The Spruce Hill Community Association is an active and diverse group of residents, students, business owners, and institutions committed to making the Spruce Hill neighborhood a great place to live and work.
Dear Business Owners and Organizational Leaders, We’re writing today to invite you to apply for new $1,000 grants to aid your business or non-profit. In coordination with the five neighborhood associations that serve on our Board of Directors, we at University City District are launching a new $15,000 fund to provide financial assistance to local businesses and organizations through 15 grants. We are working with representatives from the Garden Court Community Association, the Walnut Hill Community Association, the Spruce Hill Community Association, the Powelton Village Civic Association, and Cedar Park Neighbors to select up to three businesses or non-profits operating within each neighborhood to receive $1,000 grants to help alleviate losses tied to COVID-19. Decisions will be based on need, impact on the neighborhood, and other factors decided by the individual neighborhood associations. Interested businesses and non-profits must be located within the boundaries of one of the five neighborhood associations to be considered. See the map below for boundaries. Applications are now open and should take no longer than 15 minutes to complete. Applications must be submitted by Thursday, February 18th at midnight. If you are not able to apply online, we will have paper applications at our offices (3940 Chestnut Street) available for pickup and drop-off Monday – Friday from 9 AM to 5 PM. Grantees will be selected and notified by Wednesday, March 3rd. The UCD Neighborhood Fund is made possible in part thanks to a generous donation from neighbors Barry Grossbach and Mike Hardy.
Chris Richman Director, Marketing and Communications University City District Visit us on: Twitter Facebook Instagram
Topics of Discussion Robbery Preventative Measures What to do if you are being robbed Where/how robberies are committed How community members can assist Law inforcement
Thanks you, Nicole W. McCoy, #6 Commanding Officer of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Penn Police University of Pennsylvania Police Department Division of Public Safety 4040 Chestnut Street, Phila., PA 19104-3020 Office (215) 573-6684 Cell (215) 778-5992 Fax (215) 898-0306 Email: [email protected] Website: www.publicsafety.upenn.edu Emergencies: PennComm Center: 215-573-3333 Or511 from any campus phone
Last Friday, Cpt. Gillespie from the 18th police district held a community meeting by Zoom to discuss the recent uptick in gun-involved crimes in Spruce Hill and neighboring areas. For those of you unable to attend that meeting, Cpt. McCoy from Penn Police and UPenn’s Division of Public Safety has shared the tips below on how to stay safe:
Dear Neighbors, The registration period runs from *January 19th to Feb 5th*, and that there are some differences in the procedures than in prior years. Please forward this information on to others who may not be on the SpruceHillCA google groups list!
For the 2021-2022 PAS kindergarten registration process Please copy and paste the URL below into your address bar.
Was born on May 20, 1927 in Whitney, PA and passed away at home on January 8, 2021 at 93 years old with his loving wife Betty at his side. After graduating from Latrobe High School he joined the Army Air Corps in 1945 and was recruited by Army Intelligence. He was posted to the United States Embassy in Moscow from 1946 through 1948 . While in Moscow, he applied by telegram to the University of Pennsylvania. He entered the Wharton School in 1949, and when the Korean War interrupted his studies he was recalled to active duty and posted to the Pentagon as an expert in strategic intelligence, achieving the rank of 1st Lt. He graduated from Penn in 1954 and married Betty Kendi, and they raised their family in the University City neighborhood of West Philadelphia.
He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania School of Law in 1957, and practiced as a Philadelphia attorney for over 50 years, initially with the law firm of Goff and Rubin and then with Fell & Spalding. He and his extraordinary wife had six children: Mark (deceased), David, Karen, Douglas, Beth and Bruce, plus 13 grandchildren and 4 great grandchildren.
Joseph and Betty Moloznik became fixtures in the West Philadelphia University City community. He established the Spruce Hill Community Association and was one of the founding members of the University City Swim Club, probably the first private, integrated swim club in Philadelphia. He represented the West Philadelphia Consortium and was active in community matters including the University City Arts League and Clark Park’s annual May Fair. All of those institutions remain vibrant parts of the West Philadelphia community five decades later.
He was also active with St. James Parish Council, the West Philadelphia Corporation, Boy Scouts of America and Philadelphia Bar Association. He helped establish a 25 member sportsmen’s club in Central Pennsylvania in 1962 which is still active. Donations in his memory may be made to St. Francis Xavier Church Organ Fund, 2319 Green St. Phila., PA 19130
In this time of uncertainty, as communities everywhere struggle to adapt
to the new normal, we’re all looking for ways to help. The impact is
widespread, affecting all of us in ways both large and small. Independently owned small businesses, in particular, are bearing a heavy burden as social distancing guidelines limit their ability to perform “business as usual.”
That’s why we’ve decided to partner with UCD to support their Retail Restart Fund,
which has been formed to support the local independent business economy. The Fund will offer mini-grants averaging $500 each to eligible
independently-owned retail applicants in the community to help them absorb the costs of re-opening safely – covering the purchase of supplies ranging from personal protective equipment and contactless
payment systems, to plexiglass dividers and outdoor tables, to paper menus and staff safety training. SHCA will match donations from its members, dollar-for-dollar, up to $2,000. We firmly believe that the small businesses that comprise our neighborhood are critical to a strong community, and we’re eager to help them get through this however we can. 100% of all proceeds raised by UCD will be
directed to local retailers. If you plan to donate, you can do so so in one of two ways:
1. Through the UCD website (securely
processed by Network for Good, which processes donations to thousands of nonprofits around the country). Please indicate “Spruce Hill/Retail
Restart Fund” in the special purpose line.
