West Poplar: New Community Center Leader Unites Poplar Residents Through Art, Sports
Richard Austin, 54, worked in banking and insurance for almost three decades before making the leap to nonprofit work to connect with communities hands-on. After eleven years in the sector, the Cheltenham resident started a new position in September as the outreach program director at Saint Paul’s Community Center on Wallace and 10th streets. […]
East Passyunk: An East Passyunk Native Who Has Grown With The Community
John Medica has been a recreation leader and facility supervisor at the East Passyunk Community Center for four years, since they first opened as a city-run community center. During his time here, he has seen the positive change, particularly for children, that the center has provided in terms of having a safe space to play […]
Brewerytown: Diane Scott Treats Everyone At Athletic Recreation Center As Family
The Athletic Recreation Center is more than just a place for kids to go after school and prides itself on treating each and every child who comes through the doors like family. Diane Scott (pictured above) serves as a kind of den mother for the children who think of the rec center at 1401 N. 26th […]
Old City: PhillyCAM Provides Community with Media Access
Philadelphia fought to get its public access television for 27 years and, on October 23, 2009, that fight came to an end. Philadelphia Community Access Media (PhillyCAM) started its cable broadcasting on Comcast and Verizon. PhillyCAM is non-profit organization that operates Philadelphia’s public access television. Located on the corner at Seventh and Ranstead streets, the doors […]
Hunting Park: Art Exhibit Provides Safe Space for Youth
Laughter and chatter filled the air as 30 people gathered in a tiny space in Hunting Park for an art exhibit entitled “I Am,” a self-reflective show on identity. The space, called Orange Korner Arts, seeks to provide a safe Christian-based environment for the youth and their families to explore the arts and the turn out was […]
Kensington: Community Center Works to Serve Neighborhood’s Needs
The Community Center at Visitation (CCV) is one of many outreach facilities dedicated to improving the quality of life in Kensington. Led by Sister Betty Scanlon, a Sister of Mercy and director of CCV, the center tries to fill the gaps in services needed by local residents. “We learn so much from the community. This facility is […]
Kensington: After-School Program Offers Safe Haven, Educational Assistance
Cardinal Bevilacqua Community Center in Kensington is a hub for creativity, extracurricular activity and educational assistance. Dominique James, the director of the high school after-school program, spends her days offering a positive lifestyle to students in Philadelphia who might otherwise get caught up in a life of crime and poor choices. What was your personal […]
Mantua: Richard Purdie Looking For a Full House at Community Center
As president of the Mantua Haverford Community Center, Richard Purdie is the heart of the neighborhood. He saw Mantua’s need for a reliable and safe place where children could get away from crime on the street and have a good meal. As a founding member of the Concerned Citizens of Mantua, created 15 years ago, […]
Gayborhood: The Center For The Community
It is not just services, colorful flags and signs that make a visible community, but also an atmosphere that makes people feel celebrated and welcomed. The things that make the Gayborhood a visible community are the cultural organizations, anchor buildings and businesses like the William Way LGBT Community Center, which provides resources and a safe atmosphere for […]
Al Dia: Five Places You Should Know
“Welcome to the center of gold” as the mural reads, or in this case the heart of Philadelphia’s Fairhill section, located at the intersection of 5th Street and Lehigh Avenue. Fairhill has the highest concentration of Latino residents of any neighborhood in Philadelphia, but it is just one of many Latino hotspots located throughout the […]