Lombardo Family Memorial Fund
The Lombardo Family Memorial Fund was established in 2018 in memory of Ronald J. Lombardo, Jr. and Raenette M. (Lombardo) Minicozzi.
Ronald (RJ) was a graduate of Holy Name High School, Class of 1978. Shortly after graduation, he passed away in a car accident in February 1980. At the time of his death, he was working as a technician/phlebotomist for ACU-Tech Medical Labs in Reading, Pennsylvania. He worked for the medical lab on a part-time basis while in high school and became a full-time employee after graduation. Raenette was a graduate of Holy Name High School, Class of 1975. She passed away in November 2008 after a courageous four-year battle with cancer. She worked the majority of her career as an office manager for various doctors in the Reading and Allentown areas before eventually moving to Milford, Connecticut. She is survived by a daughter, son and two grandchildren.
The purpose of The Lombardo Family Memorial Fund is to provide scholarships to Berks Catholic High School seniors who are well-rounded students who participated in extracurricular activities in school and in their community. Applicants must have a commitment to academics by having maintained a cumulative GPA of at least 2.75 in high school and will be pursuing a college degree at a 2- or 4-year college/university or vocational school. The recipients must have demonstrated a willingness and desire to give of their time and talents through service to their community.
Amos Lemon Burkhart Art Scholarship Fund
The Amos Lemon Burkhart Art Scholarship Fund was established at Berks County Community Foundation in 2018 in memory of Amos Lemon Burkhart, a 2017 graduate of Governor Mifflin High School. Amos possessed both great technical ability in drawing and painting, and unusually advanced conceptual gifts, as evidenced by his large body of work. Amos was awarded a presidential scholarship at Montserrat College of Art for fall of 2018 to study animation and painting. Sadly, Amos suffered from mental illness and trauma and passed away in May 2018 at 19 from causes related to substance abuse.
This fund provides scholarships to graduating seniors of Governor Mifflin High School who display extraordinary artistic promise and will be furthering their education after high school.
Recipients of the scholarship must plan to continue their education after high school; however, the recipient does not have to continue his/her education in art. In the event the recipient does not attend college immediately after high school, recipients have until the fall semester, the year after the scholarship is awarded, to use the scholarship.
Scholarship recipients are selected by faculty in the Art Department at Governor Mifflin High School.
Joseph and Peggy McMahon Transportation Engineering Scholarship Fund
Joseph McMahon graduated from Villanova University in 1966 with a Bachelor of Civil Engineering degree and Tau Beta Pi distinction. He went on to receive his Master’s in Civil Engineering degree in 1967 from Villanova, focusing his studies and training in Transportation Engineering. His Master’s degree was awarded by Villanova’s Institute for Transportation Studies.
Joe met his wife Peggy in 1963, a Villanova University School of Nursing graduate of 1967. As a trained nurse, she gave up her professional career once they were married in order to begin a family, as Joe traveled in his early career at Simpson & Curtin, working on transportation projects of various types all over the country and Canada.
Joe and Peggy made a decision in 1976 to form McMahon Associates, Inc. and set up a home office to begin a small transportation firm at the kitchen table, which has grown into a full-service transportation engineering company.
In 2018, business partners and co-workers of Joseph & Peggy McMahon honored their 40+ years of dedication to the transportation engineering industry by establishing this scholarship fund in their name.
This fund will provide scholarships to students who have declared and have been accepted into the major of civil engineering with a focus in transportation engineering. Eligible students shall attend an accredited university that produces graduates with civil engineering degrees and with training and focus in the field of transportation engineering. Students currently attending and who will continue with this program are eligible to apply for the scholarship. Applicants must be full-time students and have a financial need in order to apply. College seniors who are going on to graduate school and current graduate school students can apply as long as they are pursuing a master’s degree or PhD specifically for a career in transportation engineering.
If support is awarded, scholarship support must be used for the upcoming school year and not to pay for the previous year. Previous recipients of a scholarship from this fund are eligible to receive a scholarship from this fund in a subsequent year; however, previous recipients will not be given preferential treatment. Previous applicants who did not receive an award in their first attempt are encouraged to apply in a subsequent year as long as they continue to meet the eligibility requirements.
Steven Yeager Scholarship Fund
This fund was established in 2016 in memory of Steven Yeager, a 2007 graduate of Wilson High School where he was a member of the swim team. At Wilson Steven was a 4-time district qualifier and a 3-time state qualifier and a member of the All-American 200 Free relay team in his senior year. Steven graduated from York College in 2011 where he studied sports management, continued his love of swimming, and held the 200 yard breaststroke record for a number of years. Steven passed away in December 2016 at the age of 28.
