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Darren Fava likely detests rests, as he exudes enviable energy. The resident of the 1100 block of Emily Street acts as co-chair of the board of directors for the 5-year-old East Passyunk Crossing Civic Association and Town Watch and uses his professional life and personal time to establish a thriving identity for the group’s boundaries, Eighth to Broad streets, from Snyder Avenue to Tasker Street.
“It’s a strong neighborhood,” the product of Cromwell, Conn., said of the bond between its new and established residents.
Fava, 41, began to strengthen it after a bakery near his home closed and became a dumping ground. A suggestion to form a civic association came from gripes to the Zoning Board of Adjustment, so he acknowledged his area’s need and has since engrossed himself in bettering his turf.
He has chaired zoning meetings, but his civic’s Green Team has received the brunt of his brains and brawn. Ss. Neumann-Goretti High School, 1736 S. 10th St., serves as the team’s headquarters, and Fava has supplied it with container gardens. He has tidied spaces, including the East Passyunk gateway at Broad Street, has dug tree pits and participated in tree plantings through TreeVitalize and the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society’s Plant One Million campaign.
Through the Philadelphia Activities Fund, he has initiated educational programs, including a children’s book fair at St. Nicholas of Tolentine School, 913 Pierce St. The Department of Community and Economic Development has supported his greening interests and is helping him to team with SEPTA and the Mural Arts Program to have the unused substation, 13th and Mifflin streets, offer a visual history of the neighborhood. Employed with the Philadelphia Parks & Recreation Department as manager of planning and environmental graphics projects, the holder of a master’s degree in city planning will oversee a yearlong history sign project throughout East Passyunk Crossing.
Locals can also learn of his commitment through his role as a Preservation Alliance member, as Fava gives historic tours of Center City and South Philadelphia. Former board membership with the Philadelphia AIDS Thrift, 701 S. Fifth St. and his push to green schoolyards cements his sincerity.
“I feel honored, as it is great to be recognized,” Fava, whose ultimate goal for his neighborhood remains the construction of “a real, honest to goodness park,” said of his selection. “East Passyunk Crossing is an area I have easily grown to love.”
Contact Staff Writer Joseph Myers at jmyers@southphillyreview.com or ext. 124.
More 2011 Difference Makers:
Madeline Brinkman Louis DiRenzo Bonney DosSantos Andrew Emma Sara Feinstein
Greg Frangipani Gary Harkins Kelly Hile Mitch Little Robert Malara
Jessica Mammarella Chris Menna Anton Moore John Murawski Cassie Plummer
Sue Posternock Michelle Rumbaugh Letty Santarelli Christy Santoro
Marianne Squillaciotti Walter Stewart Jennifer Swain Angelica Victoriano Joe Whelan
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