Fatima Rahman / Photo via Philly Police Blog.

A 21-year-old female of Bangladeshi descent, Fatima Rahman, has been missing since January 2 from the 4300 block of Chestnut Street, according to police. Rahman was last seen by her family members inside her residence at approximately 1:30 p.m. on Jan. 2. Rahman left her residence without her cell phone or jacket.

Rahman is described as 5’1”, 120lbs, thin build. She has brown eyes, olive skin, and shoulder length black hair. She was last seen wearing a blue head scarf, red sweater and blue jeans. Rahman has been known to frequent the areas of 43rd and Walnut Streets, as well as 34th and Race Streets.

Police said that Rahman suffers from schizophrenia and that she left her house without medication. Without her medication, she can become “increasingly paranoid and will avoid contact with people.”

Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Fatima Rahman is asked to contact Southwest Detective Division at 215-686-3183 or dial 911.

The West Philadelphia neighborhoods of Mantua, Mill Creek, Powelton Village, Belmont and Parkside have never been short on hope, dreams and promise. But they have often been short on funding.

That will very likely change now that these areas have been declared a federally designated “promise zone,” which makes them more likely to get future federal funding. About half of the zone’s approximately 35,000 residents live in poverty. The zone runs from Girard Avenue south to Sansom Street and 48th Street east to the Schuylkill River.

Here are some reactions on Twitter to the announcement last week:

We’ve always believed that our community had #promise! Excited for the potential the #promisezone funds will bring! http://t.co/UaMxXLDRAz

— PEC (@PECCaresPhilly) January 10, 2014

Pres @BarackObama at the #PromiseZone designation announcement. Phila is proud to receive this award. pic.twitter.com/pZBnL7DvFm — Michael A. Nutter (@Michael_Nutter) January 9, 2014

Hope the #promisezone activities in #phl include voter education. Voting -> Power -> Economic Power http://t.co/SO3rR1gSGn — Stephanie Singer (@sfsinger) January 10, 2014

Obama Designates Philadelphia as A Promise Zone, Drexel Will Play a Key Role in the Education Effort http://t.co/gGoKTOLhYV #Drexel

— Drexel U. News (@DrexelNews) January 10, 2014

The Philadelphia Inquirer‘s Jeff Gammage wrote a lengthy story published today that includes reactions from many of the players involved. They include grassroots organizations like the Mantua Civic Association and major nearby institutions like Drexel University. Wilford Shamlin III has a story in today’s Philadelphia Tribune on Drexel’s work with schools in the area.

The key strategies in the area include (from the White House website):

• Putting people back to work through skills training and adult education; classes on small business development to support entrepreneurs; loans and technical assistance for small resident-owned businesses; and the development of a supermarket providing both jobs and access to healthy food.

• Improving high-quality education to prepare children for careers, in partnership with Drexel University and the William Penn Foundation, through increasing data-driven instruction that informs teacher professional development; developing school cultures that are conducive to teaching and learning; mentoring middle and high school youth with focus on college access and readiness; and increasing parent engagement.

• Preventing and reducing crime in order to attract new residents and long-term investments, through strategies such as focused deterrence, hot spots policing, and foot patrol. 

These neighborhoods have heard “promises” before. University City High School, for example, was renamed “University City Promise Academy” during the 2010-2011 school year. Two years later it was closed. So as the dust settles from the announcement we look forward to bringing you future posts on actual projects and how to get involved with them.

Here are a few happenings this weekend we wanted to bring your attention to. For more events or to submit an event, go to our Events Calendar. And be careful out there – try to avoid slippery sidewalks!

– Beginning this Friday, International House Philadelphia (37th & Chestnut) presents Free to Love: The Cinema of the Sexual Revolution. This is a groundbreaking series made possible with the support by The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage. The series will run through February 15. Here’s this weekend’s program (ADULT CONTENT): Friday, Jan. 10, 7 p.m. – I am Curious (Yellow); Sweden, 1967, 121 min. Saturday, Jan. 11, 5 p.m. – Pink Narcissus; US, 1971, 71 min. 7 p.m. – In the Realm of the Senses; Japan, 1976, 109 min. 10 p.m. – Deep Throat; US, 1972, 61 min. For more information and tickets ($9 general admission; free for IHP members) click here.

– Here’s a reminder that the Electronics Recycling Day, which was supposed to take place last Saturday in Clark Park, has been moved to this Saturday, Jan. 11. Bring your old phones, computers and other electronic devices and gadgets to Clark Park at 43rd and Chester from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Electronics recycling is free of charge, with the exception of $20 charge for recycling cathode ray tube (CRT) TVs and monitors.