This fund will provide a scholarship to a senior graduating from Wilson High School who will be furthering his or her education at a 4-year or 2-year college, university or vocational school after high school and who has been a member of the high school swim team or dive team for at least three years, including his or her senior year. Preference will go to applicants who were a member of the swim team. Preference will also be given to applicants who will participate on an aqua sports team in college. Applicants must have achieved a cumulative high school GPA of 3.0 or above in order to apply.
Bruce R. Helwig Reading High School Scholarship Fund
Bruce R. Helwig graduated from Reading High School in 1931. In high school he was a member of the National Honor Society and was an active member of his class by participating in Dramatics, Red and Black, Arxalma, and Student Council.
This fund will provide scholarships to graduating seniors from Reading High School, Reading, PA, who will be furthering their education at a four year college or university, who have a financial need, and are well-rounded high school students with an above average academic standing.
This scholarship is awarded by a committee at Reading High School, with consideration given to all Reading High School seniors.
Marion L. and Ernest L. Angstadt Scholarship Fund
This scholarship was established in 2014 by Marion Angstadt. Marion and her husband Ernest were lifelong farmers in the Kutztown area, growing crops and raising chickens on their 100-acre farm. Following Ernest’s death, Marion established this fund for students furthering their education in Agricultural Science because of her and Ernest’s interest in the value of land and of its natural beauty.
This fund will provide scholarships to seniors graduating from Kutztown Area Senior High School who will be pursuing a two- or four-year degree in the area of Agricultural Science. Applicants must have achieved a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or above in order to apply. Applicants must have a financial need.
Marc Mario Mckently Memorial Scholarship Fund
This scholarship was established at Berks County Community Foundation in 2014 to honor the memory of Marc Mario McKently, who was a senior at Oley Valley High School when he tragically lost his life in a car accident in February 2011 at the age of 17. Marc was a caring, compassionate young man who enjoyed snowboarding, attending Dance Expressions in Kenhorst, and playing as a starter on the high school soccer team.
This fund will provide scholarships to graduating Oley Valley High School students who will be furthering their education after high school at a two-year or four-year college, university, or technical school. Recipients will be students who have faced a difficult challenge or hardship in their life. In order to apply, applicants must be active in school or community activities OR hold a job during the school year.
Arrow International Scholarship Fund
In 2009, Berks County Community Foundation became administrator of the Arrow International Scholarship Fund, which was reestablished with $1.7 million in proceeds from the Arrow International Scholarship Trust.
This fund provides scholarships to high-achieving students who showed leadership skills and will attend a four-year college or university. The Arrow International Scholarship Fund will provide, at a minimum, four (4) annual $10,000 scholarships, payable over two years at $5,000 per year. The scholarships will support high school seniors who are Berks County residents who achieved high scholastic and personal development, demonstrated leadership skills, and plan to continue their education after high school at a four-year college or university. Strong preference will be given to applicants who are children, stepchildren, grandchildren, or step grandchildren of former or current Arrow employees who were employed by Arrow as of the sale of Arrow to Teleflex, October 1, 2007.
In addition to providing scholarships, the Arrow International Scholarship Fund supports innovative projects designed to respond to unmet needs in the fields of human services, education and health.
The Arrow Trust had been dissolved when Arrow International, a medical equipment manufacturing company, was sold to Teleflex in 2008. The donation initially made by Robert L. McNeil Jr., an Arrow shareholder, still is able to benefit the community through this new scholarship fund.
McNeil joined his family company that started out as a small pharmacy in Philadelphia and eventually became McNeil Laboratories under his leadership. McNeil brought generic Tylenol to the market, explaining that it was better than aspirin since it didn’t irritate the stomach, making it worth the higher cost. He gave the drug its generic name – acetaminophen. He was more than just a successful pharmacist and businessman; he was a philanthropist whose various donations and scholarships continue to help people today.
Dj Wetzel Fund of First United Church of Christ
The DJ Wetzel Fund was established at Berks County Community Foundation in 2017.
Scholarships will be awarded to members of Berks County UCC churches who are continuing their education after high school at a college or university, graduate school, vocational school, or in a life enrichment program. Previous recipients of a scholarship from this opportunity may apply again and be considered in a subsequent year, however, there is no preferential treatment given to previous recipients.
Governor Mifflin Continuing Education Loan Fund
This fund provides monetary loans to seniors or former graduates of Governor Mifflin High School to further their education at an accredited institution after graduation. To be eligible for a loan, the applicants must meet the following requirements:
- Must be a senior or have graduated from Governor Mifflin High School.
- Must be enrolled in an accredited institution as a full-time student.
Applicants may reapply and may receive more than one loan over their lifetime, with a maximum lifetime award to one person of $10,000.
