The African American United Fund and In the Spirit News hosts the African Marketplace Health & Wellness Program on Sat. Dec 13 & 20, 12- 5PM and Thurs. Dec 18, 6-9:00 PM at 2231 N. Broad St.
Community members will get the opportunity to participate in engaging and relevant health and wellness workshops, cooking demonstrations, book signings and vendors.
Philadelphia, PA, December 4, 2008: African American United Fund and In the Spirit News will host the African Marketplace Health & Wellness Program. This series of events consists of vendors selling art, books, cosmetics and jewelry and health and wellness workshops addressing prominent and ignored physical and mental health issues in the community. Events are to be held on Sat. Dec 13 & Dec 20, 12-5 PM, and Thurs. Dec. 18, 6-9:00 PM at the African American United Fund’s conference center, 2231 N. Broad Street. On Dec.13 at 1pm, Dr. Wesley Collier will hold a 1 hour discussion on stroke and heart attack prevention. On Dec. 20 at 3pm, Cherron Perry-Thomas, Dandelion Bunch, will demonstrate how to prepare nutritional delicious plant based foods for a healthier lasting lifestyle. Based in Philadelphia the Dandelion Bunch is dedicated to teaching and promoting a raw and living plant based eating lifestyle.
Funded by The Philadelphia Activities Fund and Germantown Club, this program will create opportunities for members of the community to receive information about how to improve their health. Throughout the year we plan to conduct workshops or preventing high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes. We would like to encourage people exercise and cook nutritious meals as well as lower stress. The African Marketplace is designed to support economic stability and community cooperation.
Dec. 18th includes the 26th Annual Volunteer Recognition & Toy Drive. Please bring a new, unwrapped toy for a child aged 0-12. Canned goods and toiletries will also be collected for Bridgeway shelter residents.
To RSVP, or to become a vendor, for December activities please call 215-236-2100. For more information call or email, 215-236-2100, AAUFMAIL@aol.com
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Monday, December 1, 2008
Share your good tidings
The African American United Fund and In the Spirit News are hosting the African Marketplace Health & Wellness Program on Sat. Dec 13 & 20, 12- 5PM at 2231 N. Broad St. in Philadelphia
- Community members will get the opportunity to participate in engaging and relevant health and wellness workshops, cooking demonstrations and book signings.
- This series of events consists of vendors selling art, books, cosmetics and jewelry and health and wellness workshops addressing prominent and ignored physical and mental health issues in the community. Events are to be held on Sat. Dec 13 & Dec 20, 12-5 PM at the African American United Fund’s conference center, 2231 N. Broad Street.
- Funded by The Philadelphia Activities Fund and Germantown Club, this program will create opportunities for members of the community to receive information about how to improve their health. Throughout the year we plan to conduct workshops or preventing high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes. We would like to encourage people exercise and cook nutritious meals as well as lower stress. The African Marketplace is designed to support economic stability and encourage community cooperation.
On Dec. 18 from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm we are also hosting our 26th Annual Kwanzaa Celebration & 7th Annual Toy Drive for needy families in Philadelphia. We are asking the public to drop off new unwrapped toys for children aged 0-12, men's toiletries and canned goods from Dec. 1 to Dec. 19 at 2227 N. Broad Street on the Avenue of the Arts North.
- The 7th Annual Toy Drive provides toys to the children of working families. Children enrolled in after care and day care programs are the beneficiaries of toys collected in the month of December. This year due to the slow economy and rising cost of food and consumables, the Fund is collecting canned goods as well as toiletries for homeless men. Please drop off your items at 2227 N. Broad Street from December 1 to December 19.
Aissia Richardson, President, African American United Fund, 2227 N. Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19132 215-236-2100
To RSVP, or to become a vendor, for December activities please call 215-236-2100. For more information call or email, 215-236-2100, AAUFMAIL@aol.com
Monday, November 17, 2008
SAVE YOUR HOME PHILLY HOTLINE
TO ALL COURT:
At the request of President Judge C. Darnell Jones, II, Administrative Judge D. Webster Keogh, Supervising Judge Esther R. Sylvester and Judge Annette M. Rizzo I ask for your help in getting the word out about a very important Pilot Program.
As you may know, in response to the current national mortgage foreclosure crisis, the Court of Common Pleas recently adopted a Residential Mortgage Foreclosure Diversion Pilot Program designed to divert from Sheriff Sale owner occupied residential properties which are listed for Sheriff Sale because the homeowners are delinquent with their mortgage payments.
The reasons for the mortgage default are numerous and include: rising interest rates, unemployment and underemployment, unforeseen circumstances beyond the control of the owner as well as the fact that some of the mortgage loans may have been "subprime" or "predatory."