– Biunity‘s annual chocolate themed bake sale and fundraiser Death Bi Chocolate will take place at the A-Space (4722 Baltimore Ave) on Saturday, Jan. 11, 2-5 p.m. The event supports the only organization for bisexuals in Philadelphia and raises funds for appearances at pride events throughout the year, such as Philly Pride and OutFest. You can donate a chocolate baked good and enjoy the chocolates available at the sale, or just come and play board games with some friendly people.

Photo courtesy UCD.

Spring is not that far away and the University City District has started thinking about what mobile food vendors they should invite for their Spring-Summer food truck/vending program at The Porch, a popular public space by the 30th Street Station. As West Philly Local recently reported, some of the city’s best mobile vendors have been serving food on The Porch, including this winter (check the January-March 2014 food truck schedule here). And now, there is a possibility for new vendors to offer their gourmet food or desserts to The Porch visitors.

The Spring program starts in April and here’s some information from the UCD website:

University City District is issuing this request to secure mobile food vendors that provide unique, high-quality and sustainable food options that fit the highly mobile and urban environment of The Porch. Selected vendors will be asked to vend once a week for one month. For spring 2014 (beginning April 1), we are expanding our vending days to include lunch service (11:30am to 2:30pm) Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and breakfast service (7:30am to 2pm) Tuesdays and Thursdays…

Application deadline is 5 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 31. For forms and more information, click here.

Drake (A21685755) is one of the many wonderful dogs in urgent need of adoption, foster care, or rescue at Philadelphia’s animal control shelter (ACCT). Drake is a young boy approximately 1 to 2 years of age. He is a solid 46 pound Pit Bull terrier mix.

Drake was found as a stray but is very social and friendly. He is easy to walk, and gentle with treats. He knows sit and is eager to please. He also seems to be housetrained. Drake is the perfect package! He is calm and affectionate, but still has the puppy energy and will play up a storm. Drake seems to really like other doggies, so if you have one at home bring them in to meet him.

If you’re interested in adopting or fostering Drake, call 267-385-3800 or send a message at: acctpetfinder@gmail.com.

Editor’s Note: West Philly Local is proud to present the eighth in a series of vignettes of local block captains drawn from Them That Do, a multimedia documentary project and community blog by West Philly-based award-winning photographer Lori Waselchuk. Go to Them That Do for more information, updates and additional photos.

Rebecca Metraux Canna holds her seven-month-old daughter Lorelei in their home. Canna is the block captain for the 4600s of Hazel Avenue in Philadelphia PA. Photo by Lori Waselchuk

They call themselves the Hazelnuts. And Rebecca Metraux Canna is their captain.

Canna, soft spoken with a friendly smile, took over as block captain four years ago. “I love to plan events. I love West Philly. I thought I could contribute.”

The Hazelnuts love to party. They apply for five summer block party permits at a time. For more than a quarter of a century they have been hosting an annual progressive dinner party, during which 30 or so Hazelnuts eat a three-course potluck dinner, each course hosted by a different household. There are house concerts with famous musicians and impromptu happy hours on the large front porches of the nearly identical Edwardian twin homes. On Halloween, the Hazelnuts decorate their homes and treat generously.

For all the events and the business of the block, Canna uses block’s listserv and Facebook page to communicate. Canna is a psychologist; she likes to create surveys to understand how folks feel about things. When the block was considering permit parking, Canna used online surveys to get a consensus. “It was very contentious and took three votes to get it approved,” recalls Richard Olaya, a Hazelnut, a former Hazelnut captain, and a father of two.

Canna continues to think of new ways to be social. One Sunday this month, she is hosting a Sunday coffee and dessert get-together. “It might get people out of their houses during the winter,” she says.

The children party, too, in their own way. There are skateboarders and four-square games. The Manhunt tag games spill over into other blocks. Olaya took an informal census recently (surveys may be another Hazelnut tradition) and counted 36 kids living on the block. Some of the annual block parties are less structured so the kids can play freely on the blocked-off street.

Canna hopes to keep a kid-friendly culture on Hazel Avenue for her seven-month-old daughter, Lorelei. Already, she has been enlisting Lorelie to help with her captain duties. “She’s a good ice-breaker. I take her when I go around collecting the [$10] block fees. I don’t know everyone on the block, so Lorelie makes my introductions easier.”

–Lori Waselchuk