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  • August 16, 2023

Stone Soup Saturdays

Stone Soup Saturdays: A Community Building and Beautification Project Inspired by a Folk Tale

In 2014, Germantown United Community Development Corporation (GUCDC) launched Stone Soup Saturdays, a resident-driven series of beautification projects. This program was inspired by the cross cultural folk tale about collaboration, in which villagers learn that when everyone contributes just a little of what they have, a greater good is achieved for all.

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GUCDC announced the program in the spring of 2014, and accepted applications for grants from Germantown artists, gardeners and creative citizens for the implementation of  projects designed to beautify and enliven a handful of key locations.

This program was made possible by a grant from the Samuel Fels Fund; grants of up to $1500 were awarded. Priority was given to projects that have the potential to foster community ownership and build a framework for future enhancements to take place at the project sites.

In addition to the actual designs, GUCDC looked for ideas with the potential to create a catalyst for future beautification and development in the neighborhood; foster community ownership of public spaces and increase community pride; attract new businesses to move into vacancies; attract more shoppers to the area as to increase business revenue on Germantown’s business corridors.

The  beautification project locations identified by GUCDC are included below. Project submissions were received and awarded as follows:

  • Unit block of West Rockland Street – Vacant lot. Interface Studios, for a community bulletin board installation.
  • The wall at the southwest corner of Chelten and Greene – Bus stop at Greene and Chelten, traveling southbound. Artist Susan Mangan, for murals on the wall, and student workshops.
  • 5722 Greene Street – Parking lot entryway/Efficiency House area of the Germantown Life Enrichment Center. Greg Derix, a Germantown resident, for landscaping, in partnership with Philadelphia University students.
  • Unit block of West Haines Street – Garden space on south side of Germantown Town Hall.

For more information on the Stone Soup Saturdays’ project, contact Germantown United CDC at [email protected].

  • August 16, 2023

“This is Germantown Heart & Soul” Winter Community Gatherings, beginning November 19th

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Download the press release as a PDF >>

“This is Germantown Heart & Soul” Winter Community Gatherings

Ask Residents to Guide Neighborhood Development in Northwest Philadelphia
Through Creative Participatory Planning Process, beginning November 19th

_final_gtownheartsoul-04Germantown, Philadelphia, PA – This is Germantown Heart & Soul, a project of Germantown United Community Development Corporation (GUCDC) and Just Act, will host a series of community gatherings throughout Northwest Philadelphia’s Germantown neighborhood this winter beginning on November 19, 2016. The Germantown community is invited to participate in a unique interactive group storytelling experience. Unlike traditional civic meetings and town halls, the events – called Story Circles – use theater as a planning tool and center on capturing the wishes, needs, and ideas of residents as they share personal stories of meaningful experiences in Germantown and what they view as essential for growth of the neighborhood’s vibrant but struggling shopping district. A calendar of events is included below, with additional dates to be announced.

Story Circles will be facilitated by a multigenerational “Storytelling Engagement Team” comprised of Germantown residents, with support from the Just Act Ensemble. The collected stories will guide Germantown United CDC’s future work and plans for successful, community-responsive business corridor revitalization and contribute to efforts underway to make the central business district a people-centered main street destination for the Germantown community and visitors from outside the immediate neighborhood.

“This is Germantown Heart & Soul aims to create a shared sense of belonging that ultimately improves local decision-making and strengthens social, cultural, and economic vibrancy,” said Emaleigh Doley, Commercial Corridor Manager at Germantown United CDC. “Germantown is one of the city’s largest neighborhoods, with a population of 44,000. It’s important to recognize that the immediate needs of residents living in the Chew and Belfield area of East Germantown might differ from those in West Germantown’s Penn-Knox section, for example. That doesn’t mean the Eastside and the Westside have nothing in common. We also all share the business district.”

A core goal of the project is to connect both the formal and informal networks contributing to community improvement efforts and operating at the micro level – from block captains to Registered Community Organizations (RCOs) and neighborhood civics with limited boundaries.

Scenes from the This is Heart & Soul pop-up story booth at the Friends of Vernon Park Spring Bazaar, October 8, 2016; Park(ing) Day Philadelphia installation, September 16, 2016; and Maple Village Story Gathering, October 18, 2016.

“These story sharing events build upon an interest and commitment in helping communities adapt and implement positive changes based upon the vision and experiences of all community members and create new opportunities for residents and community stakeholders to meet in-person,” said Lisa Jo Epstein, Executive Director of Just Act.

This is Germantown Heart & Soul made its public debut in the spring of 2016 through a series of successful pop-up story booths held along the business district at a variety of spaces, from the bustling intersection of Germantown and Chelten Avenues to the annual Juneteenth Celebration, the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States, organized by the Johnson House Historic Site. The Story Engagement Team was formed in the summer and fall of 2016 and has been meeting regularly to train for and plan the upcoming Story Circles events. The Germantown Life Enrichment Center, a community-oriented recreational and educational facility in the heart of Germantown at 5722 Greene Street, generously donated meeting space for the team and is one of several This is Germantown Heart & Soul sponsoring organizations.

Story Engagement Team training sessions. 


With the addition of the more intimate Story Circles series, This is Germantown Heart & Soul will:

  • Build, diversify, and strengthen resident engagement with and collective participation in civic process to increase impact and positively affect neighborhood-wide planning decisions;
  • Strengthen resident readiness for, and engagement in the Philadelphia City Planning Commission’s “Philadelphia2035” District Planning process for the Upper Northwest, slated for 2017-2018;
  • Expand who participates in public processes related to real estate development and neighborhood revitalization by engaging isolated and diverse resident groups;
  • Cultivate and/or improve relationships, social community cohesion and stewardship of place.

