Clark Park Youth Soccer, a recreational program for children ages 5 to 11 is returning this Spring and registration is now open. The season will start on March 23 and go on through May 18. More information about the program and registration forms are available on the Friends of Clark Park website.

The program is also seeking volunteer coaches. You don’t need serious soccer skills or coaching experience in order to apply. What’s important is some basic knowledge of the game and enthusiasm for working with kids. If you’d like to volunteer or have questions, please email clarkparksoccer@yahoo.com.

We are very sad to report that Oliver “Ali” Robinson, a longtime activist and community organizer in the city, died on Monday. He was 64.

Back when he was a little boy growing up in Southwest Philadelphia, scrambling through the pews of Mount Zion Baptist Church, Oliver Robinson was simply known as “Ollie.”

As the youngest of five, he worked hard to live up to the examples set by his older brothers, especially the late state Sen. Hardy Williams, who would go on to have a pioneering legal and political career that included a run for mayor in 1971 that would inspire other African Americans to seek public office.

Robinson worked to apply the teachings of his mother, Frances “Mom” Williams, renowned for championing “the people’s business.” And as the Civil Rights Movement evolved from sit-ins and picket signs to more confrontational politics, “Ollie” became known as “Ali.”

“He was a stalwart in our family and our organizational structure, a fellow civil rights warrior,” said state Sen. Anthony “Hardy” Williams, Robinson’s nephew. “But I realized it was more important to him to be my uncle than anything else.”

Family members say Robinson watched “Mom” Frances counsel and speak out for neighbors in need, which helped spark his interest in social justice.

Robinson graduated from West Philadelphia High School in 1967 and went on to attend Howard University.

He joined the 1971 mayoral campaign against Frank Rizzo his big brother Hardy waged that shook up party politics. Robinson worked on a variety of campaigns, including the elections of Mayor W. Wilson Goode Sr. in the 1980s and state Rep. Jordan Harris just last year.

“He was an architect. Even before there were computers, Ali was the best Election Day statistician in the city,” said Lynette Brown-Sow, who worked as teen on the Hardy Williams mayoral campaign. “He had a gift.”

Robinson also worked at the Crisis Intervention Network, where he was part of the team that led one of the most effective youth violence intervention programs in the city’s history. He co-founded the People’s Institute, which helped provide services to young people. He also applied his skills as a community organizer for Model Cities of North Philadelphia and remained an active member of the Kingsessing Community Association.

Working from a philosophy that an informed people are an engaged people, he founded and published the Southwest News, which published uplifting stories by and about neighbors.

In 1992, the Rendell Administration honored Robinson with the Philadelphia Pride Award.

“He gave a lot to the community, but at the end of the day, he was still a dad and a granddad,” said his daughter, Kya Kamil Robinson.

Robinson is survived by his other daughter, Afrika Mona Strong; his brothers, Jimmy Williams, Freddie Williams and Teddy Williams; his sister, Barbara Williams; his grandchildren, Alexus and Ervon Schultz Jr. and several of nieces, nephews, cousins and other loving friends.

A viewing will be held Friday from 9 to 11 a.m. at Mount Zion Baptist Church, 1411 S. 50th St. Funeral services will immediately follow. Internment will be at the West Laurel Hill Cemetery, 225 Belmont Ave. in Bala Cynwyd.
 

Some of you may have noticed a new pharmacy next to recently opened Café Renata and just across the street from CVS near 43rd and Locust. So here’s the scoop – Aspire Rx, a smal independent pharmacy, has relocated to Locust from 45th Street.

OK, at first this seems like a really bad idea – small, independent pharmacy moves across the street from giant pharmacy/store. Folks on some local West Philly list-servs thought the idea seemed so bad that it must be some kind of front for something else.

It’s not. Aspire’s owner, Hetal Chudasama, said Aspire offers things that CVS doesn’t, such as compounding services, lower prices and serious customer care. They also offer free delivery, pet medications and some adult vaccines. She moved Aspire from 45th Street to Locust to the former location of a small Asian grocery to take advantage of the ample foot traffic.

By the way, Chudasama, a resident of West Philadelphia for eight years, knows what she’s talking about when it comes to her big box neighbor. After graduating from the University of the Science’s Philadelphia College of Pharmacy, she worked at – where else – CVS.

