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On November 6, Berks County Community Foundation held its Annual Meeting at the DoubleTree by Hilton hotel in Reading. More than 100 civic leaders and community members attended the event, which focused on the evolving landscape of local journalism. The event started off with Kevin Murphy, president, and Monica Reyes, vice president for programs and initiatives, addressing the audience before introducing the keynote. 

Reyes said, “I’m proud to say that one of the Community Foundation’s largest philanthropic initiatives to date is our work on increasing local journalism.” Reyes’ remarks included details on how Spotlight PA, an independent, nonpartisan, and nonprofit newsroom based in Harrisburg that is dedicated to investigative and public service journalism for Pennsylvania, will launch a Berks news bureau in 2025.  

The event’s keynote speaker, Jim Brady, has been vice president of Journalism at John S. and James L. Knight Foundation since 2021 and oversees Knight’s journalism portfolio of more than $200 million. During his tenure, Brady has been instrumental in developing the strategic framework behind Press Forward, a $500 million effort to revitalize local news in the United States.  

Brady highlighted several successful examples of innovation in local journalism, including nonprofit news models, audience engagement strategies, and the rise of local reporting initiatives that cater specifically to each community. He stressed that developing trust between journalists and their audiences is essential for rebuilding the public’s faith in the media. 

Following Brady’s address, attendees had the opportunity to participate in a question-and-answer discussion and shared insights on how Berks County’s news landscape is evolving.  

Overall, the event was a success, sparking meaningful conversations and new ideas for supporting local journalism in Berks County and beyond. To learn more about Spotlight PA, click here.  

A new initiative is changing lives one word at a time. In March of 2024, the Literacy Council of Reading­ Berks launched its Overcoming Barriers Project. The goal of this project is to provide resources such as bus passes to enable female program participants the opportunity to participate in Literacy Council classes. Students will learn to read and write proficiently, become productive citizens, prepare for work, and achieve success at their jobs.

The Literacy Council of Reading-Berks is dedicated to eradicating illiteracy by teaching students to develop job skills, become a better parent, and to give back to the community. Their mission is to help adults better communicate, collaborate, and contribute to their families, workplaces, and communities.

The Overcoming Barriers Project addresses a critical need in our community. The classes go beyond reading and writing; they’re stepping ­stones to helping these females break barriers that are preventing them from being successful. The program provides a monthly BARTA bus pass for English as a Second Language (ESL) students, high school equivalency certification classes, GED preparation materials and exam fees, and a gateway to citizenship program. “The answer to being productive in life, work, and the community is the ability to communicate, collaborate with, and contribute to others’, explains Beverly Hirneisen of the Literacy Council. “Those who are illiterate find that impossible to do.”

The Power of the Purse (POP) Fund of Berks County Community Foundation provided support for the Overcoming Barriers Project. “The Power of the Purse Fund’s support is invaluable,’ says Beverly Hirneisen. “It allows us to focus on what we do best -teaching literacy skills – while ensuring our female students have the means to attend classes regularly.”

As women improve their literacy skills, they become more effective advocates for themselves and for children in schools and other public institutions. The program also serves as a gateway to higher education and increased community involvement.

“Women benefit in earnings from increased literacy skills,” Hirneisen notes. “Participation in literacy programs leads to a significant increase in participation in other community organizations.” The Literacy Council’s efforts are already bearing fruit. Students are progressing through ESL class levels, passing GED exams, and even gaining U.S. citizenship. These achievements are measured through post-testing results, exam passing rates, and tracking students’ progression through various educational levels.

One of the partners of the Literacy Council is Reading Area Community College (RACC). The partnership with a community college is crucial. Literacy Council helps RACC with professional development, student transfers, the Keystone Education Yields Success (KEYS) program, and admission assistance.

The Council also provides ESL and high school equivalency classes through Berks Latino Workforce Development Corporation, and Connections Work. The Overcoming Barriers Project is more than just a literacy program; it’s a program that provides hope. The impact of this program is immense. For each woman who learns to read, write, and communicate effectively, the program is not just changing one life-it is transforming families and strengthening our entire community.

The Literacy Council of Reading-Berks, through its Overcoming Barriers Project, is writing a new chapter in the story of Berks County. It’s a tale of empowerment, resilience, and the power of lifelong learning.

POP is a women’s giving circle with a focus on providing grants to programs that break the cycle of poverty by eliminating or addressing barriers for Berks County girls and women who want to enter or re-enter the workforce or seek the education they need to do so.

