Logan: Loved for Nine Years Strong
Nine years ago, Michael Hayward knew that the neighborhood around his home at 12th and Wingohocking streets was facing tough times. The “sinking homes” disaster had caused many responsible homeowners to move out of the area, and the strength of the existing Logan community organization had diminished considerably. So Hayward and a neighbor–Sonya Bryant–decided that […]
Olney/Logan: Young Offenders Get a Second Chance
Inside the courtroom at the 35th Police District, Officer Barbara Blackford opens the double doors and calls out to the two people waiting in the hallway. “You can come back in,” she says as she holds the door open. A teenage boy walks into the courtroom followed by his mother. They seat themselves in two […]
Kensington: Keeping an Eye on the Children
The streets of Kensington can be unsafe and uncertain. Police sirens often blare as they race down Kensington Avenue. Drug deals occur on many corners, and worst of all, children are often left unattended on the streets, leaving them in danger. But after the rape of an 11-year-old girl in Kensington, parents are taking a […]
Hunting Park: Teaming Up to Stop Crime
Greg Bucceroni sat down in his office chair and insisted he describe where his life’s path has led him. In the 1970s, Bucceroni was a juvenile delinquent in the Brooklyn and Manhattan. “I was very violent as a kid, and some of the people I associated with were the real life gangsters from the movie ‘GoodFellas,’” […]
Strawberry Mansion: Preserving a Legend
Jazz legend John Coltrane lived in Philadelphia from 1952 to 1958. His Strawberry Mansion home still stands on 1511 N. 33rd St. with a historical plaque in front. It was named a historical building in 1999 by the Philadelphia Historical Commission. The commission’s office in City Hall still holds many old photographs and legal documents […]
Hunting Park: A Businessman Who Believes in More than Business
Arty Elgart claims that if you ask the people who live near his automotive business what he sells they would have no clue. But Elgart is no stranger to the residents who live around 10th and Butler Streets in the Hunting Park section of Philadelphia. His familiar face is one the community knows is trustworthy and […]
Strawberry Mansion: John Coltrane’s House of Blues
Row homes line this North Philadelphia street–some of them abandoned and wet from the grip of constant rain. There is a single rumble of thunder. A low-lying fog covers the front of a three-story brick house on 1511 N. 33rd St. near Oxford in North Philadelphia’s Strawberry Mansion section. Plywood and planks help hold this home […]
Olney: Center Provides Assistance to Veterans
When a soldier returns home after experiencing combat, the transition back into civilian life is not an easy task. The soldiers often face great hardships as a result of the injuries and the memories they bring with them. Fortunately, for veterans in Philadelphia needing assistance for that often difficult transition is nearby. The Northeast Philadelphia Vet […]
Ridge Avenue: The Arts Garage
The area around 15th Street at Ridge Avenue is practically vacant during the middle of the day. Aside from a few people who live in the area and walk the streets or those who own the few businesses at that end of Ridge, there usually isn’t much activity. Now fast forward to the hours after […]
Germantown: Teen Challenge Initiative
When John Blaufuss checked himself into the Germantown Teen Challenge Initiative years ago, he was hoping that the program would be the help he needed to get his life in order and not be dependant on drugs and alcohol anymore. Two decades later, he can confidently say the program was a success for him. Not […]