Sat. May 8 - "Love Your Park", Second Saturday and Spring Family Play Day

Saturday, May 8, 2010 Cedar Park will be abuzz with activity!

Green and Clean: 10am - noon Family Play Day: 1 - 3pm Craft Fair: 11am - 5pm

Green and Clean in Cedar Park Saturday, May 8th, 10am - 12 noon

Weeding, mulching & cleaning is more fun with neighbors! Come join other volunteers and help us kick-off Spring in Cedar Park. We'll spend the morning cleaning-up our beloved park together! Meet in Cedar Park at 10am. Come in gardening clothes and bring a water bottle, gloves & tools if you have them. Please RSVP to tatemch[at]aol[dot]com if you are able to join in.

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Spring Family Play Day — 1-3 pm

Also next Saturday, later in the park..... Spring Family Play Day in Cedar Park so the whole family can enjoy a day in the park, playing and helping.  Meet other parents and kids in the neighborhood.

RSVP on Facebook

And don't forget Satellite Second Saturday Craft Fair in the triangle! — 11-5 pm

More info about Satellite 2nd Saturday events.

Baltimore Ave. Conversation Continues!

Wed, 4/21 @ 7pm - OR - Sat, Apr 24th @ 10am (choose one)Baltimore Ave Conversation Continues!

Join the Community Design Collaborative at the People’s Baptist Church, 5039 Baltimore Ave

The CDC has taken all our thoughts and comments on the neighborhood from the previous workshops and outreach and have some ideas both big and small for us to consider. They will present these initial thoughts on what Baltimore Ave between 49th – 52nd St. could become if we choose and they want your feedback.

* What ideas do you like? * What is missing from this vision? * What ideas concern you? * What ideas are on the right track but still need a little work?

We want all area residents and business owners to be a part of this unique collaborative community conversation. Please invite your neighbors!

To read background on this conversation, click here.

Hope to see you there!

3RD ANNUAL FUNDRAISER FOR CEDAR PARK SCHOLARSHIPS

by Laura McHugh, Scholarship Committee Chair Join the Cedar Park Neighbors Scholarship Committee as We Brew Up Fun at DOCK STREET in Support of Our 3rd Annual Fundraiser for Youth Scholarships in Cedar Park!

Looking for something fun to do on a cold March afternoon?  Why not grab your friends and family and join us, the Cedar Park community, at our 3rd annual scholarships fundraiser at Dock Street Brewery and Restaurant, 701 S. 50th Street (at Baltimore Ave.) on Sunday, March 7, 2010 from 4-7 p.m.!  Tickets for this special event are just $35 and admission includes all you can eat and drink pizza and beer from 4-6 p.m. There will also be a cash bar for one hour, from 6-7 p.m. Buy tickets with Paypal (evite login required).

Our now annual fundraiser helps raise money every year to offer local students financial assistance to further their education after high school.  Scholarships are awarded yearly to high school graduates who live in the Cedar Park neighborhood and who have been accepted to an institution of higher education.

Over the last 21 years, Cedar Park Neighbors (CPN) has provided scholarships to local students to help defray the cost of books, fees, travel, or other needs. Established in 1988, the CPN Scholarship Program has made 116 awards for a total of $58,100 to more than 51 young neighbors. Scholarships for the 2010-2011 college academic year will amount to approximately $600/student and scholarships are renewable from year to year.

In addition to refreshments and entertainment, there will be the option to participate in a silent auction and a 50/50 drawing. This year’s silent auction items include tickets to Philadelphia area attractions, certificates to local businesses and restaurants and other fun, desirable items.  Come to help others and you may go away an even bigger winner!

CPN is a volunteer-driven organization and we must raise the additional funds each year in order to continue the operation of our Scholarship Program.  We need your help to support our young people today!

For more information or to purchase tickets in advance please contact Laurie Friedman at lauriefrie@gmail.com or by phone (215) 747-1910.  Hope to see you there!