The collected data will also become the highlight of “Community Cataloguing Data Jams” – events in January 2017 where participants will listen to transcripts of stories from their neighbors to collectively identify and catalogue shared visions for what the community values.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

The current calendar of events is included below. Additional dates will be added. All Germantown residents and community stakeholders are invited. Events are open to the public. Food and refreshments will be provided, along with live music and good cheer. Attend one or attend them all. For an up-to-date program calendar visit facebook.com/thisisgermantownheartandsoul. Contact Germantown United CDC at 215-856-4303 or [email protected].

Saturday, November 19 from 4 – 6 p.m.
Location: Providence Baptist Church, 87 E. Haines Street, Philadelphia, PA 19144
Sponsoring Community Organization: Providence Baptist Church

Monday, December 5 from 7 – 9 p.m.
Location: Awbury Arboreteum, 1 Awbury Rd, Philadelphia, PA 19138
Sponsoring Community Organization: Awbury Arboretum Neighbors, Chew and Belfield Neighbors Club, and Awbury Arboreteum

Tuesday, December 13 from 7 – 9 p.m.
Location: Germantown Mennonite Church, 21 W Washington Lane, Philadelphia, PA 19144
Sponsoring Community Organization: Pastorius Community Garden, Men Who Care of Germantown, Germantown Mennonite Church, and Germantown Mennonite Historic Trust

About Germantown United Community Development Corporation

Germantown United Community Development Corporation (GUCDC) is a community-based nonprofit organization whose mission is to promote and facilitate the revitalization of the business district in the Germantown neighborhood of Northwest Philadelphia through a sustainable, creative, and community-driven approach to economic development. Vibrant commercial corridors or “Main Streets” contribute to strong neighborhoods. They provide a place to work, shop, and meet your neighbors. Through our Targeted Corridor Management Program contract with the city’s Commerce Department, Germantown United CDC provides assistance to businesses, brings planning and resources to the corridor, oversees activities to make the corridor clean and safe, and works to attract new businesses to the area. We are actively working to bolster and reinforce the vibrancy of the business district to meet the needs of the surrounding community and attract visitors from outside the immediate neighborhood. Germantown United CDC is also exploring opportunities to strengthen and diversify the mix of commercial uses in the business district, the potential to reuse vacant or underutilized properties, business and job attraction strategies, and available sources of funding to support recommended revitalization strategies.

Website: http://germantownunitedcdc.org
Social: facebook.com/germantowncdc | twitter.com/germantowncdc | instagram.com/germantowncdc

About Just Act

Just Act is a distinctive hybrid of artistic and community engagement committed to social justice. Our Ensemble of artist-educators facilitate unique theatre-based programs with non-actors that activate and nurture meaningful dialogue, reflection, healing and action around complex, often divisive social issues. Just Act is committed to building and fortifying inclusive, restorative civic engagement through partnerships across sectors and differences. Informed by Theatre of the Oppressed and other art and activist strategies, our work is a creative catalyst for community activism and personal change. In all we undertake, Just Act renews and deepens the capacity of social change seekers and makers to stand up for justice on personal, inter-group and systemic levels with compassion and renewed courage. In these times of anxiety, bustle and disconnection, Just Act offers refreshing, participatory “refuel zones” to creatively pause and attend to tension and fractured relations – particularly around race, culture, and socio-economic disparities – to reweave connections and grow empathy, understanding and action plans.

Website: http://www.justact.org
Social: facebook.com/justact.today | twitter.com/JustActToday


Media Contact:
Emaleigh Doley
Commercial Corridor Manager, Germantown United CDC
Office: 215-856-4303
Mobile: 610-331-3758
[email protected]

Lisa Jo Epstein
Executive Director, Just Act
Mobile: 215-290-9784
[email protected] 

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  • August 16, 2023

Germantown Second Saturday Festival is Saturday, May 14, 2016, 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.

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MEDIA ADVISORY
FOR SATURDAY, MAY 14, 2016

Historic Germantown and Germantown United CDC present
Germantown Second Saturday Festival, Saturday, May 14
Eat. Shop. Play. Learn. Experience Germantown!

WHAT: Germantown Second Saturday Festival, presented by Historic Germantown and Germantown United Community Development Corporation. Featuring: A pop-up dance performance by BalletX, Philadelphia’s premier contemporary ballet; Art & Craft Marketplace; Live Music; Food Trucks; Historic Re-enactors; Family Friendly Programs; Free Bus Tours to Historic Germantown Sites; and more.

WHEN: Saturday, May 14, 2016 from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.

WHERE: Market Square Park (5501 Germantown Avenue, Philadelphia PA 19144); Germantown Avenue between School House Lane and Coulter Street

Germantown, Philadelphia, PA – The Germantown Second Saturday Festival will be held on Saturday, May 14, 2016 from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. in Northwest Philadelphia’s Germantown neighborhood. The festival will take place along a one-block stretch of Germantown Avenue, between School House Lane and Coulter Street, and surround Market Square Park (5501 Germantown Avenue). Rain or shine.

The community festival, presented by Historic Germantown and Germantown United Community Development Corporation, invites the public to experience Germantown. The festival will celebrate the kick-off the Second Saturday series–when all 16 Historic Germantown sites are open monthly–and showcase the many thriving cultural, civic and business attractions and activities that make Germantown an exciting place to live and visit.

