Category: Charity

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Ray Gant Honored by Health Partners Foundation

A Night of Celebration Honoring Community Leaders and Organizations Making a Difference

Health Partners Foundation Spotlights Groups and Individuals Transforming Lives of Those in Need

On Thursday, October 26, Health Partners Foundation honored local community members and organizations that have transformed the lives of those in need at the annual Making A Difference Awards, held at the African American Museum in Philadelphia.

Jan Kenney Vice President of The Ray of Hope Project, Ray Gant, Maretta Walker (Health Partners) and former Ray of Hope Board Member Dana Kelley – photo by Health Partners

 

Frankford’s Ray Gant was among those honored for his work in the Ray of Hope Project.

Some history: “In October of 2002, Ray Gant and Willard Bostock were returning from a Philadelphia Eagles / Tampa Bay Buccaneers football game. On the drive home, they began a discussion about the community needs of Philadelphia. After conversing about the topic for several hours, they concluded that one of those community needs was the rehabilitation of badly damaged homes which were unsafe and unhealthy for their occupants as well as an eyesore in their communities. Hence, The Ray of Hope Project was born.”

The Ray of Hope Project is a registered Pennsylvania 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation dedicated to bringing hope to those who cannot afford urgently needed home repairs in the Communities of Philadelphia, while also offering rehabilitative job skills training to former inmates and educational apprenticeships for other qualified persons. The Ray of Hope Project is supported solely by charitable contributions and works to bring diverse communities together in a program demonstrating that, together, people can make a difference.

At the awards ceremony, honorees shared poignant stories of their missions, from raising awareness of suicide among youth to making neighborhoods safer and healthier places to live. The ceremony included an inspiring performance by spoken word poet/teacher Rienne Scott and moving musical selections by the Philadelphia High School for Creative & Performing Arts (CAPA) Concert Choir.

Awardees include Program Hope; Breakthrough of Greater Philadelphia; Sarah-Ashley Andrews, founder and CEO of Dare 2 Hope; Raymond Gant, president and co-founder of The Ray of Hope Project; and Kyah McCall, CAPA Jazz Ensemble member.

 

About Health Partners Foundation

The Health Partners Foundation supports low-income communities in Philadelphia and surrounding counties with health information, educational programs, scholarships, emergency assistance and more. A 501c3 nonprofit organization, the Foundation is funded by employees, as well as vendors and friends of Health Partners Plans who share our commitment to offering a helping hand in disadvantaged communities.

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Coming up in Frankford October 28 to November 3

Community Planting Day – Sat, October 28, 10 am – 2 pm, Frankford Pause Park, 4671-73 Paul Street – The Frankford CDC and the Frankford Garden Club present Community Planting Day with workshops throughout the day.

Free Concert – Sat, October 28, 1 pm – 5 pm, Carmella Playground, 2100 Wakeling Street – Free concert by Jah People, skateboard contest, food trucks, 50/50 raffle, Halloween costume contest for kids and adults and feed the homeless food drive.

20th Annual Tricky Trays – Sun, October 29, 11:30 am, St. Joachim Church, 1527 Church Street – Court St. Francis de Sales #2617 invites you to a day of fun at the 20th Annual Tricky Trays in St. Joachim’s Hall, 1527 Church Street on Sunday, October 29, 2017. Doors open 11:30 AM. First ticket drawn at 1 PM. $5.00 admission includes trip to the kitchen and 2 raffle tickets. Free dessert. Additional raffles and food available. 50-50 and kids costume judging. Bring canned goods for Matthew 25 food cupboard and get a free raffle ticket. Call Brenda for info 215-288-8168″

Frankford NAS Election – Thu, November 2, 9:00 am – 6:30 pm, 4667 Paul Street – Ground floor for the voting and  Thu, November 2, 10 am – 4 pm, 4900 Griscom St,

Frankford Civic Association Meeting, Thu, November 2, 7 pm – 8 pm, St Mark’s Church Frankford, 4442 Frankford Avenue

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Carmella Playground is More Than a Park to This Neighborhood

Carmella Playground, at 2100 Wakeling Street (Torresdale and Wakeling), is easy to miss as you drive up Wakeling on your way from Aramingo Avenue.  It’s that big plot on the left as you pass Worth Street with the skate park on the Torresdale Avenue end.  Yet, if you take a walk inside you find a place brimming with activity.

The property is large enough, at a little over 11 acres, to support a shuffleboard court, a skate park, a sports field, two basketball courts and four ball fields.  Indoor activities include Dance Domination, Girl Scouts, Building Bridges, Kids Zumba, an after school program, Movie Night, Arts and Crafts, Game night and Bingo.  There are plans to start Girls volleyball in the Spring, T-ball, and possibly soccer.

The Community/Advisory Council is very active in support of the playground and raises funds targeted at improving and enhancing the facilities.

Poverty and crime are major issues in Frankford but Kristin Wisniewski, Recreation Leader, says she wants Carmella to be a part of the solution to those problems.  Working toward that goal, Carmella hosted a stop the violence day back in July with “The Block Gives Back” group who organized a stop the violence flag football tournament with live entertainment, vendors, and food. It turned a hundreds of neighborhood folks to join in the activities.

Coming up this Saturday, there will be a free Concert at Carmella featuring Jah People, a local band, where they will be collecting canned goods for Preston and Steve’s Camp out for hunger. There will be plenty of food trucks, informational tables, a skateboard clinic and a prize for best Halloween costume.

Carmella is a good example of how a city facility can make a difference in the lives of children and the direction of the community.  It takes leadership, commitment and participation of everyone to make it work.

All are invited to come out on Saturday, October 28th, to see what’s happening.

 

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20th Annual Tricky Trays

Court St. Francis de Sales #2617 invites you to a day of fun at the 20th Annual Tricky Trays in St. Joachim’s Hall, 1527 Church Street on Sunday, October 29, 2017. 

Doors open 11:30 AM.  First ticket drawn at 1 PM.  $5.00 admission includes trip to the kitchen and 2 raffle tickets.  Free dessert.  Additional raffles and food available.  50-50 and kids costume judging.  Bring canned goods for Matthew 25 food cupboard and get a free raffle ticket.  Call Brenda for info 215-288-8168.

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Northeast Baptist Church Gets Them Ready for School

The Northeast Baptist Church, under the leadership of Pastor Rev. J. A. Mason, Sr.,  at 4744 Tackawanna Street, held a book bag give away on September 2nd.

photo by Donna Flowers

In addition to distributing 80 book bags,  the children also enjoyed hot dogs, hamburgers, nachos n cheese and fried Oreos n ice cream.  Wish I was there, it looks like they had a good time.

photo by Donna Flowers