CPN February newsletter is Out!

Stories about Recycling Rewards, Holiday Gift Baskets, the CPN Scholarship process, the Baltimore Avenue visioning project and more. Check it out as a online "flipbook" courtesy of issuu.com:

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Or download the pdf by clicking below:

CPN News.2-10

BALTIMORE AVENUE QUESTIONNAIRE

Let’s have a conversation … What would you like to see on Baltimore Ave., 49th – 52nd Streets? Cedar Park Neighbors (CPN) is hosting a conversation about Baltimore Avenue and we hope you will participate.  We have been working hard with others on neighborhood improvements. However, the portion of Baltimore Ave., 49th St. – 52nd St., once a thriving business district, has fallen on hard times.  What improvements do you imagine for this area of our community?  We are seeking input through this questionnaire and a series of community workshops.   CPN is pleased to be working with the Community Design Collaborative, a volunteer based community design center, on this listening process with community residents, businesses and organizations.

Let us know your thoughts. Please print out this questionnaire and return by Feb 20th - or better yet, bring it with you to the to the Informational Meeting on Feb 17th at 7pm at the People’s Baptist Church, 5039 Baltimore Avenue.

CPN submitted a proposal to the Community Design Collaboration (Collaborative), a volunteer based community design center that provides pro bono preliminary design services to nonprofit organizations.  We are pleased the Collaborative has decided to work with us in conducting a listening process with community residents, businesses and organizations about what we would like to see on Baltimore Avenue from 49th St. – 52nd St.  The Collaborative provides a team of architects and planners who will listen to input from the community in order to generate a consensus on priorities for improvements for these three blocks.  The Collaborative previously worked with neighbors in a similar process to develop a design for the newly renovated Cedar Park at 50th Street, now once again a much enjoyed community green space.

WHAT’S INVOLVED:

There will be one information meeting and two open community workshops.  The Collaborative team will listen to ideas from neighbors, business and organizations and then take our ideas and produce a set of conceptual designs.  The designs are only for the purpose of envisioning and clarifying possibilities, imagining what could be.  These designs could involve ideas for new businesses, use of vacant land, housing, streetscape or other thoughts that come from participants.   This is only a listening process.  There are no investors or funding sources to implement the concept design that we come up with.   However, once neighbors get talking, there may be interest in forming a group to make some parts of the community’s vision a reality.

TIMELINE:

January:  Conversations with neighbors, businesses, and stakeholders along the three blocks of Baltimore Avenue to invite participation.

Wed, February 17, 7pm: Information meeting about the process.

Wed, February 24, 7pm & Sat, February 27, 10am: (Choose one) First community workshop with the Community Design Collaborative for people to voice their hopes and concerns.  This is a key meeting for your voice to be heard.  Choose one date.

Wed, April 21, 7pm & Sat, April 24, 10am: (Choose one) Second community workshop when the Collaborative will present their draft design(s) for comment and feedback.   Choose one date.

June- June: The Collaborative writes a final report.  CPN hosts presentation to community.

Note: All meetings will be held at People’s Baptist Church, 5039 Baltimore Avenue.

WE INVITE YOUR PARTICIPATION IN THIS CREATIVE VISIONING PROCESS.

What are we asking of you?

  • Participate in one information meeting and two community workshops.
  • Begin talking now with neighbors about what you imagine as improvements to these three blocks -  the buildings, the land, stores, streetscape etc.   What would you like to see?  What would you not like to see?

-       Residential use? Row homes or multistory? Small businesses?  A large chain store?

-       Mixed use - stores with housing above?

If there is wide agreement on the concept design, the plans can be used in a variety of ways to generate interest for further public and/or private investments.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:

Monica Allison, President, Cedar Park Neighbors

267-531-4147 or  contact <at> cedarparkneighbors <dot> org

President’s Message

by Monica Allison Happy New Year Everyone!  I hope that you enjoyed your holiday season with family and friends.  Unfortunately, it doesn’t last long and we are back to business.

