In response to community member requests following last week’s fire that left a neighbor seriously injured, the Philadelphia Fire Department is offering a free fire safety and prevention workshop on Wednesday, Feb. 6. The workshop will be held in the chapel of Calvary Center (48th and Baltimore) from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. and will be led by Deputy Fire Chief Derrick Sawyer.

The following issues will be covered at the workshop:

– reviewing the fire-prevention checklist for your residence;
– how to plan for the worst;
– what is a good escape route if front and back doors are not available;
– how to escape with a young child or the elderly resident from the 2nd or 3rd floor;
– what kind of equipment might a family reasonably have on hand (and where) in case of a fire emergency.

Chief Sawyer will also answer your questions.
 

This is an exciting week for local kids, teens and adults who love theatre and are interested in acting, with a few new educational programs and events launching in the area. Here are the details:

New Drama/Acting Classes

The Community Arts program at the Woodland Presbyterian Church located at 401 S. 42nd Street is starting an eight-week (Feb. 7 – March 27) drama class on Thursday afternoons, 4:00-5:00 p.m. and children ages 5-14 are welcome to participate. Kids will play drama games, learn acting techniques and perform in a culminating production. A donation of $20/participant is suggested to help cover program costs. To register or for more details, please contact Carol Shih at carol.shih@woodlandpres.net.

Theatre and Me, LLC (Facebook page), a new company providing training and development for kids, teens and adults in the performing and creative arts, i.e. theatre, dance, voice, etc., is holding an Open House/Information Session about their upcoming classes on Saturday, Feb. 9, 2:30-3:30 p.m., at Dreaming Tree Music (4721 Pine St.). For more information, contact Marcus Siler at theatreandmewithmarcus@gmail.com.

New Kids Show at Curio

Curio Theatre has prepared an exciting new show for kids: Hansel and Gretel, the beloved fairy-tale by The Grimm Brothers was adapted for the stage by Rosemary Fox and will run on Saturdays at 2 p.m. on Feb. 9, 16, 23 and March 2. Tickets ($10) are available here.

Just in time for Valentine’s Day …  local library branches are holding two events, both on Wednesday, Feb. 6, that might help those who are looking for that special someone or those who just want to socialize.

If you’re looking for love this Valentine’s Day and want to meet a book-loving better half, the Walnut Street West Library (40th & Walnut) is presenting a free speed dating event for single adults ages 25-35, at 5:30-7:30 p.m. Participants are encouraged to bring a book they love, hate, or want to talk about as an ice-breaker. All applicants will remain anonymous, with identities revealed via email only after a mutual match is made. Registration is required. Please email Dan Ryan (ryand@freelibrary.org) with any questions. Here is a Facebook page for this event. As far as we know this event is aimed at straight people.

For those who are curious about online dating but don’t know where to start the Lucien E. Blackwell Regional Library (52nd & Sansom) is hosting a free Online Dating 101 seminar. The seminar is taught by anthropologist and online dating expert Kat Richter who will cover the following topics: Selecting the best online dating service to achieve your goals, writing a winning profile, learning how to stay safe and sane. The seminar begins at 6:00 p.m. For more information call 215-685-7433.

Clark Kent.

Many of our readers might remember a series of stories we published in the fall of 2011 about Clark Kent, an abandoned and starved cat found in Clark Park and rescued by our reader James. That story and the following stories were shared hundreds of times on our blog and by other media and animal rescue organizations, prompting people from all over the world to donate thousands of dollars for the cat’s expensive treatment (Clark Kent suffered from a severe kidney condition because he accidentally ate pieces of metal rummaging through garbage while trying to survive on his own for many days).

Unfortunately, Clark Kent lost his battle with the disease on Friday, as City Kitties, a local cat rescue organization announced on their Facebook page.

“He went peacefully at home, surrounded by his family, almost a year to the day after his adoption. We are thankful to everyone who allowed us to provide him comfort during the time he had left. We are especially grateful to Jackie for providing him with love, care and a wonderful home. RIP little guy,” the announcement reads.

