November 2008

Cedar Park Neighbors Newsletter

President’s Message

By Monica Allison, CPN President

The City of Philadelphia has muchto be proud of! The Philadelphia

Phillies are World Champions of base-ball. What a wonderful achievement forthe team and for our city! Being in thiscity can sometimes be painful, but theunity that this city has shown in recentmonths is a source of pride and joy. Asour newsletter is going to press, we havea new president-elect. It has been an his-toric election season, and our neighbor-hood was a model of voter activism, asign of a healthy democracy. What awonderful way to end the year 2008.

This has been the year of the roller coast-er! Our economy has taken a ride, ouremotions have taken a ride, our politicshave taken a ride, and definitely oursports teams have taken a ride. We haveendured the deaths of some very impor-tant community partners in this year.Our neighborhood has not been withoutits problems. But through it all, we haveremained steadfast in what we want tosee in our neighborhood and in our dailylives to improve our quality of life.

We have a new mural, which shows ourcommunity’s heart. We have a new play-ground taking shape in Cedar Park thatthe children in our community will enjoy.We have new businesses, new homes andnew neighbors. As with our country, wehave had our ups and downs, and likeour country, we find ways to make thebest of every situation. There was muchtalk of change and hope throughout theelection season. I look forward to work-ing with you to make these aspirationsreal for our community. Please help usand plan to get involved so that we cansupport our president-elect’s call to worktogether for the betterment of all.

Ending this year I’m proud to bepresident of such a great organization.I’m proud to represent a great neighbor-hood. I look forward to the possibilitiesthat 2009 brings. So at the beginning ofour holiday season and the end of anotheryear, I wish you all love, joy, and peace aswe set new horizons on so many levels.

Happy Thanksgiving, Happy Hanukkah,Merry Christmas, Happy Kwanza, andHappy New Year to you all.

By Maureen Tate

How could the end of the FirehouseRecycling Program possibly be good

news?!! After more than 15 years ofcontinuous neighborhood volunteerismand leadership to further the cause ofrecycling, Cedar Park Neighbors is nowable to declare, “Success”! At long last,the City of Philadelphia is becoming con-verted to the benefits of recycling and ismaking it easier for residents to recyclemore material, generating more revenuefor the City and saving on landfill costs.

For many years, Cedar Park Neighborshas participated in the Partnership

Good News!? Cedar Park Firehouse Recycling Program Ends December 20th

Muralist David Guinn(above) and CPN PresidentMonica Allison (below)address those gatheredat the mural dedication.

continued on page 2…

Page 2 CPN Newsletter

Remember:

Repair –

Reuse –

RECYCLE!!!

Recycling program with other community-based organizations. This programhelped CPN raise thousands of dollars inincentive and market-rate income for ourwonderful CPN Scholarship Program andother community greening efforts. We willsurely miss this income and will have tofind new and creative ways to fundraiseto support these worthwhile efforts.However, more residents recycling curb-side has always been the long time goalof founding and visionary Cedar Parkrecycling volunteers, and it is a greatthing for our city and for the earth.

Why stop now? Despite the fact thatCPN has continued to collect recyclablesat the Firehouse following the advent ofcurbside single-stream recycling, we haveexperienced a significant decrease in thetonnage collected. In addition, we havebeen notified that we will no longer receiveincentive funds. This was the majority ofour recycling income, as market-rate in-come is generally less significant. Althoughwe have a number of committed volunteerfamilies who have maintained the programover the past year, we have fewer volunteers,and it has become increasingly difficult toreliably staff Saturday collections. There isalso every indication that the City will stepup its recycling efforts and may instituteweekly collection throughout the city inthe coming year.

We have had a great run! What began morethan 15 years ago as a monthly schleppingof paper, glass and cans to the empty lotnext to the Community Education Centeron Lancaster Avenue became a neighbor-hood corner pickup program once every

two weeks until the City institutedcurbside collection for a limited amountof items. The Firehouse Recycling Projectwas begun so we could recycle plastics, allmanner of paper and cardboard and evenmake some money along the way. Nowwe’ve gone to single stream at the curbincluding plastics and cardboard. This isprogress. Next, on to weekly collection!

