July 2016

The 2900 block of Webster Avenue in the Hill District doesn’t look like it’s suffering. Most of the properties are in decent shape, and day in and day out, it’s fairly quiet. Rhonda Lockett, a lifelong resident except for a stint in Washington, D.C., said most of her neighbors go to church and many are educated and employed. Yet 75 percent of the block — 36 households — have agreed to open their doors and their lives to community organizers, medical and behavioral health professionals and to...

The ACEs Messaging Group met on Tuesday, July 12 th at Friends Center in Philadelphia. The team reviewed the work from their previous meetings, discussing the target audiences and major themes that will be used to tailor the messages they plan to create. One group member presented an activity for the group called a Messaging Box, which was developed by a communications firm, Spitfire Strategies . The Message Box includes four quadrants: The Value Message: The message must tap into the target...

Strengthen city support for schools. Empower parents and community members. Increase access to and opportunities for neighborhood resources. Those are the three most important things that Philadelphia residents want from Mayor Jim Kenney's community schools initiative, findings based on months of discussions with stakeholders and the Mayor's Office of Education. On Wednesday the office released a report on its findings after 14 roundtable discussions with principals, teachers, students,...