It Takes a Village

On breezy warm Saturdays in October and November, clean and green activities were in the air. As cadres of community volunteers pruned, planted, raked, swept, and bagged their way through Weccacoe playground and our pocket parks, QVNA cameras caught the action.

How many leaves can 18 neighbors rake and bag? Mario Lanza Park’s last count was 57 (or was it 59?).

Volunteers Brad Aronson and Marcel Ricciardelli tied for first place in the leaf bag-lifting competition.

In late October, the Triangle on Bainbridge Heather Simmons, and Mike Harris. (where East Passyunk meets 5th Street) was Two more hardworking volunteers (hidtransformed from a tent of weedy vines to a ing from the camera) are Dana Feinberg tailored garden with a freshly pruned tree. and Ed Bell. And a big shout-out to Gigi

From left to right are Matt Atkins, Pizza for providing pizzas to our crew!

Volunteer Karl Janowitz left no leaf unturned, un-raked or unbagged!

In mid-November, nine trees were planted under Queen Village’s tree canopy. Queen Village’s Tree Tenders plant curbside trees specially selected for their carbon-eating appetites.

Longtime volunteers Chris and Carolyn Murray proudly planted two new curbside trees near the corner of 4th and Bainbridge.

As seen behind the scenes of our photo shoot by volunteer Jenny Lynn:

Jenny’s still life with Father Christmas.

While taking photos of a holiday diorama seen in this issue of the Crier, Jenny wanted the light just right. With a blackboard held behind her and balancing a pillow on her head, she got the shot.

During 2020’s uncertain and fast-changing times, QVNA continued to provide the programs, services and relevant information that neighbors have come to expect.

The pandemic impacted all of us, in many different ways. That’s why QVNA went far beyond our standard weekly eNews to uncover information for neighbors from both city and local charitable sources about:

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Free food programs n Services for seniors-in-need, the newly unemployed, shut-ins, new mothers, students and families n City service availability on vital topics such as COVID testing, mental health and housing assistance

In 2020, QVNA: n Removed 12 tons of litter from Queen Village’s curbs n Erased graffiti throughout the neighborhood n Organized three, socially-distanced volunteer cleanups at our parks and Weccacoe Playground

By May, neighbors told us they wanted to be “safer at home” by being outside in their yards. So QVNA gave away 500 flowering plants, free to neighbors. We partnered with Southwark/Queen Village Community Garden for plants and with Cohen’s Hardware for our contact-free pickup location.

As community organizations, schools and volunteers continued to plan for the future, QVNA continued to help fund their projects and programs by: n Awarding more than $16,500 in community grants n Funding for the Mary Street Park Committee to develop a garden plan.

On-street parking in Queen Village is a decades-old challenge. Back in the '90s, QVNA created an offstreet, discount-priced parking lot at Front and Christian streets for our community. Today, our lot can provide monthly, gate-controlled parking for more than 180 cars, but that's not all. QVNA's monthly parking rate is significantly lower than those charged by neighboring lots. And in July 2020, when the city increased parking lot taxes, we didn't raise our rate, but that's not all either. In October, QVNA completed three parking lot initiatives that improve accessibility, safety and function. First, we upgraded our call box and entrance gate technologies. Then, we relocated and enlarged each handicapped parking space and aisle. In addition, we installed more visible Reserved for Handicapped Parking signs. Finally, we painted new reflective directional arrows and completely restriped the lot.

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.

We depend on neighbors like you not only as volunteers, but also as QVNA members. Our work is made possible in part through the generosity of tax-deductible memberships. You can renew your membership or join us online at QVNA.org/join — or use the envelope in this magazine. Every membership in QVNA collectively supports our community in a meaningful way:

Individual $40 50 leaf and yard bags Family $60 1 truckload tree mulch Sponsor $120 2 weeks graffiti removal Benefactor $250 25 blocks curbside litter removal Patron $500 1 community grant (at minimum funding)

744 S. 4th Street

n 215.339.0975 QVNA.org/join n QVNA.org/volunteer

Queen Village Neighbors Association cares about and for our community. Neighbors like you decide everything we do. As volunteers, our Board of Directors determine 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:

Throughout 2020, QVNA remained open and available. n As we transitioned to “Shelter at Home”, QVNA mapped open-for-business food markets, restaurants and essential services within walking distance of neighbors. n Despite losing our lease and moving our office, QVNA never missed a beat. n Our community meetings Zoomed with guest panelists discussing timely topics including safety, nuisance traffic, election integrity, and COVID vaccine updates (Youtube.com/ queenvillage).