BalletX LogoThroughout the day, musicians, poets, and creative performing artists will take to the main stage on Germantown Avenue. BalletX, Philadelphia’s premier contemporary ballet, will present a 45-minute pop-up dance performance from 1 p.m. to 1:45 p.m., thanks to generous support from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. BalletX unites distinguished choreographers with an outstanding company of world-class dancers to forge new works of athleticism, emotion, and grace.

Musical talent includes popular local artists: Amari Rebel, Bethleham and Sad Patrick, Clef Club Youth Jazz Ensemble, Jim Dragoni, and many others. Germantown resident Yolanda Wisher, the City of Philadelphia’s Poet Laureate, will host the festivities.

Visitors will learn about Historic Germantown’s 16 extraordinary historic houses, destinations, and museums at the festival, including Awbury Arboretum, Ebenezer Maxwell Mansion, Grumblethrope, and Wyck. The adventurous can board free bus tours to Historic Germantown sites, located throughout Germantown, departing from the Festival’s main area (register for bus tours in advance at freedomsbackyard.com). Throughout the day, historic reenactors will share neighborhood history.

Pictured: Market Square Park

Over 30 vendors will participate in the Art & Craft Marketplace, coordinated by Germantown United CDC. Local Germantown eateries and visiting food trucks including The Lunchbox, a specialty peanut butter and jelly food cart, will be on-site. Attendees can also get to know many of Germantown’s civic and community organizations, including Episcopal Youth Mission, Friends of Vernon Park, Germantown Artists Roundtable, and Germantown Life Enrichment Center. Alongside Germantown United CDC, city planners from the Philadelphia City Planning Commission will share development plans for key Germantown sites.

The Germantown Second Saturday Festival is a new venture, and combines Germantown United CDC’s Re-imagining Maplewood Mall Festival and Historic Germantown’s Second Saturday Season Opener. In an effort to bring renewed attention and interest to a little-used neighborhood park and public space and more broadly promote the Second Saturday series, Germantown United CDC relocated their annual spring festival to Market Square Park and joined forces with Historic Germantown.

Schedule of Live Music & Performances

Performance start times are approximate.

12:00 p.m. Festival Start Time
12:00 p.m. Welcome and Kick-off from Yolanda Wisher, City of Philadelphia’s Poet Laureate
12:10 p.m. Settlement Music School Adult Jazz Band
12:30 p.m. Wissahickon Dance Academy (modern and jazz)
1:00 p.m. BalletX, Philadelphia’s premier contemporary ballet
1:45 p.m. Irma Gartner as “Dinah” (historical reenactor)
2:00 p.m. Bethlehem and Sad Patrick (singer/guitarist)
2:12 p.m. Adam Monoco (singer/mandolin)
2:25 p.m. Clef Club Youth Jazz Ensemble
2:43 p.m. Lillian Hightower (vocalist)
2:55 p.m. Yolanda Wisher and the Culture Keepers (poetry)
3:05 p.m. Wissahickon Dance Academy (tap and hiphop)
3:15 p.m. Jim Dragoni (musician)
3:30 p.m. Karen Smith (drummer)
3:50 p.m. Dominique London (poetry/vocalist)
4:05 p.m. Amari Rebel (singer/drummer – band)
4:20 p.m. Ashley Phillips (vocalist)
4:40 p.m. prod (drummers/band)
4:55 p.m. Yolanda Wisher (poet)
5:00 p.m. Festival End Time

GUCDC-HG-Second-Saturday-Festival-Flyer(sm)

Public Transit & Parking

The festival is accessible by SEPTA. Bus Routes: 23 Bus, XH Bus; Chestnut Hill East Regional Rail: Germantown Station (150 E Chelten Ave). Visit septa.org for schedules.

Street parking is available beyond the festival grounds. The 5400 block of Germantown Ave and the unit block of E Church Ln will be closed to all traffic from 7 a.m.  – 7 p.m. for the Festival.

Free off-street parking is available thanks to our generous community partners. Parking lots are located at:

Citizens Bank Lot
5500 Germantown Ave (enter lot from W Schoolhouse Ln)

Wells Fargo Lot
5500 Germantown Ave (enter lot from W Schoolhouse Ln)

St. Luke’s Episcopal Church & Germantown Friends School Lot
SE Corner of 5300 block of Germantown Ave & E Coulter St (enter lot from Germantown Ave or E Coulter St)

About

Historic Germantown
Historic Germantown is a partnership organization serving historic sites in Philadelphia’s Old German Township that works collaboratively to preserve its extraordinary historic assets, increase access, interpret them to the public and raise their visibility. Learn more at freedomsbackyard.com.

Germantown United CDC
The mission of Germantown United Community Development Corporation (GUCDC) is to promote and facilitate the revitalization of the business corridors in the Germantown neighborhood of Northwest Philadelphia through a sustainable, creative, and community-driven approach to economic development. Learn more at http://germantownunitedcdc.org.

BalletX
BalletX, Philadelphia’s premier contemporary ballet, unites distinguished choreographers with an outstanding company of world-class dancers to forge new works of athleticism, emotion, and grace. Founded in 2005 by Christine Cox and Matthew Neenan, and now under the direction of Cox as Artistic & Executive Director, BalletX challenges the boundaries of classical ballet by encouraging formal experimentation while preserving rigorous technique. The company is committed to producing new works of the highest quality and integrity that bring the combined visions of choreographers and dancers to life and cultivate in audiences a collective appetite for bold, new dance.

