Hunting Park: Esperanza Aims to Improve Neighborhood Conditions
Esperanza is a faith-based community development corporation and nonprofit organization. It was founded in 1986 by the Hispanic clergy of Philadelphia. At the time, the Hispanic clergy wanted to address some of the larger problems that the community faced – access to affordable housing, access to jobs, safe communities and an education. Philip Dawson, 29, […]
Hunting Park: Black Diamond Dance Troupe Prepares Girls For Healthy Futures Through Dance and Mentoring
Hip-Hop music played loudly at the Hunting Park Recreation Center, where a group of young girls smiled with joy as they began preparation for their next performance. The Black Diamond Dance Troupe was founded two years ago by Camisha Moyer, Shana Bowman and Kishna Jeantine, who serve as the dance coaches for the troupe. The […]
Hunting Park: Family Fit Program Helps Reduce Obesity Through Education and Fitness
Young children and their guardians watched as a big blue, red and white volleyball went back and forth over a volleyball net which signified the beginning of another family fit class at the Esperanza Center on 4417 N. 6th St. in Hunting Park. The children and their parents smiled as they began the 90 minute session that […]
Education: English Teacher Aims To Improve Opportunities Inside And Outside The Classroom
Kayla Conklin currently serves as the department head of the English department at Esperanza Academy Charter High School in West Hunting Park. That title is just one of many she holds at the school, mainly comprised of minority students in the surrounding neighborhoods. Between the hours of 8:50 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Conklin is either […]
Hunting Park: Chess Instructor Inspires Kids To Reach Their Full Potential
Young children played and screamed happily at the Lenfest Center on N. 10th St in Hunting Park as Gil Motley arrived for his chess club. His infectious smile and personality captivated the space as he walked through the door to Classroom A, where his club will soon commence. As Motley entered the room, he reached […]
Hunting Park: Five Places That Uplift The Members of the Community
Hunting Park in North Philadelphia offers many places for its community members to come together. These places inspire growth in the community and keep the lights on to promote a positive environment. Here are five places in Hunting Park that uplift members of the community. The Lenfest Center Built in 2007, originally as a building for […]
Hunting Park: Bodegas and Bodyshops Revive The Economy of North 5th Street
Specks of sawdust shimmered in the sunlight as the shrill of power tools echoed throughout the skeleton of a body shop. The sight is no longer uncommon along the 5th Street Corridor of North Philadelphia, between Luzerne and Wyoming streets, but rather serves as evidence to the recent economic influx of Hunting Park. “I’ve been […]
Juniata Park: Carribbean Native Connects Local Community To Philly Creek
As litter from the sea washed upon the white sand beaches of Puerto Rico, Doryán De Angel discovered her zeal. Fueling her fervor for the recovery of Earth’s waterways, the environmentalist is now the community watershed leader of the Tookany/Tacony-Frankford Watershed Partnership (TTF), a Philadelphia-based initiative established in 2000 to promote community engagement with the body […]
Juniata Park: MVP360 Offers More Than Just Sports
Lighthouse Field is home of the Philadelphia Eagles. No, not the Eagles you’re probably thinking of, but the Eagles flag football team. Find yourself at the field on a Saturday and you may have a chance to see them in action. The Eagles flag football team is part of MVP360, a nonprofit leadership development program […]
Hunting Park: Latin Music Lessons Transcend The Classroom
Salsa rhythms pulsate beyond the basement of Esperanza College and flow into the streets of Hunting Park. The Caribbean-based beats resonate from Artístas y Músicos Latino Americanos (AMLA), a non-profit arts and artist’s organization established in North Philadelphia. Accentuating Latin composition, the music school, which was founded in 2006 by Grammy-nominated music producer Jesse Bermudez, recently […]