A great community, coming togetherfor a great purpose!There are many who contributed to thisremarkable and longstanding effort. Majorkudos go to Angie Coghlan, founder of theCPN Recycling Project, and to Al Airone,who took her place as coordinator andalmost singlehandedly maintained the pro-gram for at least 10 years. It took some28 families to take Al’s place and theyhave been keeping the project alive forthe past several years. Thank you all! Andfinally, a thank you to Peggy Nowak andJim Kurtz for holding all the volunteerstogether until the end. We also express oursincere appreciation to Satellite Coffee forhousing our signs and supplies and to theowners of the Firehouse building, LinfordMartin and Marcy Zimmerman, forallowing us to continue to utilize thecurb to collect and organize recyclables.

Our last collection will take placeon Saturday, December 20th. We willgather with refreshments at 11 a.m. for a special acknowledgement of thesanitation workers who have so faithfullyworked with us through the years. Comeout and let them know how importantthey have been to our community!

Good News!? Cedar Park Firehouse Recycling Program Ends December 20th

…continued from page 1

November 2008 Page 3

Philadelphia Federal Credit Union Provides Safety and Soundness for Consumers

By Karen Eavis, Communications Specialist, PFCU

With everyone’s concerns about thestate of the economy, the

Philadelphia Federal Credit Union (PFCU),located on the corner of 50th & BaltimoreAvenue, provides consumers with a safeand sound financial institution at which toconduct their banking. Much of this year,attention focused on the housing crisisprompted by the subprime lending prac-tices of the banking industry. The media’scontinuous frenzied reporting on foreclo-sures and bailouts in the financial industrymade for some very unsettling times forconsumers.

With PFCU, you get the truth and nothingbut the truth. PFCU has been and willalways be a lender that you can trust. Wehave sound, responsible lending practices.In addition, as a member-owned creditunion, we invest in our members, not at-risk, sub-prime companies or stockholders,like the banking industry. If you don’tqualify for the loan you want, we’ll tellyou why and what you can do about it.

Due to the financial turmoil caused by thebanking industry, the government had toincrease the FDIC and NCUA insurance.This was a gain for PFCU members,because the credit union already offersExcess Share Insurance (ESI) of $250,000on savings and retirement accounts inaddition to the $250,000 of federal insur-ance provided by the NCUA. This is a truetestament to our strength, safety andsoundness, because banks cannot offer thisextra insurance.

PFCU has money to lend. Whatever yoursituation is during these difficult times, weare here to help. We have been serving ourmembers since 1951, and you have ourassurance that we will continue to growand protect our members’ assets.

We are committed to the community andare very happy to report that our branchwill be reconstructed to serve your needswell into the future. The new building willbe Leadership in Energy and EnvironmentalDesign (LEED) certified. LEED promotessustainability performance in key areasincluding: sustainable site development,water savings, energy efficiency, materialsselection and indoor environmental quality.

Demolition of the existing building shouldbegin in January and our new building willopen its doors in the fall of 2009. Duringthe construction, PFCU will continue itsoperations at 4610 Cedar Avenue, andhours of operation will not change. Thetemporary location will also provide aparking lot for members’ convenience.

We welcome you to explore the differenceof banking at a credit union. There are nostockholders or outside investors in creditunions. Credit unions are the stewards oftheir members’ hard-earned money andtake that responsibility seriously. If you areinterested in learning more about the creditunion or opening an account, visit ourwebsite at pfcu.com, call us at 215-934-3500 and press 57, or stop by our branch.PFCU representatives are also available toattend community meetings. Please callKevin Biederman at 215-934-3582 if youare interested in scheduling a presentation.

Drawing of the newPhiladelphia FederalCredit Union buildingwhich will replace theexisting building at50th and Baltimore.

