Free Neighborhood Book for PHLF Family Members––Summer Fun!

If you are a PHLF member with elementary-school-age children or grandchildren, you may request a free copy of Neighborhood Stories, Including Mine. The 42-page book contains stories about Squirrel Hill and Brookline by fourth-grade students from Pittsburgh Colfax, as well as tips and worksheets that any child can use with an adult this summer to explore his or her neighborhood. Most importantly, there is room in the book for a child to add his or her neighborhood story, drawing, or photograph––thereby completing Neighborhood Stories, Including Mine.

Please contact Frank Stroker (412-471-5808, ext. 525) if you would like him to mail you one or more books. Frank will mail books to everyone who requests them during the week of July 20. Neighborhood Stories, Including Mine helps young people notice and appreciate the strengths of their neighborhoods and think about ways to improve their neighborhoods. When a family member completes a neighborhood story, please photograph or scan it and email it to Sarah Greenwald, PHLF’s co-director of education, who will save it in our Neighborhood Stories Archive.

“We hope to receive at least one story for every Pittsburgh neighborhood, along with stories about neighborhoods throughout Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania,” said Louise Sturgess, education advisor at PHLF.  Five fourth-grade students from Pittsburgh Roosevelt, who participated in PHLF’s “Building Pride/Building Character” Educational Improvement Tax Credit Program, mailed their stories to PHLF at the end of the school year.

Mt. Oliver, A Borough Completely Surrounded by Pittsburgh, by Avery

Mt. Oliver is a small borough that is about .34 square miles in total and was founded in 1769 by Captain John Ormsby. It sits completely surrounded by 6 neighborhoods in the City of Pittsburgh. In 1927, the City of Pittsburgh tried to force Mt. Oliver Borough to become a part of the City. After many legal battles, it was declared that Pittsburgh had no rights to Mt. Oliver, and it has since remained its own borough. Because of its small size, Mt. Oliver does pay taxes to the City of Pittsburgh to use their school system, and that’s why I am here writing my story today!

On a fall day here in Mt. Oliver, you will see the usual fallen leaves and people bustling about; and you will hear the loud noises of cars and buses. Mt. Oliver has a nice mix of houses, apartment buildings, and businesses. The business district of Mt. Oliver boasts a borough building, a police department, a volunteer fire station, post office, florist, bakery, barbershop, and many other stores. One notable landmark you won’t miss while driving or walking through Mt. Oliver is the big clock tower that sits at the intersection of Brownsville Road and Hayes Avenue.

While taking a walk to the business district, we stopped at the barbershop so my older brother could get a haircut. Since we were there, I thought I’d ask the barber a couple of questions about the business and the neighborhood.

Question: “Do you like being a barber?”

Answer: “Love it. I love seeing all of my regular clients and sometimes new faces.”

Question: “Do you like the location of your barber shop?”

Answer: “Very much. I like to watch all of the people pass by while out shopping.

In conclusion, living in Mt. Oliver doesn’t seem any different than living in the City since no matter which direction I go in, there is a City neighborhood surrounding me. I do, however, like being tucked away in my own little borough.

Carrick, by Nyla

            I live in Carrick. My neighborhood is very calm. When I step outside, I see the colorful leaves falling off the trees. I interviewed my Mom and she said that the neighbors participate in holidays. For example, people pass out lots of candy and dress up on Halloween. A lot of people are friendly, and traveling to Downtown is easy. She enjoys her job as a case worker which allows her to help people get food and other resources within the community.

Is your neighborhood like mine? Or is it different?

My Beautiful Neighborhood, by Mi’Kiyah

Hello, my name is Mi’Kiyah. I am going to tell you about my community and neighborhood.

To me, community means a whole bunch of people, plants, and streets.

This is what I treasure and care about most. I want to protect plants because they give us oxygen. There is a beautiful garden and there are beautiful plants in my neighborhood, and I often get flowers for my Mom and family.

Thank you for listening to my story.

How I Got to Go to Anthony’s Pizza for Softball, by Kaylee

When I played softball in Carrick, we had to make a banner and walk in a parade. We put softballs on the banner with our names on them. The winning team got to eat at Anthony’s Pizza. We were very excited when we heard we won.

When I got to Anthony’s Pizza, my team was just playing tag outside. I was sitting at the table with my friends. We were just talking until the pizza arrived. When we got the pizza, we were happy to eat the pizza. Then we got our photograph taken at Anthony’s, and it was hung on the wall.

When we were done eating, we just hung out for awhile outside, and then we all left and went home.

The end.

About My Community, by Nya

Hi, my name is Nya and I live in the neighborhood of Mt. Oliver. I’m going to share with you about my community.

To me, my community means to share common habits and interests with others around me.

This is what I treasure about my community. I care about my family, population, and litter. I want to protect animals, people, and my family.

To help care for my community I can help on Earth Day. I can use bottles that can be used again, and I can support others by saying nice words: “Awesome,” “You did great,” and “Nice job.”

To help take care of myself, I can get more sleep, study, and practice my clarinet more often. That’s what I need to do more.

Thanks for listening.