West Philly resident Mike Howard has a 12-year-old brother, Christopher, who was diagnosed with cerebral palsy and a very rare chromosomal abnormality called Kleefstra syndrome. Christopher is only one of 50 to 60 people in the world diagnosed with this condition.

As you can imagine, life has been quite hard for Christopher and his family. The boy has been in and out of the hospital for years now and it’s getting harder and harder for his family to cover all the medical expenses as Christopher’s insurance company is becoming less and less helpful.

To help his brother and his family, Mike has set up a fundraising page on Gofundme.com. Mike’s family are unaware of his fundraising efforts as he wants to surprise them and Christopher on his birthday.

To read more about Christopher and to donate, click here.

This Saturday, March 31, St. Mary’s Church at 3916 Locust Walk is hosting 2012 Band Extravaganza(!), a fundraising concert to support instrumental music instruction at Lea Elementary. The concert begins at 7 p.m. Penn Jazz, the 2012 High School Honor Band and Play On, Philly! are among featured performers. See the flyer below for more details.
 

The Parent Infant Center at 42nd and Locust is holding its annual Spring Plant Sale. They have a great selection of annuals, perennials, herbs, fruits & veggies, and hanging baskets.

They are currently taking orders for plants until April 15. This year you can place your order and pay online. To see the catalog and to order, click here. And don’t forget to buy a raffle ticket for a chance to win a basket filled with $100 worth of gardening goodies! The plants will be ready for pickup at PIC on Friday, May 4 (4-6 p.m.) and Saturday, May 5 (10 a.m. – 3 p.m.).

Every penny earned through PIC’s Spring Plant Sale supports their scholarship fund. Over the past decade, PIC families have raised nearly $150,000 to provide scholarships to families in the early learning and school-age programs.

We are passing along information about two events happening at Dock Street Brewery.

Local artists are welcome to participate in the West Philly T-Shirt Design Contest that is currently underway at the pub. The competition is running until March 17 and the winners will be announced on March 20. Any West Philly artist, illustrator or designer can enter and there are no entry fees. The design can be based around the pub, a specific beer or Dock Street beers in general. For more information, check out this page.

The Books Through Bars fundraiser will be held at the pub on Wednesday, Feb. 22, beginning at 8:30 p.m. This fundraiser will help get dictionaries for incarcerated people. The most fundamental tool for self-education and empowerment, the dictionary is the single most requested book by prisoners across the country.

$10 donation will get you a beer, a slice of pizza and a dictionary for BTB. Live music from Sour Mash and Cask & Co is starting at 9 p.m.

A new West Philly-based film project is in the works thanks to local writer and director Dan Papa. ‘Maya’ is an independent feature film that will be shot in the area and will tell a story about the changes love goes through over time (see promo video below). The film is planning to shoot in April, 2012, but Dan and his team need some help with it.

An online fundraising page has been set up on Kickstarter (link). The goal is to raise $7,000, which is the minimum of what it takes to produce a movie. You can pledge as little as $1. The project will only be funded if the full amount is pledged by March 1, 2012.

Besides fundraising, Dan is currently casting the male lead role. If you are age 24-30 and have some experience in theater and film please email danieljamespapa [at] gmail.com. Don’t forget to include a video of your recent performance. Dan also wants to hear from anyone interested in being on the crew or who would like to contribute equipment.

For updates, camera tests, and other videos, visit the film’s Facebook page.

Here’s a good opportunity to help a local cause and to get your energy back for the holidays. This Friday, Dec. 16 join a fundraising yoga class hosted by Wake Up Yoga (4916 Baltimore Ave.). All proceeds from the class will go to support the Saint Francis de Sales Christmas Outreach program, which provides gifts for children in West and Southwest Philly.

This is a restorative yoga class and it is perfect for beginners. Instructor Alane Benson (pictured) will teach you how to ease away tension, stress and fatigue using gravity as a prop, so you leave feeling rejuvenated and renewed.

The class will run from 7:45 – 9:15 p.m. No pre-registration is required. For more information go here.