SERV Allentown is part of AARP Pennsylvania’s “Create The Good” program. It encompasses support of Cities of Service, a national bi-partisan coalition of mayors of cities of all sizes working together to engage citizens in helping to solve pressing local challenges.

Earlier this year a 40 member task force met over a period of three months to discuss priority needs areas that could be served by volunteers. Those needs were identified under the categories of education, community / neighborhood development, and youth development.

“The program will connect volunteers with qualifying senior citizens who can’t do the job themselves,” said Pawlowski. “SERV Allentown, the senior center and our neighborhood groups are collaborating on the effort.”

Senior citizens that own homes in Allentown will be able to find an application for the “Snow Way Out” program on the city website under the SERV Allentown Logo, or may pick-up an application at the senior center. All applicants for snow removal services must deliver their application to the Lehigh Senior Center, located at 1633 W. Elm Street, in Allentown.

Once a senior qualifies for the program, their application is kept by the Senior Center and forwarded to a neighborhood group president.

Youth also will be able to apply for the program to serve as volunteers by visiting the same SERV Allentown Logo link on the city website. All volunteer applicants must deliver their applications to the volunteer chief service officer, Joshua Keller located in City Hall, 435 Hamilton Street, Allentown. Volunteer applicants then go through an approval process which includes a background check. The volunteer chief service officer collects approved applications and forwards them to the neighborhood group president.

Snow removal kicks-in when 3 or more inches of snow have fallen in the city. At that point applicants who have qualified for the program call their neighborhood group location and can request snow removal services. A volunteer is then dispatched to perform snow removal. All volunteers will be wearing an identification card.

Special thanks is given to Morris Pagnani Outing for donating the first TEN (10) shovels to the program. Any organizations wishing to donate shovels can direct their call to 610 437-7688 and speak to the city’s volunteer chief service officer or Milagros Canales Ramos 484 764-4037

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Standing in front of the worn-down, fire-ravaged and vandalism-plagued property at 536 Allen St. in the Old Fairgrounds neighborhood of the city, officials from various city housing and revitalization nonprofits joined residents, city officials and U.S. Rep.Charlie Dent, R-Lehigh Valley, to learn of a project aimed at kick-starting responsible homeownership in the community. “You really make this neighborhood great,” Dent told neighbors. “Allentown is blessed.” http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/allentown/index.ssf/2012/04/allentown_nonprofits_businesse.html

Old Fairgrounds’ own Ramon Peralta, a truly gifted artist, is featured in a one-man show underway at Muhlenberg College’s Martin Art Gallery:

• Ramon Peralta: Color and Form
• Martin Art Gallery, Baker Center for the Arts, Muhlenberg College
• through July 30, 2011
• Tuesdays to Saturdays, noon to 8pm

The neighborhood has been without a pharmacy ever since Rite Aid left the old Sears building at 602 N. 7th St. to return to Hamilton. Leaking and code problems, and not poor sales, forced the move. Rite Aid’s 7th was reportedly among the busiest in the region.

Enter Allentown Pharmacy. The new drug store is set to open “soon” just down 7th, in part of the old Sears Auto Center, at 530 N. 7th St.

Note: Cross-posted with 7th Street Now.

Sacred Heart Thursday unveiled the 19-bed unit that will become a home away from home for people who need longer-term care for mental and behavioral illnesses. It partly fills a health care void that was created when Allentown State Hospital closed its doors for good last year.

Congratulations to our neighbor!

Stevens Park is, by many accounts, the most used park per square foot of any in the whole city. And yet its condition is deplorable–including plywood over broken equipment and graffiti.

There’s good news! Lorne Possinger from the state’s DCNR is visiting Stevens on THIS Wednesday (March 30) to tour the park in advance of our application for a grant to overhaul the park:

THIS Wednesday, March 30

10am

Stevens Park (corner of 6th and Tilghman)

We’ve applied before, through the city’s Department of Parks and Recreation. Our plan is based on a community-input study from 2008, produced by a Muhlenberg College student. The design is from one of the city’s top firms, Roberson Butz.

This is our year! Come out and support Old Fairgrounds and Stevens Park!