Far Northeast Town Watches slate Night Out
The Parkwood and Chalfont Town Watches’ National Night Out activities are set for 6 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 5, at the Knights and Woodhaven shopping center, behind TD Bank.
Local businesses will participate along with representatives of the police and fire departments. There’ll be plenty to eat.
Call 267–294–4760 for more information. ••
Civic group’s celebration set for Aug. 23
The Take Back Your Neighborhood Civic Association will host its annual Northeast Celebration on Saturday, Aug. 23, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Max Myers Recreation Center, at 1601 Hellerman St.
The free event will feature music, activities for kids, community organizations that provide services to the neighborhood and groups representing historical landmarks of the region.
Catholic Community Services has donated 100 schoolbags, which will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis.
For more information, contact Jared Solomon at 215–205–2167 or [email protected] ••
St. Martin of Tours reunion planned
St. Martin of Tours will hold a reunion for all alumni, current and former parishioners and friends on Saturday, Aug. 23, from 3 to 7 p.m. at Keenan’s Irish Pub in North Wildwood, N.J.
Tickets cost $25 and will be available at the door.
For more information, call 215–535–2962. ••
Nominate a dog
Dog lovers have until National Mutt Day on July 31 to vote for Philly Water’s Best Friend at PhillyWatersheds.org, with the dogs garnering the most votes earning the chance to compete in two dog pageants next fall. The winning duo will represent the Philadelphia Water Department for clean water promotions in Juniata, Lower Moyamensing and other neighborhoods, while also receiving $200 in prizes.
The purpose of the “spokesdog” contest is to keep Philadelphia’s rivers and streams clean. Winners will attend two or more events to hand out fliers and distribute dog-waste bags. This encourages dog walkers to pick up their pets’ waste. Pet waste, when discarded on the ground or in stormwater inlets, pollutes Philadelphia’s water. Rain and melting snow washes the pet waste into storm drains, which flow into streams, creeks and rivers.
“This program fosters a culture of greener city living, especially when it’s paired with new dog runs, like the one at Penn’s Landing,” said Joanne Dahme, general manager of public affairs for the Water Department. “This makes it safer for people to boat, fish and enjoy Philadelphia’s coast — and it saves our four-legged friends from unnecessary embarrassment.”
Sponsors of the program include the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary, Philadelphia Water Department, Tookany/Tacony-Frankford Watershed Partnership, Juniata Action and Lower Moyamensing Civic Association. For information, call Melissa Bittner at 800–445–4935, Ext. 113. ••
Program explains vehicle heat dangers
Pop-A-Lock, the country’s largest security company, wants parents and caregivers to be informed about the extreme — and sometimes fatal — dangers of locking a child in a vehicle during soaring summer temperatures.
The PALSavesKids Program educates parents to first call 9–1–1 and then call 1–800-Pop-A-Lock. The Pop-A-Lock technician nearest to the scene will leave all other priorities aside to arrive as soon as possible to unlock the child from the automobile. This free community service was launched in 1991.
The Department of Earth and Climate Sciences at San Francisco State University said that there were at least 44 deaths of children in vehicles in 2013.
PALSavesKids’ mascot, PALS Puppy, is a gentle reminder to caregivers to always look in the backseat before leaving the vehicle.
“We launched this program in 1991 to educate caregivers about the severe dangers of leaving children in unattended vehicles or mistakenly locking a child in an automobile,” said Don Marks, CEO of Pop-A-Lock. “By using our expertise in the security industry, we are able to quickly and efficiently remove children from harm. This program is one of the numerous ways we give back to the community.”
For more information about Pop-A-Lock, Pop-A-Lock’s Summer Safety Educational Awareness Series or the PALSavesKids Emergency Door Unlock Program, visit www.popalock.com ••
NEHS grad in student leaders program
Recent Northeast High School graduate Kevin Zhao is among five Philadelphia-area young people selected to take part in the Bank of America Charitable Foundation Student Leaders program.
The program annually awards more than 220 high school juniors and seniors from around the country with paid eight-week summer internships at local nonprofit organizations.
“We know that when young adults succeed, their community thrives,” said Tom Woodward, Pennsylvania and Philadelphia market president at Bank of America. “As teens in Philadelphia once again face a tough time finding summer jobs, Student Leaders connects them to valuable experience in today’s competitive workforce and helps them build a solid foundation for future financial success.”
In addition to the paid internships, the students attend a weeklong Bank of America Student Leadership Summit in Washington, D.C. Summit activities include a service learning project and a series of interactive workshops, including Capitol Hill briefings, sessions on financial education and leadership development skills, as well as panel discussions focused on global health and the issues of housing, hunger and jobs.
Also, students gain financial tools and resources to help them acquire better money habits, including a session at the summit led by LIFT, a national nonprofit focused on financial literacy.
Locally, Zhao and the others are working with the Philadelphia Youth Network. ••
Holy Redeemer stroke program honored
For the fourth consecutive time, Holy Redeemer Hospital has been awarded the American Heart Association’s “Get With the Guidelines — Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award” — the highest recognition possible.
To meet the standard for a gold performance, Holy Redeemer had to consistently meet specific quality achievement measures for the rapid diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients. These measures included aggressive use of medications and therapies aimed at reducing death and disability and improving the lives of stroke patients.
“Holy Redeemer Hospital is dedicated to improving the quality of stroke care, and Get With The Guidelines helps us achieve that goal,” said Sylvia Ouzomgi, stroke manager for Holy Redeemer. “With this award, our hospital demonstrates our commitment to ensure that our patients receive care based on internationally respected clinical guidelines.”
According to the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association, stroke is the fourth-leading cause of death and a leading cause of adult disability in the U.S. On average, someone suffers a stroke every 40 seconds; someone dies of a stroke every four minutes; and 795,000 people suffer a new or recurrent stroke each year. ••
American Heritage pledges $50,000 to CHOP
American Heritage Federal Credit Union, whose membership includes more than 5,300 employees of the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, has made a five-year, $50,000 commitment to help the hospital fund its newest facility.
The Buerger Center for Advanced Pediatric Care will open in 2015.
The new Center will grow the capacity of CHOP to meet the pediatric health needs from across the country and around the world.
American Heritage’s Kids-N-Hope Foundation already supports the music therapy program at CHOP, purchasing musical equipment, providing the hospital with a music therapist and bringing in musical performers specially trained in assisting children with developmental disabilities.
The Kids-N-Hope Foundation donated $100,000 to the music therapy program in 2013, bringing its ongoing fundraising total on behalf of CHOP to more than $927,000 since the foundation’s founding in 1996. ••
