11 minute read
The Commons
Public Artistry
Queen Village welcomes three new murals and other slated projects to the neighborhood.
By Eleanor Ingersoll
Prism, the new mural at Mario Lanza Park. Photo by Steve Weinik.
Queen Village is well on its way to becoming a cultural destination for visitors, as three new murals are dedicated, a pocket park gets the green light to welcome a statue, and a memorial project gets ready to set its construction schedule.
Mario Lanza Park
Conversations for a mural facing into Mario Lanza Park began in March of 2021. But the pandemic made sure that any project, anywhere was going to take patience in execution. The time was well spent, though, as the homeowner, representatives of the Friends of Mario Lanza Park, QVNA, and Mural Arts Philadelphia had time to share aspirations, opinions, and goals for the blank canvas on the side of a house in the northwest corner of the park. In October, friends and neighbors, along with Jane Golden of Mural Arts, dedicated Prism, a stunning mural by artist Kien Nguyen. Shadows cast on leaves as the sun shines through them became the main visual element. In Prism, the layering of silhouettes of larger-than-life leaves, both native and non-native, reflects not only the diversity of plant life in our area but the diversity of cultures in the neighborhood and Philadelphia as a whole.
Stop by to take a respite in the park and take in the beautiful addition to the neighborhood.
Prism artist Kien Nguyen, Homeowner Joanna Da-Sylva, State Rep. Mary Isaacson, Mural Arts Executive Director Jane Golden, and Friends of Mario Lanza Park Chair Lisa Mell. Photo by Immortal Vision Studio.
Courtyard at Riverview
Later in October, Mural Arts returned to Queen Village to dedicate The Colored Conventions Movement and Beyond in Philadelphia by artist Ernel Martinez.
The partnership between The Colored Conventions Project, Mural Arts Philadelphia, and Courtyard leadership helped produce two different murals on the north side of the 300 block of Washington Avenue.
Thirty years before the Civil War, dozens of African American Philidelphians gathered at Mother Bethel African Methodist Episco-
pal Church to launch a national movement for Black civil rights, voting rights, education, abolition, and freedom from racial violence. This mural, in two panels, honors and remembers the movement’s Philadelphia origins and organizers and also recognizes present-day Philly activists continuing the legacy of the movement.
Peace Plaza
Also in October, the Philadelphia Art Commission unanimously approved the Philadelphia Peace Plaza at 805 S. Front Street, making it the world’s first public space dedicated to the victims of the sexual slavery during WWII. The approval means that the Peace Plaza Committee can now actively move forward with plans that include fundraising for the landscaping improvements at the site as well as for the statue itself.
The Statue of Peace, by artists Seokyung Kim and Unsung Kim, will be donated to the City of Philadelphia as public art and with this final approval, the Philadelphia Peace Plaza Committee will resume fundraising to bring this statue and plaza to life in the near future.
The Philadelphia Art Commission members cited the clear evidence of this history and lauded the Statue of Peace, a sculpture to be included in the plaza, as a poignant and powerful artwork that puts focus on the victims and encourages healing.
Text for a plaque inscription will emphasize solidarity with victims of sexual violence worldwide and be provided in multiple languages.
Weccacoe Playground
The Bethel Burying Ground Memorial project slated for Weccacoe Playground is in final budgetary stages and is preparing a construction schedule for 2023. All developments will be shared through QVNA electronic media as well as in this publication. ■
Part of The Colored Conventions Movement and Beyond in Philadelphia project at the Courtyard at Riverview, this mural focuses on the historic meeting in Philadelphia. Photo by Steve Weinik.
Celebrating the dedication of The Colored Conventions Movement and Beyond in Philadelphia. Photo by Steve Weinik.
Rendering of the Philadelphia Peace Plaza (805 S. Front Street) and the Statue of Peace. Courtesy of PPPC and TEND Landscape Architecture.
Good Fortune
For ACAM founder Jeff Fortune, doing business means doing good. So, while his company helps keep our streets clean, it’s also helping rebuild lives.