In December we held our community meeting which focused on the 50th anniversary of Cedar Park Neighbors and the 100th anniversary of Cedar Park itself.  We discussed several ideas for a year of celebration beginning Fall, 2010.  It is not too late to get involved.  We need the input of the entire community.  We need your pictures.  We need your stories.  We need trivia.  This is an opportunity for everyone to have a share in something special. Feel free to submit ideas on how we can celebrate these two anniversaries to any of the board members, send an email, drop off a letter, or leave a message.  I am excited about reviewing your ideas.

Also in December, we had our Holiday Basket event.  Thanks to Victoria Iannotta, Joanne Pham and many volunteers, Cedar Park Neighbors was able to provide baskets for nearly 150 families.  (see article)

Looking ahead, we are very excited about our CPN effort to bring together community residents, businesses and organizations for a conversation about Baltimore Avenue from 49th St. to 52nd Street.  We hope many of you will participate.  You can read more about this community conversation in this newsletter.  You can also help the project by returning the important questionnaire included as an insert.  We want to know what you are thinking.

This month, we lost one of the major icons of the Philadelphia political scene, Senator Hardy Williams.  We offer our condolences to Senator Anthony Williams and his family.  Senator Hardy Williams not only helped to shape the political landscape of Philadelphia but he also had a way with the youth in his community.  I went to school not far from his home and he was always mentoring and guiding the youth of Philadelphia.  He will be missed.

Check out our new and improved website, patronize the businesses in our neighborhood, and remember:  There's always something good happening in Cedar Park.

Holiday Basket Program Reaches Increasing Numbers of Families in Need

by Victoria Iannotta, Holiday Baskets Co-Chair Saturday, December 19, 2009 marked two important events in Philadelphia:  the second biggest snowstorm in our city's history and the annual distribution of Cedar Park Neighbors holiday baskets.

On Friday, the weather prediction for the following day was very bleak. The optimist in me kept hoping that the forecasters were mistaken or that somehow the snowstorm would magically bypass Springfield Avenue in the morning. We needed at least three hours to pack and distribute our 148 holiday food baskets, ideally without the help of a fire truck or reindeer. By 6 am, however, as I watched Cedar Ave. disappear in a blurry haze of snow, the optimist had been replaced by the worrier and I knew we were facing a challenging morning.

Thankfully, I am blessed with a project partner who is able to maintain an enviable sense of calm in the face of apparent disaster.  So as I contemplated how we were going to pack 148  baskets on our own, Joanne Pham assured me that everything would be fine.   And, of course, she was right.

Exactly at 9 am, Cindy and Sophia, our first two volunteers, arrived. They were soon followed by 2 others, then 4, then 6 and more. So many generous members of our community left the warmth of their homes to help us pack the food. So many, in fact, that we finished our task 30 minutes earlier than expected.

At 11, right on schedule, the first representative from the organizations we support arrived to collect the baskets, and as the day progressed, everything was distributed despite the weather and my worrying.

It was a morning that made us very proud to be part of such a giving and compassionate community of people. In my opinion, it was one of Cedar Park's finest hours

To every volunteer who braved the weather to help others, Joanne and I thank you from the bottom of our hearts.  We also thank the representatives of our sponsored organizations who, themselves, defied the storm to pick up the baskets so that those in need would have a holiday meal.   A special note of appreciation goes to the Philadelphia Credit Union, Trader Joe’s, Shoprite, Fresh Grocer, Senator Anthony Williams and Yaya, fruit and vegetable vendor extraordinaire, for their generous donations.

We thank every single person who donated to the project and would like to let you know that you fed 637 of your neighbors this Christmas.

The snow of that day has long since melted and Christmas has come and gone, but the kindness and good that was demonstrated by our community is a gift that will be remembered throughout the year.

