Register for free yard trees
MaST Community Charter School, Cranaleith Spiritual Center and Somerton Civic Association, in partnership with TreePhilly, the Fairmount Park Conservancy and TD Bank, are inviting people to register for up to two free yard trees.
Fifteen kinds of trees, and 150 trees overall, will be available. The giveaway will be a contactless pickup event held on Saturday, March 27, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., at MaST’s campus at 1800 Byberry Road.
You must register for the event online. Visit the “Tree Giveaway Signup” link posted on Somerton Civic Association’s webpage (https://sites.google.com/view/somertoncivic) by March 23, and as soon as possible for the widest selection of trees. There, you can view the rules and instructions, see the available trees, choose a time for pickup, and register for up to two free yard trees per planting address. ••
KleinLife receives grant
KleinLife, 10100 Jamison Ave., has been awarded a grant for $210,775 from the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia’s Maimonides Fund For Health And Human Service Relief.
Money granted through the Maimonides Fund will help deliver countless essential services to the vulnerable seniors that KleinLife serves, including its Home Delivered Meals Program, virtual educational and cultural programs, social services and recreational programing.
“We are thrilled to be receiving the Federation grant, which will enable KleinLife to continue to deliver such vital services to our members and members of the community at large,” said Andre Krug, president and CEO of KleinLife. “We are most appreciative for their generous help and support.”
Call 215-698-7300 or visit www.kleinlife.org. ••
Anniversary service at St. James
St. James Lutheran Church, 5185 Castor Ave. in Northwood, will hold a 95th anniversary service on Sunday, March 21, at 10 a.m.
The day will include special music and a reception.
All are welcome. ••
Enroll at Maternity BVM
Maternity BVM Catholic School will hold 2021/2022 school year registration for new and returning families on Tuesday, March 23, and Wednesday, March 24, from 9 to 10 a.m. or 6 to 7:30 p.m. in the parish hall, 9322 Old Bustleton Ave.
For more information, call Mr. McDonough at 215-908-3329. ••
Police and fire football fundraiser
A fundraiser for the Philadelphia Police and Fire Football Club will take place on March 28, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., at Maggie’s Waterfront Cafe, 9242 Delaware Ave.
Admission is free. There will be more than 60 vendors and crafters. DJ Wireless Mike will be playing music. The day will also include raffle baskets and other raffles. The cash for gold party buyer will be there to pay for old, broken and used jewelry, coins and flatware.
Maggie’s will offer food and drink specials. ••
Jenkintown councilor joins Senate race
Democrat Alex Khalil announced her candidacy for U.S. Senate.
Khalil serves on Jenkintown Borough Council.
She supports the Green New Deal and raising the minimum wage to $15 per hour. She will not accept donations greater than $200 from developers or executives of any major corporations, and will not accept corporate political action committee money.
Other Democratic candidates are Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, Brandaun Dean, Lew Tapera, Dr. Larry E. Johnson and John McGuigan.
Republican candidates are Jeff Bartos, Sean Gale and Everett Stern. ••
Give input on Water Dept. rate hike proposal
Public input hearings on the Philadelphia Water Department’s proposed rate hike increase will take place on Thursday, March 18, at 1 p.m. and 6 p.m.
Hearings will be accessible online and by phone.
Zoom links, instructions for joining the hearings and information for submitting written comments can be found on the Rate Board site: http://phillyh2o.info/2021-rate-proceeding.
If the proposal is approved, water bills for residential customers would increase by 11.6% in September and 5.3% the following September. For a typical resident using 3,740 gallons a month, the bill would be $78.45 after the full increase.
Meanwhile, for people who don’t bother to pay their bills, the water department has extended its freeze on shutoffs, first enacted in spring 2020, until April 2022. ••
Learn to plant vines
Join the Men’s Club of Congregations of Shaare Shamayim on Thursday, March 25, at 7:30 p.m. for a virtual presentation of Wine On The Vine, a project of The Israeli Innovation Fund.
Learn how you can plant a vine, start a vine bank or even plant a vineyard. This alternative to planting trees helps Israeli wineries and benefits the Federation of Jewish Men’s Clubs and CSS.
There is no charge for this event. Call Paul Kaplan at 215-677-1600. ••
In favor of term limits
U.S. Term Limits is praising 2022 U.S. Senate candidates Jeff Bartos and Larry E. Johnson for signing a pledge for an amendment to term-limit Congress.
USTL President Philip Blumel said, “Jeff’s and Larry’s strong support of term limits shows that there are individuals who are willing to put self-interest aside to follow the will of the people. America needs a Congress that will be served by citizen legislators, not career politicians.”
The pledge reads, in part, “I will cosponsor and vote for the U.S. Term Limits amendment of three (3) House terms and two (2) Senate terms and no longer limit.”
The constitutional amendment has been introduced in both the Senate by Sen. Ted Cruz and the House by Rep. Ralph Norman.
Bartos is running as a Republican, while Johnson is seeking the Democratic nomination.
The term limits amendment resolutions would require a two-thirds majority in the House and Senate, and ratification by 38 states, in order to become part of the U.S. Constitution. ••
Dollar sale still going on
The Classroom Thrift Shop, 4301 Tyson Ave., has yet again extended its dollar sale through March 19.
There will be a bag sale (fill a bag of clothing for $6) March 21-26.
The shop will be closed March 28 through April 4, reopening Monday, April 5, fully restocked with spring and summer merchandise.
Hours are weekdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The shop is closed Saturdays.
Call 215-624-9130. ••
Fox Chase rates high on transplants
The Fox Chase-Temple University Hospital Department of Bone Marrow Transplant and Cellular Therapies has achieved the top performance category in successful transplant procedures, as graded by the Center for International Blood & Marrow Transplant Research.
The center performs an analysis providing one-year survival rates among 170 centers in the United States.
The CIBMTR identified Fox Chase as having one-year survival outcomes that were better than expected, a distinction it shares with only 16 other centers across the nation. Fox Chase is the only center in the tri-state area to achieve this result for two years in a row.
Dr. Henry Chi Hang Fung serves as chairman of the department. ••
More public schools reopening
City, school district and teachers union officials announced PreK through second-grade students in 35 additional schools will begin returning to school buildings for in-person learning on March 22.
Staff supporting these students will return to schools on March 17.
The list of schools includes Edwin Forrest, Anne Frank, Solomon Solis-Cohen, James J. Sullivan, George Washington and William H. Ziegler. ••
Vendor fair on May 1
The community is invited to a vendor fair on Saturday, May 1, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at
Delaire Landing, 9355 State Road.
The fair will take place in the parking lot by the tennis courts. The rain date is May 8.
Email [email protected]. ••
Upcoming programs at CSS
Congregations of Shaare Shamayim will be hosting a virtual fundraiser on Sunday, May 23, at 4 p.m. It will feature a tour of the Carmel Market of Tel Aviv (Shuk), titled From Our Jewish Home to Our Jewish Homeland, led by Danny Stein.
On Monday, May 24, at 7:30 p.m., David Jaison will present Mentalism Beyond Belief.
On Tuesday, May 25, at 7:30 p.m. there will be a showing of the movie Holy Land Hardball – the dream to bring America’s favorite pastime of baseball to the Middle East.
The cost for this weekend is $40 per program or $80 for all three. Checks must be received by May 19 and include your email address.
Mail your checks to the CSS office at 9768 Verree Road, Philadelphia, PA 19115. For further information or to inquire about our sponsorship categories, call the synagogue office at 215-677-1600. ••
