Looking for new ways to make merry this season?

Want to learn about the holiday customs of your neighbors?

Come to our newest location, Welcoming Center West, every Saturday in December from 12pm to 4pm for Miracles on 52nd Street: Celebrating Holidays Around the World.

Welcoming Center West has been transformed into a "Global Holiday Village" where community members learn about how immigrant merchants and leaders in West Philadelphia celebrate their own holidays.

Thanks to the collaborative efforts of the EL SEPTA@Work Project, the 52nd Street Business Association, the Philadelphia Commercial Development Corporation, and Welcoming Center West, the Miracles on 52nd Street series is bringing the holidays alive in West Philadelphia!

For our kick-off event on November 24, 2007, families were invited to ride with Santa on a specially decorated SEPTA EL and SEPTA bus to Welcoming Center West. This event attracted over 300 people! Community leaders are already requesting that this become an annual event.

Last weekend, children tasted foods from Mali and Cambodia, learned about healthy snacking, read holiday stories from around the world, and most importantly, got pictures taken with Santa!

The Miracle on 52nd Street series continues on the following Saturdays from 12pm to 4pm:

• December 8 - Chinese performance and Liberian storytelling
• December 15 - Bengali performance and Holiday gift shop
• December 21 - Special luncheon for seniors (Fiday afternoon, 12pm)
• December 22 - Holiday party for a local shelter

Photo: Fatimah Muhammad is the Outreach and Civic Engagement Associate for the Welcoming Center for New Pennsylvanians. With the help of our community partners in West Philadelphia, Fatimah is spearheading our Welcoming Center West Initiative.
Contact Fatimah at 215-557-2858 or fatimah@welcomingcenter.org.