East Oak Lane: African American Boy Scouts’ Troop Has Difficulty With Generating New Committee Members
Since 1910, the Boys Scouts of America have been shaping young men from all over the nation into the next leaders of our country. At the Oak Lane Presbyterian Church, the scouts of Troop 19 are taught how to be responsible, knowledgeable, and self-sufficient with the help of their head Scoutmaster Alvin Mitchell and his […]
East Oak Lane: Local Community Organization Goes Through Financial Crisis
The Oak Lane Community Action Association (OLCAA) has been distributing the East Oak Lane Paper to the community since the 70s but as of late, they’ve been having a difficult time with maintaining their audience. According to OLCAA’s current president Eric Brice, their membership dues aren’t pulling in as much profit as they were when the […]
West Oak Lane: Planting Seeds For Youth to Help Clean Up Streets
On the corners of many streets in neighborhoods throughout the city, there is trash and other debris strewn around. Events like the annual city-wide spring cleanup day were created to help keep streets clean and also teach kids that they should be keeping their neighborhoods in the best conditions possible. For parents, having their children alongside them […]
East Oak Lane: Organization Makes Use Of Green — and It Isn’t Talking Money
East Oak Lane, William Penn’s first neighborhood, is often called a “Green Country Town” and if you’ve taken a trip to this area, you would understand why. Most of the neighborhood’s streets are lined with beautiful, large trees, some of which have been there for decades, others purposely planted by a group of people who call this […]
East Oak Lane: Church Leader Creates Kitchen Program to Bring Members Together
Oak Lane Presbyterian Church, located in the East Oak Lane area of the city, offers many programs geared toward creating a tight-knit congregation. The church’s pastor, the Rev. Judith Brackett, had this goal in mind when she created her Tuesdays in the Kitchen with the Pastor program, which allows members of the congregation to spend time with her, […]
East Oak Lane: Raise of Hope, Inc. Provides Affordable Housing for Homeless Families
Homelessness is nothing new and for Raise of Hope, Inc. founder Habeebah Ali the issue resonates on a personal level. As a survivor of domestic violence and someone who was once homeless, Ali knows how challenging life can be for a family with no place to call its own. Having lived twice at the Women Against Abuse […]
East Oak Lane: Non-Profit Program Director Helps Provide Scholarships To Students In Need
Portia Fullard, a longtime resident of East Oak Lane and graduate of Temple University, is program director for Sky Community Partners, Inc., a local non-profit organization that identifies children in underserved communities and helps pay for them to attend private schools in the city. The organization has been able to award more than 500 students […]
Oak Lane: Tea Attracts a New Audience With Local Shop
Assistant vice president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia is a far cry from running a small business focused on organic tea. Howard James, the owner and operator of Tea Country, saw an opportunity to make the leap from corporate America to small business proprietor. After an MBA project at Eastern University steered him […]
Oak Lane: Diner is a Family Establishment
Debbie Evans was born and raised in Oak Lane and has been working at the Oak Lane Diner for more than a decade. What has kept her coming back every day is the great connection she has with her customers and fellow servers. “I like it here, this is one of the diners that is easy […]