Kensington: Local Boxer Shares Gift With Community
With years of boxing experience under his belt, 18-year-old Branden Pizarro is making a name for himself as the youngest professional boxer in Pennsylvania. He’s been featured on Showtime’s ShoBox: The New Generation and now has his own space for him and others to train, The Gift Boxing Gym. In this video, Pizarro and his family […]
Hunting Park and Fairhill: Community Leaders Combat Opioid Epidemic With Their Own Hands
Community members in Hunting Park and Fairhill are no longer waiting for the city to resolve the dire opioid epidemic and its residual effects that impact the health and safety of their neighborhoods. Leaders are learning how to reverse opioid and heroin overdoses, picking up needles and drug containers from playgrounds and schoolyards, and having […]
Kensington: Galaei Philly Empowers The Lives Of Latino LGBT Youth
Right across the street from Norris Square Park, at 149 West Susquehenna Ave., sits a small but powerful organization dedicated to helping residents in Philadelphia’s LGBT community. Galaei Philly provides health services such as HIV testing, counseling and sexual health education with a special focus on those of Latin origin. The organization’s mission is to […]
Kensington: Esperanza To Spend $14.5M To Transform Vacant Building Into Health Center
The new Esperanza Health Center in Kensington is expected to benefit the entire neighborhood by expanding access to much needed medical services in a state-of-the-art facility, said Juan Perez, operations director at Esperanza Health Center. “We may have been one of three in the city that received this grant from the state,” said Perez (pictured […]
Fairhill: Charito Morales Advocates For Those Affected By Opioid Crisis
Activist Charito Morales said she does not affiliate with a specific community organization because it distracts from the issues at hand in the Fairhill neighborhood. Morales is a registered nurse and has been volunteering in the Fairhill community since 1998. She spends some of her time teaching Latino youth at the Providence Center, an education […]
Immigration: Councilman Mark Squilla Helps Serve Immigrant Communities
Councilman Mark Squilla is the councilman for the First District in Philadelphia City Council. Squilla is the representative for several Philadelphia neighborhoods such as Chinatown, Kensington, Bella Vista, Northern Liberties, Fishtown and Port Richmond. A native of South Philadelphia, Squilla has been engaged in public service for close to 30 years, serving on the Philadelphia Democratic […]
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 […]
East Kensington: Neighbors Work To Preserve Letterly Green
Stephanie Koenig, 36, moved to the East Kensington area with her husband, Lewis Colburn, in 2009. The couple, both sculptors who found studio space in Philadelphia, bought a house across the street from Letterly Green, an empty plot of land that spans half a block long, two years later. Along with their next-door neighbors, Onais […]
East Kensington: Community Center Helps Adults Strengthen Literacy Skills
In a small classroom on the second floor of Community Center at Visitation, which refers to itself as “A Beacon of Hope in Kensington,” a group of eager students sit ready for the day’s lesson. These aren’t just regular school students, however. They are adults from the United States and countries beyond set on improving […]
Arts and Entertainment: Five Murals To Put On Your Radar for Fall 2017
Philadelphia is a city where you can find murals and street art in many neighborhoods. From Isaiah Zagar’s Magic Gardens in South Philly to the “wicked” Philly-style graffiti seen around the city, the street art scene is constantly being evolving. Here are five works to keep an eye out for in fall 2017: Curing […]