It is often referred to as the heart of Fox Chase and one visit to the Fox Chase Recreation Center leaves no doubt that is.

Located at 7901 Ridgeway Ave., the center is full of energy, both inside and outside the main building. The recently renovated playground is heavily used.

Tina Majewski brings her kids, Faith and Sanap to the playground at Fox Chase. “I like coming to the rec,” she said. “The people are very nice and there is always something to do.”

Liz Greenawalt agreed; “I bring the kids to play; it’s safe, comfortable and very friendly.”

Anthony Bocchiccio, facility supervisor, and his staff of 11 guide the programs provided at the center in conjunction with the various community groups who provide services through the center. No matter what season it is, there is always something to do at the recreation center. continue reading »

Mike Bobby, John Duffy and Steve Phillips keep watch on Fox Chase

They are the eyes and ears of the Fox Chase community. Since 1995 The Fox Chase Town Watch has patrolled the streets of Fox Chase, alerting police to incidents and making note of ongoing problems that need police attention. Steve Phillips, current president of the Watch, has been a member since 1995. Membership is open to residents 18 years and older.

Members receive training, but rule No. 1 is to remember as a member you are not a law enforcement officer. Phillips became involved after the death of Eddie Polec, “Witnessing the death of Ed Polec has been my motivation for the last 17  years. I said to myself, this will not happen again, and that is why I do this.” continue reading »

From left: Mike Bobby, who takes it upon himself to remove graffiti from Fox Chase and Steve Phillips, Fox Chase Town Watch president, display their patrol gear. Photo by Morgan Zalot.

When Stephen Phillips saw a group of teens brutally beating Eddie Polec to death from his Fox Chase doorstep in 1994 and no police responded to his 911 calls for help, he and a group of community members decided something needed to be done.

“You’d rather be proactive than reactive,” Phillips, who raised three children in the neighborhood, said. “Our community was reactive to the tragedy.”

Polec, then 16, a Cardinal Dougherty High School student who lived in the neighborhood and the son of a well-known crossing guard in the area, was beaten with bats by a mob of teens from a local suburb on the steps of St. Cecilia’s Church. Phillips said more than 30 calls were made from the area to 911 during Polec’s in a span of 20 minutes, but no police were dispatched to the scene until it was too late to save the teen.

“It was a major failure of the Philadelphia 911 system,” he recalled. “[Polec] was literally an innocent bystander.” continue reading »