In 2024, POP awarded a total of $75,000 to the following organizations:

A beer distributor might not be the first business you would expect to make regular contributions to Berks County Community Foundation. Tom Derr’s family has owned West Lawn Beverage since 1951, and Tom is still working at age 93. Many years ago, he started organizing a golf tournament and gave the proceeds to various local charities. In 2020, Tom began directing those proceeds to the Cystic Fibrosis Fund of Berks County Community Foundation in honor of a long-time customer’s child, who suffered because of the disease. Distributions from this fund support cystic fibrosis research or the treatment and care of individuals and/or families impacted by cystic fibrosis. 

On Sunday, September 29th, 124 golfers gathered at Manor Golf Course to participate in this year’s tournament. Tom called the Community Foundation in October to let us know that he had the check from this year’s proceeds, and he was proud to report that it was the biggest check to date – $4,667. Tom presented the check to Cindy Milian, Health & Human Services Program Officer, and posed for a photo. Cindy oversees grants for individuals, public health initiatives and human services initiatives.  

“This collaboration between a community member and a donor’s fund is a great example of what the foundation is all about, working together to improve the lives of our neighbors in Berks County,” Cindy said. “It all started with a family’s wish to honor a loved one who suffered from cystic fibrosis, leading to community members wanting to help and continuing to make a difference, years later.” Applications are now being accepted for both the treatment and care of individuals and families impacted by cystic fibrosis and research. To learn more about the fund, click here.  

Individuals or families, small businesses or large corporations – anyone can give to Berks County Community Foundation, either to an established fund as in Tom’s case, or by creating a fund of your own to meet your charitable goals. For more information on how to give, please email me at mollyr@bccf.org or 610-685-2223. 

In Fiscal Year 2024, Berks County Community Foundation distributed $5.4 million in grants and scholarships to support the community. The year was filled with innovative projects, impactful programs and a strong commitment to our mission.  

Berks County Community Foundation helps donors fulfill their charitable desires. The Foundation was established in 1994 as a non-profit, public charity to provide a locally managed resource for establishing endowments. We have program officers on staff who are experts in their focus areas – energy & environment, lifelong learning, health & human services, the arts, and neighborhood & economic development. They steward these charitable funds to ensure that the grants and scholarships awarded from them are making an impact and fulfilling our donors’ wishes.  

“The work we do isn’t only about working with donors to establish funds. Nor is it just about awarding grants and scholarships. The team at the Community Foundation convenes local leaders, research national and local trends, and chooses initiatives on which to focus so community conversations get moving and big ideas are discussed”, Kevin Murphy, president says.  

The Annual Report highlights our mission of promoting philanthropy and improving the quality of life for the residents of Berks County. The team works hard to bring organizations and individuals together for collaboration to spark change in the community. This year’s Annual Report provides detailed stories and data behind these achievements, underscoring the powerful impact of donor support in the community.  

To read the full report, take a look below.  

With the support of Reading Pride Celebration Gives Back Fund of Berks County Community Foundation, Opus One brought a unique musical event to our community. Opus One, a non-profit choral ensemble founded in 2012 in Reading, aims to offer local vocal musicians an affordable, collaborative space to perform diverse choral music and foster appreciation for the choral arts in the community.   

On October 11th, they held Coming Out: A Celebration of LGBTQ+ Composers at Calvary UCC in Reading. The concert honored the contributions and stories of LGBTQ+ composers throughout history. Thanks to the funding, Opus One collaborated with local groups like Reading Pride, The LGBTQ+ Center of Greater Reading, the Spectrum, All Souls Ecumenical Church, and KU Allies to make this event memorable.  

“The concert was not just about enjoying music. It was also a chance to educate the community on an often-overlooked part of classical music history. Many people do not realize that some classical composers were part of the LGBTQ+ community. Unfortunately, their identities were sometimes hidden or misunderstood in history.” says Christopher Hoster, Executive Director of Opus One. Through this concert, Opus One took a key step in honoring these composers and the personal stories they brought to their music.  

The concert allowed the audience to view these composers from a different point of view, adding a layer of understanding to the music. This deeper connection between music, identity and culture helped create a lasting impact on those who attended.  

The support from the Reading Pride Celebration Gives Back Fund of Berks County Community Foundation assisted in the covering of essential costs like music, advertising, and publicity. This fund supports projects and programs that affirm and enhance the lives of LGBTQ+ youth in Berks County. Created with a portion of the proceeds from the annual Reading Pride Celebration Festival, this fund allows educators and community organizations to develop or expand programming that directly impacts the lives of LGBTQ+ students in Berks County.    

With community support, Opus One is creating a more inclusive environment through the arts.  

If you would like to learn more about the Reading Pride Celebration Gives Back Fund of Berks County Community Foundation and how your gift could help foster inclusivity and support within our community, please click here.  

