Pottstown's Rock the Block Clean-up Set for April 13

Blogger's Note: The following was provided by Habitat for Humanity of Montgomery and Delaware counties.

The 4th Annual Rock the Block will be held on Saturday, April 13th.

Organized by Habitat MontDelco in conjunction with Pottstown CARES, Rock the Block will bring together 11 community organizations and more than 200 volunteers working on 20 projects in a massive one-day effort to beautify public and private properties in Pottstown.

New this year is the leadership of Pottstown Community Action, a group initiated three years ago by Habitat MontDelco’s Neighborhood Revitalization effort. PCA is organizing street-cleanup activities and spreading the word among neighbors to participate.

Volunteers are encouraged to sign up here. The event kicks off with registration at 8 a.m. at the corner of Chestnut and North Franklin Streets and lunch will be provided for all participants around 1 pm.

“Rock the Block exemplifies what can happen when residents are supported to drive change; they inspire others to care,” says said Marianne Lynch, CEO of Habitat MontDelco.

From 9 am to 1 p.m., volunteer teams, including 40 students from The Hill School, will complete gardening, carpentry, painting, and spruce-up projects at properties on the 400, 500 and 600 blocks of Beech, Chestnut and Walnut Streets. 

Rock the Block is in conjunction with Pottstown CARES community cleanup day, a partnership of The Hill School, the Borough, the Pottstown School District, Montgomery County Community College, Tri-County Chamber of Commerce, Lowes and Habitat MontDelco. 

CARES volunteers will be working in Edgewood Cemetery, at the Mosaic Community Land Trust garden at Barth Elementary School, and doing street and yard cleanups along Armand Hammer Boulevard. 

The Edgewood Cemetery board welcomes additional volunteers, who may contact Board President Andrew Monastra for additional information at amonastra@wolfbaldwin.com.

In addition to the Pottstown CARES organizations, Rock the Block enlists volunteers from Genesis Housing Corporation, Matt Green at Glocker and Company Realtors, Mosaic Community Land Trust, Phillies Fire Company, Pottstown Fire Department and Victory Christian Life Center. 

The mission of Habitat MontDelco is to bring people together to build homes, communities, and hope. Habitat constructs homes for affordable home ownership, preserves aging housing stock by completing critical home repairs, provides financial literacy and life skills classes, and revitalizes neighborhoods. 

For more information, call 610-278-7710, or visit www.habitatmontdelco.org.

Habitat Homeowner Making a Difference on Walnut

Tamara Charles and her family, son Khalid Hardimon and her daughters Keira, 7 and Keirsten, 6, will get the keys to 439 Walnut St. tomorrow. She is already making a difference in her neighborhood by heading up an anti-littering campaign.

Blogger's Note: The following was provided by Habitat for Humanity of Montgomery/Delaware Counties.

When Tamara Charles purchases her Habitat home and receives the keys tomorrow, there will be something noticeable in the window of 439 Walnut St., something that makes her especially gratified.

It’s a sign that reads “Proud Pottstown Neighbor – Don’t Litter;” a sign that symbolizes her hard work as a community volunteer, and the comeback of pride in her hometown.

Tamara is one of the founding members of Pottstown Community Action (PCA), a group initiated two years ago by Habitat for Humanity’s Neighborhood Revitalization effort. After working quietly on a mission and logo, meeting with the Mayor and borough council, and connecting with other community leaders, PCA is ready for visibility, and more action. 

Tamara Charles and her daughters clean up their neighborhood.

Its first line of attack: litter. Among its ammunition: newly printed window decals and lawn signs for the neighborhood.

“We chose an anti-litter campaign because it’s a way to see immediate improvement in the neighborhood,” explains Tamara. “For our first block cleanup, we removed about 40 bulk trash items. We have a standing offer to residents: get a few neighbors out and we’ll bring the coffee and donuts, supplies and volunteers, and we’ll make sure the trash bags are removed.

“Kids have been helping and we hope to add individuals who need to fulfill community service hours, as well as youth from the school district.”

PCA is also working on building leaders in Pottstown. On July 21st, PCA, in collaboration with Habitat MontDelco is hosting an all-day workshop called “Actively Leading Pottstown Towards Prosperity.” To register go to https://habitatpca.wufoo.com/forms/pottstown-leadership-workshop.

A Spirit of Cooperation

“Since launching a Neighborhood Revitalization zone in 2016, we have remained committed to engaging, empowering, and educating local residents coming alongside them so that they can improve the quality of life within their own neighborhood,” says Marianne Lynch, CEO of Habitat MontDelco. “There’s a lot of momentum now from PCA, local non-profits, businesses, and the Borough.”

