WHYY’s community news site Newsworks.org has a nice little piece yesterday about this afternoon’s gospel concert  fundraiser for Windermere fire victims at the Monumental Baptist Church (4948 Locust St.)

Concert organizer Keith Wallace told Newsworks that he had a vision well before the Windermere fire that he would help fire victims.

The concert is from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.. Donations for the fire victims will be gladly accepted. See the flier  for more details.

Rocco and others need foster homes. City Kitties has put a call out for folks who want to provide a foster home (or a permanent home of course) for cats displaced by fire at the Windermere Court Apartments and, more recently, the fire at 45th and Walnut. Because of the notoriety they have gained during the fires, City Kitties is experiencing a surge in the number of adoptable cats. They desperately need places for them to stay, at least temporarily. Even Rocco, who made it out earlier this week, needs a temporary home.

City Kitties has a list of criteria that would make a good foster home as well as applications here.

Walkout at West Philly High

The Philadelphia Public School Notebook has a thorough piece about the walkout at West Philadelphia High School yesterday. They report that as many as 100 students walked out in protest of constant changes at the school, which was recently declared a “promise academy” by the school district. The designation carries a number of changes, including the dismissal of the entire faculty and the rehiring of a maximum of 50 percent of teachers.

The Philadelphia Inquirer also posted a story yesterday on the walkout.

“I’m appalled at what’s going on,” junior D’Atwan Nelson, a leader of the walkout, told the Inquirer.

Windermere cats video

Philly.com posted a video yesterday on the efforts of the West Philly based feline rescue group City Kitties to rescue cats still inside the Windermere Court Apartments at 48th and Walnut, which was devastated by fire on January 10. Demolition of the building is scheduled to begin Monday.

The poster for Annie that was put up around the neighborhood.

Another Windermere cat was found alive a month and a day after the West Philly building was devastated by fire. Annie, a tortoise shell, jumped into the arms of a City Kitties volunteer around dawn this morning outside of the Windermere Court Apartments at 48th and Walnut. You may have seen posters for Annie up around the neighborhood (see left). She is missing her tail.

Here’s how the volunteer tells the story (on the City Kitties site):

Before dawn this morning, as a City Kitties volunteer left her house, she heard a cat howling in distress. On a neighbor’s porch, she spotted a tailless tortoiseshell cat. “Annie?” It couldn’t be.

The second she heard her name, Annie came running and practically jumped into the volunteer’s arms. She knew this was her chance, and once safely inside, she knew just what to do: purr like crazy.

One month and one day after the Windermere fire, just when hope seemed to be running out, Annie made a miraculous appearance one block from the burned out building she used to call home. Not only that, she showed up right outside of City Kitties “headquarters.” We don’t believe in fate — just really smart cats who know exactly where to find help.

A rally for Windermere residents and their pets is planned for tomorrow outside West Philadelphia High School. See the story about that here.

Within a day of the Jan. 10 at the Windermere Court Apartments at 48th and Walnut Street people from around the area stepped up to help the 100 or more people that the fire made homeless. Folks donated clothes, money and other things to the Salvation Army, the Red Cross and other organizations. Little of that help has seemingly made it to the victims. We wanted to alert readers to a discussion on our original story on aid to the victims. Here is a sample comment from Lara, a former resident of Windermere Court:

I am also a former resident of the Windermere apartments, and yes, I can confirm that none of the clothing donated to the Salvation Army goes directly to us. And the same goes for any money donated to the Red Cross – it DOES NOT go directly to us. We have each been given a $100 voucher to use at a Salvation Army store, in one visit, before mid February. As far as donated clothing goes, unfortunately I have no idea where it can be donated where it will be held for us. Some of us have found adequate clothing through friends, coworkers, and the help of other former residents of Windermere Court. Others have had more difficulty finding what they need. I will say this though… we have barely seen any of all of the aid we keep hearing of, and it is not only disheartening, but angering. Where is it going? We (many former residents) keep reading misinformation about such resources that have supposedly been provided to us in news articles again and again. We have not been put up in hotels or apartments by anyone but perhaps friends or family, and we have been mostly fending for ourselves at the same time as grieving what we’ve lost. We’ve been communicating with one another and have been each other’s best source of information and resources. I wish I could help you help us, but I don’t know exactly how to do that.

See more comments here. Next week we plan to do a one-month update on what’s happening with fire victims and the building.

An Amanada Hamtil piece.

A group of Philadelphia artists will be hosting a benefit show, sale and raffle tonight at 5:30 p.m. at City Tap House (3925 Walnut St.) for victims of the Jan. 10 Windermere Court Apartments fire in West Philly.

Amanda Hamtil, Gaby Heit, Christopher Kontoes and S. Leser are members of the artist’s group “In Here.” They work in photography, acrylic painting, pen and ink and pencil drawing. Twenty percent of all their sales will go to the Salvation Army West Philadelphia Fire Distress Relief fund. The artists will also donate pieces to a raffle that will also be held tonight at the City Tap House.