Bella Vista: An Immigrant Himself, Eugene Desyatnik Now Serves As The Bella Vista Neighbors Association President
Eugene Desyatnik is the president of the Bella Vista Neighbors Association. Desyatnik, a naturalized citizen hailing from the former Soviet Union, has lived in Center City for more than 12 years, recently moving to Bella Vista with his wife and children. The BVNA, a nonprofit organization, helps facilitate various city services to a very diverse […]
Immigration: Carol Agia And Marco Circelli Discuss History Of Italian Immigration In Philadelphia
Like many Italian-Americans in Philadelphia, Carol Agia’s grandparents came to Philadelphia around the turn of the 20th century. One of her grandfathers immigrated in 1896 at the age of seven, while the other arrived in 1915 when he was 12 years old. “Often the father and the oldest son came over, saved a little bit […]
Point Breeze: Urban Farmer Shares His Craft With Community
Twenty-seven-year-old Atiba Ellerby is a part-time barista and full-time urban farmer. When he’s not making coffee at The Pharmacy, a coffee shop in Point Breeze, he is tending to gardens throughout the city. Farming is a craft he learned 14 years ago through the Urban Nutrition Initiative. How do you feel you impact your community? […]
Poplar: Ukrainians Still Return to Area to Attend Historic Cathedral
In 1907, Bishop Sotor Stephen Ortynsky, the first bishop of the Ukrainian Catholics, purchased the old Cathedral Church. More than 100 years later, Ukrainian Catholics flock to a new cathedral on the same land Ortynsky bought. “Ukrainians have a strong identity not only to their faith, but also to their ethnicity,” director of communications John […]
South Philadelphia: Co-op President Advances Local Food Access
Jessica Calter, a South Philadelphia resident, is inspired by her neighbors’ willingness to come together to solve problems in the neighborhood — including access to local, healthy foods. Calter is the president of the South Philly Food Co-op, a cooperative that is currently working to open a grocery store at 2031 S. Juniper St. How did you […]
Bella Vista: Esposito’s Meats Transcends Generations
Esposito’s Meats has used its family-first and community-based business model to become the cornerstone butcher shop in South Philadelphia for its 106 years in existence. Attilio Esposito and his Italian-American immigrant family opened their first shop in 1911 at 1009 S. Ninth St., serving various meats for more than four generations. After success and local […]
East Passyunk: Victim/Witness Services of South Philadelphia Reaches Those Needing Help In Community
The Victim/Witness Services of South Philadelphia is a non-profit organization that has offered free support and advocacy to victims and witnesses of crimes in South Philadelphia since its establishment in 1989. The advocates from the Victim/Witness Service work with victims of crimes that occur within the three South Philadelphia police districts. These districts are the […]
Pennsport: Christ Church South Philly Welcomes Community
Christ Church South Philly has impacted its Pennsport church community, emphasizing to its congregation the importance of love, family and praising Jesus Christ. The church began when its pastor, Jeff Boettcher (pictured below), wanted to broaden his horizons, start his own church and turned to church planting. Church planting is the practice of establishing a […]
Grays Ferry: Vare Recreation Center Reopens But Still Needs Work
“Originally, we had no idea of when we were going to reopen,” said Gina Batavick, the recreational leader at Vare Recreation Center. “We had a community meeting the last week of October and they told us four to six weeks, so they’re basically on target for six weeks.” After being forced to close down due to […]
Point Breeze: Bikes See Rise in Commuting Usage, Though Cars Remain Dominant
“The neighborhood is changing where we’re seeing more people use bikes,” said John Dietterle, about what those in the neighborhood have noticed as of late. The uptick in bicycle usage in Philadelphia in the last few years has not gone unnoticed. Especially by those such as Dietterle, a manager at VAC Auto Repair located at 25th and […]