More than 200 volunteers came out this weekend to Olney Charter High School to clean and paint the school’s greenhouse and classrooms, and work on the baseball field.
As part of Comcast’s 11th Annual Comcast Cares Day the company presented ASPIRA Inc. of Pennsylvania, the operating company for Olney Charter High School, a check for $25,000, .
“You’re looking at one of the single largest volunteer efforts in the country,” Comcast Executive Vice President of Operations Dave Watson said. “Kids are going to show up in this school and see the greenhouse and see the renovation and it’s going to make… Read the full story »

Paul Corbin was looking for a new way to get in shape and add some excitement to his workout routine. Becoming bored with the same routine of lifting weights and running, this Frankford resident was introduced to aerial yoga.
Aerial yoga is performed using various yoga movements, suspended a few inches in the air. This unique form of yoga revolves around counteracting gravity. Being suspended a few inches in the air releases tension on the bones and muscle, increasing flexibility.
“One of my friends is a fitness expert and took me out in her backyard one afternoon and she had… Read the full story »

Where do the flowers growing in Philadelphia’s public parks came from? Do they grow wild or are they planted?
They are actually grown by the Horticulture Center, a little greenhouse nestled in Fairmount Park not far from the Philadelphia Zoo.
Many who enjoy these flower plantings may not have noticed that the flower beds in every park around the city are actually getting smaller every year. The reason for is that for the past 12 years, the City of Philadelphia has been reducing the center’s funding by a rate of at least 5 percent per year.
As a result of… Read the full story »

The Marvelous record shop in University City was bustling Saturday as customers gathered for the fifth annual Record Store Day.
Crowds of vinyl lovers flocked to the store at 40th and Walnut streets in anticipation of new releases on the classic medium. Popular records such as those by James Brown, Wilco and Childish Gambino were sold out early in the day due to the large crowds.
Record Store Day has been held annually across the country since 2007 and aims to promote business at independent record stores. Every third Saturday in April, people are encouraged to buy records and other… Read the full story »

St. Laurentius School, located at 1612 E. Berks St., has spent most of the year raising money in order to keep the school from closing. Through the hard work of dedicated alumni and local residents, the school will stay open.
The fundraising, however, has not stopped. This weekend, St. Laurentius Rectory hosted its first annual 5K Run and Finish Line Festival.
“The plans for this have been happening since December, but we have been preoccupied fighting the school’s closing,” said A.J. Thomson, who organized the event and whose daughter attends St. Laurentius. “Our goal today is to raise $20,000.”
Thomson… Read the full story »

Temple students traveled to South Africa and produced a variety of stories during the time spent there.
Recently, the students completed short documentaries about social, political and cultural life in South Africa. This video focuses on documenting the many aspects of the study-away program in the summer of 2011, including interviews with program participants.
See their work at this site: http://sct.temple.edu/blogs/murl/category/neighborhoods/all-special-reports/africa-a-special-report/
The videos include:
A documentary about martial arts during the apartheid years at http://sct.temple.edu/blogs/murl/2012/04/21/south-africa-martial-arts-crosses-racial-lines/
A documentary about an organization that trains South Africa’s photographers at http://sct.temple.edu/blogs/murl/2012/04/21/south-africa-organization-trains-south-africas-photographers/
A documentary about a famous doctor, who was killed during apartheid, and his… Read the full story »

Stacks of pants and rows of shirts fill a small room in the basement of United Communities of Southeast Philadelphia. Shoes of all colors are aligned perfectly along the wall. More clothes are tucked away in boxes under the shelves.
In 2009, Kamar Johnson and Jearlean Jones started a clothing bin at United Communities to assist local residents with free articles of clothing during tough economic times. After growing increasingly popular among both residents and donors, the former clothing bin has now become a full-fledged clothing bank.
“It’s all about making a difference in people’s lives,” said Kamar Johnson, the… Read the full story »

The community garden in Hunting Park, one of many revitalization projects taking place in the park over the past year, allows residents to grow their own fruits and vegetables in the usually limited green space found in North Philadelphia.
“This is easy enough,” said Carnell Anderson, a Hunting Park resident who has his own plot of land in the garden. “I just retired from park services down in Valley Forge and I always loved being outdoors. It’s just good to get out again.”
The garden, which opened six months ago, is situated on the west side of the park across… Read the full story »

The Bawa Muhaiyaddeen Fellowship does not care what religion you are. In fact, they do not care if you have any religion at all. The fellowship accepts all.
Located in a stone mansion at 5820 Overbrook Ave. in Wynnefield, nestled behind an expanding Saint Joseph’s University, the Bawa Muhaiyaddeen Fellowship is a meeting place for people to worship, no matter what god. They worship under the recorded instructions of their late teacher, Muhammad Raheem Bawa Muhaiyaddeen, a Sufi mystic from Sri Lanka.
Muhaiyaddeen moved to the United States in 1971 and then to Philadelphia in 1973, taking residence in the mansion… Read the full story »

With side-by-side shops that last through the decades, families in Fairhill undoubtedly put pride into their work. The Izaguirre family owns a florist and dry cleaning shop, where they have made long lasting relationships with the community.
Located on 2830 N. Fifth St., Mildred Izaguirre has owned 5th Street Florist for nine years as part of her parents’ wish for their children to own businesses in the neighborhood. While weddings and funerals are the biggest part of the job, the shop also donates flower arrangements to the neighborhood churches.
“This is my first time ordering here, but my daughter’s grandfather orders from… Read the full story »