Philadelphia Parks & Recreation, in partnership with Fairmount Park Conservancy, Philadelphia Zoo, Please Touch Museum, and The Mann Center for the Performing Arts, is developing a plan for the future of the Centennial District in West Fairmount Park.

As part of the planning process, the City is gathering community input and holding an open house on Thursday, Jan. 25 at the Please Touch Museum. Stop by anytime between 6 and 8 p.m..

The City of Philadelphia would like to hear stories you have about the Centennial District and share your thoughts on what works well and what doesn’t. Check out the event flyer below.

If you can’t make the open house, please consider taking an online survey, which will be posted after the open house at centennialdesignplan.com.

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Great news for Malcolm X Memorial Park and local community advocates! The 188th District was recently awarded a state grant of over $76,000 which will be used to bring important improvements to the park. The grant will be used to repair the park gazebo, bathrooms and lighting. State Rep. Rick Krajewski, whose office worked on securing the grant, posted the following message on social media:

“If we want to fight for our young people and build a real sense of public safety for all, we need to make more investments like this one. Congrats to the Friends of Malcolm X Park! This will make a big difference for the 188th.”

Friends of Malcolm X Park is a volunteer-run group who organizes various events and activities at the park, including regular cleanups, and advocates for new resources. In recent years, the park has been home to such events as community/health fairs, outdoor theater shows by Theatre in the X, Juneteenth Festival, outdoor film screenings, and many recreational activities.

Project MEOW Facebook photo.

Project MEOW, the West Philly-based cat rescue organization, is in urgent need of foster homes after rescuing many cats, some of them injured, this winter. It is very important to pick up as many homeless cats as possible off the street during freezing conditions, but the number of animals they can save is limited and depends on the availability of fosters.

If you are interested in signing up as a foster for Project MEOW, please email: fosters@projectmeow.org

Cat adoptions are also available. The organization also helps keep local stray/community cat colonies under control by using TNR (trap-neuter-return) practices. Here are some Project MEOW stats from last year:

Cats adopted: 676

Cats in foster care: 205

Cats spayed/neutered: 981

Colony cats helped: 165

To learn more about Project MEOW, visit their website or Facebook page.

Here are some Martin Luther King Day of Service events and volunteer opportunities in West and Southwest Philadelphia happening on Monday, Jan. 15. If you’re hosting an event please feel free to add it in the comments section. More events and volunteer opportunities can be found on the MLK Day of Service website.

The events in the list below include peace and solidarity walks, cleanups, art projects, food and clothing giveaway, and more.

The list has been compiled by the Office of Councilmember Jamie Gauthier (3rd District).

Click to enlarge.

Here’s some great news for the old Calvary Church building, which has been home to many local community and arts organizations over the last few decades. As a result of the fundraising efforts supported by the community, a new, much-needed HVAC system has finally been installed and will provide heating and air-conditioning at this historic building.

The new HVAC system was installed at the end of last month and has been working well, according to Calvary Center’s social media posts.

The fundraiser was announced last summer with a goal to match a $100,000 grant from the National Fund for Sacred Places.

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The historical Woodlands cemetery, located at 40th and Woodland, has announced its 2024 Grave Gardener season and is currently accepting applications for this popular annual program. The non-profit organization is currently recruiting volunteers who will take care of Victorian-era “cradle” graves originally designed to be planters. As usual, the season kicks off with a series of winter workshops where participants can learn about historical contexts and helpful how-to’s.

Each volunteer will be assigned to a cradle grave to tend to throughout the growing season (March to November). The application period closes on Wednesday, Jan. 17.

For more information and to apply, click here.

The Woodlands has also announced a Volunteer Site Work Day, which will be held on Saturday, Jan. 27, from 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.

Volunteers are needed to help remove ivy and other invasive plants from trees, collect fallen sticks and branches, pick up trash along Woodland Avenue, and do other outdoor site clean-up chores. To learn more and to sign up, go here.