The University City District’s West Philadelphia Skills Initiative is again partnering with Drexel University to offer a new no-cost Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) training program for Philadelphia residents.

Aspiring EMTs will be trained for the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT) exam. This 13-week training program will be a blend of virtual courses and in-person sessions following CDC COVID-19 regulations at Drexel University. Participants will receive $150 weekly stipends while enrolled in this free program. Masks will be provided for in-person sessions if needed. The program will conclude with an in-person administration of the NREMT exam.  Continue Reading

UC Green, the West Philly community greening organization, is teaming up with Treeken LLC, a local arborist tree care company, to offer holiday tree collection on Sunday, Jan. 10 at Clark Park and Malcolm X Park. Tree collection in Clark Park (43rd and Kingsessing) will be held from 9 a.m. until Noon and in Malcolm X Park (51st and Osage) from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m.

UC Green is a volunteer-run organization with a 20-year history, so please bring a donation ($5-$20) along with your tree to support this organization. Donations are also accepted online at https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/ucgreenphila.

Collected trees will be mulched and used at local parks. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, please make sure to wear a mask and avoid congregating with others when dropping off your tree.

Information on other Christmas tree recycling opportunities can be found here.

As of Dec. 30, 24,390 partial doses of COVID-19 vaccines produced by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna were administered in Philadelphia, according to the data published by PennLive.

The Pa. Department of Health launched a new dashboard last week where you can check the number of COVID-19 vaccines administered daily in the state (total and by county). However, the dashboard only includes data on vaccine doses provided by the state. The Philadelphia Department of Public Health receives vaccine doses from the federal government and is keeping separate statistics, which you can view here.  Continue Reading

If you want to dispose of your Christmas tree in an environmentally friendly way, there are a few options.

The City’s Streets Department is again offering its free Christmas Tree Recycling Program. From Monday, Jan. 4 through Saturday, Jan. 16 residents can drop off their trees (free of all decorations and untied) to any of the six Sanitation Convenience Centers open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday. The West Philadelphia center is located at 5100 Grays Avenue.

Residents can also drop off Christmas trees on Saturdays, Jan. 9 and Jan. 16 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at an additional 13 designated locations throughout the City. In West Philadelphia these locations are 43rd and Powelton Ave. and 54th and Woodbine Ave.  Continue Reading

  Woodlands Cemetery

The federal CARES Act permits taxpayers to deduct $300 in contributions to non-profit organizations in 2020. Several local non-profit and community organizations are holding year-end fundraisers, so there’s a chance to give back to your community by supporting neighborhood organizations with a tax-deductable donation.

Check out these messages from several local non-profits (to find more local non-profits, visit our Civic Life page):

The Woodlands Cemetery and Mansion (40th and Woodland):

“Outdoor spaces have become more critical than ever. Philadelphians seeking an escape this year became daily visitors. Give to The Woodlands and help us reach our $50,000 end of year fundraising goal and preserve this sacred space.”  Continue Reading

This holiday season, West Philly restaurant Renata’s Kitchen is helping the local branch of an organization which supports families of seriously ill children. Instead of purchasing more gift cards, Renata’s Kitchen owners Kate and Yasser Aiq are asking guests to donate towards catering orders for the local Ronald McDonald House. The organization has been struggling this year to recruit volunteers to prepare and serve their guest families during the pandemic.

“As a restaurant, we’ve also been struggling with the restrictions in place to keep everyone safe,” says Kate. But they don’t want to ask for support without giving something in return. “Just doesn’t feel right as a business to do,” she adds.  Continue Reading