Hunting Park: Esperanza’s Gabriella Gabriel Paez Uses Trees To Connect Community
On the blacktop next to McClure Elementary School, Gabriella Gabriel Paez (above) stood in front of what looked like a forest-in-the-making — rows of short and sparse baby trees in planters. She gave them out, free of charge, to families as they left parent-teacher conference night at the school. Gabriel Paez organized the yard tree […]
Hunting Park: First Haunted Hayride Brings Together Community And Police
The 25th Philadelphia Police District and Hunting Park United (HPU) partnered to host the first Haunted Hayride event on Oct. 30 in Hunting Park. The Halloween event, created by Ryan Barksdale and Albert Cruz, the 25th District community relations officers, Captain Javier Rodriguez and HPU President Leroy Fisher, featured an inflatable corn maze, trailer hayrides, […]
Hunting Park: Community Members Discuss Solutions to Neighborhood’s High Heat
Hunting Park residents and city officials discussed heat-related issues and solutions at the “Beat the Heat” design workshop on Oct. 18 at Esperanza’s headquarters, located at 4261 N. Fifth St. Esperanza is a nonprofit organization that aims to strengthen the Hispanic community in Hunting Park through education, economic development and advocacy. The Office of Sustainability’s […]
Hunting Park: City Renames Street After Late Football Coach
The 900 block of West Cayuga Street has a new name: Wayne “Coach Wiz” Allen Way. The city unveiled the revamped street sign with a ceremony on the morning of Sept. 29, honoring the legacy of Wayne Allen, a late football coach and community leader. Above, Hunting Park resident Robert Hampton removes the plastic to reveal […]
Latinx: A Look Inside The Dominican Hair Salon Experience
From an early age, Rosaura Reynoso understood how hair has the power to frame a woman’s face. She developed a passion for the art of hair styling, and in 1983 decided to start her journey as a hair stylist. Reynoso was born and raised in the Dominican Republic, where she opened her own salon and […]
Latinx: The 197th District Elects Their First Dominican-American State Rep. Candidate
Danilo Burgos, former aide to Councilwoman Maria Quiñones-Sánchez and Councilman Allan Domb, became the 197th District’s first Dominican-American State Representative candidate after defeating incumbent Rep. Emilio Vazquez and CEO of Pan-American Mental Health Services Fred Ramirez in the primary election this past May 15. Burgos, a democrat, will run unopposed in the November general election as there […]
Latinx: Seven Places You Can Find Dominican Chimis
Not to be confused with the Argentinian sauce Chimichurri, the Dominican Chimichurris is an after-party must. Originating in the Dominican Republic, the Chimi is a burger-like specialty sold out of panel trucks in corners of concentrated areas generally surrounded by nightlife and businesses. The Chimi is a tropical twist on the conventional American hamburger. It […]
Politics: Cindy Bass Gives The Community A Voice
Logan residents feel they have been kept in the shadows for decades by their council people, but City Councilwoman Cindy Bass is finally giving them a voice. “We’ve been promised that our issues are going to be addressed by the politicians over and over again,” said Cecil Hankins, a neighborhood resident. “Logan is the least of […]
Hunting Park: Kensington Pastor Unifies Church Communities Through Charity And Outreach
In August 2009, Stephen Thompson was ordained as a pastor. Now a senior pastor at House of Triumph, located in Kensington, Thompson helps run community-oriented programs at the church. These programs include food outreach dinners twice a week and group addiction counseling twice a month. The church also holds a free market outreach once a month […]
Hunting Park: Casa Del Carmen Administrator Keeps Local Residents Connected And Informed
For the past two years, Christopher Gale has been serving as the administrator of Casa del Carmen, a branch of Catholic Social Services (CSS) which was founded to serve the Latino community in North Philadelphia. According to CSS records, Casa del Carmen impacted 21,387 people during the 2015-2016 fiscal year. If a client can’t come […]