Page 4 CPN Newsletter

Philadelphia Folklore Project Upcoming Events

December 5, 6-8 p.m.Tap Dancers’ Gathering

An extended family reunion:share recollections and yourown stories. We invite Philade-lphia tap dancers (and thosewho love them) to join us in agathering. Come by and sharesome stories: remember thegreat artists who have passed,consider their legacies, andfill out an even wider pictureof tap dance past, presentand future.

Philadelphia Folklore Project215-726-1106pfp@folkloreproject.orgwww.folkloreproject.org

December 6, 1-4 p.m.Tea and ConversationWith QuiltmakerChristina E. Johnson

West Philadelphia artistChristina E. Johnson ishosting an afternoon forquilt documentation andconversation. She invites youto drop in to view recent quiltsby Christina, and hear stories.Share in the showing andtelling: bring quilts (of yourown making, from your family,or in your possession) to bedocumented, and bring yourstories, too!Refreshmentsand good company.

Legal Clinics take place onthe second Tuesday of EVERYmonth. Please note: the legalclinic for this month is onNovember 18th.The Decemberclinic is on December 9th.

The next Legal Clinic at theWelcoming Center will takeplace on November 18th, from3 to 6 p.m. This clinic is foranyone in the immigrant com-munity who needs to speak toan attorney. The attorneys vol-unteer their time for the clinic,which is free of charge.Consultations can take placein French, Spanish, Chinese,

Russian, Indonesian, HaitianCreole, Hindi, Urdu, Punjabiand Gujarati, as well asEnglish. We can also use atelephone interpretation serv-ice, or clients may bring theirown interpreter if they prefer.

For more information, contactMargaret Hilsdon, Programand Volunteer Coordinatorof the Welcoming Centerfor New Pennsylvanians

Phone: (215) 557-2626Direct line: (215) 557-2859margaret@welcomingcenter.orgwww.welcomingcenter.org

Free Legal Clinics for New Pennsylvanians

CPN Holiday Food Baskets

By Victoria Iannotta, Holiday Baskets Co-Chair

In late October, members of theCedar Park Neighbors Holiday Basket

Committee began planning for the annualdistribution of food baskets to needymembers of the Cedar Park community.

The Holiday Basket program, which hasbeen a shining example of the communitycoming together to help its needy members,is a proud tradition in our neighborhood,and Cedar Park Neighbors is happy tobe coordinating the effort again this year.Last year the program provided themakings of a generous holiday dinnerto more than ninety-five local families.

The Holiday Basket Committee, led byJoanne Pham, will soon begin outreachto local churches and non-profit organ-izations in order to identify families forwhom a gift of a holiday meal wouldbe welcome. Once this information hasbeen gathered, the committee can purchasethe amount of food required.

On the day of the distribution, thebaskets are packed by helpful neighbor-hood volunteers and then picked up by theorganizations that give them out to fami-lies. This year the baskets will be assem-bled on December 20th from 9 to11 a.m.in Saint Francis de Sales School auditori-um at 47th and Springfield Avenue. Please

join us if you would like to participate.All are welcome.

This year, perhaps even more than inyears past, there is a tremendous need inour community to support those for whomthis program means the difference betweena holiday meal and no meal at all. Theeconomic situation has affected us all, butwe ask you to be as generous as possibleso that we all can participate in the greatestgift of the holiday season: to share whatwe have been given. A donation of $35will allow you to include two deservingfamilies at your holiday table. Pleasereturn the bottom portion of the insertedform with your donation to:

Cedar Park Neighbors, Holiday BasketsCalvary Community Center4740 Baltimore AvenuePhiladelphia, PA 19143

To our local vendors — your donations areespecially needed. Please give generouslyto support your community.

If you know of any deserving familiesin the Cedar Park area (46th to 52nd,Larchwood to Kingsessing), please givetheir names, addresses and the number ofpeople in each family to one of our partici-pating organizations. These organizationsare listed on the flyer that has been insertedin this newsletter. Names of families mustbe received by December 1, 2008.

Happy Holidays!!

November 2008 Page 5

Local Business Support Cedar Park Neighbors

By Jim Kurtz, CPNMembership ChairCedar Park Neighbors is madeup of individuals, households,agencies and business whoeither live, work or do businesswithin the boundaries of CedarPark. Local businesses supportthe work of CPN and hopefullybenefit from the work of CPN inmany ways. One way business-es support CPN is by officiallyjoining our organization. Listedbelow are businesses who areactive members of CPN. CPNsays thanks for your support!And to our members… supportour business members!

A-1 Floor Refinishing4608 Springfield Ave.

Abbraccio Restaurant820 S. 47th St.

African Cultural Center of PA5000 Springfield Ave.

Dock Street Beer701 S. 50th St.

East Smithfield Health CarePO Box 114, East Smithfield

Fresh Deli4832 Baltimore Ave.

Get Busy Living Solutions, LLC2000 Hamilton St. #896

Leroy’s Showcase Lounge4912 Baltimore Ave.

Martnet Communications4806 Springfield Ave.

O’Donnell Real Estate4534 Baltimore Ave.

Parallel Designjudy@parallel-design.com

Park Pleasant Nursing Home4712 Chester Ave.

Phila. Community Acupuncture701 S 50th St.

Philadelphia Federal Credit5000 Baltimore Ave.

Prudential Fox & Roach 210 W Rittenhouse Square

Safdan Partners LLCwww.safdanpartners.com

Salt and Pepper Deli1102 S 47th St.

Satellite Café701 S. 50th St.

Sims Giles and AssociatesPO Box 13218, Philadelphia

Urban & Bye Realtors3529 Lancaster Ave.

VIX Emporium5009 Baltimore Ave.

Wake Up Yoga West4916 Baltimore Ave.

Westside Community Day Care4822 Baltimore Ave.

Wine and Spirit Store4906 Baltimore Ave.

Fair-Weather Fair Although the Fair date was postponed a week due to rain, a good time was had by all!

Mary Wallman donated her talents to draw portraitsof fair-goers, and all proceeds benefitted CPN.

Adamu Kuumba returned with his African rhythm percussion section to wrapup the afternoon’s performances.

Board Member Richard Warner and Committee Member Gail Masseydraw and announce the winner of one of more than 30 raffle prizes.

Page 6 CPN Newsletter

Churches Explore Ways to Reduce Flood of Illegal Guns

J. Fred Kauffman, CPN Board Member

Some urban and suburban churches aredeveloping strategies for reducing the

flood of illegal guns in greater Philadelphia.From the CPN area, West Philly Mennoniteis participating, as are members of the Circleof Hope Brethren in Christ congregation.

In the task group’s first meeting in Junethis year, Rev. Elisha B. Morris sensedsomething new happening. “God is tryingto show us something,” he claimed, “andwe’re just not getting it! Something isright here in front of us, and we can’t seeit.” That illusive “something” began toemerge in North Philadelphia in Fr. IsaacMiller’s small office within the cavernous1897 Church of the Advocate. Priest atthis Episcopalian church, Fr. Miller washosting the task group. Its mission wasto begin forming the public witness for anational conference called Heeding God’sCall: a Gathering on Peace planned forJanuary 2009 at the Arch Street FriendsMeetinghouse.

Fr. Miller, veteran of the civil rightsmovement, searched for words. “I haveno idea how the youth in my church copewith this constant threat. I never had tolive with that.” Rev. Morris, from JonesMemorial Church of God in Christ, seesthe ugly side of life every day as he coun-sels survivors of gun violence. So, in themidst of that reality, what was that illusive“something” that he glimpsed?

Fast forward four months to October.A diverse animated task group of 10 ismeeting around a table. A plan is emerging.We explore civil disobedience as a wayto express the seriousness of the issue.Suddenly Rev. Morris gets up, walksaround, comes back to sit down, beaming,and says, “This is the ‘something’ thatGod had for us back in June! This is it!I can see it now!” His message sinks in.We sense hope and energy rising thatwe’re finding ways for citizens toconfront this plague of violence.

In preparation for the Saturday action,January 17th, we will focus on a gun shopknown to be a source of handguns forstreet corner dealers and ask the owner tosign a “Code of Conduct.” Developed byMayors Against Illegal Guns and signed

by Wal-Mart, the 10-point code aims tolimit the flow of guns to the illegal market.If the owner signs the Code, on January17th we will rally to celebrate; if not,we will rally to pressure him. This maybecome a way to take direct and immedi-ate action on this issue in addition to ourimportant long-term task of pressing forlegislative reform.

The national conference, Heeding God’sCall, is a “working gathering” for 700participants planned for January 13-19and sponsored by the Philadelphia YearlyMeeting of the Religious Society of Friends,Church of the Brethren and MennoniteChurch USA. The vision of Dr. MartinLuther King, Jr. is at the heart of theprogram. One of his co-workers, Dr.Vincent Harding, will serve as Elder forthe Gathering. Each sponsoring denomina-tion will send 100 participants, and anadditional 300 have been invited from awide range of other denominations.

The final day, Saturday, January 17th,will include many other participants aswell. Ten congregations in Philadelphiawill each partner with two congregationsfrom rural and suburban areas. NationalGathering participants will join these con-gregations and hundreds of others fromaround the city for morning worship andeducation about handgun violence. Afterlunch, all will meet for combined worshipat a large church and a closing sermon byDr. Harding. From there we will march tothe gun shop for the public witness againstillegal handguns.

The Saturday action, called “We’veGot Work to Do!” is an opportunityfor active public witness for peace whichbrings together people of faith from manydenominations and faiths, national churchleaders and local leaders, the predominantlyEuropean American “historic peace church-es” and African American communitiesof faith working for peace on the streets,as well as urban churches and localsuburban and rural churches.

If you and/or your faith community areinterested in more information, pleasecontact the Peace Gathering staff atSaturday@peacegathering2009.org.or Fred Kauffman at jfk@mcc.org.

June 2008 Page 7

Cedar Park NeighborsMembership Application/Renewal

New Member

Renewal

Multi-year(max. 3 years)..# of years_____

$10 Individual$15 Household (two persons or more)$ 7 Senior/Student/Unemployed$30 Business$40 Sponsor (one free CPN t-shirt!)

Additional contribution: CPN t-shirt:

(Write $ amount) (Write $ amount if not Sponsor and circle size)_____Holiday baskets_____Scholarships_____Jazz Series_____Other, specify ___________

____Short Sleeve Adult S, M, L, XL, 2Xl, 3XL, 4XL, 5XL, 6XL ($15.00)____Short Sleeve Kids S, M, L, XL ($15.00)____Long Sleeve Adult S, M, L, XL, 2XL, 3XL (20.00)

Check your areas of interest for potential participation:

Block Organizing: Maintain list of Block

Leaders, organize forums etc.

Block Improvement Grants Committee:

Review applications, help awardees

implement projects etc.

Board of Directors: CPN leadership and

decision-making body.

Cedar Park Fair: Publicity, children's

activities, venders, entertainment, etc.

Cedar Park Garden Tenders: Plant and

maintain gardens at Cedar Park.

Clean-up Committee: Promote participation

in block clean-up days and Tire Round-up.

Education Committee: Interaction with

local schools and parents on issues.

Firehouse Recycling Project: Two

Saturdays/year.

Fundraising: Special events, grant writing.

Holiday Baskets: Coordinate and assist

distribution to needy Cedar Park families.

Hospitality: Provide refreshments for

community meetings and special events.

Membership Committee: Promote

membership to residents and businesses.

Newsletter: Writing, publishing,

photography, distribution.

