Learn about Christmas around the world
Take Back Your Neighborhood will host its annual holiday party at Max Myers Recreation Center, 1600 Hellerman St., on Monday, Dec. 16, at 7 p.m.
The Geography Lady will deliver a family-friendly and informative talk about Christmas and holiday celebrations around the world.
Guests are invited to bring food to share. Donations of canned goods or pasta are being accepted for the group’s upcoming Martin Luther King Day of Service project. ••
Tacony LAB party on Tuesday
The Tacony LAB community arts center will hold a two-year anniversary celebration on Tuesday, Dec. 17, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
The free event will feature holiday caroling on Torresdale Avenue, cookies, cocoa, music and crafts. ••
Santa Claus is coming to town
St. Hubert High School’s faculty scholarship fund committee will sponsor Brunch with Santa on Saturday, Dec. 14, from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The school is at Torresdale and Cottman avenues.
The cost is $15 for brunch and $5 for pictures with Santa. The menu consists of eggs, pancakes, bacon, chicken nuggets, french fries, juice, coffee, tea and water. Activities will include coloring, letters to Santa, ornament making, a selfie station, dancing, reindeer food making, face painting and a performance by Anna Marie’s Academy of Dance.
For details, email SHSantaBrunch@gmail.com. ••
Block Gives Back opening an office
The Block Gives Back will open The Block Shop, 6831 Torresdale Ave., on Saturday, Dec. 14, at 11:30 a.m. The public is invited. There will be discounted merchandise, raffles, refreshments, activities and a tour.
Anyone bringing an item for the less fortunate will be entered into a raffle. ••
Santa at Holmesburg Library
Santa Claus will greet children and pose for pictures on Wednesday, Dec. 11, from 5 to 7:30 p.m. at Holmesburg Library, 7810 Frankford Ave.
The event, sponsored by Friends of Holmesburg Library, will include cookies and make-and-take holiday crafts. Call 215-685-8756. ••
John Birch Society meeting Tuesday
The John Birch Society will meet on Tuesday, Dec. 17, from 7 to 9 p.m. at Holmesburg Recreation Center, Rhawn and Ditman streets.
There will be a presentation, The UN Deception.
The motto of the John Birch Society is “Less Government, More Responsibility and – With God’s Help – A Better World.” ••
Live nativity on Sunday
United Methodist Church of the Good Shepherd, 10901 Calera Road, will have a live nativity with live animals on Sunday, Dec. 15, from 6 to 8 p.m.
Refreshments will be served. Call 215-632-1929. ••
Santa giving gifts on Sunday
The HellRaisers Law Enforcement Motorcycle Club will hold the fifth annual Roxanne’s Run on Sunday, Dec. 15, from 1 to 4 p.m. at Loudenslager American Legion Post 366, 7976 Oxford Ave.
Santa Claus will give gifts to children ages 1-12.
RSVP at 215-626-1723. ••
Bariatric session at Nazareth
Nazareth Hospital, 2601 Holme Ave., will host a bariatric information session on Friday, Dec. 13, from 4 to 5 p.m. at its seventh-floor rehab conference room.
To register, call 866-NAZARETH or go to trinityhealthma.org/services/bariatrics. ••
Holiday vendor fair on Sunday
The St. Hubert High School parents association will sponsor its annual holiday vendor fair on Sunday, Dec. 15, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the cafeteria, 7320 Torresdale Ave.
The event will feature holiday gifts, stocking stuffers, raffles, a tombola table and homemade baked goods, and the school store will be open to buy gifts for students and alumnae.
For more information, email Christine.Cassel35@gmail.com. ••
Recycle your leaves
The city Department of Streets’ leaf collection and recycling program will continue through Dec. 21.
Bagged leaf drop-off will be offered citywide on Saturdays, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 13 locations. Bagged leaves to be recycled at the specified drop-off locations will be accepted only in biodegradable paper bags. Otherwise, bagged leaves set out at the curb will be collected as trash.
Leaves can be dropped off at Jardel Recreation Center, 1400 Cottman Ave. (at Pennway Street), and Fox Chase Recreation Center, 7901 Ridgeway St.
For more information, call Councilman Brian O’Neill’s City Hall office at 215-686-3422. ••
Job search help at NE Regional Library
Get help with your resume, job search, online applications and more provided by CareerLink on Fridays in December at Northeast Regional Library, 2228 Cottman Ave.
The times are 1 to 3 p.m. on Dec. 13 and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Dec. 20.