Aspire is open Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Friday 9-3 and Saturday 10-3. It’s closed Sundays.

Sr. Francis (photo from The Religious of the Assumption website).

Sister Francis Joseph was the “peace pilgrim.” Grace Kelly was among her students. She entered the convent at the age of 33 and traveled the world, but is known to many St. Francis de Sales students as the nun who taught peace.

Sr. Francis died last Thursday. She was 93.

Born Rachel Scarpello in Germantown, Sr. Francis served as the first lay principal of the Catholic school Ravenhill Academy in East Falls, which Kelly attended in the 1940s. Sr. Francis taught at Ravenhill for 12 years before she decided to join the order Religious of the Assumption and their convent at 1001 S. 47th St., across the street from St. Francis de Sales.

Sr. Francis on her 90th birthday in 2009.

You may have seen Sr. Francis sitting on the convent porch or you might have helped her across the street as she leaned on her cane.

“I make friends through that cane,” she told a reporter from The Catholic Standard and Times newspaper for an article marking her 90th birthday in 2009.

What you probably didn’t know is that after graduating from Chestnut Hill College she worked for the Federal Bureau of Investigation. That was before she became a nun. During her long career with the Assumption Sisters, Sr. Francis worked in Paris, Osaka and Manilla, where she was instrumental in building housing for the poor. She was one of the first women to attend Gregorian University in Rome.

In recent years at the St. Francis de Sales School she became known as the “peace pilgrim,” stopping by classes and teaching students about peace through stories. Sr. Francis also had a long relationship with Saint Joseph’s University, where an outreach lecture series she started 30 years ago was named after her in 2011.

Funeral services will be held Tuesday, March 5 at 10 a.m. at St. Francis de Sales (47th and Springfield).

– Mike Lyons

Earlier this week we posted an announcement from a reader, Nati, who was looking for the owners of a dog that had bitten him while he was riding his bike. Nati was trying to prevent a painful series of rabies shots and, fortunately, the dog owner stepped forward after the publication.

Here’s another, disturbing account of a dog attack that happened yesterday at The Woodlands Cemetery. Reader Krissy Kim reported that while on a walk with her dog at the cemetery another, off-leash dog approached them, attacked and bit her dog. Here’s what Krissy wrote in an email:

“Yesterday, Thursday 2/28, my husband and I were walking our dog on leash at Woodlands Cemetery. Another dog off leash approached her, they greeted each other appropriately (the owner was still about 50 yards away) when all of the sudden the dog attacked our dog, my husband had to pull him off and body block him during his second lunge for our dog. The dog bit her on the back of the neck and didn’t let go until my husband again pulled him off. At this point the owner was there and did nothing but say, “relax there is no blood”. He then proceeded to get in his car with his dog and drive away. After they left and we checked our dog, he indeed took a small chunk out of her neck (see photo). The vet visit with her antibiotics cost $75.”

According to the cemetery rules, dog walking is allowed, but all dogs have to be on a leash.

Krissy is urging the dog owner to come forward and take responsibility for what his dog did. Krissy says that she has information on this person’s car and license plate number. She described the attacking dog as a medium (40 pound) brindle mixed breed.

She adds, “On  the heels of the “biker being bitten” story hopefully this will continue to be an example of how we all need to step up and be responsible pet owners for the sake of our community.”

Krissy can be reached by email: krissykp@gmail.com

Editor’s Note: We would appreciate any comments except for those blaming certain dog breeds instead of irresponsible owners.

54-year-old Anthony Dent was arrested in connection with two recent burglaries, including the burglary at City Tap House, according to police. Both burglaries were captured by surveillance cameras. On January 18, at 7:30 a.m., Dent apparently entered the City Tap House building located at 3925 Walnut Street, took a laptop computer from an office, then stole assorted meats from the freezer and fled through the back emergency exit door.

On January 26 around 5:30 a.m. Dent entered a building located on the 3800 block of Chestnut Street by prying the side door open with a large screwdriver, took some items, including assorted power tools, and placed them in a parked vehicle. He then returned to the building several times for more items, according to police. The suspect was captured on surveillance video on 39th Street where he placed the tools into a parked silver Volvo XC90 and fled.

Dent was arrested on the 1600 block of 62nd Street and charged with burglary, theft and other related offenses.

(Source: Philly Police Blog).