With generous support from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, in its 10th Anniversary 2015-16 Season BalletX presents a series of 10 free pop-up performances around the Philadelphia community. Visit www.BalletX.org to find out where the company will be next!

Press Contacts

Emaleigh Doley
Commercial Corridor Manager
Germantown United CDC
610-331-3758 (mobile)
215-856-4303
[email protected]  

Trapeta Mayson
Executive Director
Historic Germantown
215-844-1683, Ext. 101
[email protected]

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  • August 16, 2023

Volunteer in Germantown at the Philly Spring Cleanup on Saturday, April 9

Update! The 9th annual Philly Spring Cleanup has been postponed until next Saturday, April 16th citywide due to weather. If you were planning on volunteering at one of the many Germantown-based cleanup projects check with the organizer to see if it’s being rescheduled. Germantown United CDC’s project, in collaboration with the Penn Knox Neighborhood Association has been moved to April 16. Read the full notice from the Streets Department >>

psc-share-400x600The 9th Annual Philly Spring Cleanup is set for Saturday, April 16th from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. (rescheduled from April 9th)! This is a great way for you, your family, your friends and your neighbors to get involved and do your part to keep our City looking its best. Dedication like yours, along with the can-do attitude of thousands of volunteers all over the city, is exactly what we need to meet our goals.

In Germantown there will be a huge presence felt all over the neighborhood with over a dozen official projects registered! Can you feel it? It’s momentum. Keep up the sweep up!

Germantown United CDC has one big project planned for the big day – we’ll be partnering with the Penn Knox Neighborhood Association on a cleanup of the Lower Germantown Business District along Germantown Avenue.

See the full list of Philly Spring Cleanup projects in Germantown below and sign up to volunteer!

Lower Germantown Business District Cleanup with Germantown United CDC & Penn Knox Neighborhood Association

Cleanup Location: 5300 Germantown Avenue

Join Germantown United CDC and Penn Knox Neighborhood Association‘s cleanup of the lower Germantown business district. Volunteers will clean the grounds of the historic Trinity Lutheran Church at 5300 Germantown Avenue and the stretch of Germantown Avenue between Penn Street and Seymour Street (5300, 5200, 5100, 5000 blocks of Germantown Ave). Supplies will be available for cleanup participants! This is a family-friendly volunteer group.

Register: Online at phillyspringcleanup.com | On Facebook at facebook.com/events/1667738116820412/

Questions for GUCDC or Penn Knox Neighborhood Association? Contact Germantown United CDC at [email protected] or 215-856-4303. Contact Penn Knox Neighborhood Assoc. at [email protected] or 215-833-3483.

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Volunteer for one of many other Philly Spring Cleanup project sites in Germantown! 

cleanup map

Sign up in advance or just show up to lend a hand!

1. 5200 Knox Street Block Clean Up
Location: 5200 Knox Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19144

2. Baynton Hill Clean Up
Location: Wister Train Station, Wister Station, Rufe St., E Penn St., Baynton St., Philadelphia, PA, 19144

3. 4800 Germantown Avenue Block Clean Up
4800 Germantown Avenue, Philadelphia, PA, 19144 – Activities: clean up and bag trash and recyclables

4. Chew & Belfield Neighbors,Inc.
Location: 6211 W. Chew Ave., Philadelphia, PA, 19138 – Activities: Clean empty lots, Prune And cut down trees, Paint curbs, Remove debris, Teach how to keep community clean & safe, Clean yards and alleys

5. Clean lot on Manheim and Tocoma St.
Southside Church, 5058 Wayne Ave., Philadelphia, PA, 19120

6. Duval Improvement Association Neighborhoold Cleanup
Sherman & Pomona Streets (6328 Sherman), Philadelphia, PA, 19144
Activities: Cleanup various areas including under the railroad bridge at Pomona and Sherman Streets.

7. Educators and field Study Instructors Partner with Philly Spring Clean Up Volunteers at Awbury Arboretum
Location: Agricultural Village at Awbury Arboretum, Across from Septa’s Washington Lane Train Station, 901 E. washington Lane, Philadelphia, PA, 19138
Activities: Digging, cutting and pulling invasive plants

8. Germantown Ave. and Wayne Junction Clean Up
Location: Germantown Ave. and Stenton Ave., 4518 Germantown Ave., Philadelphia, PA, 19144
Activities: Cleaning up from Manheim and Germantown south to Stenton Ave. and Germantown Ave. and the Wayne Junction area.

9. Hood Cemetery Clean Up
Location: The Hood Cemetery, 4901 Germantown Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19144, Philadelphia, PA, 19144
Activities: Street clean up down historic E Logan St, from Wakefield St to Germantown Ave, and along Germantown Ave from the corner of E Logan to New Germantown Pizza (4923 Germantown Ave).

10. Keep Lingelbach Community Clean
Location: Lingelbach Elementary School, 6340 Wayne Avenue, Philadelphia, PA, 19144
Activities: Clean area surrounding Lingelbach Elementary School that is most widely traveled by our students as they walk to and from school.

11. Let’s Get These lots clean!
Location: 126 E Herman St , Philadelphia, PA, 19144
Activities: Help clean up abandon lots in Germantown! We need help removing trash and cutting down over grown grass and bushes.

