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.
The meetings are open to the public. Any changes to the following calendar will be announced on our Email list. ([email protected])
Jan 12: No Guest Speaker. Tue, Feb 9: No Guest Speaker Tue, Mar 9: Kiersten Mailler from Connect the Dots Insights and Natalie Wiltshire, COO of KIPP Philadelphia. Tue, Apr 13: TBA Sat, May 9: May Fair Now Virtual for 2021 Tue, May 11: Mission First Housing Group Re 4501 Larchwood Ave Tue, Jun 9: Jeannette Brugger: Chestnut Walnut Repaving & Complete Streets Safety Project Tue, Sep 14: TBA Tue, Oct 12: Jamie Vann: Halloween Parade Tue, Nov 9: Annual Meeting summarizing our year
The 63rd Annual SHCA (Virtual!) May Fair has taken shape! We have built a simulation of Spruce Hill’s own Clark Park, and have a large number of neighborhood artisans, vendors, and organizations signed up. New family friendly games and other features are being added every day, leading up to the real-time interactive portion of the event, which will take place on Saturday May 8th, 4-8pm. All we need now is for YOU to chat, play and shop with your neighbors!
As a reminder, you can go in any time to visit the space – it’s most fun when you visit with a friend. Click here to check out the GatherSpace – a virtual Clark Park!
Click here for a downloadable navigation guide for step-by-step instructions on how to tour the Virtual Fair.
Not sure how this is all going to work? Click here for a fun demonstration video. Want to share the news with friends and neighbors? Click here for a downloadable flyer
Guests are invited and encouraged to visit ANY TIME (max capacity of 22 guests at a time) leading up to the LIVE portion of the event (increased max capacity) Saturday May 8th, 4-8pm. **And we still have some room for more vendors, applications (form found here) are due Thursday May 6th. ***
Please help us spread the word to your friends and neighbors!
We are excited to announce the SHCA Virtual May Fair, open for visiting NOW. Live virtual event Saturday May 8th, 4-8pm. We hope you will participate and help us spread the word to your friends and neighbors. Please CLICK HERE for a downloadable flyer.
Vendors, artists and crafts people, community groups and organizations seeking to do outreach and promotion are invited to be part of the SHCA VIRTUAL May Fair! Participation is completely FREE of charge for vendors/businesses and guests. The Spruce Hill Community Association recognizes that this past year has been exceptionally challenging for many of us, especially our small businesses, local artisans, and neighborhood organizations. To support our community partners and businesses, and following input from prior May Fair participants, the Spruce Hill Community Association has committed to hosting a “Virtual May Fair” to provide an opportunity for advertising, interaction, and commerce among vendors and community members. Space is limited and priority will be given to local community organizations and artisans. The virtual May Fair will be hosted on “Gather”, a fun and configurable 2-D environment equipped with group video chat, games, and other tools to promote a sense of connection. A dedicated volunteer has already designed a space to represent Clark Park, and we have several vendors who have helped us test this and we are ready to add more!
You can go in and visit any time – it’s most fun if you check it out with a friend: CLICK HERE TO VISIT THE VIRTUAL MAY FAIR ANYTIME! We will set up your booth for you – all you have to do is provide us the information you would like to include in your booth, in the application form: Booth Application form
We understand that this is new to you, and we will be there to help throughout the process. We will set up a standard virtual booth and can include any one of the following:-PDF documents (e.g., coupon or flyer)-video link-photos-link to your website, facebook, etsy page – any URL that you would like to share- other digital collateral that you provide You can include whatever you would like to make this a fun and hopefully beneficial event for you. We will also provide you and guests detailed tip sheets for navigation.
We will publicize the Virtual May Fair as always, and encourage you to also share within your networks. The link is live now, and we plan to use the next month to build business/vendor booths. In our outreach, guests will be invited and encouraged to visit ANY TIME (max capacity of 22 guests at a time) leading up to the LIVE portion of the event (max capacity of 1000 guests), which will take place on Saturday May 8th, 4-8pm. During the live portion, a representative from your organization/business will be encouraged to log in and be available to chat with attendees. However, you will not be required to attend during this time if you are unable to do so, you can simply benefit from the free promotion without having to do anything else! We hope that you will consider participating. Applications are due Sunday May 2nd, and will be reviewed in the order received. If you are selected to participate, you will receive e-mail notification along with further instructions. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to let us know! Sincerely, Richard Moore, On behalf of the May Fair Planning Committee
In coordination with the five neighborhood associations that serve on our Board of Directors, University City District launched a $15,000 fund to provide financial assistance to local businesses and organizations through 15 $1,000 grants. We worked 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 brick-and-mortar businesses or non-profits operating within each neighborhood to receive $1,000 grants to help alleviate losses tied to COVID-19. Working with the neighborhood associations allowed us to put grant decisions into their hands so they could determine the best allocation of the funds to businesses and non-profits in their coverage areas, outlined below.
After launching, UCD and an anonymous local donor raised the fund’s amount to $20,000, allowing for each neighborhood association to select an additional small business or non-profit to support, bringing the total to 20 businesses funded, or four per neighborhood. We received over 120 applications for the funds, and after careful consideration, the grantees have been selected by committees from the neighborhood associations, and are listed below by neighborhood.
“I am delighted and so very appreciative of this grant from the Garden Court Community Association and the UCD. The fact that community organizations are even thinking of, let alone organizing for, small businesses such as ours is enormously gratifying.”
Barbara Scott, Owner, Fresh on 47th Catering
The UCD Community Group Fund was made possible thanks to a generous donation from neighbors Barry Grossbach and Mike Hardy, and further contributions from University City District and an anonymous donor.
UCD Community Group Fund Grantees
Cedar Park Neighbors:
Amari’s Restaurant
Indie-Life Media
Spinning Chairs Barber Shop
The Green Tambourine Music Studio
Garden Court:
Best Laundromat of Pine Street
Fresh on 47th Catering
Solomon Fruit & Produce Truck
Education Garden Learning Center
Powelton Village:
A Part of Me Women’s Clothing
Cornerstone Bed and Breakfast
El Taco
La Pearl Beauty Emporium
Spruce Hill:
Alif Brew and Mini Mart
Hadramout Restaurant
Philly Cuts Barbershop
Saias Cleaners
Walnut Hill:
Authentic Ethnic Cuisine
Creative Repute, LLC
Hakim’s Bookstore & Gift Shop
West Philadelphia Cultural Alliance/ Paul Robeson House Museum
The Free Library is launching a new initiative for job seekers in April 2021 — Philly Career Launch. Philly Career Launch’s vision is simple yet bold: Philadelphia job seekers, especially newly unemployed and newly entering workers at the low end of the labor market, improve their economic prospects by qualifying for family-sustaining opportunity occupations.
To realize this vision, we are rolling out an ambitious agenda of resources and programming, including an expanded job seeker website, virtual day-long sessions of career exploration through individual reflection and small group discussion, and virtual career fairs for making vital connections with training program leaders and potential employers.
And we need your help to get the word out! As a trusted voice in your community, we invite you to learn more about Philly Career Launch by attending an information session. In these sessions, we will share how you can sign up to receive promotional materials, such as flyers, posters, and t-shirts, as well as digital materials for social media postings. Choose from one of three dates and register for the session by clicking on the link:
Tuesday, March 16, 10:00 to 10:30 a.m. Thursday, March 18, 4:00 to 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 24, 1:00 to 1:30 p.m.
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
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.