Left to right: Leroy Towns, Herman McKeiver, Rahmin Jackson, ACAM Founder Jeff Fortune, Dave Elder, Fred Westerman, and Aaron Gay.
By Suzanne Dreitlein
Look around and you’ll notice that Queen Village is a pretty tidy neighborhood. This isn’t magic; it’s due to the dedicated workforce of ACAM Management, our neighborhood sweeping and cleaning crew. Thanks to their contract with QVNA, you can often catch one of the diligent workers in action, and you can literally see your membership dollars at work.
ACAM’s founder and owner, Jeff Fortune, has a love of Queen Village that goes back to his childhood spent in the Southwark Housing Projects from 1961 to 1971. He recalls a vibrant community that, he explains, he was “blessed and fortunate to have been brought up in.” During his college years in the mid 1980s, he majored in restaurant management and turned to South Street for work that would hopefully fund his goal to open a restaurant. Cheers to You (430 South Street) gave him an opportunity to cook and clean up after closing.
“I was always taught that if you do anything in life, make sure you do it to the best of your ability,” he says. So, although he was focused on his culinary goal, he
put just as much effort into the cleanup. His name and work ethic spread, and soon other nearby businesses on South Street offered him additional work cleaning their establishments.
Once he had solidified his work with several restaurants and bars on South Street, he started to look at the cleaning crew that maintained the streets of the South Street Headhouse District (SSHD) and thought, “I could do that—and I can do that better because I’m here, this is my community. I should have that contract.” When he was awarded the contract in 2005, his focus changed from opening a restaurant to cleaning full time— a change that allowed him to grow his business further, while maintaining his commitment to excellence and integrity.
By the early 2000s, Fortune had expanded his area to include the SSHD District on Fabric Row. It was there that then-QVNA Executive Director Carla Pupin noticed him working on the street and offered him the opportunity to clean heavily traveled cross streets in Queen Village. It seemed as though life was coming full circle: Fortune, fondly recalling walks along Fabric Row as a child with his mother, says he enthusiastically accepted the offer, a “match made in heaven.”
This additional contract in Queen Village provided enough work to hire more people. The result: ACAM, named for the initials of his immediate family, was born.
As Fortune grew his workforce, he realized that some of the applicants had criminal records. “I knew a lot of individuals who were coming for jobs, and I had to give [them] a second chance,” he says. Growing up, he adds, he witnessed a lot of people getting lost in the system or succumbing to addiction or violence because they weren’t being supported. “If someone could reach out and offer hope,” he says, “that might save a life.” Offering hope is a core mission of Fortune and the company he’s built.
So, long before the City of Philadelphia’s Fair Chance Hiring Initiative (FCHI) launched in 2018, Fortune was already putting his money where his mouth is by hiring the formerly incarcerated. FCHI now makes Fortune’s goal more accessible by allowing ACAM to provide incentives to those who meet its criteria. “It really helps these individuals to get a hold on their lives, and the financial incentive keeps workers engaged. It’s been a winwin situation for us,” says Fortune. Similar programs have been enacted nationwide as a part of the Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act of 2019, but, for Fortune, it was a matter of his commitment to helping people—even before there was an incentive to do so. With the help of the FCHI, he can do more.
Today, ACAM provides cleaning services for South Street Headhouse District, Queen Village Neighbors Association, Old City District, Passyunk Avenue Revitalization Corporation, and events like Made in America. Fortune says he owes his success to being in the right place at the right time and “putting forth the effort to gain the trust of the businesses on South Street.” He adds, “People are attracted to trust and individuals who keep their word.”
So next time you see a worker helping to keep the neighborhood and its business district a little cleaner, feel free to thank them for it. ■
Jeff Fortune consults with his Queen Village crew.
