Frankford Community Blog | Local News, Events, Community Resources
On Sunday, April 22nd, Senator Christine Tartaglione presented a $50,000 grant to the Frankford Chargers during the club’s 51st annual banquet at Regal Ballroom.
Senator Tartaglione presents check to the Frankford Chargers
Dozens of children were recognized for achievements in football, cheer, dance, basketball and baseball, as well as academic success. The Chargers are a great asset to Frankford, providing children with fun, safe activities as well as positive mentoring.
On Saturday April 14th, State Senator Tina Tartaglione presented a check for $100,000 to the Lloyd C. Wilson American Legion Post 224 for the renovation of the Post building.
State Senator Tina Tartaglione presents a check for $100,000 to Post 224 for renovation of the building.
In introducing Senator Tartaglione, Commander Guy Lewis stated, “This lady has been loyal, dependable, unwavering advocate for the citizens of Pennsylvania, especially those of the 2nd (Senate) District, which includes East Frankford. She has been representing us for the last 24 years and has been especially good to the Lloyd C. Wilson Memorial Post 224.”
State Sen. Christine Tartaglione invites the community to visit her Bridge Street district office on April 10 to take advantage of a free Financial Freedom for Working Families event. The senator will partner with PA State Treasurer Joe Torsella and the Campaign for Working Families Inc. to “Show YOU the Money!”
ChristineTartaglione
There will be free income tax return preparation available, along with unclaimed property search, rent and property tax rebate application preparation and Earned Income Tax Credit assistance. Visitors can also open a PA 529 College Savings Plan with a waiver of the usual $50 enrollment fee. The event will occur at 1061 Bridge St. from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
“In today’s economic environment with rising costs and stagnant wages, working people should try to take advantage of every opportunity to get ahead,” Senator Tartaglione said. “Through this program, Treasurer Torsella and I want to connect Pennsylvanians, especially those in the 2nd Senatorial District, with the free financial resources available to them.”
This event is the final installment of a six-stop, month-long statewide tour. No appointment is necessary. Visitors will be served in the order in which they arrive. Spanish language service will be available.
Campaign for Working Families Inc. will provide tax return preparation services for filers reporting less than $54,000 income. The federal deadline to file is April 17 this year. Filers must bring the following documents: social security cards for the filer and all dependents, valid state-issued photo ID or driver’s license, all 2017 income documents (W-2 and 1099 forms), a voided check if you wish to receive your return as a direct deposit, any child care co-pay statements with provider’s Social Security information or EIN, any education credit form 1098-T, last year’s tax return, health insurance form 1095-A (if applicable) and identity theft protection PIN (if applicable).
Those applying for EITC must bring photo ID, proof of income and their social security number. Those seeking an unclaimed property search must bring photo ID and proof of residency such as a utility bill. Those opening a PA 529 account must bring a bank account number and routing number or voided check, along with the birthdate and social security number of the child/student beneficiary.
Visit PASenate.com/FinancialFreedom or call 215-533-0440 for more information.
State Sen. Christine M. Tartaglione helped more than 20 people obtain health insurance coverage for 2018 as she hosted the Pennsylvania Senate Democrats’ Affordable Care Act enrollment tour at her district office in Northwood on Nov. 21.
About two dozen healthcare consumers visited Tartaglione’s office at 1061 Bridge St. during the four-hour session, where they consulted with certified enrollment specialists, representatives from the state’s Insurance Department and the Philadelphia Corporation for Aging, along with private insurers. Visitors received expert help signing up for ACA coverage – commonly known as Obamacare – as well as Medicare.
Pennsylvania Senate Democrats organized the seven-stop statewide tour in response to severe budget cuts instituted by the federal government this year on the ACA enrollment program. The Trump administration cut the enrollment period in half from three months to just six weeks. The new deadline is Dec. 15. Also, the administration slashed the ACA marketing budget by 90 percent and the funding for enrollment specialists, also known as navigators, by almost half.
“Access to healthcare is a vital need for all people. Yet because of the federal government’s latest Obamacare cutbacks, many Americans won’t get the help they need to sign up for insurance,” Tartaglione said. “The holidays are a busy time of year and many folks may not hear about the shorter enrollment period until it’s too late. Through our ACA tour, we are enrolling people for coverage and raising awareness about the new ACA deadline.”
Photo by PA Senate Democrats
“With open enrollment being shorter this year, there was a real concern that people would miss it,” said Dave Buono, consumer liaison for the Pennsylvania Insurance Department. “We want to make sure folks know they can still get affordable health insurance. If people are waiting until the last minute this year and they think the deadline is Jan. 31, they’re going to miss it.”
Following stops in Cheltenham and East Falls on Nov. 16, then Tartaglione’s office on Nov. 21, the tour is scheduled to visit Bethlehem on Nov. 28, Scranton and Carbondale on Nov. 30 and finally Pittsburgh on Dec. 7. Visitors to Tartaglione’s office were relieved to get the help they needed.
“They made it real easy,” said Toni Gallelli, a nurse from Philadelphia’s Castor Gardens section. “I never had to do this before. Thank God I don’t have any health problems but I’ll be 60 in a few weeks and I have to go to my doctor for check-ups. It’s a preventative comfort.”
“Being a recent retiree, healthcare is probably the most expensive component I have to worry about going into the future,” said Carol Voutsinos, also from Castor Gardens. “You want to get a plan that’s the most cost-effective for you number one, and one that offers all you need. You have to maintain a healthy lifestyle as you age.”
“I got a better understanding of health insurance talking with the navigators,” said Magdeline Tyler of Olney. “I went through a time with no health insurance. I got pneumonia and had to go to the hospital and ended up with a $30,000 bill.”
Consumers can enroll with the Affordable Care Act by visiting healthcare.gov. Pennsylvania Senate Democrats have established their own site to provide consumers with information about their health insurance options. Visit HealthcareForPA.com.
Office of State Senator Christine M. Tartaglione
State Senator Christine Tartaglione and State Representative Jason Dawkins brought home the bacon when they presented a check for $200,000 to Joseph Marziello, CEO of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Philadelphia, on November 22nd.
Tartaglione and Dawkins invested a lot of time and influence to get the grant for the club. It is ear marked for the completion of the renovations that have been underway at the club for over a year now.
The work at the club has been one of the biggest construction projects in Frankford this year and it has already made a big difference.
From Marziello’s message on the Boys and Girls Clubs web site:
After establishing the new John and Katie Ericksen Family Literacy Center at our Northeast Frankford Club in March 2017, we began renovations to create a Kids Café, STEM Learning Lab and Technology Center at the Club. The improvements are on-track to be completed In October 2017 and will allow us to provide youth at Frankford with hot, home-cooked food daily while engaging them in critical STEM programming.
… Since renovations to the Northeast Frankford Club began, youth enrollment at the Club has increased by 50 percent, with the number of teens attending Club programming doubling.
I spoke with Marziello 2 years ago about his vision for the club. The building was in very poor shape at that point and, yet he was optimistic that he would raise the money and get the job done. He actually did what he said he was going to do.
Bellow is a video of the presentation. If you have seen it on Facebook, this is a shorter version of the same.