The Residential Mortgage Foreclosure Diversion Pilot Program may provide homeowners with an opportunity to save their homes. However, to avail themselves of that opportunity, homeowners MUST contact: SAVE YOUR HOME PHILLY HOTLINE at 215-334-HOME (215-334-4663). Housing counselors will discuss available options with the homeowners.
You, your family or acquaintances may know homeowners who may benefit from the Diversion Program. We ask that you refer them to the SAVE YOUR HOME PHILLY HOTLINE so that they may receive valuable information and assistance. Detailed information about the Diversion Program is available from the website of the First Judicial District at http://courts.phila.gov/regs.
Thank you.
David C. Lawrence
Court Administrator
1st Judicial District of Pennsylvania
Room 336 City Hall
Philadelphia, Pa
19107
(215)-686-2547
dave.lawrence@courts.phila.gov
At the request of President Judge C. Darnell Jones, II, Administrative Judge D. Webster Keogh, Supervising Judge Esther R. Sylvester and Judge Annette M. Rizzo I ask for your help in getting the word out about a very important Pilot Program.
As you may know, in response to the current national mortgage foreclosure crisis, the Court of Common Pleas recently adopted a Residential Mortgage Foreclosure Diversion Pilot Program designed to divert from Sheriff Sale owner occupied residential properties which are listed for Sheriff Sale because the homeowners are delinquent with their mortgage payments.
The reasons for the mortgage default are numerous and include: rising interest rates, unemployment and underemployment, unforeseen circumstances beyond the control of the owner as well as the fact that some of the mortgage loans may have been "subprime" or "predatory."
The Residential Mortgage Foreclosure Diversion Pilot Program may provide homeowners with an opportunity to save their homes. However, to avail themselves of that opportunity, homeowners MUST contact: SAVE YOUR HOME PHILLY HOTLINE at 215-334-HOME (215-334-4663). Housing counselors will discuss available options with the homeowners.
You, your family or acquaintances may know homeowners who may benefit from the Diversion Program. We ask that you refer them to the SAVE YOUR HOME PHILLY HOTLINE so that they may receive valuable information and assistance. Detailed information about the Diversion Program is available from the website of the First Judicial District at http://courts.phila.gov/regs.
Thank you.
David C. Lawrence
Court Administrator
1st Judicial District of Pennsylvania
Room 336 City Hall
Philadelphia, Pa
19107
(215)-686-2547
dave.lawrence@courts.phila.gov
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Are you ready to own Wall Street?
The current financial crisis facing the American economy takes me back twenty-six years to the founding of the African American United Fund (AAUF), then known as the Black United Fund of Pennsylvania. By 1982, Ronald Reagan had been able to convince members of Congress to narrowly approve his sweeping supply side economic policies, nicknamed “trickle-down economics” or “Reaganomics.” These policies gave enormous tax breaks to the wealthy and corporate entities. Our government assumed incredible amounts of debt without balancing the federal budget.
To pay for his corporate welfare program Reagan cut funding for social services, education and other domestic programs. During the 1980s, schools were forced to eliminate art, music and second language learning programs were scaled back; capital improvements for schools, bridges and highways were postponed indefinitely; prisons and welfare departments were privatized. Joblessness increased as Fortune 500 companies placed more emphasis on dividends for shareholders, reinvesting profit in the volatile stock market and exorbitant CEO compensation packages.
Which brings me to today’s seven hubdred billion ($700,000,000,000) bailout of Wall Street being proposed by the current secretary of the treasury. While Reagan was admonishing Mikhail Gorbachev to “Bring down” the Berlin Wall, advocating to end Communism in the Soviet Union, he was sowing the seeds of socialism in America. A government sponsored bailout of flailing Wall Street amounts to nationalizing our stock market. Each of us will now own the debt, not the profit, of reckless corporate managers’ investment practices.
As taxpayers, we will be responsible for the management of a nationalized stock market. We won’t be able to control how the system is managed if we don’t insure there is transparency in how the system operates, if we don’t exercise our right to vote and if we don’t put mechanisms in place to keep our elected officials accountable to us, the share holders. Finally and most importantly, we can’t manage a financial system if we can’t manage our own personal finances.
This spring, we reintroduced our Technical Assistance Program by holding a workshop on financial planning to instruct participants about making personal financial decisions. The Estate Planning workshop, conducted by Yvette Hachoose, Esq., focused on protecting your home from being sold for long term care costs and to other creditors and finding out how to protect your assets in an increasingly difficult economic climate. We plan to continue offering this workshop and add a component, Wall Street on Broad Street, to this program focusing on understanding America’s financial system.
Since spring of 2007, AAUF has been hosting our People’s Voter Education Forums to bring community based organizations, community residents and elected officials together to discuss and improve upon programs and policies that address the social and economic issues affecting our community. These forums bring candidates to the community to respond to constituents needs and reinforce to constituents that candidates are in office to serve them not special interests, lobbyist or large donors.
