The porchlite
News from the Summit University Neighborhood
The porchlite
 We had a great time at the Mcquillan Park Grand Opening! Summit-University Planning Council, Ramsey Hill Association, Saint Paul Parks and Recreation, and the community gathered together to celebrate the park's new look. A ribbon cutting ceremony marked the official opening of the remodeled park for the neighborhood, performed by a member of the McQuillan family, Mary McQuillan. The park was designed and built with the neighbor's input. The renovations added a new and accessible playground that features a slide, blender spinner, and arch bridge. The historic sign still tells the story of the Mcquillan's history in Summit-University and their impact on the neighborhood.
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Are you interested in being more involved in your neighborhood?The SUPC Board is a great place to work with your neighbors to help this community thrive. Join us on August 4 at Fabulous Ferns, 6-8pm, to learn more and visit with current Board Members!  Are you interested in being more involved in your neighborhood? The SUPC Board of Directors is a great place to work alongside neighbors to help this community thrive. Elections are just around the corner! Call 651-228-1855, or email me at jens@summit-university.org for more information!   This year's National Night out (NNO) is Tuesday, August 1. Registration is made easier this year, so please register at
http://http;//www.stpaul.gov/departments/police/national-night-out Be a part of this great tradition that is growing every year. Get to know your neighbors, enjoy good food and music, and show your pride in our community. For more information, contact Pam.mccreary@stpaul.mn.us  Summit University Planning Council will be holding elections this fall for its community board of directors! Our board of 25 serves staggered two-year terms, so half of the seats are open for election this year.
The deadline for filing for election is coming up at the end of August. Please consider volunteering in a fun and interesting role that serves your community and neighborhood, give us a call or drop by the office and talk to Jens Werner about this awesome leadership opportunity! We try to make our election process accessible to everyone, so there are many ways to vote, including online through our website, in person at the SUPC office, or at the Selby Jazz Fest. Stay tuned next month for more detailed dates about the election. SUPC Office 627 Selby Ave (651) 228-1855 Our community continues to grieve the violence suffered by people of color at the hands of police officers. This past year has been particularly devastating, first with the shooting of Philando Castile a year ago and more recently, with the not-guilty verdict in the Yanez trial.
This has been a painful time for many people in this community and people who are part of this organization. Philando Castile was part of our community, and he was loved by many people who live here. He worked at J.J. Hill Montessori School, and he continues to be missed by the students, parents, and faculty. He was a good person, and his loving family has endured unimaginable pain. This tragedy could have been prevented. The Summit-University (District 8) Planning Council Board of Directors wants our community and City Officials to understand that real change is needed to ensure tragedies like this never happen again. SUPC stands ready to work collaboratively with organizations and officials in St. Paul to make it so. Since the verdict, several community conversations have been held, as well as demonstrations and peaceful protests. We support the community and the people who are facilitating this work because our collective voice is so important right now. Summit-University (District 8) Planning Council Board of Directors stands committed to help develop an open dialogue with the community to begin addressing issues and concerns around injustice, on-going tensions, and other community issues. We are here for everyone in this community, and we look forward to working on resolving these concerns together!  During July, SUPC will be collecting non-perishable food items, as well as pet food and personal hygiene products, to donate to the food shelf at Hallie Q. Brown. This is a project led by the Summit University Youth Council.
We are accepting donations at our office located at 672 Selby Ave Suite A. You can drop in on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays during the month of July from 10am-4pm. Hallie Q. Brown is one of our community's outstanding organizations! The center addresses many of the core issues in our community by working to bring people together. Come by the office with your donations to show them your support! For more information about Hallie Q. Brown, visit their website: http://www.hallieqbrown.org/site/index.php/about/about-us/ By Virginia Martin
If you sometimes wonder how you can bring positive activity to our community in these divisive times, you can do something important: Volunteer at St. Paul’s Freedom School, held this summer from July 17 to August 25 and sponsored by the St. Paul School District and the Children’s Defense Fund. It has enrolled 500 scholars at three sites citywide, one of them at Talented Magnet/Rondo 560 Concordia Avenue. It is held for scholars who just completed kindergarten through eighth grades. Freedom School seeks to build strong, literate, and empowered scholars prepared to “make a difference” in the world today, boosts motivation to read, increases self-esteem and pride in our neighborhood children’s’ cultural heritage., and has many other positive benefits. Although the school’s hours are 7:30 a.m. to 2:30, Monday through Friday, you can work a flexible schedule, choose your hours, your tasks (reading and math tutors, for example, creating posters, inventorying books, chaperoning on field trips), and the amount of time you want to contribute. You can even help on an occasional late afternoon event. Dr. Darcel Hill is the executive director and can be reached at 651-744-1259 or darcel.hill@spps.org to sign up. By Virginia Martin
St. Peter’s Claver’s Catholic Church was overflowing on June 20, filled with family, friends, neighbors, and others who wanted to say pay their respects and say goodbye to Melvin Carter Sr., who died June 14, 2017. Perhaps he was best known as an accomplished horn player and a dedicated community leader. Drafted during World War II, he was invited to play with the U.S. Navy Band. Back home, he continued to play while holding day jobs as a redcap and then as an engineer for the St. Paul School District. He played in many venues and with many groups, including some of the big names in jazz, such as Dizzy Gillespie, John Coltrane, Sarah Vaughan, and Miles Davis. He was invited to join some of these groups, but he declined; his family was central to him and he did not want to go on the road. He met his wife, Billie Dove Harris, when he was stationed in California. They had six children, including Melvin Carter, Jr., a retired St. Paul police sergeant who co-founded Save Our Sons (SOS), and Melvin Carter III, who is running for mayor of St. Paul. He is survived by his six children and by numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Wed Jul 12 2:00pm – 4:00pm McQuillan Park Grand Opening Celebration - McQuillan Park, 515 Laurel Ave Thu Jul 13 5:00pm – 8:00pm Rondo Senior Dinner: Rondo Ave Inc.- Mt. Olivet Baptist Church, 451 Central Ave Sat Jul 15 8:00am – 9:00am Frank Adams 5k Walk & Run - Hallie Q Brown Community Center Inc, 270 N Kent 10:00am – 12:00pm Rondo Days Grande Parade - St Peter Claver Church, 375 Oxford St N 12:00pm – 7:00pm Rondo Days Festival - Martin Luther King Recreation Center, 271 Mackubin St Tue Jul 18 9:30am-10:30am Western District Police Station AM Community Meeting- 389 Hamline Ave 6:00pm-7:30pm Community Improvement and Safety Committee (SUPC) Meeting- 627 Selby Ave Neighborhood Development Committee (SUPC) Meeting- 627 Selby Ave 6:30pm-7:30pm Western District Police Station PM Community Meeting- 389 Hamline Ave Wed Jul 19 6pm-7:30pm Western District Police Station Community Meeting: Level 3 Sex Offender- 389 Hamline Ave Tue Jul 25 6pm-8pm SUPC Board Meeting- 627 Selby Ave Co Information about monthly SUPC Meetings posted on Community Calendar.
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about usThe Porchlite is a monthly newsletter and blog that is developed by the SUPC Communications Committee. Archives
March 2020
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