The Coolest Block Winner Is… 1200 Wolf Street!

Look no further, you have just found the coolest block in Philly! The 1200 block of Wolf Street in South Philadelphia is not just cool, but literally freezing at least four months of the year. All joking aside, a $550 gas bill, unfortunately common on our block, is no laughing matter. Neither are icy drafts that can move the curtains nor sweltering summer air stagnating in the middle bedroom. Although anyone in the City of Philadelphia would welcome a 20% reduction in their gas and electricity bills, high heating and cooling costs hit our block's fixed income seniors and families with young children the hardest. These residents make up more than half of our close-knit block, and it's our older residents and babies that are most at risk for morbidity and mortality from extreme and/or repeated cold and heat exposure. If entering a contest could result in our friends and families saving money as well as being healthier, that is certainly one cool proposition! With the help of RetroFIT PHILLY, the residents of the 1200 block of Wolf Street can look forward to a better, brighter, healthier future.

We are known throughout our South Philadelphia neighborhood as a united group and we are excited about winning this contest TOGETHER! As I approached my neighbors about entering this context, the most common response I received was, "anything to help the block out." Our block is blessed with neighbors who truly care for one another and who would love to be part of something beneficial to us all. There are a few people who have lived on this block for most of their lives, serveral families with multiple generations currently residing on the block, and new residents who are glad to be a part of our unique mix. In fact, when this contest was first publicized, board members of our local Lower Moyamensing Civic Association came to me saying, "If any block around here can come close to pulling together an entry with 100% participation, it's yours." And I knew they were right.

Our block shines in more ways than one! Under the dedicated leadership of our block captain and with participation by every resident, the decorative holiday lights strung across our street have been maintained for decades. This takes tremendous effort by our neighbors, but we make it happen because everyone loves the "party lights", as my kids call them. To compliment the lights, we have an amazing array of decorations along the whole block that change with each holiday. We are by far the most popular trick-or-treating block in South Philly, with children coming from all over the city (and a couple buses from NJ one year)! The residents of the 1200 block of Wolf Street really know how to come together and make things fun. We can't wait to have the City, ECA, and Dow down to Wolf Street and put on the party lights for our Coolest Block Party in June!