The sessions are free. No registration is required. ••
KleinLife is going on the road
Travel with KleinLife will visit the National Museum of American Jewish History in Center City to take in the new exhibition of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, among other prominent museum exhibits, on Friday, Dec. 13. The trip includes admission to the museum and roundtrip motorcoach accommodations. Cost is $55.
For additional details and reservations and a free Travel with KleinLife brochure, contact Andrea Kimelheim at 215-698-7300, Ext. 176 or akimelheim@kleinlife.com. ••
Veterans needed to volunteer
Crossroads Hospice & Palliative Care is seeking veterans to volunteer to help support patients who are veterans.
“At Crossroads, we honor all veterans, and this is a great opportunity for them to volunteer to support their fellow veterans at the end of life by offering companionship and that special veteran camaraderie,” said volunteer manager Kimberly Mumper. “We call our Crossroads volunteers ‘Ultimate Givers’ because they give the greatest gift of their time and gain the satisfaction of knowing they helped make a fellow veteran’s day a little brighter.”
For more information or to sign up as a volunteer, contact Kimberly Mumper at 215-956-5110 or Kimberly.Mumper@crossroadshospice.com or visit CrossroadsHospice.com/Volunteering. ••
Holiday party at Oak Street
Oak Street Health, in the Roosevelt Mall, will host a holiday party for the community on Friday, Dec. 20, at noon. Warren Oree and his jazz band will perform.
There will be complimentary hot cocoa, tea and coffee.
A table of limited winter items will be available for those in need.
Call 844-808-8262 or visit oakstreethealth.com. ••
Service will offer hope
Immanuel Lutheran Church, 14100 Worthington Road, will host a “Hope for the Holidays” service on Sunday, Dec. 22, at 2:30 p.m.
The worship experience is meant to give encouragement and hope for people, especially those coping with the loss of a loved one, who find the Christmas season difficult.
There will be prayers, scripture and music, followed by light refreshments and fellowship.
Call 215-464-1540 or visit ImmanuelPhilly.org. ••
Free Christmas meals
Martha’s Kitchen & Restaurant, 6615 Martins Mill Road, will provide free Christmas lunch and dinner on Wednesday, Dec. 25.
Serving times are noon to 2 p.m. and 2:30 to 4:30 p.m.
Volunteers are needed, and donations are appreciated.
RSVP to 267-731-6332. ••
Christmas Eve services planned
Redemption Lutheran Church, 8001 Bustleton Ave., will celebrate the birth of Christ on Tuesday, Dec. 24, at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m.
The services will include the singing of Silent Night by candlelight.
The 4 p.m. service will be geared toward families and offer a puppet show sermon.
The 8 p.m. service will include a string quartet.
The organist and guest musicians will play festive carols before each service. All are welcome.
Visit redemptionphiladelphia.org. ••
Santa at Philadelphia Mills
Santa Claus is available for photos at Philadelphia Mills through Christmas Eve.
Santa is in the Grand Court.
To reserve a time or for more information, visit
www.simon.com/mall/philadelphia-mills/stores/santa-photo-experience. ••
Nazareth doctors honored
Philadelphia magazine named several Mercy Health System physicians in its annual list as some of the region’s Top Doctors in 2019.
More than a dozen Mercy colleagues across six specialties in communities throughout Philadelphia earned the peer-nominated distinction.
Nazareth Hospital doctors on the list were William M. Battle (gastroenterology) and Charles F. Leinberry Jr. (hand surgery). ••
Improvements coming to Comly and Blvd.
The Commonwealth Financing Agency has approved a grant requested by state Sen. John Sabatina Jr. and Rep. Martina White to improve Roosevelt Boulevard and Comly Road.
The $1.3 million grant is from the Intermodal Transportation Fund.
“This is an important investment in safety along Roosevelt Boulevard that will realign Comly Road, improving traffic signals and making pedestrian improvements to support the redevelopment of the former Nabisco property,” White said.
Sabatina said the project will upgrade and modernize the current flow of traffic to accommodate the new business development in the area.
The project will eliminate the offset intersections of Nabisco Drive and Comly Road across Roosevelt Boulevard to create a safer, conventional, four-legged intersection aligning the proposed site driveway with Comly Road.
The current intersections, median openings and signals at Nabisco Drive will be removed.
The existing left turn lane at the Nabisco Drive intersection northbound will be extended to the new intersection of Comly Road and the proposed site driveway.
The Comly Road approach to Roosevelt Boulevard will be modified to provide separate left turn, through and right turn lanes. ••
Nazareth offers heart protection
Nazareth Hospital takes precautions to protect the heart from cardiotoxicity while treating patients with cancer. Cardiotoxicity, or damage to the heart muscle, can occur when patients receive chemotherapy and anti-cancer medications. Nazareth’s enhanced echocardiogram technology with strain imaging can detect preliminary signs of heart damage, so doctors can intervene early and prevent the heart from getting weaker.