12. Lower Germantown Business District Cleanup with Germantown United CDC and Penn Knox Neighborhood Association
Location: Trinity Lutheran Church, 5300 Germantown Avenue, Between Penn St and Queen Lane, Philadelphia, PA, 19144
Activities: sweeping and bagging up litter/trash along the sidewalk and street of the Germantown Avenue business corridor (5300, 5200, 5100, 5000 blocks); raking leaves, picking up sticks, general cleanup and maintenance of Trinity Lutheran Church grounds (5300 Germantown Avenue)

  • August 16, 2023

New 2016 Community Grant Program Application Deadlines, Germantown United CDC Announces 2015 “Fund for Germantown” Micro-grants

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Germantown, Philadelphia, PA (March 31, 2016): In an effort to align grant funding for community improvement efforts with the warmer weather months for outdoor projects, Germantown United CDC (GUCDC) is changing the grant application dates for the Fund for Germantown, the organization’s micro-grant program supporting community-driven beautification projects in Northwest Philadelphia’s Germantown neighborhood. In 2016, the deadlines will be Friday, April 15, and Friday, September 30. Funding guidelines may be found on Germantown United’s website at www.germantownunitedcdc.org. To request an application, email [email protected] or call 215-856-4303.

_FUND_Logo-01Germantown United CDC distributes small grants ranging from $100 to $1000 to local organizations, civic associations, businesses, and individuals seeking to beautify the Germantown neighborhood. The grant program is part of GUCDC’s ongoing efforts to promote and facilitate the revitalization of Germantown’s business corridors through a sustainable, creative, and community-driven approach to economic development.

The focus of the Fund for Germantown is to support projects that will have an immediate physical impact on the neighborhood. The fund provides grants for physical improvements across Germantown including, but not limited to, landscaping, signage, painting, reclaiming empty lots, and waste removal.

Germantown United CDC is proud to announce all 2015 grantees

Since the Fund for Germantown launched, 19 micro-grants have been awarded, with funds supporting a wide range of projects from greening to murals, neighborhood bulletin boards, cleanups and other community-building activities.

In 2015, seven projects were funded in the July 2015 round, and two were funded for the December 31 round.

Winning project ideas from 2015 include:

  • Business owner Lynn Washington will install a ‘Little Free Library’ to the front of Books & Stuff, her bookstore located at 23 W Maplewood Mall.
  • Residents Clint Steib and Villia Lateef will lead their neighbors in a planting and beautification project on the 4500 and 4600 blocks of Greene Street aimed at traffic calming.
  • Artist and photographer Tieshka Smith will launch the Peaceful Places public signage project in Germantown’s storied Penn-Knox neighborhood, next to the Central Germantown business corridor
  • Fitler Academics Plus, a public elementary school in Germantown serving students in grades one through eight located at 140 W Seymour St (at Knox St) will paint ground murals and organized games in the school’s playground
  • West Central Germantown Neighbors civic association will enhance their community orchard and garden project at the Tulpehocken Train Station, a SEPTA Regional Rail station at 333 W Tulpehocken St (off Walnut Ln and Wayne Ave)
  • Support to sustain the ongoing streetscape beautification efforts of Men Who Care of Germantown around their headquarters at 180 East Tulpehocken St (at Morton St)
  • The Imperfect Gallery will install an interactive sidewalk mural outside of the gallery and community space at 5601 Greene St, adjacent to the Maplewood Mall pedestrian plaza and shopping corridor
  • Freedom Gardens, a project by Germantown resident Susan Guggenheim, will connect local gardeners who would like to share their crop free of charge with Germantown residents looking to improve their diets with home-grown produce; Freedom Gardens will be identified by lawn signs and online via Google Maps
  • Support to sustain Chew-Belfield Neighbors Club’s ongoing cleaning and beautification projects in East Germantown

The Fund for Germantown us supported through generous seed funding by local real estate developers Howard Treatman and Ken Weinstein. “We are excited to support these small projects that have a big impact”, says funder Ken Weinstein. “These kinds of initiatives are exactly what we had in mind when we envisioned the Fund for Germantown”, said Howard Treatman. “It’s been great to see how Germantown United has been able to empower the community and leverage grassroots efforts.”

About Germantown United CDC

Germantown United Community Development Corporation is a 501(c)3 organization that was created to promote and facilitate the revitalization of Germantown’s business corridors through a sustainable, creative, and community-driven approach to economic development. Founded in 2011, Germantown United CDC’s focus is to work with residents, businesses and community organizations to create an inspirational vision of Germantown’s business corridors and surrounding neighborhoods, create innovative case studies and sustainable business models to attract green-oriented developers, and recruit forward-thinking investors committed to fostering sustainable economic growth and development for all Germantown residents. Learn more at http://germantownunitedcdc.org.

Contact
Germantown United CDC
Andy Trackman, [email protected]
Emaleigh Doley, [email protected]
Office: 215.856.4303 

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  • August 16, 2023

Germantown United CDC Receives $25,000 Civic Engagement Grant from Pennsylvania Humanities Council

phc_heart-soul_logo-comboPHILADELPHIA, January 12, 2015 — Germantown United Community Development Corporation (GUCDC) has received a one-year, $25,000 civic engagement grant from the Pennsylvania Humanities Council (PHC) centered on pre-work for a comprehensive neighborhood plan.

Understanding the need for a resident-driven approach to community planning and development, Germantown United CDC has joined forces with the theater-based nonprofit Just Act to connect organized groups of residents operating at the micro level – from block associations to neighborhood civics with limited boundaries – and map both the formal and informal networks currently contributing to community improvement efforts in Germantown. This community network analysis will identify shared values and visions for Germantown, aid in healing historic and invisible divisions, and insure that all parties are well-represented and prepared for their role as stakeholder in the larger effort to revitalize greater Germantown and the neighborhood’s shopping district and commercial sector.

