What began as a small salvage business in 2016 has grown into a community cornerstone. George Mathes’ Thunderbird LLC now unites Kensington through vintage treasures and local events.
Hey there, neighbors. All of the Halloween festivities are officially over, and folks are preparing to fill some tummies this
Voters turned out with the hopes of retaining Pennsylvania's Supreme Court Justices, and some were inspired by New York’s history-making mayoral election.
In January 2021, LNESC Philadelphia became a part of the city’s Digital Navigator network, a group of providers created to help Philadelphians navigate digital services during the coronavirus pandemic.
LNESC stands for LULAC National Education Service Centers (LNESC), which has multiple centers across the country, and is the educational branch of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC). LNESC Philadelphia, headquartered in Fishtown, has operated for more than 20 years. Its mission is to empower Hispanic students through education, leadership, and workforce development programming.
The nonprofit’s partnership with the Digital Navigator network is funded by a grant from the Knight Foundation, a nonprofit that supports journalism, communities, and the arts.
“The Digital Navigator program is … citywide, so anybody from any part of the city can call in and take advantage of this resource,” said LNESC Philadelphia Center Director Shane Weller. “We specifically focus on the North Philadelphia Hispanic population because we have bilingual staff to be able to assist with any issue in English or Spanish.”
Digital navigators can help residents:
LNESC Philadelphia’s digital navigator can also help people apply for public benefits, like SNAP and unemployment, assist college-bound students with filling out applications like the FAFSA, and help undocumented students who aren’t eligible for federal student aid apply for the Community College of Philadelphia’s Octavius Catto Scholarship, Weller said.
LNESC Philadelphia’s helpline is open Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. To reach the digital navigator, call 267-341-8591 or email lnescdigi@gmail.com.
Weller expects the Digital Navigator service to continue at least until the end of 2021, he added. LNESC Philadelphia also offers other programs to North Philadelphia students, like Upward Bound, Upward Bound Math and Science, the 21st Century Community Learning Centers Program, and WorkReady.
“I strongly recommend and encourage the community at large to take advantage of every single resource that is available to them,” Weller said. “These are resources that are for them. They are free resources.”
You can read more about the city’s Digital Navigator network here.
You can learn more about LNESC Philadelphia here.
Editors: Zari Tarazona, Claire Wolters / Designer: Henry Savage
Kensington Voice is one of more than 20 news organizations producing Broke in Philly, a collaborative reporting project on economic mobility. Read more at brokeinphilly.org or follow on Twitter at @BrokeInPhilly.
Voting in Pennsylvania? Here’s everything you need to know about your rights.
On Nov. 4, Pennsylvanians will vote on whether to retain three state Supreme Court judges and will fill vacancies on both the Commonwealth and Superior Courts.
Fab Youth Philly’s Play Captains program empowers Kensington teens by paying them to lead educational play for younger children and helping them build job skills for the future, despite challenges like neighborhood safety.
A free series includes weekly workshops running through December 13th, covering a range of housing topics–from local organizing to statewide housing policy–focused on creating “affordable and accessible” housing. All workshops are held at the Kensington Engagement Center.
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