(L to R) Anthony Manzo, CEO and President of PPh; residents Karl Soltan and Mike Fesnak; Alex Kane; Rep. Brendan Boyle; William Conaway, Director of Community Relations at PPh; and Vic Czapor. Photo courtesy of Philadelphia Protestant Home.

More than 80 of The Philadelphia Protestant Home’s staff and resident military veterans were honored at a luncheon, held on Veteran’s Day, November 11.  Pennsylvania State Rep. Brendan Boyle offered remarks and Alex Kane spoke about his experiences during the World War II Battle of the Bulge.

Volunteers help clean the Grove at Lawncrest Rec Center to prepare for the annual Veterans Day celebration

Members of the Lawncrest community came together on Saturday to clean up “The Grove” next to the Lawncrest Rec Center in preparation for Thursday’s second annual Veteran’s Day celebration.

The cleanup activities were spearheaded by Kathy Wersinger, administrative assistant to Councilwoman Marian Tasco. “We’re here today to honor our veterans for next Thursday – Veteran’s Day,” she said. “We’re cleaning up this area of the Lawncrest Rec Center called the Grove. There are three memorials honoring our veterans from Korean, Vietnam, World War I and World War II. We’re going to make it a nice place to honor them on Thursday.” continue reading »

The Lawncrest community came together Wednesday at “The Grove” next to Lawncrest Rec Center to celebrate Veterans Day.

The event, which achieved a crowd of more than 100 people, was planned by the Lawncrest Community Association, with help from the office of Councilwoman Marian B. Tasco, the Rising Sun Lions Club and the Phil-Mont Kiwanis Club.

People who arrived passed by headstone memorials near Rising Sun Avenue, which honored World War I and World War II veterans. In the back of The Grove stood a memorial honoring both Vietnam and Korean War Vets.

Kathy Wersinger, administrative assistant to Tasco, headed the celebration. “I think it is important to thank out veterans,” she said. “The only services I know of are downtown, and so this was a good way to bring people in the community together.” continue reading »

Quick, easy and tasty! The three words a chef loves to hear. Try this week’s recipe to stay in for the next time you need a cake, a treat or a celebration. This has been a family favorite in my house for years and honoring veterans everywhere, you can garnish the top of this cake with strawberries and blueberries in the shape of a flag. The entire recipe takes about 20-25 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook. continue reading »

An American flag waves proudly from the porch of 4245 Romain St. in Frankford. Photo courtesy of HGTV.

The long-awaited TV debut of the “Romain House” is tonight at 8. The Frankford home, located at 4245 Romain St., won a contest back in the spring, which brought in a crew from HGTV to renovate the home.

Sponsored by the American Legion Housing for Homeless Veterans Corp., the house is now home to three war vets, and was also worked on by local electricians and Iraq war vets. Remodeling began in late may, and wrapped up in June, but the TV special will air tonight, in honor of Veterans Day. You can watch it on HGTV, channel 77.

HGTV has a preview, and The Frankford Gazette has more information about the house and its transformation.

Joshua Dillinger, who served stints in Afghanistan and Iraq, works as an outreach specialist for Northeast Philadelphia Vet Center. Photo by Christeen Vilbrun for Philadelphia Neighborhoods.

In honor of Veterans Day, NEast Philly intern Christeen Vilbrun explored the hardships many vets face when they return home to find life different than they left it. Christeen spoke with vets across the Northeast and all of Philadelphia to find how they are adjusting to life after war.

Imagine risking your life for the country you love by joining the military. After serving your time overseas, you come back healthy and uninjured, with a job lined up and waiting for you.

Unfortunately, this is not the case for many veterans who have served our country. The reality is that some soldiers returning to the United States have a tough time readjusting, and are shocked to see that civilian life is completely different than what they had remembered. continue reading »