AAUF will continue to highlight health disparities in the African American community through our newest program, the African Marketplace Health and Wellness Workshops. Access to health care for the poor and in minority communities is sporadic, at best, and nonexistent for many in our community. The purpose of the program is to raise awareness of health disparities in low income and communities of color. The workshops are designed to introduce participants to activities that will help them manage and improve their health. The program pays particular attention to African American men who historically have a mistrust of traditional medicine and are more likely to succumb to preventable diseases. The next Marketplace activity will be at 2231 N. Broad Street on December 18 from 12pm to 8pm.
In addition to our programs, AAUF provides operational support to organizations such as, Parents United for Public Education and X-Offenders for Community Empowerment. Founded in 2006 to address the $73 million dollar School District budget deficit and subsequent cuts to school-based funding, Parents United for Public Education has successfully advocated for increasing public education funding from local government sources by $32 million dollars and reducing millions of dollars in wasteful spending at the Philadelphia School District. X-Offenders for Community Empowerment saw that the ease of access to illegal guns destroyed the lives of victims and the incarcerated. They conceived and supported laws that will reduce gun violence and the proliferation of illegal weapons in Philadelphia. Their programs also focus on educating and empowering ex-offenders to overcome barriers to re-entry into society.
The need to understand and appreciate the rich contributions African Americans have made to American society will be the focus of an upcoming activity. On February 28, 2009, we plan to sponsor a trip to Lancaster to the Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church for their "Living the Experience" program- a spiritually, creative, living historical production of the Underground Railroad in Pennsylvania. The purpose of this trip is to highlight the active role African Americans played in the struggle for their individual freedom and as abolitionists in the struggle to end institutionalized slavery. The goal is to demonstrate that even as enslaved people African Americans took responsibility for improving their lives and the lives of their progeny as well as informed national policy decisions about Civil, Equal and Human Rights. The trip will cost $75 for adults and $50 for children 12 and over.
For over 26 years the Fund has been the steward of resources that we’ve consistently shared to increase educational opportunities, increase access to social and human services, promote cultural development, raise awareness about health and wellness issues, provide youth leadership training, stimulate voter education and increase awareness of criminal justice issues. The value of the African American United Fund is in our ability to quickly respond to emerging issues in our community. Our current motto- “A Call to Action”, represents the enduring spirit of our forbearers to overcome barriers to freedom and equality under extraordinarily harsh conditions. Join us in our endeavors by volunteering, participating in our programs and donating now to our organization.
Aissia Richardson
President
To pay for his corporate welfare program Reagan cut funding for social services, education and other domestic programs. During the 1980s, schools were forced to eliminate art, music and second language learning programs were scaled back; capital improvements for schools, bridges and highways were postponed indefinitely; prisons and welfare departments were privatized. Joblessness increased as Fortune 500 companies placed more emphasis on dividends for shareholders, reinvesting profit in the volatile stock market and exorbitant CEO compensation packages.
Which brings me to today’s seven hubdred billion ($700,000,000,000) bailout of Wall Street being proposed by the current secretary of the treasury. While Reagan was admonishing Mikhail Gorbachev to “Bring down” the Berlin Wall, advocating to end Communism in the Soviet Union, he was sowing the seeds of socialism in America. A government sponsored bailout of flailing Wall Street amounts to nationalizing our stock market. Each of us will now own the debt, not the profit, of reckless corporate managers’ investment practices.
As taxpayers, we will be responsible for the management of a nationalized stock market. We won’t be able to control how the system is managed if we don’t insure there is transparency in how the system operates, if we don’t exercise our right to vote and if we don’t put mechanisms in place to keep our elected officials accountable to us, the share holders. Finally and most importantly, we can’t manage a financial system if we can’t manage our own personal finances.
This spring, we reintroduced our Technical Assistance Program by holding a workshop on financial planning to instruct participants about making personal financial decisions. The Estate Planning workshop, conducted by Yvette Hachoose, Esq., focused on protecting your home from being sold for long term care costs and to other creditors and finding out how to protect your assets in an increasingly difficult economic climate. We plan to continue offering this workshop and add a component, Wall Street on Broad Street, to this program focusing on understanding America’s financial system.
Since spring of 2007, AAUF has been hosting our People’s Voter Education Forums to bring community based organizations, community residents and elected officials together to discuss and improve upon programs and policies that address the social and economic issues affecting our community. These forums bring candidates to the community to respond to constituents needs and reinforce to constituents that candidates are in office to serve them not special interests, lobbyist or large donors.