“The information gathered during this civic engagement project will shape Germantown United CDC’s priorities and plans for successful, community-responsive business corridor revitalization,” said Emaleigh Doley, Germantown United CDC’s Commercial Corridor Manager.

Participants in a Story Circle exercise led by the Just Act ensemble.
Participants in a Story Circle exercise led by the Just Act ensemble.

“So much of the work that Just Act undertakes is rooted in creating space for community members to engage in new ways with one another around pressing topics that impact everyone’s lives,” said Lisa Jo Epstein, Executive Director of Just Act. “Our story and theatre-based techniques will mobilize an array of residents to dialogue openly about the needs of Germantown’s business corridor, providing vital information that Germantown United – and city government – can use to insure inclusive community growth.”

PHC’s civic engagement grants support humanities-focused approaches to community development throughout the commonwealth. Germantown joins three other Pennsylvania communities that will receive civic engagement grants from PHC this year: Carlisle, Meadville, and Williamsport.

visit our project page at pahumanities.org

explore other grant communities and see the Pennsylvania Humanities Council announcement

To achieve the greatest impact and broadest reach through the civic engagement grants it awards, PHC has partnered with the Orton Family Foundation to bring its Community Heart & Soul™ method to PHC’s grant communities. Community Heart & Soul is a proven process that empowers people to shape the future of their communities by creating a shared sense of belonging that improves local decision-making and ultimately strengthens social, cultural, and economic vibrancy.

Key to the process is learning what matters most to the community through gathering stories from and engaging as many residents as possible, including those who don’t typically participate in public processes.

“We believe the humanities can inspire people to come together and make a difference in their communities,” said Laurie Zierer, PHC’s executive director. “With storytelling at the heart of planning and development, local values and voices become the foundation for building communities that are connected, innovative, competitive, and strong.”

GUCDC_Corridor_0057_Monique_Brand copy
Central Germantown Business Corridor. Photo by Monique Brand.

About Germantown United Community Development Corporation
The mission of Germantown United Community Development Corporation (GUCDC) is to promote and facilitate the revitalization of the business corridors in the Germantown neighborhood of Northwest Philadelphia through a sustainable, creative, and community-driven approach to economic development. Learn more at germantownunitedcdc.org.

FINAL justACT LOGOAbout Just Act
Just Act ignites public dialogue and action planning using theatre-based tools with collaborating partners invested in making meaningful social and civic change. As a multi-dimensional resource across sectors, Just Act is a distinctive, innovative hybrid of artistic & community engagement. Collaboration and relationship-building are central to Just Act. Through a spectrum of aesthetic, activist and educational tools, Just Act activates creative strategies for groups to collectively imagine, rehearse and plan just actions for making change. Our process advances interpersonal and citizenship skills by bringing out participants’ innate creativity, catalyzing positive relationships among people in places, and between people and places, as well as strengthening personal and community capacity for civic engagement. In all that Just Act undertakes, we strive to enliven empathy and increase understanding and awareness about human interaction, the roles we play within larger systems, and the impact of choices on combating injustice. Learn more at justact.today.

About the Pennsylvania Humanities Council
The Pennsylvania Humanities Council (PHC) connects Pennsylvanians to each other through stories, ideas, and experiences that can change lives and transform communities. PHC champions and redefines the role the humanities play in educating citizens and strengthening communities through programs that create pathways for learning and creativity, spark dialogue and civic engagement, and encourage diversity of expression. An independent partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities, PHC is part of a network of 56 state humanities councils that spans the nation and U.S. jurisdictions. Learn more at pahumanities.org.

About the Orton Family Foundation and Community Heart & Soul
With its Community Heart & Soul™ method, the Orton Family Foundation empowers people to shape the future of their communities by improving local decision-making, creating a shared sense of belonging and ultimately strengthening the social, cultural and economic vibrancy of communities. The Foundation assists the residents of small cities and towns in the use of the Community Heart & Soul™ method, a barn-raising approach to community planning and development that invites residents to shape the future of their communities in ways that uphold the unique character of each place. For more information visit orton.org.

Contacts

Emaleigh Doley
Commercial Corridor Manager
Germantown United CDC
215.856.4303
[email protected]

Mary Ellen Burd
Director of Communications
Pennsylvania Humanities Council
215.925.1005 ext. 121
[email protected]

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  • August 16, 2023

First Look at New Neighborhood Website for Germantown

GermantownUnited-PunkAve-homepage-draft for publicGermantown United CDC is excited to share the design drafts for the long-awaited online business directory and neighborhood website for Germantown, launching in early 2016.

GUCDC received a grant from the Philadelphia Commerce Department to develop the website, which will promote the revitalization of Germantown’s business corridors by formally connecting businesses throughout the corridor and raising awareness and support in the community.

The new website will feature:

  • Business Directory will promote Germantown as a great place to shop and visit, and encourage future investment and revitalization of the commercial corridor; local businesses will have the opportunity to customize their listings!
  • Suggested Itineraries will guide residents and visitors to points of interest in the neighborhood and highlight nearby shops and places to eat within walking distance from these sites.
  • Events Calendar will provide a calendar feature for posting of community events and meetings.
  • Resources for Residents & Businesses will include information specific to businesses, and address the needs of community residents.
  • Maps will highlight destinations that may not be well-known currently in Germantown.
Participants at GU's website workshop helped to guide the look and feel of the site.
Participants at GU’s website workshop helped to guide the look and feel of the site.

The Philadelphia-based website development company P’unk Avenue was selected as the firm to assist in building the website.