Although we’re sad that Clark Kent wasn’t able to make it, it is comforting to know that he received so much support and had someone who loved and took care of him at the end of his life.

CommunityCam maps public and private security cameras in the city.

Using surveillance videos in solving a crime has become a common practice for law enforcement officials since many businesses, organizations and individuals now install security cameras as a safety measure. But what about simple folks who need this information but don’t have access to it? In an effort to help residents prevent and solve crime, VideoSurveillance.com has recently rolled out the CommunityCam program that maps public and private security cameras throughout Philadelphia. The program is first launching in our city, with a goal to eventually expand nationwide.

Anyone can use the map either for locating cameras that may have captured a criminal activity or for choosing a safer walking route. The map is crowdsourced so any resident, business owner, neighborhood group, or government organization can add locations of surveillance cameras to help their neighbors.

“Unfortunately, information about security cameras has not been made available to the public so someone who has been hurt, wronged, or worse does not have access to all the resources that could help make things right. With this effort, we hope that neighbors will start working together to help each other and to make all cities and towns safe,” said Josh Daniels, President of VideoSurveillance.com.

A neighbor, Stephanie, said that the program is interesting, too, because it’s crowdsourced – so neighbors and residents can help each other out. “As a young(ish) single woman, new to Philadelphia, this makes me feel more secure,” said Stephanie.

Here’s how you can use CommunityCam:

– Visit http://www.videosurveillance.com/communitycam

– Navigate the map using the directional arrows

– Click the blue balloons to see addresses for and types of cameras

– If you have an outdoor surveillance camera, you’re encouraged to add it to the map.
 

Several second through sixth graders from four West Philly schools are members at the Minor Threats chess club. The kids are trying to get to the State and National championships this spring. 

The Minor Threats is a chess club based at S. Weir Mitchell Elementary school at 55th and Kingsessing and consists of 2nd-6th graders from four different schools in West and Southwest Philly. Their coach and school teacher, Jason Bui, would like to take this talented and hardworking group of youngsters to two important upcoming competitions – the State Championships in Carlisle in March and Supernationals in Nashville, Tenn. in April. But traveling to and competing at these events require some funding which the club doesn’t have. So the Minor Threats are seeking community support. A total of $5,000 is needed to take the kids to both events.

Here’s what Jason wrote in an email:

“This has been an exciting year for the chess club. The kids have worked very hard. They have attended eleven tournaments around Philadelphia so far this school year. They have won 19 individual trophies, medals, and awards. They have won 3 team trophies. Now they want to prove themselves on the state and national level. They will not be able to do that without your help.

We need $1,300 to take 13 kids and 4 parents to the State Championships in Carlisle, Penna. for two nights in March. Most of the kids will compete in both the K-6 under 800 section on Saturday and the K-9 under 1,000 section on Sunday. Last year 105 of the best K-6 chess players in the state played in these two sections. I took four fairly inexperienced students there. We missed winning a team trophy by 1 point. This year the team is much more prepared. They have been practicing and studying for months.

We need $5,000 to take 9 kids and 4 adults to Supernationals V in Nashville, Tenn. for four nights in April. Every four years the elementary, middle school, and high school national chess championships are held at one location. This event is called Supernationals. The Minor Threats will compete against hundreds of the best K-6 chess players in the country. Based on their accomplishments at local tournaments they stand a good chance to bring home some trophies and glory for the team.

Your donation will make a huge impact on the lives of inner-city youth who are eager to achieve great things through chess. A $20 donation would pay for a hotel room for one child. A $50 donation would pay the Supernationals tournament entry fee for one child. A $100 donation would cover one child’s expenses for the State Championships. A $200 donation would pay for one child’s bus ride to Nashville. A $1,000 donation would cover one child’s expenses for the Supernationals.”

If you want to help the Minor Threats club, please send cash or a check made out to S. Weir Mitchell School with “Chess Team” written on the memo line. The school’s address is: 5500 Kingsessing Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19143. Jason has also set up an online fundraising page. Please go here to donate.