AAUF will continue to highlight health disparities in the African American community through our newest program, the African Marketplace Health and Wellness Workshops. Access to health care for the poor and in minority communities is sporadic, at best, and nonexistent for many in our community. The purpose of the program is to raise awareness of health disparities in low income and communities of color. The workshops are designed to introduce participants to activities that will help them manage and improve their health. The program pays particular attention to African American men who historically have a mistrust of traditional medicine and are more likely to succumb to preventable diseases. The next Marketplace activity will be at 2231 N. Broad Street on December 18 from 12pm to 8pm.
In addition to our programs, AAUF provides operational support to organizations such as, Parents United for Public Education and X-Offenders for Community Empowerment. Founded in 2006 to address the $73 million dollar School District budget deficit and subsequent cuts to school-based funding, Parents United for Public Education has successfully advocated for increasing public education funding from local government sources by $32 million dollars and reducing millions of dollars in wasteful spending at the Philadelphia School District. X-Offenders for Community Empowerment saw that the ease of access to illegal guns destroyed the lives of victims and the incarcerated. They conceived and supported laws that will reduce gun violence and the proliferation of illegal weapons in Philadelphia. Their programs also focus on educating and empowering ex-offenders to overcome barriers to re-entry into society.
The need to understand and appreciate the rich contributions African Americans have made to American society will be the focus of an upcoming activity. On February 28, 2009, we plan to sponsor a trip to Lancaster to the Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church for their "Living the Experience" program- a spiritually, creative, living historical production of the Underground Railroad in Pennsylvania. The purpose of this trip is to highlight the active role African Americans played in the struggle for their individual freedom and as abolitionists in the struggle to end institutionalized slavery. The goal is to demonstrate that even as enslaved people African Americans took responsibility for improving their lives and the lives of their progeny as well as informed national policy decisions about Civil, Equal and Human Rights. The trip will cost $75 for adults and $50 for children 12 and over.
For over 26 years the Fund has been the steward of resources that we’ve consistently shared to increase educational opportunities, increase access to social and human services, promote cultural development, raise awareness about health and wellness issues, provide youth leadership training, stimulate voter education and increase awareness of criminal justice issues. The value of the African American United Fund is in our ability to quickly respond to emerging issues in our community. Our current motto- “A Call to Action”, represents the enduring spirit of our forbearers to overcome barriers to freedom and equality under extraordinarily harsh conditions. Join us in our endeavors by volunteering, participating in our programs and donating now to our organization.
Aissia Richardson
President
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
African American United Fund announces its spring and summer activities.
African American United Fund announces its spring and summer activities.
African American United Fund will be conducting two exciting programs- the revival of our Technical Assistance Program Workshops with two activities on Thursday, May 29 and the kick off our African Marketplace Health and Wellness Workshops on Saturday, June 28.
Philadelphia, PA, May 22, 2008: For 26 years, the African American United Fund’s Technical Assistance Program (TAP) has worked with area churches and nonprofit organizations by serving as a clearinghouse for information, conducting community meetings and assisting in building organizations’ capacity to provide services to their constituents. Aissia Richardson, President, remarks “Over the last five years our technical assistance has been conducted on an as needed basis with individual organizations. I am delighted to announce that the Fund is reviving its Technical Assistance Program Workshops this spring. We are simply responding to increasing requests for our services by hosting an opportunity for individuals and organizations to come together to learn about managing their finances and filing requirements for establishing a nonprofit organization.”
The Fund will conduct two workshops on Thursday, May 29 at the African American United Fund Conference Center @ 2231 N. Broad Street- Estate Planning and Nonprofit 101. From 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., Estate Planning, conducted by Yvette Hachoose, Esq., will focus on protecting your home from being sold for long term care costs and to other creditors. Find out how to protect your assets in an increasingly difficult economic climate. This is a FREE workshop; however, YOU MUST REGISTER TO ATTEND.
From 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and from 7:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., Nonprofit 101: Guide to starting a 501c3, will focus on vital Information you need to have about starting a nonprofit organization. There will also be an introductory discussion on nonprofit financial reporting. REGISTRATION FEE: $25.00. For an additional fee of $150.00 you will receive a complete and up to date packet of forms you need to file to establish a nonprofit in Pennsylvania with a complementary booklet from Community Accountants detailing nonprofit financial reporting guidelines.
On Saturday, June 28 @ 2231 N. Broad Street, the African American United Fund will kick off its African Marketplace Health and Wellness Workshops.
The African American United Fund created this new program to highlight health disparities in the African American community. The purpose of the program is to provide activities that will help members of our community manage and improve their health. Information about how to prevent high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes will be provided. Later in the year, activities will focus on encouraging exercise and cooking nutritious meals as well as lowering stress. Finally, during the holidays we plan to offer information about mental health issues. Vending opportunities are available.
Call Avis Lindsay at 215.236.2100 to register for the May 29th workshops, for additional information about our programs or to be placed on our mailing list.
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