Gate to Las Parcelas, 2007

Norris Square Neighborhood Project

NSNP was founded in 1973 by Natalie Kempner, a fifth grade teacher in North Philadelphia. NSNP began as a small project created to help educate and protect children living in a section of Philadelphia that was notorious for its deadly drug culture. Over more than three decades, the agency's work has grown in scope and impact as the predominately Latino community around it has expanded and flourished. The environmental, arts and education programs of NSNP have helped transform the surrounding community and the lives of Norris Square residents.

NSNP provides community residents with quality youth programs including free after-school care, a low-cost summer camp and teen employment, environmental education, cultural programs for neighborhood women, and community gardening/neighborhood beautification initiatives. The ongoing work of NSNP has dramatically improved the community landscape while also winning awards from the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society and the Philadelphia Flower Show for its culturally-themed gardens: Las Parcelas, El Colobó, Jardin de Paz, El Batey, Raices, and others.