UCCP brings YouthBuild to Penrose for MLK 2010

For the second year in a row, the UCCP used the MLK Day of Service as an opportunity to strengthen and improve our community partner and neighbor, Penrose Playground. This year, we were thrilled to partner with YouthBuild Charter School who brought their construction expertise, supplies and unrivaled energy and professionalism to the service day at the Penrose Recreation Center.

On January 18, 2010, students from YouthBuild Charter built custom shelves for the Penrose library, installed brand new cabinets in the kitchen, repained the walls, and put in beautiful french doors to separate the Rec Center's main space from the library room. The transformation was amazing!

The UCCP was especially happy to see other community partners take notice and invest energy into Penrose. Youth from Arthur Ashe Tennis and Education Center organized a clean-up in the area and students from the Temple Garden Club built raised beds. Other volunteers from Temple University and UCCP helped to paint the new shelves for the library. Temple University provided breakfast and water for the volunteers.

MLK Day of Service and Inaguration Celebration at Penrose Playground!

On the morning of January 19th, we will be celebrating an exciting, ongoing partnership between Penrose Recreation Center and the UCCP, the Department of Recreation, the Greater Philadelphia Federation of Settlements, Arthur Ashe Youth Tennis and Education and City Year of Greater Philadelphia. Supported by Temple University, the UCCP will coordinate Martin Luther King Day of Service at the Penrose Playground, organizing several work crews to clean, paint, sort books for a children's library and canvas the neighbhorhood with fliers about upcoming activities at Penrose.

In addition, we are thrilled to be supporting the Penrose Advisory Council's "Presidential Inauguration Celebration" on January 20th, which will feature a screening of the Inaguration Ceremony, a memorial to local residents that passed before the election and a presentation of the MLK 365 Calendar to engage volunteers in supporting the Rec Center all year round!

If you'd like to participate in one or both of the events, please share the fliers below and contact Johannah Bennett (former UCCP Leaders Corps member!) at johannah@temple.edu/215.487.9555 or
Catie Wolfgang at catiec@temple.edu/215.204.2007.