What QVNA does for
QVNA addresses issues of importance to neighbors. Our mission is to help improve quality of life for residents. We’re a nonprofit organization led by residents who love Queen Village and volunteer their time and effort to help protect and preserve what makes our community so special. After all, who knows better than residents about our community’s needs?
Neighbors brought hundreds of unwanted electronics to QVNA's Spring eCycling event.
Keeping Neighbors in the Know
One of the most important services QVNA delivers is fact-based information on topics of interest to neighbors. That’s why thousands of Queen Villagers receive our free eNews. Each week, its contents vary to reflect what’s happening now, what’s coming up soon, and important deadlines ahead. Want to meet your neighbors? Get involved in the community? Attend a hyper-local event? Whether hipster, historian, neighborhood newbie, or a lifer, we’ve got something for you in News You Can Use.
Facing the Issues
QVNA community meetings tackle issues of concern to residents. We advocate for our community. We help neighbors’ voices be heard by city and state elected officials, departmental leaders, and law enforcers. In 2022 for example, QVNA brought neighbors together for an in-person meeting with Police Commissioner Outlaw and District Attorney Krasner to discuss crime and safety. To address the issues surrounding four new, multi-housing developments in Queen Village and the complexity of by-right construction, QVNA brought neighbors together with the City Planning Commission to have questions answered. In addition, the association published informative articles about by-right construction in the spring and summer issues of the Queen Village Quarterly Crier.
Getting Cleaner
In 2022, QVNA: n Hired vendors to remove 12 tons of litter from curbs and erase dozens of graffiti tags from public spaces. n Organized and supported volunteer cleanups of our parks and playgrounds. n Provided free yard bags to support residents’ cleaning of their sidewalks and tree pits.
Being Greener
Each year, QVNA hosts electronic recycling and document shredding events that keep hundreds of pounds of e-waste from becoming toxic waste and also save about 18 trees’ worth of paper. Our neighborhood’s tree canopy has grown by more than 600 curbside trees in the past seven years. QVNA helps fund the urban tree program of the Philadelphia Horticultural Society, which provides our trees. We also support the efforts of our volunteer tree tenders. To beautify our parks with flowers and plants, we partner with the Southwark/ Queen Village Community Garden to obtain organic perennials for our Friends Group volunteers. We also promote volunteer opportunities for planting flowers.
Making an Impact
One of the hallmarks of QVNA is our community grant program. We provide funding to organized volunteer groups, schools, and community organizations that want to undertake an activity that has the capacity to make a positive impact in our community. QVNA believes in supporting neighbors whose actions will contribute to our collective quality of life, and our community grants program proves it.
Our Sources of Funding
QVNA is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) nonprofit. For more than 50 years, our programs and services have been paid for through fundraising. Our current funding sources include parking lot rentals, advertising, sponsorships, donations, and our most important—association memberships.
Two Great Reasons to Renew Your Membership or Join QVNA
We depend on neighbors like you, not only as volunteers, but also as QVNA members.
Your membership is a
charitable donation. Love living in Queen Village? There’s no better way to show your love by renewing your membership or joining QVNA.
Our work is made possible in part through
memberships in QVNA. As a member you are investing back into our community. Collectively, QVNA memberships help support meaningful, tangible activities:
Donation What Your Membership Supports
$40 Yard bags for one park clean-up $60 One month of QVNA’s eNews $120 Two truckloads of tree mulch $250 One week of graffiti removal $500 25 blocks of litter removal $1,000 One modest community grant
Community Stewardship. Advocacy. Service.
705 S. 5th Street n QVNA.org 215.339.0975 n WeCare@QVNA.org
QVNA loves volunteers.
Community Service: The Heart of Our Mission
Queen Village Neighbors Association cares about and for our community.
Neighbors like you decide everything we do. As volunteers, our Board of Directors determines the programs and services we provide. QVNA’s committee members volunteer their skills and experience in other important areas of community service. And QVNA’s “Friends Group'' volunteers clean and green our parks and maintain Weccacoe Playground. As volunteers working together, QVNA lives our mission:
