Posted on 30 March 2015 by Mike Lyons
Some of the naming opportunities in the Greening Lea project. Click to enlarge.
Want to make a positive, indelible mark on the neighborhood? The West Philly Coalition for Neighborhood Schools has a way to become an important part of big undertaking. Its Greening Lea Project is offering naming opportunities for various parts of the evolving playground at the Henry Lea School.
The school’s playground was expanded last summer and a landscaped perimeter was added to part of the playground in 2012. Now coalition has its sights set on some bigger projects, including the addition of a new green stormwater infrastructure, brick pavers, large shade trees and rain gardens. New hoops will be added to the basketball court and seating will be added to the playground. The changes could make the Lea Playground a prime public recreation spot in the neighborhood.
If they can raise the money. Continue Reading
Posted on 28 January 2015 by WestPhillyLocal.com
If you’re a Recyclebank member (you accrue points through that sticker on recycling receptacle) and you have some extra points you don’t need, why not consider donating them to a local school? Two West Philly schools have been selected to participate in Recyclebank’s 2014-2015 Green Schools Program, which supports schoolchildren and educators’ efforts on making their schools and schoolyards greener. Recyclebank will turn the donated points into cash to fund the projects.
Henry C. Lea Elementary (47th and Locust) is seeking support for their Rain Gardens project. “Lea students will be involved in the maintenance of the rain gardens and become active environmental stewards,” reads Lea’s message on the Recyclebank website. “The rain gardens will be used as focal point for environmental instruction at the school with regards to the water cycle and systems.” The rain gardens project is a part of the Greening Lea project. To read more about the project and to donate your points, go here. The school will receive $2,500 from Recyclebank if the goal is reached.
Belmont Charter School (40th and Brown) students have a chance to learn about growing plants and trees through its “Belmont Sprouts” program. The school is raising funds to build six raised beds, buy a fruit tree and several rain barrels. The funds from the Recyclebank program will help “complete the construction of our Belmont Sprouts garden and to host a special Mother’s Day Spring Planting event,” according to the project description. To read more about the project and to donate your points, go here. Belmont Charter will also receive $2,500 from Recyclebank for their project if the goal is reached.
Posted on 05 December 2014 by WestPhillyLocal.com
Winter holidays are approaching fast and a great way to get into the holiday spirit is by helping neighbors in need. If you would like to help out here are a few drives going on in the neighborhood.
• Rep. James Roebuck and Penn Nursing are teaming up again for the “Socks for Seniors” drive. Through Friday, Dec. 19, donate a new pair or pairs of socks by dropping them off at Roebuck’s office located at 4712 Baltimore Ave. Your donations will go to senior residents and local nursing facilities.
Roebuck is also hosting a free senior fair this Saturday, from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m., at the Calvary Community Center (48th and Baltimore, entrance on 48th). The fair will feature free health screenings and several nonprofit and for-profit exhibitors, and will also provide information on state and local resources for seniors. Refreshments and door prizes will also be available. For more information, please contact Roebuck’s office at 215-724-2227.
• Local 44, a neighborhood pub at 44th and Spruce, is holding a Toy and Personal Care Items Drive, also through Friday, Dec. 19. All donations will go to women and children at the People’s Emergency Center, a West Philly community center. Please note that only new and unwrapped toys or personal care items are accepted. Click here for a list of most needed items.
• The People’s Emergency Center (PEC) is holding a non-perishable food drive. If you have any unopened Thanksgiving canned goods, please consider donating them to PEC. Donations can be dropped off at Rowan House (325 N. 39th St), on Wednesday-Friday, from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Check out the flier below for more information.
• We’d like to remind that Cedar Park Neighbors’ Holiday Food Basket Drive is also underway. A suggested donation is $36. This amount will help CPN and their partners feed two families. To donate to the CPN Holiday Basket Drive, click here.
Posted on 02 December 2014 by WestPhillyLocal.com
Today is #GivingTuesday, a nationwide campaign encouraging people to support not-for-profit organizations. We’re joining in and would like to remind our readers that there are dozens of great non-profits in West Philly, working on improving communities and schools, and providing help to those who need it most. Please visit our Civic Life page and choose an organization you would like to support. We will also be tweeting and re-tweeting #GivingTuesday messages from local non-profits throughout the day (@westphillylocal). Here are some of them:
While many non-profit organizations would appreciate a monetary donation today, others are seeking volunteers. Repair The World: Philadelphia is teaming up with the West Philadelphia Alliance for Children (WePAC) to reopen a school library that has been closed for over a decade. Volunteers are welcome to help these organizations clean up the Andrew Hamilton Elementary School library this afternoon, from 4 to 7 p.m. The school is located at 5640 Spruce Street. Here’s the flier:
Posted on 24 November 2014 by WestPhillyLocal.com
UPDATE (11/24/2014): The Holiday Basket Drive continues in Cedar Park and Cedar Park Neighbors will also be sending out letters to residents asking for donations, starting this week. To donate online, visit this page.
11/6/2014: Winter holidays are approaching fast – an exciting time for all, but also worrying for many neighbors who will struggle putting food on the table during this time. In a continuous effort to help Cedar Park residents and families in need, Cedar Park Neighbors (CPN) is holding a holiday food basket drive again this year.
CPN, in cooperation with some local churches and other nonprofit organizations, will prepare and distribute food baskets during the holiday season. Last year, they were able to help over 600 people in the neighborhood. In order to make this event successful again, they are asking for help from the community.
A suggested donation is $36. This amount will help CPN and their partners feed two families. To donate to the CPN Holiday Basket Drive, go to this page.
If you have questions, please contact Michelle at mlewis1071@gmail.com.
Posted on 17 October 2014 by Mike Lyons
An important discussion about incarceration has gained traction nationally in recent years and an important facilitator in that discussion locally is the organization Books Though Bars.
The group’s primary mission is to obtain, pack and ship books to inmates in the region, a volunteer-heavy activity they have been doing in West Philly for more than 20 years. There is a chance this Saturday to be part of this ongoing conversation, meet people from Books Through Bars and other organizations engaged in incarceration issues and raise a little money to keep their work going.
Books Through Bars is hosting a fundraiser tomorrow (Oct 18) at the LAVA Space at 4134 Lancaster Ave, beginning at 2 p.m. The event will feature free workshops and speakers (2 to 6 p.m.) from the following organizations: Decarcerate PA, Hearts on a Wire, The Center for Returning Citizens, HRC, Books Through Bars Address This!, and DreamActivist PA. After that there will be a rockers show (6-10 p.m.) hosted by MMGZ.
Please bring $5-8 to donate at the event. Also, Books Through Bars’ Business, Science and Math shelves are pretty empty right now, so if you have any books that you don’t need please bring them to tomorrow’s event or to the A-Space where the organization is located (4722 Baltimore Ave).
For more information, check out the Books Through Bars Facebook page.
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