As part of the research process, the development team toured Germantown, and interviewed residents, the owners of local businesses, and other stakeholders about amenities, attractions, and businesses in our community, and the potential needs of both residents and tourists when it comes to accessing information online. We also held a small workshop with prospective site users at the Germantown Mennonite Historic Trust.

In the coming months, we’ll be working with Germantown businesses and attractions to get them listed in the business directory. If you have questions, or would like your business listed on Germantown’s new website, contact us.

Design Mockups of This Is Germantown

Please note, this is not the final design of the website. The text and photography included in these mockups may not appear on the final website; the images/text were used to help inform the design process and are placeholders for final images and text. We are looking forward to working with local photographers to source photos for the website and businesses & organizations to create original copy that is reflective of each individual business or organization.

(click to enlarge images or view in a separate window)

draft of the homepage

GermantownUnited-PunkAve-homepage-draft for public

an example of how featured events & neighborhood news will be highlighted

GermantownUnited-PunkAve-events-draft fo public

draft of the business directory section

GermantownUnited-PunkAve-draft for public

an example of how neighborhood itineraries will be featured – community members will have the opportunity to suggest an itinerary!GermantownUnited-PunkAve-itineraries-draft for public

  • August 16, 2023

Seven Grassroots Community Improvement Projects Awarded “Fund for Germantown” Micro-grants by Germantown United CDC

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Germantown, Philadelphia, PA (October 1, 2015): Germantown United CDC is proud to announce the next round of grantees for the Fund for Germantown, the organization’s micro-grant program supporting community-driven beautification projects in Northwest Philadelphia’s Germantown neighborhood.

Since the program launched, 17 micro-grants have been awarded, with funds supporting a wide range of projects from greening to murals, neighborhood bulletin boards, cleanups and other community-building activities.

Through generous seed-funding by local real estate developers Howard Treatman and Ken Weinstein, Germantown United CDC distributes small grants ranging from $100 to $1000 to local organizations, civic associations, businesses, and individuals seeking to beautify the Germantown neighborhood. The grant program is part of Germantown United CDC’s ongoing efforts to promote and facilitate the revitalization of Germantown’s business corridors through a sustainable, creative, and community-driven approach to economic development.

The focus of the Fund for Germantown is to support projects that will have an immediate physical impact on the neighborhood. The fund provides grants for physical improvements across Germantown including, but not limited to, landscaping, signage, painting, reclaiming empty lots, and waste removal.

In October, the Germantown Artists Roundtable celebrated the installation of a new arts-focused community message board at the Chelten Avenue SEPTA station, located on Chelten Ave between Pulaski Ave and Morris St. The thematic board, created by the Artists Roundtable, is a Fund for Germantown project, supported by Germantown United CDC. Pictured: Emaleigh Doley, Commercial Corridor Manager, Germantown United CDC, and Paula Paul, Germantown Artists Roundtable.
In October, the Germantown Artists Roundtable celebrated the installation of a new arts-focused community message board at the Chelten Avenue SEPTA station, located on Chelten Ave between Pulaski Ave and Morris St. The thematic board, created by the Artists Roundtable, is a Fund for Germantown project, supported by Germantown United CDC. Pictured: Emaleigh Doley, Commercial Corridor Manager, Germantown United CDC, and Paula Paul, Germantown Artists Roundtable.

The latest Fund for Germantown winning projects ideas are:

  • Artist and photographer Tieshka Smith will launch the Peaceful Places public signage project in Germantown’s storied Penn-Knox neighborhood, next to the Central Germantown business corridor
  • Fitler Academics Plus, a public elementary school in Germantown serving students in grades one through eight located at 140 W Seymour St (at Knox St) will paint ground murals and organized games in the school’s playground
  • West Central Germantown Neighbors civic association will enhance their community orchard and garden project at the Tulpehocken Train Station, a SEPTA Regional Rail station at 333 W Tulpehocken St (off Walnut Ln and Wayne Ave)
  • Support to sustain the ongoing streetscape beautification efforts of Men Who Care of Germantown around their headquarters at 180 East Tulpehocken St (at Morton St)
  • The Imperfect Gallery will install an interactive sidewalk mural outside of the gallery and community space at 5601 Greene St, adjacent to the Maplewood Mall pedestrian plaza and shopping corridor
  • Freedom Gardens, a project by Germantown resident Susan Guggenheim, will connect local gardeners who would like to share their crop free of charge with Germantown residents looking to improve their diets with home-grown produce; Freedom Gardens will be identified by lawn signs and online via Google Maps
  • Support to sustain Chew-Belfield Neighbors Club’s ongoing cleaning and beautification projects in East Germantown

“We are excited to support these small projects that have a big impact”, says funder Ken Weinstein. “These kinds of initiatives are exactly what we had in mind when we envisioned the Fund for Germantown”, said Howard Treatman. “It’s been great to see how Germantown United has been able to empower the community and leverage grassroots efforts.”

This is the third round of giving for the Fund for Germantown, which launched in the summer of 2014 and features two grant cycles per calendar year. The deadline for the next Fund for Germantown grant cycle is December 31, 2015. Funding guidelines may be found on Germantown United’s website at www.germantownunitedcdc.org. To request an application, email [email protected].

ABOUT

Germantown United Community Development Corporation is a 501(c)3 organization that was created to promote and facilitate the revitalization of Germantown’s business corridors through a sustainable, creative, and community-driven  approach to economic development. Founded in 2011, Germantown United CDC’s focus is to work with residents, businesses and community organizations to create an inspirational vision of Germantown’s business corridors and surrounding neighborhoods, create innovative case studies and sustainable business models to attract green-oriented developers, and recruit forward-thinking investors committed to fostering sustainable economic growth and development for all Germantown residents.

