The word COMMUNITY describes a “common experience.” A strong community is built by people who come together to make a difference.

For more than 75 years, the Chestnut Hill Community Association has been dedicated to improving the quality of life for everyone who lives and works in Chestnut Hill and our surrounding neighborhoods.

To continue this important work, each year, we ask for your financial support in our Annual Appeal, which supports many of our initiatives, activities and programs — large and small.

As many of you know, the Pastorius Park Summer Concert Series, Friday Night Movies, Holiday Parades and the Hoops Basketball Tournaments are among our most popular events that bring people of all ages together.

The CHCA also serves as a public forum in three major areas: Service, advocacy and community.

Civic engagement is a keystone of our core mission.

We accomplish all this with a small staff, dedicated volunteers, other community partners and the Chestnut Hill Local. The Local, which is owned by the CHCA, operates as a completely independent weekly newspaper to provide readers with local news, events, sports and is a touchstone among our neighborhoods.

In today’s world, community organizations and local newspapers are more important than ever. Both play a vital role in keeping us connected and informed.

Please note: When we learned the Chestnut Hill Local was facing a serious funding crisis late last year, the board of the CHCA voted to suspend the CHCA Annual Appeal for six months so we could concentrate on stabilizing the Local.

Thanks to many of you, as well as state and small foundation grants, we were able to save the Local. The work must continue. Soon the Chestnut Hill Local will have a new board and the opportunity to accept grants directly from funders.

It is now important for us to reach out to all our friends and neighbors on behalf of the CHCA in this, the Annual Appeal, which we delayed for six months. We are asking you to help us to raise $80,000 in the next 30 days for CHCA operations and outreach.

If you are not now a member, we encourage you to become a member of the CHCA (which includes a subscription to the Local). However, in today’s world, memberships alone will not sustain organizations like the CHCA. It takes additional funding to produce quality programs and services.

You may wish to consider your donation a “civic investment” in support of the strong, vibrant engagement fostered by the Chestnut Hill Community Association, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to connecting and informing us.

Thank you for your consideration and support.

Ways to Give:

Donations may be made by sending a check to the Chestnut Hill Community Association, 8434 Germantown Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19118

Online at chestnuthill.org/annual_appeal.php

or by scanning the QR code