A few community meetings will be held this week – in the Spruce Hill and Walnut Hill neighborhoods – where residents can learn more and ask questions about public safety, development projects, and other important issues.

Two meetings are scheduled at Spruce Hill Community Association’s office at 257 S. 45th St this week:

• SHCA Board Meeting will take place tonight (Tuesday, Apr. 12) at 7:30 p.m., and the guest speaker is Jess Hinchey, a volunteer coordinator at Refugee Corps.

• SHCA Zoning meeting is on Wednesday, Apr. 13, and has the following agenda:  Continue Reading

Samuel Powel Elementary School students and teachers are planning a series of marches against gun violence and are inviting the community to join them.

“4th graders at Powel School… have been studying Gun Violence in our neighborhoods and city this year. They have decided that they wanted to march through our communities to raise awareness about gun violence,” writes teacher Joe Alberti.

The 4th graders at Powel will be marching through Powelton and Mantua on Thursday, April 21 from 1-2 p.m.

They will be marching up 36th St. to Spring Garden, then up 35th St. to Aspen before walking down 37th St. and back to school, located at 301 N. 36th St. The children created fliers about the march to invite neighbors. Here’s one of them:  Continue Reading

UPDATE (8:00 p.m.): Penn officials identified the student who was struck and killed this morning by a SEPTA subway train as 21-year-old Ao “Olivia” Kong. She was a Philadelphia native and a graduate of Central High School, Philly.com reports.

UPDATE (2:44 p.m.) The University of Pennsylvania has confirmed that the woman struck by an eastbound Market-Frankford line train and killed this morning at the 40th Street station was a Penn student. Penn President Amy Gutmann indicated in an e-mail to students and staff this afternoon that the student was a junior. Her name was not released. Police have said there was no indication that she was pushed onto the tracks. The Daily Pennsylvanian reports that the woman was a student in the Wharton School.

An eastbound Market-Frankford Line train struck and killed a woman at about 7 a.m. on Monday at the 40th Street station, according to reports.

Service was suspended between the 30th Street and 52nd Street stations until 9:40 a.m. and shuttle buses were provided along Market Street.

There was no indication that the woman fell or was pushed onto the track, according to SEPTA.

Jaden’s Voice, a non-profit organization supporting families and people impacted by autism in underserved communities, has recently opened an office in West Philadelphia.

In honor of National Autism Awareness Month, Councilman At-Large Derek Green and Founder/CEO of Jaden’s Voice, Terri Matthews, both long-term advocates in the autism community, will host a special Autism Awareness Community Open House on Saturday, Apr. 9, at Jaden’s Voice West Philly location at 5548 Chestnut St. The purpose of this event is to help build awareness about autism in the community and provide resources for families who are impacted by autism. This event will also serve as Councilman Green’s ongoing autism initiative as Chair of City Council’s Committee on Disabilities, and support Jaden’s Voice official grand opening of their West Philadelphia office, which will now offer programs and services directly to the community.  Continue Reading

Caribbean Cuisine Week, an annual event supporting young Caribbean athletes competing in the Penn Relays, will take place April 13-15, 2016 and kicks off on Tuesday, April 12, at Zavino UC (32nd and Chestnut). Visit Philly has listed it as one of the top 12 events in the city for this month.

Now in its 12th year, CCW partners with chefs throughout the city who prepare Caribbean and Latin-themed dishes at special prices. A portion of the proceeds goes to provide 3,000 hot meals, ground transportation, housing and medical services to over 700 economically-disadvantaged high school athletes from the Caribbean coming to the Penn Relays (last week of April).

The Penn Relays is the largest track and field event in the United States, drawing over 115,000 people to Philadelphia each spring. The 2016 Penn Relays will be held April 28-30 at Franklin Field.  Continue Reading

The city will hold its 9th annual Spring Cleanup on Saturday, Apr. 16 (rescheduled from Apr. 9 due to inclement weather forecast). More than 800 cleanup projects have been registered throughout the city, including dozens in West Philadelphia. Community involvement is essential and many projects are still seeking volunteers. Residents are also encouraged to step outside their buildings, pick up trash and remove debris or check out empty lots nearby for litter.

To find a registered cleanup project near you and to volunteer, go here or click on the map image below:

In addition to these projects, Philadelphia Free Library branches are also holding Spring Cleanups this Saturday, from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. You can find your local branch here.  Continue Reading