Philadelphia Recycling Rewards Program Announced

Five years after the launch of the RecycleBank pilot in Philadelphia, the city has now announced a full launch of the Philadelphia Recycling Rewards program in partnership with RecycleBank. This victory is due in large part to the efforts of the 13,000 residents that signed the RecycleNOW petition during the Mayor’s race urging for recycling improvements. Give yourself a pat on the back! Based on the total amount of recycling collected in their neighborhood, residents will earn points that can be redeemed to use at local and national retailers, or donated to non-profits. This encourages residents to urge their neighbors to recycle as well. Residents can also earn points for trash reduction.

The program will begin in February of 2010 in North Philadelphia, and will roll out in an additional section of the city each month, making the program citywide by July.

Residents can sign up at  http://www.phillyrecyclingpays.com/ and register to receive a sticker, to be placed on any bin. You can help by encouraging your friends and neighbors to sign up today!

Committee Forming to Mark Cedar Park Anniversaries

Cedar Park Neighbors is getting ready to mark some significant milestones.  Cedar Park Neighbors will celebrate 50 years of community advocacy this year in 2010.  Our community green space and name sake, Cedar Park, will turn 100 in 2011.  Preliminary ideas for anniversary activities were discussed at a recent membership meeting.  A committee is needed to take these ideas forward.  This is a good way to be involved if you are interested in contributing your interests and talents in a short term CPN project.  Let us know how you would like to help.  Please contact President Monica Allison through CPN as soon as possible.

Mariposa Food Co-op Expands in New Location.

In the more than 35 years Mariposa Food Co-op’s shopper-owned grocery store has operated out of a tiny storefront at 4726 Baltimore Avenue, it has grown from a weekly buying club of a few dozen people to a storefront open seven days a week and serving more than 700 households. Two years ago, lack of space forced us to start a waiting list for new members. Supported by strong member interest in a larger space, indicated in a member survey and recommendations from the Wharton Small Business Development Center, Mariposa began seeking a larger building that would enable us to continue to build cooperative economic democracy and improve access to healthy, local, sustainable food in West Philadelphia.In December, Mariposa signed an agreement of sale for Beulah Tabernacle’s former bank building at 4824 Baltimore. This site, almost five times the size of our current one, will enable us to:

    accept every household now on the waiting list actively recruit new members for the first time in our history expand guest shopping for non-members. place larger orders and operate more efficiently, allowing lower prices and reduced or eliminated member work requirements host community gatherings, workshops, classes and seminars related to our mission

While part of the cost of the move will come from the sale of our current building, from current members, and from grants, we will still have to finance many of the costs. While increased sales will be more than enough to pay back our debt, the more community support we receive, the sooner we’ll be able to proceed with the move. For more information on how to make a loan or donation, please contact our Financial Manager, Dan Ohlemiller, at finance@mariposa.coop or 215-729-2121.

Daniel Flaumenhaft Convener, Mariposa Food Co-op daniel@philadelphia.coop

More about Mariposa: http://www.mariposa.coop More about the expansion project: http://www.mariposa.coop/growth.

CPN Scholarship Fundraiser: March 7

Who: Cedar Park Neighborhood AssociationWhat: Hosting a Fundraiser to fund scholarships for local youth attending college or a trade school When: Sunday, March 7 from 4:00-7:00 Where: Dock Street Brewery; 50th and Baltimore Avenue

Cedar Park Neighbors is hosting our third annual fundraiser to raise money for local youth attending college or a trade school. Tickets are $35 and can be bought from online via paypal or through a ticket from a member of the scholarship committee. This gets you call you can eat and drink from 4:00-6:00 while you listen to great live music. From 6:00-7:00, feel free to enjoy the cash bar. There will also be a silent auction at the event featuring gift certificates to local restaurants, admission to area attractions, and much more! Call or email Laurie for more information at lauriefrie@gmail.com or 786-447-8687.

Go to our evite invitation page for more information or to buy your ticket online.