Penn Branch CCA

Planting Cherished Memories

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Stan Benton, PBCA President

As we move into the month of May, we celebrate the mothers, grandmothers, aunties, kinship caregivers, and other members of our community who provide love and guidance to us all.  For those whose mothers have passed, we hope this can be a time to reflect on cherished memories. Happy Mother’s Day!   A big ‘Thank You’ to the many neighbors who donated funds to improve our Penn Branch 9-11 Memorial Park! In the coming months, the PBCA Executive Committee will announce a fundraiser related to continuing to improve the park while celebrating families—past and present—who are connected to our community.  We really look forward to seeing everyone at the park planting on May 15th at 9 am. Although CDC and city guidelines for outside mask-wearing have changed, since we will be working in a small space, please plan to wear a face-covering to keep all of our neighbors safe.
Please continue to be safe and take care of each other and I’ll see you at the meeting!

Stan Benton,
PBCA President

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Penn Branch Oral History Project Officially Underway

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Last month PBCA Communications Director, Paul Grant was awarded a grant from DC Humanities, Oral History Collaborative Partnership to collect personal narratives from early Penn Branch families. The project, ‘We Are Penn Branch DC’ will focus on the stories of individuals who became residents of Penn Branch between 1945-1968.

PBCA Communications Director, Paul Grant will serve as Project Director for ‘We Are Penn Branch DC’ oral history project. He is has lived in Penn Branch since, 2012 and is also a member of the Oral History Association (OHA).

About DC Humanities

The DC Humanities Oral History Collaborative Partnership funds projects that explore and preserves Washington, DC life, history and culture through interviews with the people who have lived it.  Created in 2016 in response to a growing need to capture unrecorded Washington history, the DC Oral History Collaborative documents and preserves the stories and memories of DC residents as communities experience change and as residents age.  The Collaborative increases awareness of existing oral history recordings and gives residents the training and financial resources they need to conduct new interviews.  HumanitiesDC specializes in working with grantees who want to create new recorded stories or who want to dig into the archives and tell an old story with a new twist.

Why Oral History is Important?

Oral history is a field of study and a method of gathering, preserving and interpreting the voices and memories of people, communities, and participants in past events. Oral history is both the oldest type of historical inquiry, predating the written word, and one of the most modern, initiated with tape recorders in the 1940s and now using 21st-century digital technologies. These personal stories help fill gap between the major historical facts that we know and how real people experienced and understood these moments.  As the Washington, DC area and continues to experience significant political, cultural, and economic change over the past 70 years, it is critically important we preserve the memories  our most senior, and long-time residents and understand how the city’s evolution has impacted them.

The entire collection of stories will be archived in the permanent collection of the DC Public Library and the PBCA Executive Board is planning to host a public exhibition of the stories, once pandemic restrictions on public gatherings are released.  Interviews will be filmed through October 2021 and participants will receive a $75.00 honorarium for their time.

To share your story, please contact:

Paul Grant | E-mail :   [email protected]        Tel.: (202) 888-3236

To learn more about HumanitiesDC, please visit:

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Let’s Restore Our Community Park

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VP-Kyle-Murphy-and-Joan-McKenzie-insspect-deteriorated-bench-at-9-11-Park-Bench

Join Us
Saturday, May 15th @ 9:00AM

On Saturday, May 15th at 9:00AM Penn Branch community members will meet to begin cleaning and restoration of 9-11 Memorial Park, located at the intersection of Carpenter Street and O Street SE.  In addition to cleaning, we will plant and install new shrubs and park signage purchased through a recent $1,000 grant from the Anacostia Watershed Society (AWS). 

 If you plan to join us, please remember to bring your gardening tools, including rakes, shovels, shears, trimmers as well as lawn and leaf and trash bags.

Can’t Join Us?  Please Make a Donation

Sign At 9-11 Memorial Park

The PBCA board is also making plans to launch a community fundraiser next month. Your donation will help us to replace the deteriorating bench and install new pavers in the main walkways. If you can’t join us on Saturday, May 15th, please consider making a donation to help us restore and maintain the gateway to our community!  To make a donation online, please visit: https://pennbranchdc.org/donate/

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Gallery: One of our last major community restoration of 9-11 Memorial Park took place on October 18, 2014. Many Penn Branch residents came out to help groom plants, restore walkways and flower beds.

All Hands on Deck!





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It’s Spring Again

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9-11 Memorial Park in Penn Branch DC
Stan Benton, PBCA President
Stan Benton, PBCA President

Spring is looking good. As the weather is getting nicer, now is the time to get back outside to prep our backyards, patios and gardens for use during throughout the warmer months. Your PBCA board has also sprung into action along with a few dedicated community members to help plan our first spring cleaning of 9-11 Memorial Park. It is the gateway to our neighborhood at the intersections of Carpenter and O Street SE. Last month, Joan McKenzie applied for and was awarded a $1,000 grant from the Anacostia Watershed Society (AWS), on behalf of PBCA, to spruce up the park. The funds will go towards new native plantings and additional signage. However, the park is in also need of a new bench and paving stones. These additional costs were not covered by the grant. So, we’ll soon be launching a fundraiser to help us pay for those items. In the meantime, we’ll gladly accept your donations.

Lastly, we have new families in the neighborhood. Let’s welcome them. Let your block captain know so that we can invite them to join us and deliver our famously practical welcome buckets, which Mrs. Patricia Hall is always putting together with loving care. Thank you for your continued support.

Please continue to be safe and take care of each other and I’ll see you at the meeting!

Stan
PBCA President

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Economic Development Along Penn Ave SE (Parts I & 2)

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Penn Branch Shopping Center | March 2021

On Tuesday, March 9th and April 13th we discussed economic development in our area

During our General Body Meeting on Tuesday, April 13th, PBCA will host part two of our discussion about economic development in our community. Our guests this month will be, Anthony J. Startt from Jair Lynch Real Estate Partners, owners of The Shops at Penn Branch and Faith Broderick from the DC Office of Planning (OCP) will be returning.

About the OCP Small Area Plan

Also don’t forget to attend the upcoming OCP community townhall on Wednesday, April 14 at 6:00pm to address the development of a Small Area Plan for the Pennsylvania Avenue East corridor. https://publicinput.com/PennAveSEPlan

The plan will focus on enhancing a safe, accessible, and vibrant public realm; encouraging economic development and retail opportunities; improving transportation access and connectivity; and exploring housing opportunities to improve access for upward mobility.

TO JOIN OUR COMMUNITY ZOOM MEETING:
http://bit.ly/2YScIWw

April Meeting Agenda

MEETING ID:  834 4076 4341
PASSCODE:      766049

AGENDA

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+13126266799,,83440764341#,,,,*766049# US (Chicago)
+16465588656,,83440764341#,,,,*766049# US (New York)

Economic Development Part 1

PBCA General Body Meeting, March 9th 2021


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PART II:
APRIL 13, 2021

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