by Christin Brown | August 16, 2019 | News Releases
PHILADELPHIA, PA – August 16, 2019 – State Senator Christine Tartaglione handed out free backpacks and back-to-school supplies to more than 400 appreciative children at the Lawncrest Recreation Center yesterday as she hosted a Community Picnic at the bustling neighborhood playground for the first time in the 15-year history of her late-summer event series.
Youngsters and their caregivers enjoyed Dietz & Watson hot dogs, Philly Pretzel Factory soft pretzels, Philadelphia Water Ice, and DJ music. A Face painting booth, child fingerprinting, a coloring book contest, and a basketball raffle kept the excitement going throughout the four-hour picnic. The picnic also benefitted from a special contribution by Altrusa International, a nonprofit community service organization that donated books for each child to take home with them as part of its ongoing commitment to youth literacy.
“Lawncrest is a vibrant family community with many dedicated leaders and volunteers. I was thrilled when they asked me to host one of my Picnics at the rec center. And the public response was outstanding,” Senator Tartaglione said. “These events are a great opportunity for folks to meet their neighbors in a purely social setting and to help their kids get a head start on the upcoming school year. Lawncrest took full advantage of those opportunities today.”
The Lawncrest event followed Senator Tartaglione’s successful picnic on August 8 at Fairhill Square Park in North Philadelphia. The third and final picnic of 2019 is scheduled for Thursday, August 22, at Wissinoming Park. All activities will be set up around the park’s multi-purpose building on Cheltenham Avenue, between Frankford Avenue and Charles Street. The event will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and is free and open to the public. Children must be accompanied by an adult and obtain a ticket from the senator’s table to receive a backpack.
Each backpack comes stuffed with pencils, erasers, notebooks, and other school supplies.
“The start of a new school year can be a serious financial burden for many parents. I hope these backpacks and supplies make the transition from summer to fall easier for local families,” Senator Tartaglione said.
Many longtime partners and some popular new ones teamed up with the senator to make the event possible. All-American Home Care provided the child face-painting station, while the Philadelphia City Commissioner’s Office showed off its new touchscreen, paper-ballot voting machines. Hyperion Bank, Brightside Academy, Fortaleza Rehabilitation and Wellness, and Oak Street Health were among the participating vendors.
“I look forward to seeing the families of Wissinoming and neighboring communities at Wissinoming Park next week,” Senator Tartaglione said.
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If you would like more information about this topic, please contact William Kenny at 215-533-0440 or email at William.Kenny@pasenate.com.
by Christin Brown | August 23, 2018 | News Releases
Music, face painting, police horses and the senator’s back-to-school backpack giveaway made it a special occasion for hundreds of children and their caregivers.
PHILADELPHIA, PA, August 23, 2018 – Sunshine and smiling children highlighted the third and final round of state Sen. Christine Tartaglione’s annual Community Picnic series today as hundreds of youngsters and their caregivers flocked to Fox Chase Recreation Center for an event that has quickly become one of the most popular attractions on the local summer calendar.
Now in its second year at Fox Chase, the gathering carried the momentum built through Senator Tartaglione’s previous two Community Picnics on Aug. 2 at Fairhill Square Park and Aug. 16 at Wissinoming Park. DJ music, free refreshments, face painting, Philadelphia police horses, gift basket raffles and a variety of vendors kept visitors entertained and informed throughout the morning and early afternoon. The excitement peaked when Senator Tartaglione handed out free backpacks and back-to-school supplies to attending children.
All told, the senator distributed 250 backpacks to the young learners at Fox Chase, and about 1,100 at all three picnics combined.
“This never would have been possible without the support of many generous donors and community partners,” Senator Tartaglione said. “These Community Picnics bring together businesses, non-profit organizations and public agencies for a common goal – to advocate for the education of our children. It’s very reassuring and satisfying to know that the picnics get bigger and bigger each year with many new partners and a lot more public attention.”
With the 2018-19 school year mere days away for many local children, the opportunity to get a head start on back-to-school shopping was a big attraction for their caregivers, as was the opportunity to spend a mild late summer day in park-like surroundings.
