Tioga: Mercy Neighborhood Ministries Gives Students an Educational Head Start
Bright lights shine on the beaming green and orange painted walls as the next group of children happily walked into the Mercy Neighborhood Ministries building located on W. Venango Street in Tioga. The inviting staff and abundant open space offer some of the best amenities and educational assistance in the area for children in kindergarten […]
Mantua: “My Parents and Grandparents Trained Me to Survive.”
Nine years ago, De’Wayne Drummond nearly lost it all. A lifelong resident of the Mantua section of West Philadelphia, Drummond had unknowingly fallen asleep in nearly six pints of his own blood at his home on Haverford Avenue near 34th Street, only to be awoken by his infant daughter, Jadyn, who was desperately pleading for […]
South Philadelphia: CityLife Church Focuses On Giving Back To The Community
With its successful service initiatives, especially the ones that benefit the neighborhood public school and the less fortunate, CityLife Church in South Philadelphia is a becoming a part of the local Christian community. Founders Brad and Leah Leach established CityLife in 2011 as a place for local Christians to learn more about Jesus’s gospel and how to apply the teachings to their own […]
Bridesburg: Boys And Girls Club Adds To Spring Clean Up
Since 1941, the Bridesburg Boys and Girls Club has given children and teens in the community a place away from the streets to learn and grow as young adults. “They’re basically like a second home,” said Christina Whitaker. “They’ve been there when it’s been hard to find parents or when you just needed someone other […]
Northwest Philadelphia: 6 People Paving Paths To A Better Life
Passion is an essential element in the development of communities in Northwest Philadelphia. Each of these individuals brings their own skill set in an effort to build a stronger community. They strive to improve their communities by instilling stability within families, reinforcing positive attitudes for children and providing invaluable guidance for adolescents. Rich Drayton (pictured […]
Kensington: Affordable Artist Collective Seeks to Change Community
Papermill Community of Artists provides dozens of artists with affordable and community-based studio and performance space. Karyn Vetter, 44, is the owner and property manager of the Papermill Community of Artists, located at 2825 Ormes St. in the heart of Kensington. The building was once one of many such century-old, abandoned warehouses dotted around Kensington, inevitably […]
Brewerytown: Community Center’s Computer Lab Goes Underused
In November the Greater Brewerytown Community Development Corp. (GBCDC) reopened its technology center for the public, but employees at the community center said it still feels like an underused resource. “I think people are a little intimidated and maybe unsure if they’ll be helped,” said Executive Director Shelly Anthony White about the sparse use of […]
Strawberry Mansion: Rick Ford Creates More Than Just Ballplayers
A lifelong resident of Strawberry Mansion reminisced about some of the struggles he endured as a child. Rick Ford acknowledged how his own downfall began. It was in the sixth grade when Ford began smoking cigarettes, which led to a childhood filled with drug abuse. “By the time I got to seventh grade I was […]