Reminder: The 2nd Porch Hop hosted by community groups 48th Street Neighbors and Mel-Lo Town Watch is this Saturday (Aug 4), from 5 to 8 p.m. See the list of participating porches below.

FYI, one of the Porch Hop organizers, Patty Bulack,  invites neighbors to stop by her porch after 6 p.m. for a jam session.  A classical singer will perform (Patty will be playing piano to accompany her), and sax and guitar players will be on hand.  Patty’s son will be on the drums. They are planning to play recordings from a newly released CD of a neighbor around the corner.

For more information, please visit the event’s Facebook page.

Click to enlarge.

The West Philadelphia Block Captains Forum is coming up on Saturday, August 4, and registration is open now. This is a unique and exciting opportunity for skill-building, leadership development and networking for block captains from West Philadelphia. Participating block captains can attend free workshops, including Computer and Internet Training, Zoning and City Planning, Crime and Safety, and Community Organizing. District Attorney Seth Williams will be a keynote speaker at the forum, as well as a guest panelist in the workshop on Crime and Safety.

The Block Captains Forum will take place at Boys’ Latin of Philadelphia at 5501 Cedar Avenue, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. It is organized by The Partnership CDC/NAC, SCI-West and LISC. Breakfast and lunch will be provided.

If you are a registered block captain from 19139, 19104 or 19143, you are encouraged to register for the forum. You can do it online here, by calling Leon Robinson at The Partnership CDC at (215) 662-1612, by emailing him at lrobinson@thepartnershipcdc.org, or by stopping by the office at 4020 Market Street. For more information, visit this page.

The Green Block Build Collaborative, a coalition of community organizations including LISC and The Partnership CDC, is inviting Walnut Hill residents and neighbors to the Green Block Party tomorrow, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the 4700 Block of Sansom Street. This is a free community event where residents can learn about how to transition to a cleaner, greener and healthier future. See the flyer below for more details.

The neighborhood watch groups 48th Street Neighbors and Me-Lo Town Watch will jointly host another “porch hop” on August 4 as a way for neighbors to get to know each other better.

The hop will run from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. rain or shine. So far 11 porches spread across both sides of Baltimore Avenue are on the itinerary (see the map below). Snacks and drinks will likely be provided on each porch, but it never hurts to bring along some of your own, including some wine or beer.

Here are some more details:

Here’s a great chance to help a woman entering or re-entering the workplace. Wash Cycle Laundry and Gearing Up will be doing pick-ups around Center City and West Philly of gently used, interview-ready professional attire for the fantastic non-profit Career Wardrobe, which works to support women transitioning to work. Studio 34 (4522 Baltimore Ave.) will serve as a drop-off point in West Philly.

Studio 34 will be collecting clothes now through Sunday, July 22. Bring your clothing in bags labeled “Career Wardrobe” to Studio 34’s front desk before 4 p.m. on Sunday, July 22.

Here are some guidelines from Studio 34:

• We accept clothes for all seasons!
• Donations should arrive ready to wear: clean, on hangers, with all buttons, working zippers, and no tears or stains. (If you don’t have hangers, don’t worry! the organization hosting this donations drive will find hangers for loose clothing. But if you have hangers, please include them.)
• Items not used for this program will be donated to other nonprofit organizations or sold at The Wardrobe Boutique, a recycled clothing boutique to benefit Career Wardrobe’s programs.

 
Some students at West Philly High School will be the subject of tonight’s esteemed documentary program Frontline for all of the right reasons.

Tonight’s episode, “Fast Times at West Philly High,” will build on the legend of the EVX Team, which is competing with top engineers and multi-national corporations to build a viable, affordable car that can get 100 miles per gallon. The prize is $10 million. Most of us in West Philly are familiar with the EVX Team. They’ve been to the White House. They’ve taken on – and beaten – students from top engineering programs and Ivy League schools in design competitions.

Philadelphia filmmaker Debbie Morton followed the team for two years and the result of that work is tonight’s program.

Here’s a line from the promotional material: “In Fast Times at West Philly High, Frontline explores the viability of these cars, the potential that exists within our young people, and the prospects of effective innovation in public education.”

The film is about these kids and their amazing story, but we hope that it reminds people all over that amazing kids are everywhere – they just need the right tools and guidance.

The show will be on WHYY locally at 10 p.m.