  • August 16, 2023

The BIG G: Gentrification in Germantown

GU3rd_poster1“The Big G: Gentrification in Germantown: How it works, and for whom?”

A blue-ribbon panel will be moderated by Alan Greenberger, Deputy Mayor for Economic Development for the City of Philadelphia. The panel includes:

  • Colvin W. Grannum, President & Chief Executive Officer Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation;
  • Betty Turner Co-Founder, President at Germantown Community Connection
  • Nora Lichtash, Executive Director Women’s Community Revitalization Project (WCRP)
  • Steve Mullin, President and Principal of Econsult Solutions.

The Forum this year has expanded from past Forums to become an all-day event, in that there will be a morning panel discussion followed by four facilitated roundtable discussions in the afternoon. The roundtable discussions will permit community engagement in a conversation in order to promote awareness, solutions, and actions.  Registration for the event starts at 8:30 am, and the panel discussion starts at 9:00am. After lunch, the workshops will be facilitated for an hour and a half, with report-outs to the general group beginning at 3 pm. Topics for the roundtable discussions are: Sustainable Development of Vacant Property, Commercial Corridor Economic Development, Preserving Housing Affordability, Human Capital and Building Community Capacity. The roundtable facilitators are Kimberlee Douglas, Assistant Professor, Landscape Architecture Program, Philadelphia University; Robert Fleming, Associate Professor and Director MS in Sustainable Design Program, Philadelphia University; Ingrid R. Shepard, Founder and Executive Director, The One Less Foundation; and Garlen Capita, Senior Urban Designer / Associate, Wallace Roberts & Todd, LLC; and Nora Lichtash, Executive Director, WCRP.

The event will wrap up at 4 pm.

In addition to the presentations and discussions, a Resource Fair, comprised of community organizations, will have tables set up for attendees to mingle among, network with and continue the conversation.

Our Third Annual Community Forum is Free and Open to the public but you must register as seating is limited.

Register Now!

 

  • August 16, 2023

PARKing Day 2013

Germantown Park(ing) Day to bring the arts and forward-thinking students to Chelten Ave. on Friday

September 18, 2013

By Alaina Mabaso for NewsWorks, @AlainaMabaso

As SEPTA offers up a possible “doomsday” plan that would eliminate nine of its 13 regional rail lines in the next 10 years, threatening to send 40 million riders back to their cars, some Northwest Philadelphians are still imagining a future of repurposed parking spaces.
Along West Chelten Avenue on Friday, the Germantown United Community Development Corporation (GUCDC), the Germantown Artists Roundtable and Philadelphia University will celebrate Park(ing) Day, an annual worldwide event dedicated to transforming cities’ metered spaces from parking spots into public mini-parks.

Artists, activists and eco-entrepreneurs worldwide use Park(ing) Day to share their message with the public and imagine something other than asphalt covering the world’s parking lots. Locally, there are more than 40 locations beyond Germantown, viewable on this interactive map.

Imagining a different world

“We’re going to be making our spot into a little outdoor park,” GUCDC Park(ing) Day organizer Megan Fitzpatrick told NewsWorks this week. “What would happen to the spots if more citizens used public transit, and didn’t depend on cars so much?”

GUCDC members will talk to locals about the fate of the old Germantown Town Hall. They will also pass out menus from nearby cafes in an effort to promote local dining.

A trip to a Fairmount Park recycling center netted the planners a large cherry tree trunk that they hollowed out and cut into planters.

With some pallets donated from Killian’s Hardware of Chestnut Hill, these are becoming a vertical garden with the help of GUCDC board member Sarah Endriss’ Philadelphia University landscape-architecture students.

“After Park(ing) Day is over, we’re going to march these little planters and little garden installations over to Maplewood Mall, to beautify the space in preparation for the Re-Imagining Maplewood MallFestival in October,” Fitzpatrick said.

Arts in the parking mix

Germantown Artists Roundtable organizer Paula Paul is helping spearhead that group’s (Park)ing Day spot at Chelten Avenue and Greene St., modeling it after their successful street-arts extravaganza last year.

“The highlight is an attempt to pull from each of the arts: Visual, performing and literary, and somehow transform a parking spot for a day into a place where all those things can happen at once,” Paul said.

The day will include an outdoor art salon, with a special street installation from iMPeRFeCT Gallery co-founder Renny Molenaar.

The window grate of the deserted store behind the parking spot will become an impromptu gallery, including a photo display from Germantown photographer Tieshka Smith and a showcase of this summer’s “Photographing Germantown’s Human Assets” project. African drummers, a poetry circle and a yarn-bombing will round out the day.

Germantown in 3D

Philadelphia University will also have its own Chelten Avenue spot.

Assistant Professor of Landscape Architecture Kim Douglas said it is an opportunity for students to prepare for a studio-course project focused on Germantown revitalization.

Fifth-year landscape-architecture and architecture students, along with masters’ students in GeoDesign, are developing a virtual 3D “ecodistrict framework plan” for the Germantown business corridor. Students will be on the scene to get community input on Park(ing) Day.

“The students will set up easels and pads and chalk on the parking area to record what the community envisions, so we hope people will stop by to talk, draw and record their dreams,” Douglas explained.

The Germantown spots will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday along Chelten Avenue between Germantown Ave. and Greene St