2021 in Review:
What QVNA did for
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s 2021 brought ever-changing conditions throughout the city, QVNA remained steadfast in our mission to help improve quality of life for residents. We addressed issues of importance to neighbors. We also continued to provide the programs and services that neighbors have come to expect. Neighbors brought hundreds of unwanted electronics to QVNA's Spring eCycling event.
Advocating for Quality of Life As spring’s warm weather brought neighbors outside, it also led to an ever-increasing number of ATVs, dirt bikes and motorcycles. In response to this escalating safety issue, QVNA sponsored two multi-community town halls with city leaders. We invited city council members and enforcement agency officials to address the issue, answer questions and most importantly, take action to help solve this urgent problem. More than two thousand neighbors attended these meetings, adding their voices to our challenge for accountability from City Hall. After our first meeting, new legislation was signed into law, making driving dirt bikes illegal on city streets.
Keeping Neighbors in the Know QVNA community meetings provide timely information on topics of importance to neighbors. In 2021, we addressed street repaving in Queen Village; received updates on legislative issues in Harrisburg; and learned about a pilot program to open South Street for dining and pedestrians only. Our meetings shared progress reports on two long-standing projects: the I-95 cap and the Bethel Burying Ground Memorial—to let neighbors hear from and ask questions of the professionals working closest to these projects. Equally important, we discussed health in the time of COVID. Twice we hosted a distinguished immunologist and medical researcher of rare diseases for question and answer sessions about COVID variants, vaccines and boosters. And as always, we shared community happenings via eNews on topics of note such as new city programs, free
food giveaways, emergent matters and volunteer events.
Getting Cleaner. Being Greener. In 2021, QVNA: Removed 12 tons of litter from Queen Village’s curbs n
Erased graffiti throughout the neighborhood n
Recruited and organized volunteers for clean and green events n
Helped Queen Village Tree Tenders plant 20 new trees n
In addition, we hosted two electronic recycling events that kept hundreds of pounds of toxic waste from polluting the environment. And thanks to neighbors who shredded their unneeded documents, we provided 18 trees' worth of paper—ready to be recycled into new consumer paper products.
Supporting the Work of Volunteers As community organizations, schools and volunteers continued to plan for the future, QVNA helped fund their projects and programs with $20,000 in Community Grants. In addition, we fiscally sponsored volunteer groups dedicated to supporting QVNA’s mission of service. In 2021, we sponsored: n
Courtyard Mentor Network
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Friends of Beck Park
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Friends of Moyamensing Point
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Friends of Weccacoe Playground
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QVK9 (for Mario Lanza Dog Park)
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Statue of Peace Plaza Committee