Property/Housing Task Force: Strategize/

respond to issues of deteriorated property.

Scholarship Committee: Raise funds,

promote program, and select awardees.

Website: Technical support, maintenance,

updating info/pictures etc.

Zoning Committee: Monitor &

communicate issues to residents; appear

before Zoning Board of Adjustment,

coordinate meetings.

Name: __________________________

Address: _________________________

Phone: __________________________

Email: __________________________

Yes, I would like to receive an email notice with a link to the current newsletter on the CPN website (and

do not deliver a paper copy to my home).

TOTAL ENCLOSED _________Return form with check to:

Cedar Park Neighbors

Calvary Community Center

4740 Baltimore Ave.

Philadelphia, PA 19143

Email: contact@cedarparkneighbors.org

Website: www.cedarparkneighbors.org

Phone: 267 531 4147

Cedar Park Neighbors Membership Application/Renewal

Page 8 CPN Newsletter

CPN Board

PresidentMonica Allison

Vice-PresidentCarol Walker

SecretaryDorothy Welch Berlind

TreasurerKaren Allen

DirectorsMichael ClapperDeborah ClarkeSean DornShani Adia EvansNaomi FiordimondoBruce HansenFred KauffmanTheresa McColePeg NowakJoanne PhamKristopher ReeseShirley RheinhartMaureen TateRosa ThomasRichard WarnerRenee Warnick

CPN Mission Statement:Cedar Park Neighbors is anassociation of diverse house-holds and businesses based inthe Cedar Park neighborhood ofWest Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.The purpose of the associationshall be to foster collaborationamong all persons living andworking in the Cedar Park neigh-borhood, to promote communitydevelopment, to provide a forumfor communication and commu-nity education, to respond toneighborhood concerns and toadvocate for and promote thegeneral welfare of the CedarPark community.

Newsletter EditorsMaureen Tate & Judy Lamirand

Newsletter DesignJudy Lamirand, Parallel Design

To Contact Cedar Park Neighborsor submit Newsletter items:contact@cedarparkneighbors.orgwww.cedarparkneighbors.org267-531-4147

c/o Calvary Community Center4740 Baltimore AvenuePhiladelphia, PA 19143

Philadelphia Leaf Collection and Drop-off

Nearly two million tons of yard waste,such as leaves, grass clippings and brush,are produced in Pennsylvania each year.Not only does yard waste take up a largeamount of space, it creates methane whenlandfilled, a greenhouse gas that contributessignificantly to global warming. In 1988,the Pennsylvania Waste Planning, Recy-cling and Waste Reduction Act (Act 101)became law. Among other things, thelaw requires more than 400 communitiesto collect yard waste for compostingand prohibits landfills from acceptingtruckloads of yard waste for disposal.

Through December 27th the City ofPhiladelphia will be collecting yardwaste at two of their sanitation yards,Domino Lane and Umbria Street andState Road and Ashburner Street.Philadelphia residents may bring yardwaste and other similar materials to becomposted to these centers from 8 a.m. to6 p.m. on Saturdays. For more info visitwww.Phila..gov/streets/08YardWaste.pdf.

Starting November 10th bagged leafcollection will also be offered citywide,on a weekly basis, along rubbish collectionroutes. Crews will be assigned to collectONLY bagged leaves for the duration ofthe program. Citizens are urged to placeleaves in large brown paper trash bags.By using these bags, you will help crewswork more efficiently and more easilyidentify your bags as leaves. This helps

to eliminate the extensiveprocess of ripping open,

dumping, and disposingof plastic bags. Leavesset out in other bagsor containers maybe collected as trash.

In areas of the citywith heavy leaf fall,

mechanical leaf collection will take placestarting on Monday, November 10th.To see if your neighborhood qualifiesand view the collection schedule, visitwww.Phila..gov/streets/leaf_collection.html.

Happy ThanksgivingNovember 27th

Happy Bill of Rights DayDecember 15th Bill

of

Rights