The funeral for 8-year-old Emmeline Valadez, who tragically died after falling from a ninth story apartment building window last week, was held this morning in Hammonton, New Jersey.

Emmeline lived with her father, a Penn graduate student and single father, and her older sister at the Fairfax building at 43rd and Locust. She fell from the window at about 7:45 a.m. last Wednesday. Her obituary is here.

Neighbors and friends are taking up a collection online to help offset funeral expenses. You can contribute to the campaign here. All funds raised will go directly to the father and donations will be accepted until this weekend.

On Tuesday, Sept 23, the local Red Cross and its partners will hold a major fire safety event in two West Philadelphia neighborhoods in an effort to reduce fires and fire fatalities.

On Tuesday morning, from about 10 – 11 a.m., more than 1,200 fire safety kits will be handed out to residents at Drexel Park (33rd and Powelton). The kits contain valuable, potentially life-saving information on the importance of smoke alarms, how to prevent fires, what to do if there is a fire, and how to create a fire escape plan for the entire family, including pets. Each year, the local Red Cross distributes more than 10,000 fire safety kits.

After handing out the kits, a dozen Red Cross personnel along with over 100 NRG Energy employees from across the country will conduct fire safety walkthroughs in the Powelton Village and Mantua neighborhoods. Mantua typically sees a high number of fires each year.

It’s one of the largest fire safety walkthroughs the Red Cross will conduct in Philadelphia this year. The walkthrough is part of national preparedness month and a precursor to October’s fire safety awareness month.

Here’s a chance to help those women who are just starting their careers. If you have a spare dress outfit (appropriate for a “business” environment) hanging in your closet please consider donating it to Dress for Success Philadelphia, a non-profit organization that helps disadvantaged women achieve economic independence.

In West Philadelphia, My Task Master is holding a 2nd Women’s Suit Drive to benefit Dress for Success and is collecting women’s fall business clothing, shoes, scarves, jewelry and handbags. The drive will be held on September 22-25 and donations can be dropped off at the My Task Master office at 47th and Hazel.

Please note that all donations must be like new, clean and current.

For more information and to schedule a drop-off please email Emily Anderson at: emily@mytaskmaster.net (please put “Dress for Success” in the subject line).

We’re publishing breakfast and lunch menus served at schools in the School District of Philadelphia on Monday, Sept 22 through Wednesday, Sept 24 (schools are closed on Thursday and Friday for Rosh Hashanah). If your school uses a Satellite menu, click here. Come back every Sunday evening for the coming week’s menu.

BREAKFAST (K-12)

A variety of three cereals is offered daily and served with a yogurt parfait or a mini loaf.

Monday

Mini Pancakes
Bake Crafter Cereal Bar & Yogurt
Choose 1: Pineapple Juice or Fresh Fruit
Variety of Milk

Tuesday

Steak, Egg & Cheese on a Bagel
Benefit Bar
Choose 1: Mixed Fruit Cup or Fresh Fruit
Variety of Milk  Continue Reading

The Art Church of West Philadelphia is opening at 5219 Webster St. (Facebook photo).

Great news for local artists and art lovers. The Art Church of West Philadelphia, a new work space for artists and art gallery is opening at 5219 Webster Street. The grand opening of the space, which is actually not in a church but in a two-story rowhome on a quiet West Philly block, is tonight at 8 p.m.

According to information on their website, the Art Church of West Philadelphia space can be used for performances, events, rehearsals, meetings, worship services or classes. Cara Blouin, a theater director and playwright, is the Art Church residing community member and “art pastor.” If you’re interested in using the space, contact Cara at: wpartchurch@gmail.com

To celebrate the opening of the new art space, West Philly photographer Kyle Cassidy will host a retrospective show of his amazing theater photos, many from West Philly’s Curio Theatre, but also from the Philadelphia Artists Collective, Hedgerow, and others, including the recent Commonwealth Classic production of The Glass Menagerie. Kyle’s work was featured in the New York Times, Vanity Fair (DE), the Sunday Times of London, Marie Claire, Photographers Forum, Asleep by Dawn, Gothic Beauty and many other publications.

The opening reception will also include music by Emcee Elroy and Dominique London and refreshments. Click here for more details.

Photo by Kyle Cassidy. His work will be presented at The Art Church of West Philadelphia opening event on Friday, Sept. 19, at 8 p.m.

[Editor’s Note: Just as we were getting ready to publish this, a new twist emerged. Maria wrote that she was contacted last night by another person by telephone demanding that she pay $1,000 for the return of her car at an agreed-upon meeting place. She contacted police soon afterwards. They took a report. Maria’s insurance does not cover theft.]

A reader, Maria, is stuck in kind of missing car purgatory. Maria (she asked that we not use her last name) is a single mom and music teacher at a local school who recently moved to West Philly. Her 11-year-old daughter started school this fall, so last Tuesday, the first week of school, was filled with the normal excitement and everything flowed as it should, Maria wrote in an email. After picking up her daughter after school Maria parked her charcoal gray 2012 Toyota Corolla on the corner of 44th and Osage, right by her apartment, a “great parking spot,” Maria notes.

“I had parked at 3:30 p.m. last Tues. afternoon. My car was missing Wednesday a.m. at 7:30 a.m. No signs were posted, however, PGW had placed barricades on the corner of 44th and Osage where I was parked,” she wrote.  Continue Reading