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January 2018

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Winter Fun Guide

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When it comes to all the ways to have fun this winter, Philadelphia Parks & Recreation (PPR) has you covered! From guided hikes and the best sledding hills to date ideas, we’ve compiled a list of our favorite winter activities, including:

  • Ice skating
  • Sledding
  • Cross country skiing
  • and more!

View our Guide to Winter Fun

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Become a Lifeguard This Summer!

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Winter only began last week, but we’re already planning for summer! We need hundreds of lifeguards to staff our 70+ pools, and we’re beginning the recruitment process now. The first step to becoming a lifeguard is to attend a free screening at one of our indoor pools. To find a screening location and learn more about the process to become a lifeguard, visit our Lifeguards webpage

 

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Mummers Parade Named “Best Holiday Parade” in the Country!

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After a month of voting, the Mummers Parade took top honors as “Best Holiday Parade” in USA Today’s 2017 10Best Readers’ Choice awards. See for yourself what the excitement is about on January 1.


Check out the 2018 Mummers Parade route

 

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MLK Day of Service

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Every year thousands of volunteers participate in Martin Luther King Day of Service projects, and every year dozens of PPR sites benefit from their hard work. This year, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day will be observed on Monday, January 15. If you’re looking for an opportunity to participate in a service project at a park or recreation center, you can now use this specially created map to find a PPR facility where you can volunteer! 

 

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Job Opportunities

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  • Garden Educators (March-November 2018): Implement a youth gardening program at various Philadelphia recreation centers. Teach children ages 6-12 years old in PPR after-school programs and summer camps.
  • Public Relations Associate (February-October 2018): Assist with public relations strategies and press event management. Responsibilities will include writing: press releases, media advisories, and talking points; press event planning, staffing special events, compiling press clips, and more.
  • Obstacle Course Operator, Operations Manager, or Front Desk Clerk: Work at Treetop Quest, a new aerial adventure park opening in West Fairmount Park this spring.

 

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Creative Arts Opportunities

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Recently, our partners at the City of Philadelphia’s Office of Arts, Culture, and the Creative Economy  (OACCE) announced two exciting opportunities for artists and performers:

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Mighty Writers Pilot Program at Rivera Rec

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Philadelphia Parks & Recreation is excited to announce a new partnership with Mighty Writers, a nonprofit that teaches Philadelphia kids, ages seven to 17, to think and write with clarity. Launching with a pilot program at Rivera Recreation Center in 2018, the “Mighty Zone” will offer sports-related and other interdisciplinary writing workshops to engage youth who attend the rec center. Stay tuned for program updates!

 

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TreePhilly Receives Growing Greener Grant from State of Pennsylvania

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On December 7, Governor Tom Wolf announced that 106 projects to clean up local waters statewide, benefiting hundreds of communities, were selected to receive funding through the Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP) Growing Greener program. TreePhilly, PPR’s tree giveaway and education program, received $250,000 to continue its work increasing the city’s tree canopy.


Read the official Growing Greener press release

 

 

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2017 Philadelphia Marathon Zero Waste Report

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As an outcome of the City of Philadelphia’s new Zero Waste & Litter Action Plan, Philadelphia Parks & Recreation staff helped divert waste from the 2017 Philadelphia Marathon, including: 

  • 2.14 tons of compost sent to the Fairmount Park Recycling Center
  • 5.56 tons of materials recycled at the Republic transfer station
  • 0.71 tons of extra medals recycled for future events
  • 2.52 tons of unconsumed food and drink donated to Philabundance to feed the hungry
  • 3.5 tons of clothing donated to local organization Chosen 300 to benefit people in need
  • 0.979 tons of sneakers donated to Perpetual Pumps
  • 0.6 tons of wooden pallets saved to be donated and recycled
  • and just 1.81 tons of trash sent to the landfill

In all, PPR staff, volunteers, and partners achieved an 89.84% Waste Diversion Rate. This means we were able to take near 90 out of every 100 pounds of material from the event and re-use it, recycle it, donate it, direct it to feed or clothe someone in need, or otherwise divert it away from ending up in a landfill. 

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Rebuild Updates

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On November 30, Rebuild released the list of the first 61 parks, recreation centers, and libraries proposed to City Council for Rebuild investment. Rebuild also released data about Philadelphia neighborhoods, including an interactive map, and a detailed Project Statement outlining operations through June 2019.


