University City District Blog

Today, we are excited to share news of two new hires to our University City District staff. Please join us in welcoming Vincent Better, our new Vice President of Strategic Advancement, and Erica Jorden, our new Director of Human Resources. Both positions are new roles at UCD that will further our mission to change places and change lives.

West Philadelphia is getting festive during this holiday season, with unique performances, ongoing deals at local small businesses and restaurants, and plenty of opportunities to shop from local vendors. Click to learn more!

On Saturday, December 10, celebrate the holiday season with events and deals across University City and West Philadelphia! Get into the holiday spirit by shopping at local vendor markets, enjoying one-day offers from restaurants and small businesses, and enjoying festive events throughout the neighborhood.

We are sharing our gratitude in announcing that Citizens Bank has awarded us another $60,000 grant to support our nationally-recognized job training program, the West Philadelphia Skills Initiative (WPSI). This generous contribution pushes the total support offered by the Citizens Charitable Foundation to the Skills Initiative to over $550,000 since our program's inception.

On Wednesday, September 28th, 2022, hundreds of West Philadelphia Skills Initiative alumni, partners, and friends gathered at World Cafe Live to celebrate ten years of our nationally-recognized job training program. The event featured remarks from key partners, awards for notable Skills Initiative alumni, and catching up with friends and former staff. 

University City District is hiring for two new leadership positions to advance our work of investing in place and investing in people in one of the most economically dynamic communities in the country. We are seeking a Vice-President of Strategic Advancement and a Human Resources Director to join our dynamic team. Read more about each position below, and please share with your networks to help us find top candidates. We are proud to partner with DiverseForce on this search. 

On Thursday, September 15th, West Philadelphia’s Baltimore Avenue will transform into a shopper’s dream during the Baltimore Avenue Dollar Stroll. From 5:30 PM to 8:30 PM, visitors are invited to stroll up and down Baltimore Avenue between 40^th and 51^st Streets for one-night-only $1, $3, and $5 deals on food, drinks, merchandise, and more from local businesses and neighborhood vendors.

The labor market of the past 30 months has been more varied than any other time in recent memory. Unemployment rates swung from record lows to record highs in weeks, and then quickly fell back. Some industries that were well prepared to adjust to the pandemic economy have thrived, while others have struggled with labor shortages and supply chain issues. In recent months, inflation concerns, along with the stubborn continuation of COVID-19, have continued to weigh on the minds of economists and employers.

UCD, in partnership with Philadelphia Parks and Recreation and Friends of Clark Park, is bringing back free outdoor movies to Clark Park Friday nights in August, 2022! This year, we're presenting Music Movies: four films with great music at their center. Our movies are screened at dusk, in fair weather only, and are always shown with closed captioning enabled to assist the hearing impaired.

Click below to RSVP via Facebook!