Before beginning treatment for cancer at Nazareth, a care team, including a cardiologist, evaluates the patient’s heart and may perform an echocardiogram scan to detect potential damage to the heart muscle. Nazareth Hospital doctors also assess a patient’s risk for cardiotoxicity to prevent this complication during and after cancer treatment.
Risk factors for cardiotoxicity include a history of heart disease, obesity, diabetes, smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and being 65 years of age or older. The most common symptoms of cardiotoxicity include shortness of breath, heart palpitations, chest pain and swelling of the legs.
A cardiologist may also suggest lifestyle changes and medications, like aspirin, to protect the heart during and after treatment.
Screening for potential heart disease before chemotherapy can prevent cardiotoxicity. For more information on cardiotoxicity and cancer care at Nazareth, visit trinityhealthma.org. ••
Nazareth rated highly in cardiology
The American College of Cardiology has awarded Nazareth Hospital with Chest Pain Center Accreditation with Primary PCI based on onsite evaluation of the staff’s ability to evaluate, diagnose and treat patients who may be experiencing a heart attack.
Hospitals that have earned ACC Chest Pain Center with Primary PCI accreditation have proven exceptional competency in treating patients with heart attack symptoms and have primary PCI available 24/7 every day of the year.
“Nazareth Hospital has demonstrated its commitment to providing excellent heart care to its community,” said Dr. Phillip D. Levy, chairman of the ACC Accreditation Management Board.
For more information about Nazareth cardiology, call 1-866-NAZARETH or visit trinityhealthma.org/heart. ••
Marriage bill advances
The state Senate approved Sen. John Sabatina Jr.’s measure that establishes the minimum age for marriage at 18 years old, with no exceptions. The bill passed unanimously, 50-0. It is now headed to the House Judiciary committee for further consideration.
Current law grants exceptions for minors to receive marriage licenses. Children age 15 or younger may be issued a license if a court decides it is in the child’s best interest and they have parental consent. Children ages 16 or 17 may be issued a marriage license if the child has parental consent or if consent is certified in writing with the signature of two adult witnesses and is acknowledged before an authorized officer.
“Children are unable to sign binding contracts, such as housing leases, financial agreements, divorce contracts…and in many cases are not yet old enough to drive,” Sabatina said. “Yet, we allow them to enter into the contract of marriage. ••
Shop at Philly’s Christmas Village
Philadelphia’s Christmas Village is open at Love Park, 15th Street and JFK Boulevard, through Christmas Eve.
Admission is free, with food, drink and shopping pay as you go.
More than 80 international and local merchants and artists will sell crafted gifts in decorated tents and wooden houses. There will also be more than 50 local vendors in a holiday market.
Hours are Sunday to Thursday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Follow @philachristmas on Twitter and Instagram, like Christmas Village on Facebook and visit www.philachristmas.com. ••
Higher speeds for Comcast customers
Comcast is increasing download speeds for some of its Xfinity Internet packages for residential customers.
Download speeds have increased by as much as 60-plus percent.
“Modern homes require fast internet, wall-to-wall WiFi and a way to manage the connectivity needs of the entire household,” said Kevin Casey, president of Comcast’s Northeast Division.
“Faster speeds, combined with Xfinity xFi’s advanced WiFi coverage and controls, give our internet customers an unmatched experience along with the tools to manage an expanding number of connected devices, apps and constantly evolving technologies.” ••
Nazareth program earns accreditation
Nazareth Hospital has received accreditation for a new Emergency Medicine Residency Program from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education.
Nazareth’s Emergency Medicine Residency Program is listed with the National Resident Matching Program and is interviewing medical school seniors for positions in a three-year training program.
To learn more about Graduate Medical Education at Nazareth, visit trinityhealthma.org/healthcare-professionals/gme/nazareth-residency/ or call 866-NAZARETH. ••
Boyle wants to ban gun device
State Rep. Kevin Boyle is seeking co-sponsors for his legislation that would prohibit large-capacity ammunition magazines in Pennsylvania.
The legislation would ban the sale, offering and exposing for sale, use, purchase, possession and control of a large-capacity ammunition magazine, which is defined as an automatic ammunition feeding device capable of accepting more than 15 rounds of ammunition or five shotgun shells.
Under this legislation, Pennsylvania would join nine states and the District of Columbia in prohibiting this type of magazine.
Boyle noted that large-capacity ammunition magazines were used in the recent mass shootings in El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio. ••