Last week, Spotlight PA published a story about the Oley Valley School Board that probably left some elected officials on that board a little unhappy with how they were portrayed. That’s just fine. The reporting was fair and well researched. That’s the hallmark of Spotlight PA. 

Spotlight reporters have shined a light on sketchy behavior at Penn State and the failure of the Pennsylvania Department of Aging to protect older Pennsylvanians from abuse. They also broke open a massive municipal scandal in Dubois. Spotlight has become a “go to” resource for information on statewide elections. 

With all of that in mind, the Community Foundation board approved a $500,000 grant over three years to allow Spotlight PA to create a Berks County bureau like the one it created in State College. It’s not the largest grant we’ve ever made, but it is a very large one for us. 

So, why? 
 
Simply put, independent journalism is the oxygen that communities breathe. Without journalism in Berks County, we wouldn’t have known about widespread corruption in Reading City Hall under a previous administration or the fraud committed by a Berks County coroner.  

Berks County residents depend on a wide range of institutions in government, the nonprofit sector and private enterprise. Without robust reporting, we have no way of knowing how well they are serving us. Without an informed citizenry, ultimately the community will simply stop functioning. 

Before we got to this point, we spent years understanding the news industry. We visited many of the major newspapers in the country and studied dozens of new, digitally based experiments. The simple problem confronting local journalism is that traditional advertising revenue can no longer support the cost of reporting.    

So, philanthropy is going to have to fill the void left by the old business model. Preserving democracy at the local level demands it. We’re proud that other local and regional funders have stepped up to add their resources to the effort.   

Funding journalism requires a community foundation to think differently. We’re used to working with our partners to shape their work. For Spotlight to be effective, it must be completely independent of the Community Foundation. We will have no role in governing the organization, selecting its employees and absolutely no role in determining what stories they cover or how they report on the news. 

As a general rule, foundations enter projects like this with an exit strategy in mind. Three-to five-year commitments are generally the rule, with the idea that organizations will find ways to replace our funding. That’s not going to work for local journalism. We envision that we will continue to fund local journalism for a very long time. I liken it to paying the heating bill: Supporting local journalism is a basic cost of operating in a democratically governed community. 

We are delighted that Spotlight was willing to work with us. Berks County will be a healthier place as a result. To learn more about Spotlight PA Berks, click here.

Imagine a place where young girls with disabilities come together, not just to talk but to build confidence, friendships, and life skills. That’s exactly what Girl Talk 101 has been doing since its founding in 2022 at the John Paul II Center for Special Learning. Designed for girls ages 10-21, this program offers more than just conversation—it offers a community. Here, they learn to stand up for themselves, practice safety, and support one another, using skills that will last a lifetime.

Melissah Jablonski, the program’s leader explains, “What makes this group unique is the deep sense of connection the girls share. Watching the girls care for each other is a gift and that care is transforming not just their lives, but the lives of their families and friends.”

One highlight of the program this year was a horse therapy trip that made a big difference for Jailys, a new member. Jailys was nervous about joining the group. However, the other girls welcomed her, and she quickly felt accepted. This moment showed how Girl Talk 101 helps every girl feel valued, no matter their abilities. The program gives girls a sense of belonging that they might not find elsewhere.

John Paul II Center for Special Learning is a school that has been helping children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities since 1982. The center’s mission is to support students as they grow and succeed in different areas of their lives. Through programs like Girl Talk 101, the center focuses on teaching life skills that help students become more confident and independent. This supportive environment helps participants reach their full potential.

In 2023, Girl Talk 101 received a grant from Power of the Purse of Berks County Community Foundation, which allowed the program to expand. The girls were able to learn more about managing their emotions and standing up for themselves. They also had the opportunity to make new friends and try new activities, like the horse therapy trip. This support made it possible for the program to include some of the most vulnerable girls, ensuring that everyone felt valued and included.

Local women leaders established the Power of the Purse Fund through the Berks County Community Foundation to support programs that help break the cycle of poverty by removing barriers for individuals looking to enter or re-enter the workforce or pursue the education they need. Thanks to this fund, Girl Talk 101 has been able to grow and help more girls each year. Programs like this are essential for giving girls the tools they need to become strong, confident individuals. With continued support, Girl Talk 101 will keep making a difference in the lives of girls with disabilities, helping them reach their full potential.

To Learn more about Power of The Purse Fund of Berks County Community Foundation: click here.

For grant opportunities currently accepting applications, click here. 

The Fleetwood Area School District’s Nature Center Restoration project is not just focused on creating a beautiful outdoor space on school grounds. This student-led restoration of an outdoor learning environment will provide access to environmental education opportunities, connecting students to nature and their surrounding community.   