Rebuilding Community Infrastructure (Rebuild) is a seven-year, $500 million investment in Philadelphia’s neighborhoods. The money will be used to improve neighborhood parks, libraries, recreation centers, and playgrounds with the goals of promoting equity and encouraging economic growth across the city. These improvements are also expected to promote educational opportunities for children, support healthy lifestyles for all, improve public safety in our shared spaces, and create jobs for Philadelphians.

 

 

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Tacony Creek Trail Phase 2 Groundbreaking

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On December 7, Philadelphia Parks & Recreation joined the Tookany/Tacony-Frankford Watershed Partnership, Inc., the Circuit Trails, and community members to celebrate the groundbreaking of the Tacony Creek Trail Phase 2 in Tacony Creek Park.


The 0.3-mile segment represents a long-awaited, safe connection between the north and south sections of the 300-acre Tacony Creek Park, which has long been divided by the dangerous multi-lane Roosevelt Boulevard. The trail segment creates a vital link between Phase 1 of the lower trail, completed in 2013, and the upper portion of the trail, completed in the 1970s. When complete, the full Tacony Creek Trail will span 3.2 miles.

 

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Staff Profile: Acting District Manager Rob Jackson

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After working as a rec leader with Philadelphia Parks & Recreation (PPR) for a little over a decade, Rob Jackson has seen firsthand just how important rec centers, playgrounds, and their staff are to the neighborhoods they serve: “I know what it means to a kid to have a gym from three to six each day…I’ve always made sure there was time allotted for the community, always treated people with respect. You owe it to the community to put your best foot forward. They’ll respond to it and appreciate what you do.” Rob currently puts his best foot forward as PPR’s acting District 8 Program Manager, overseeing all of the department’s recreation centers, playgrounds, and pools in West and Southwest Philadelphia (as Rob puts it, “from the zoo to the airport!”).


Continue reading about Rob’s role at PPR, and how his career has developed within the department.

 

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Philly Wildlife: Feral Cats

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By Tony Croasdale, Environmental Education Planner, Cobbs Creek Community Environmental Center
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This time of year, many folks are posting instructions on how to provide shelter for stray cats. I understand why people think this is the right thing to do; however, this compassion is misplaced. House cats are not native to this continent. They were domesticated from the wildcat of Eurasia. Our native wildlife did not evolve with wildcats and therefore our birds, small mammals, reptiles, and amphibians did not develop behaviors to evade them. Outside cats kill billions of birds and small mammals every year in the United States alone. Free-roaming cats exchange disease with wildlife that endanger the wildlife, the cats, and humans.


Continue reading Philly Wildlife: Feral Cats

 

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Snowman Social at Sister Cities Park

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For the 2017 Snowman Social at Sister Cities Park in Center City, 13 recreation centers from around the city decorated snowmen to send downtown to be on display for the month of December.


The submissions were very creative and ran the gamut from traditional to artistically modern, and from those with local athletic spirit to those with a distinctly international flair. 


Continue reading about the Snowman Social and see pictures

 

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Park Friends Network Holiday Party

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On December 7, Philadelphia Parks & Recreation and Fairmount Park Conservancy hosted a holiday celebration for Park Friends group volunteers at Galdo’s in South Philadelphia. A beloved annual tradition, the evening offers an opportunity for volunteers to network, eat, dance, and more.


View pictures from this year’s celebration and connect with a Friends group so you can join us next year!

 

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Visual Arts Updates

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Children in our recreation centers have been busy creating entries for the annual holiday season contests held by the Visual Arts office. In November alone, they created Nutcracker dolls for our citywide contest, made festive holiday greeting cards, and decorated their facilities in winter seasonal themes.


Learn more about PPR’s visual arts offerings  

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Philadelphia Parks & Playgrounds: Neighborhood News

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With Philadelphia Parks & Recreation programs, events, and activities going on in every corner of the city, it can be hard to keep up with all of the fun! Check out our “Neighborhood News” round-up for a sampling of stories from sites near you.


Northeast Philly

  • Photo above: On a cold December night, the After School program at Roosevelt Playground took its annual trip to the Shady Brook Farm Holiday Light Show. Read about the field trip.
  • PPR’s District 2 held its annual Feast of Justice Food Drive and set a new record in generosity, with over 2,300 pounds of food collected, exceeding last year’s total by 900 plus pounds! Continue reading about the food drive.

North Philly

South Philly

  • Pictured above: Murphy Recreation Center Tot Soccer participants (ages 3-5) and their hard-earned medals and awards. Ellen Ryan (Recreation Leader 1) on far right, Ron Hood (Coach’s Assistant) on far left. The Tot Soccer program introduces the basics of soccer in a non-competitive, exciting, and engaging environment for young children.

 


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