2. Via check made out to University City District (with “Spruce Hill/Retail Restart Fund”
in the memo) and mailed to: UCD, Attention: Nick Edelman, Finance
Director, 3940 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104 Please note that the deadline for donations is June 15. If you’ve already donated and would like SHCA to match your gift, please send your name to [email protected] and we’ll make sure it’s added to the list. UCD is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. Donations are tax deductible to the full extent allowed by law. We truly appreciate all that this community has done to band together and
support businesses and residents through this challenging time. We hope
that you’re all staying safe and healthy.
Hello Neighbors – Below
are some reminders and new details about services, volunteer
opportunities and voting reminders during the COVID-19 Pandemic. A host
of other resources, including those outlined below, are available in
our online resource document.
Jamie Gauthier’s office has set up a phone bank to check on neighbors in the 3rd District, to see if they need help and to connect them to resources. They are in search of volunteers to make calls and drivers to deliver aid. Please use this form to sign up. In it’s pilot phase, the program has been able to deliver food to hungry residents, encourage reluctant, symptomatic neighbors to get tested for COVID, and offered friendly conversation to seniors who were feeling lonely.
Lockdown Letters is a student-run initiative collecting and sending letters of appreciation to front line workers who are dedicating their time and energy to support our communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Sending a letter can boost morale and make these heroes smile during tough days. Instructions for letter submission and other details can be found at lockdownletters.org.
UCD has launched its Retail Restart Fund to help offer financial support to small businesses in the community. To learn more or donate, please visit the UCD website. SHCA will be launching a matching gift program to help support this initiative shortly. Details to come!
UCD
is surveying local restaurants to gauge how they can best assist them
in their re-opening plans. If you are a restaurant owner in the
neighborhood, please complete the online survey. The information from restaurants will help shape UCD’s plans and partnerships moving forward.
As always, stay well and thank you for all your support.
8:00 p.m: Deadline for your county election office to receive your voted absentee or mail-in ballot.
The Inquirer published a listing of new polling places for the upcoming election. If you’d rather get your mail-in ballot, do so soon. The deadline is 5/26: https://www.votespa.com/Voting-in-PA/Pages/Mail-and-Absentee-Ballot.aspx
Support Local Restaurants and help families in need at the Philadelphia Ronald McDonald House. UCD will be purchasing catered meals from local restaurants to feed residents at the Ronald McDonald House. Learn more, including how to donate.
UCAL’s Live Auction will take place on Saturday, May 2, at 8 PM as a virtual event via Zoom. Auction materials are currently posted online for preview! You can visit the website to see what’s available and register for the auction by clicking https://UCAL.givesmart.com. You can also register for the auction by texting UCAL to 76278. The event is open to all!
Off Their Plate is a grassroots movement to provide nutritious meals to the hospital teams we depend on and economic relief to local workers who have been affected by COVID. More details here.
Please note: We’ve added new details to hopefully clear up some
confusion over how this promotion will work. We are asking customers to
support local restaurants by purchasing gift cards for personal use, and
then UCD will also purchase gift cards that we will use in future
promotions and giveaways and double your support up to $250 per
restaurant. All accounting will happen between the restaurant and UCD.
University City’s rich and diverse restaurant scene is facing a
unique challenge as we all struggle to deal with the impact of the
Coronavirus. During these trying times, many local restaurants and
eateries are suffering reduced business or facing temporary closures.
University City District wants to help local restaurants, local
employees, and the public by offering our support through a limited time
promotion.
Through March 31st, 2020, UCD will join you in supporting
local restaurants by purchasing up to $250 in gift cards per
participating restaurant to match customer purchases. UCD will
keep the gift cards to use in future promotions and giveaways, and the
restaurant keeps the additional revenue. All customers need to do is
purchase a gift card at any of the participating restaurants below–UCD
will work directly with restaurants to track sales through March 31st,
and purchase gift cards to match the total sales, up to $250 per
restaurant.
To put it simply:
Support your favorite restaurants by puchasing gift cards to use
later. More restaurants are signing up each day. If you contact a local
restaurant and they haven’t signed up, please tell them to reach out to
us!
If a restaurant opts-in to our program and provides us gift card
sales receipts, UCD will purchase as much as $250 in gift cards per
restaurant to match your purchases, which we will use in future
promotions and giveaways.
The goal of this program is to inject revenue into local restaurants
during this tumultuous time. We encourage you to continue purchasing
gift cards even if the $250 number has been reached.
UCD will work with each restaurant to track sales and purchase the cards at the conclusion of the program.
Purchasing a gift card from a favorite local restaurant or coffee
shop is a great way to show your support and help keep favorite local
eateries in business during these difficult times. Customers must
contact restaurants directly to see if gift cards may be purchased
online or via the phone. We recommend using Yelp to find contact info for local restaurants, or view a list of restaurants we partnered with in the past through Dining Days.
This promotion is open to all independent restaurants, coffee shops,
and chains with fewer than 10 total locations that operate within our
district (from the Schuylkill River to 50th Street, and generally
speaking Woodland Avenue to Spring Garden). If you are a restaurant
operator located within our boundaries and wish to participate, email
margaret (at) universitycity (dot) org for more details and certain
restrictions.
Although this current promotion is aimed at helping local eateries,
please remember that all local businesses, from barbershops to nail
salons to pet stores to gift shops and everything in between, are in
need of support right now. Please consider purchasing gift cards from
all of the businesses that contribute to the overall vibrancy of our
wonderful neighborhood.
