinfantcenter.org or email rcrossot@parentinfantcenter.org.