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West Oak Lane CDC Merges with OARC

Philadelphia, PA – On December 12, 2007, Jack Kitchen, CEO of Ogontz Avenue Revitalization Corporation (OARC) announced the merger of West Oak Lane CDC (WOLCDC) into OARC at the annual OARC holiday dinner. The OARC Board of Directors approved a resolution that brings the neighboring community development corporation in as a wholly owned subsidiary of OARC.

WOLCDC was founded in 1980 to combat the rise of abandoned housing, improve the quality of rental housing and generally improve the quality of life for area residents in the West Oak Lane community. Donald T. Stafford (AKA Tom Stafford) joined the organization in 1993 as the Executive Director. "Witnessing the success that OARC has had in developing the West Oak Lane community, and realizing that WOLCDC did not have the capacity in terms of staff and resources to further develop the lower section of West Oak Lane, this partnership between the two organizations seemed the ideal thing to do," commented Stafford. "This merger will add a dimension to both organizations that will prove to be a major asset to West Oak Lane and the greater Northwest community. I believe the merger will definitely benefit both entities."

"I am pleased that this merger has taken place bringing with it the experienced staff of WOLCDC," stated Jack Kitchen, CEO of OARC. "Their expertise will increase OARC’s capacity to deal with many housing and mortgage problems. Homebuyers today are facing many pitfalls from predatory lending to adjustable rate mortgages that are pushing many toward foreclosure. It is the types of programs offered by WOLCDC that will help to prevent mistakes during the mortgage process and certain cases assist to prevent an impending foreclosure. I urge anyone not familiar with the process involved in purchasing a home or thinking about mortgage financing to call WOLCDC."

WOLCDC has a long and rich history of housing development in West Oak Lane and East Germantown. They have provided housing counseling services to the residents of Philadelphia and the surrounding counties for the past 10 years. The Housing Counseling Program at West Oak Lane CDC is certified and supported by the Office of Housing and Community Development (OHCD/City of Philadelphia). The agency is HUD certified and under contract with the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency to provide housing counseling services. They offer such services as pre/post home purchasing workshops, one-on-one counseling sessions regarding mortgage and tax delinquency matters, foreclosure prevention and landlord/tenant issues.

West Oak Lane CDC is currently located at 6259 Limekiln Pike, Philadelphia, PA, 19141 and can be contacted at 215-224-0880.

Lights on Ogontz: A Holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony

This year we’re kicking off the holiday season with Lights on Ogontz: A Holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony. Join us on Saturday, December 1st as we light up Ogontz Avenue with holiday cheer.

The idea of decorating the streets with holiday lights had been tossed around for several years. Although West Oak Lane has put up holiday trees in the past, the community has not yet seen anything of this magnitude. Standing 25 feet tall, the tree will grace the traffic island at the intersection of 72nd Street, Walnut Lane, and Ogontz Avenue.

The Ceremony is just one of many ways that West Oak Lane is joining together as a community where people can live, work, and play. Says Jack Kitchen, CEO of OARC: “When we make a change in the environment, we see a change in behavior. With our Cleaning and Greening initiative, for example, we saw people take ownership of the community, and they began to plant in their yards and surroundings.”

He continued, “In this world, so much attention is given to the negatives—drugs, gun violence. At OARC, we put our energy toward the positive, changing the environment for the better, and this Tree Lighting Ceremony is another way to celebrate West Oak Lane.”

Indeed, the efforts seem to be working. A vibrant and growing area, West Oak Lane is seeing more and more families and businesses moving from the suburbs into the community. So whether you’re a long-time member of the West Oak Lane family or just moving in, celebrate the season with us at Lights on Ogontz.

The Leader is running a special five-part series on OARC

This five-part series in the West Oak Lane Leader focuses on OARC and its five pillars of progress:

03/07/07	Arts and Culture initiative is lifting image of West Oak Lane (PDF)
03/14/07	West Oak Lane has become a “Community of Choice” with the housing and apartment rehabbing program of OARC (PDF)
03/21/07	Supporting education as the building block of a community (PDF)

03/28/07 OARC builds up community with a boom of local businesses (PDF)

04/04/07 OARC creating more green spaces and pride along the way (PDF)