“This town has an incredible stock of historic homes and families who have been here for decades. Many residents have a clear vision of what Pottstown can be again and they are sharing that vision with others. I thanks to people like Tamara who are deeply passionate about this place. It’s also due to a wonderful attitude of cooperation that’s prevalent across the community.”

Instrumental in creating collaborations, Habitat MontDelco became a member of Pottstown CARES in 2018, and is working with other nonprofits such as Genesis Housing Corporation, and Mosaic Community Land Trust.

417 Chestnut Street

For its next project, Habitat is collaborating with Genesis Housing and Mosaic Community Land Trust on 417 Chestnut Street, right next to one of the Mosaic Community Gardens in Pottstown. Genesis is providing technical assistance, Mosaic will work with Habitat to provide a homeownership through the community land trust model, and Habitat will complete the full rehabilitation of the home.

“It’s a natural partnership because we have the same goals—to get people into a home, grow their wealth, put down roots and improve their community at the same time,” said Tracy Purdy, President of Mosaic. “From a resource perspective it makes perfect sense; it’s three times the expertise using one-third of the funding.”

About Habitat for Humanity of Montgomery and Delaware Counties

The mission of Habitat MontDelco is to bring people together to build homes, communities, and hope. Habitat constructs homes for affordable home ownership, preserves aging housing stock by completing critical home repairs, provides financial literacy and life skills classes, and revitalizes neighborhoods.

For more information, call 610-278-7710, email ehefner@habitatmontdelco.org, or visit www.habitatmontdelco.org

Habitat and Pottstown CARES Joining Forces

Pottstown High School and Hill School students clean up in the 600 block of Chestnut Street during a Pottstown CARES event in 2013.

Blogger's Note: The following was provided by Habitat for Humanity of Montgomery and Delaware Counties.

Pottstown CARES will strengthen its numbers this spring with the support of its newest member, Habitat for Humanity of Montgomery and Delaware Counties.

Habitat MontDelco is joining the civic engagement group as a member after years as a collaborator. Pottstown CARES’s mission is to develop and sustain a service ethic in Pottstown that will result in a collective sense of community pride.

Habitat’s membership in the group will provide more opportunities for residents, including students, to get involved, speak up and give back.

Already, students from Pottstown High School’s construction technology program are assisting with renovations on a Habitat house, and recently, Habitat MontDelco hosted a Home Repair Workshop to teach residents how to patch and repair drywall.

As it works with residents through its Neighborhood Revitatlization initiative, Habitat is also promoting The Hill School’s tool sharing program and is getting ideas for trash remediation from residents.

Pottstown CARES Day 2017 in North Hanover Street

“Pottstown is a community poised for change and there are many residents and community leaders who are already working hard to make it happen,” Habitat MontDelco CEO Marianne Lynch, said in a prepared statement.

“Our work with Pottstown CARES will help continue this momentum by ensuring that individuals gain skills, that we build capacity in the community and bring even more people together to create lasting change from within,” Lynch said.

The two organizations have partnered on community cleanups since 2016 when Habitat hosted its first Pottstown Rock the Block in conjuction with the now-annual Pottstown CARES community cleanup day. This year’s joint event is on Saturday, April 21.

“Inviting Habitat to join the Pottstown CARES effort seemed like a natural fit,” said Jason Coady, a CARES representative from The Hill School. “We’re interested in the same things— serving the community and leading by example as we encourage others in the community to serve too.”

Pottstown CARES Day 2014

Pottstown CARES (Community, Awareness, Responsibility, Empowerment, and Sustainability) was conceived in 2013 amongst the Pottstown School District, The Hill School, and the Borough as a collaborative project to “spruce up” a designated area in the core of Pottstown.

Montgomery County Community College, the Tri-County Chamber of Commerce, and Lowes joined the effort, and in 2016 a CARES Student Leadership Council was created to imagine and execute new student-driven projects.

The collaborative group of students from Hill, Pottstown High School, and Montgomery County Community College created and support a “Shop Tri-County” campaign; serve lunch to underserved Pottstown residents; represent CARES in hometown parades; and host “Welcome Home” concerts benefitting area homeless, among other endeavors.

Habitat constructs homes for affordable home ownership, preserves aging housing stock by completing critical home repairs, provides financial literacy and life skills classes, and revitalizes neighborhoods. For more information, call 610-278- 7710, email ehefner@habitatmontdelco.org, or visit www.habitatmontdelco.org.