“I like to teach kids about giving back and I think this was a way for kids to see that when you give to your community, how good things come back to you,” said Marie Louissaint, counselor at Early Learning Children’s Academy of Rising Sun Avenue. “They were excited, especially when they saw the mounted police officers and the face painting. The fire truck was really big with the little ones. Now they have a fresh start (on the school year), a nice new beginning.”
Kids weren’t the only ones to benefit. Fun and games aside, many of the older folks found some time to gather valuable information about a plethora of topics, such as home health care, assistive technologies for the disabled, adult daycare and rehabilitation, insurance and registering to vote.
Many of the same presenters are also scheduled to participate in Senator Tartaglione’s upcoming Senior Expos, an annual series of events to be held on Sept. 27 at Mayfair Community Center (2990 Saint Vincent St.), Oct. 4 at St. Ann’s Rectory PAL (2328 E. Lehigh Ave.) and Oct. 11 at Fox Chase Rec Center (7901 Ridgeway St.). All Senior Expos will be from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Call Senator Tartaglione’s district offices at 215-533-0440 or 215-291-4653 for information.
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If you would like more information about this topic, please contact William Kenny at 215-533-0440 or email at William.Kenny@pasenate.com.
by Christin Brown | August 17, 2018 | News Releases
Music, face painting, police horses and the senator’s back-to-school backpack giveaway made it a special occasion for hundreds of children and their caregivers.
PHILADELPHIA, PA, August 17, 2018 – State Sen. Christine Tartaglione’s annual Community Picnic was a smash hit with the hundreds of children and caregivers who converged at Wissinoming Park yesterday to delight in free music, soft pretzels, water ice, face painting and the senator’s popular back-to-scbool backpack giveaway. About 500 school children walked away wearing new school bags on their shoulders and smiles on their faces.
The event was the second of Tartaglione’s three Community Picnics scheduled this month in her 2nd Senate District. On Aug. 2, the senator handed out more than 300 backpacks to children at Fairhill Square Park in North Philadelphia. The third picnic will be held on Thursday, Aug. 23, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., at Fox Chase Recreation Center, 7901 Ridgeway St. It is free to attend and open to the public.
“August has become one of my favorite times of the year because it gives me the chance to meet so many beautiful children while helping their families ease the costs of getting a valuable education,” Senator Tartaglione said. “If we can give each child a backpack filled with school supplies, that’s one less cost their caregivers will have to bear. This is a real group effort that brings together our business sponsors, community organizations, recreation centers and day care centers for a day of summer fun.”
Yesterday’s event featured many longtime partners and some popular new ones. Attendees enjoyed refreshing water ice and soft pretzels and had their faces painted like their favorite superheroes. Senator Tartaglione raffled off gift baskets and basketballs before the children lined up for the big backpack giveaway.
The newly renovated Wissinoming Park provided the ideal backdrop on a hot and steamy day as many visitors cooled off beneath towering shade trees or in the water spray-ground.
“I welcome everyone to join us again next week. It’s a great chance to meet new friends and enjoy the summer one more time before the new school year!” Senator Tartaglione said.
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If you would like more information about this topic, please contact William Kenny at 215-533-0440 or email at William.Kenny@pasenate.com.
by Christin Brown | August 4, 2017 | News Releases
Harrisburg – August 4, 2017 – State Sen. Christine M. Tartaglione’s (D-Philadelphia) community picnic held on Thursday in Norris Square Park was a resounding success with hundreds attending and more than 500 backpacks handed out to school students, Tartaglione said.
“The picnics that I host in neighborhoods across the district are a great way to bring communities together,” Tartaglione said. “The attendance was outstanding and we were able to distribute more than 500 backpacks filled with school supplies to students.”
Tartaglione said that in addition to the backpacks, there was music, dancing and light refreshments. The School District of Philadelphia and American Home Care were represented at the picnic. Home Depot presented a workshop for children and the Philadelphia Police Department helped with child fingerprinting.
“This event was such as great success and I am pleased that so many from the community had an opportunity to stop by and enjoy the festivities,” Tartaglione said.
The senator said that additional community picnics are planned for later in August.
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