Centre Park Historic District is Making History

The Centre Park Historic District is pleased to announce that This Old House magazine in it's July/August issue features the Centre Park Historic District as one of eight best places to buy an old house in the United States. The magazine editors picked the district as "Best Place for Fixer-Uppers" and said the reason to buy was that it is one of the Mid-Atlantic's most perfectly preserved historic neighborhoods. We are all excited and very proud of this national recognition. Attached are two press releases, one from This Old House and one from Centre Park. Also in todays Reading Eagle Berks & Beyond section is a very nice article about this honor.

Submitted by: Mike LauterExecutive DirectorCentre Park Historic District705-707 N 5th StReading, PA 19601 610-375-7860

More information about the district is available at http://www.centrepark.org/.

Locked Up for Life

It isn't everyday we see Community Leaders in pictured in jail, but Councilwoman Marsha Goodman-Hinnershitz , Cheryl Okafor of M.A.L.I and many other upstanding business people in Berks County were rounded up over the last three days for the crime of caring. In all, over a hundred members in our community were arrested at thier jobs and taken to jail at The Works in West Reading. Cleryl and others desperately called thier friends to bail them out.

So why were these poor people put in jail? The truth is these folks were helping to raise money for a good cause. All the money donated for bail went to the Muscular Dystrophy Association. This is an amusing, but effective progam which began about in the early 1970's and is replicated throughout the Country. People can secretly volunteer individuals to be arrested. The arrestees are notified of thier pending doom weeks prior to the actual arrest. On the day of thier incarceration, these individuals are presented with a warrant and poached from thier places of employment. They are then escorted via limousine to The Works where they are photographed behind bars. I was told these folks were only given bread and water when they arrived at The Works. The truth is The Works provided everyone involved in this endeavor with a bounty of food. Everyone had a good time and the Muscular Dystrophy Association raised an enormous amount of money. What a wonderful idea! Thank you Marsha, Cheryl, and eveyone for taking time out of your busy day to go above and beyond the call of duty to help others in need.

Kristen Brown served as judge for this event.

If you would like more information about this project, would like to have someone arrested, or would like to contribute please contact MDA at # 610-391-1977

Happy Homeowner

Loretta, mother of Elias Reies cames home to find a freshly painted house and a brand new porch thanks to the collaboration of the"Southeast Peoples Voice" neighborhood group and Neighborhood Housing Services. Loretta was overwhelmed with gratitude as she reached out gave a huge hug Jackie Johnson. Jackie and Joe Forbes pictured behind her are two of the executive members of Southeast Peoples Voice, an extremely active and caring group of individuals. Every year Neighborhood Housing Services sponsors a project known as "Operation Facelift." Volunteers spend the day in a local neighborhood painting and repairing the exterior of homes in efforts to revitialize theses areas. Crystal Edwards of NHS spearheaded this years project. Also involved in this project were .... For more information on how to get your neighborhood involved call # 610-372-8433

Mission Accomplished

Earl Lucas, founder of the Afro-Latino drill team has mananged to achieve a goal where others often fail. Yesterday, June 21st, a large number of both African-American and Hispanic-American's joined together as Drill Teams and motorcycle groups paraded from Bear Park to the Goggle Works.

Getting two different cultures together is an achievment in itself. But as I stood waiting for the parade to start, one local woman described her experience at last years Afro/Latino Festival. She said that many people from this innercity community followed the parade as they advanced to the Goggle Works. This woman told me how if it were not for parade many of these local people would never had made thier way down to the Art Center. Goggle Works is also to be commended as they invited the community to explore all the fine arts and activities offered at this facility. The woman I spoke with told me how enjoyable this experience had been for her and her friends.

Earl not only brought two different racial cultures together, but managed to bring two different socio-economic culturals together as well. It was a wonderful experience for all those involved.

Berks Kids Pull It Together

The Dominant Soulja's Drill team shown in red had lost but all of three members to the summer months. With one night before the big parade, drill team captain, Shannan Sims, pulls kids together and practice through the long night hours to fulfill a promise made.

The band located in the forefront volunteers the day of the parade to help the drill team prepare by playing the drums for them. It is nice to know that kids from the far reaches of the County care enough to help one another, and despite the hardship kids keep thier word. Hats off to both groups of children, they are the example for adults to follow.

M.A.L.I Feeds the Neighborhood

Group of concerned teens from the Multicultural And Litercy Institute organized a food drive to feed disadvantaged members of thier local neighborhood. M.A.L.I. teens find great value in being active members in the community and bringing smiles to the faces of many.

This organization instills rites of passage in teen groups as a tool for reaffirming cultures, gaining self-knowledge, confidence-building, learning responsibility and teemwork. The journey of life is examined and exposed for its self-fufillment needs. The institute is designed for both peer and adult mentoring. In addition this organization has its own show on BCTV and offers many fun events such as bowling and dances to its members.

For more information or to get involved contact Cheryl Okofor at # 610-374-4088 or mailto:micharee6@aol.com

Living Art

New Mural comes to 6th and Franklin. The "Busted" youth group from Reading High School assisted local artists Ed Terrell, George Miller, and Miguel Guzman in portraying the joys of not smoking. The mural titled" Smoke Free" was also sponsored by the Daniel Torress Hispanic Center of Reading. This mural is truely unique in that all the children who worked on this project are immortalized within the mural itself.