The outdoor learning environment will serve as a classroom complete with picnic style tables, providing students with hands-on experiences to spark a lifelong interest in environmental stewardship. The project leaders plan to create signage to identify key educational aspects of the Nature Center including tree and animal species identification and watershed information. They aim to help native plants and birds reclaim portions of their habitat by building floating island structures and birdhouses.  

During a recent visit, we were fortunate enough to witness not only a baby blue heron basking in the sun, but also the pride and excitement from the students who have worked so hard to get things started at the Nature Center. After extensively researching native plants, students selected species such as spatterdock, duck potato, and swamp milkweed to add to the land and water. It was truly inspiring to see the students channel their creativity and innovation into a project that will have such a positive impact on the community.  

The goal of the project is to help students gain skills in leadership, teamwork, communication, problem solving, and project management. What makes this project particularly special is its student-led approach. The Fleetwood Area School District is committed to empowering these students in grades 5-12 by allowing them to lead the efforts.   

“Whether it is a fifth-grade teacher demonstrating the water cycle for his/her class, or the AP Biology students visiting the pond to assess habitat health by chemically testing the quality of the pond water, it will be an outdoor classroom that will be used in a wide variety of ways,” Dr. Natalie Lytle, Director of Curriculum and Assessment at Fleetwood Area School District said about the impact the classroom will have.  

This hands-on experience will also instill a sense of responsibility and ownership among students. They will witness firsthand the impact of their efforts, making the lessons learned in the classroom come alive in a real-world context.  

Funding for this project came from the Teacher Mini-Grants Fund of Berks County Community Foundation, which provides grants up to $500 for Berks County K-12 school employees to support innovative classroom projects. Applications are now being accepted until December 1 for the 2024-2025 school year. For more information about the fund, please click here.   

As part of our ongoing efforts to streamline our payment systems, we are excited to announce that Berks County Community Foundation will begin distributing all grant payments via ACH (Automated Clearing House) effective January 1, 2025. This transition marks a significant step toward enhancing the efficiency and security of our financial processes. 

As you may already know, an ACH payment is an electronic payment credited directly to your bank account on the payment date. This method is not only reliable but also safe and convenient. By implementing ACH payments, both the Foundation and our payment recipients will benefit from improved controls, reduced chances of check fraud, better cash management, and decreased bank charges. 

Recent challenges such as inconsistent mail delivery, rising instances of mail theft, and lost checks have prompted us to make this necessary transition. We believe that moving to ACH payments will mitigate these issues and ensure that your funding arrives securely and on time. 

To receive future grant payments, all individual grantees and organizations will need to complete an ACH authorization form. You can fill out the form by clicking here. This form must be filled out by an authorized signer from your organization and submitted along with a copy of a voided check. Payments will continue to be made on the 1st and 15th of each month. You will receive an email notification detailing the remittance of payments once they are processed. 

If your organization has already completed an ACH form with us, there’s no need to fill it out again unless you have updated account information to provide. 

We hope you find this new process smooth and beneficial. Should you have any questions or need assistance regarding this transition, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me at my email, sallyc@bccf.org or call 610-685-2223. 

Reading, PA – October 9, 2024 – Berks County Community Foundation is pleased to announce the conclusion of its 3rd quarter grant cycle, which has successfully distributed vital funding to local nonprofits and initiatives dedicated to improving our community. 

In this quarter, the foundation awarded grants to a diverse range of projects focusing in areas of environment and energy, education, health and human services, arts and culture, and neighborhoods and economic development; supporting the impactful work of local organizations that improve the lives of Berks County residents.  

These numbers are a testament to the Foundation’s commitment to its mission to promote philanthropy and improve the quality of life for the residents of Berks County. 

“Grants awarded are made possible by generous donors who give back to the community they love,” stated Molly McCullough Robbins, Vice President for Philanthropic Services. 

Moving forward, community members are invited to join the Community Foundation in sparking change. Here are two ways to get involved: 

  1. Give to an Existing Fund: Your contributions can help sustain the important work of established funds addressing specific needs within Berks County. 
  1. Create Your Own Fund: Whether you want to honor a loved one or support a particular cause or organization, the Foundation can help you to create a fund that reflects your passions and philanthropic goals. 

For more information on how to give or create a fund, please visit www.bccf.org, email Molly McCullough Robbins at mollyr@bccf.org, or call (610) 685-2223. 

About Berks County Community Foundation 

Berks County Community Foundation is a nonprofit corporation serving as a civic leader for our region by developing, managing, and distributing charitable funds to improve the quality of life in Berks County, PA. More information is available at www.bccf.org. 

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