More than $995,000 has been donated or pledged to the West Reading Disaster Recovery Fund since it was established on Saturday, March 25. Donations and pledges have been made by thousands of individuals, families, and businesses across Berks County and the country.
To assist with urgent, immediate needs, more than $450,000 has already been distributed to the families of those who died and to those displaced from their homes.
“Out of respect for the families, we will not be providing specific details regarding those distributions,” said Kevin K. Murphy, president of Berks County Community Foundation, which created the fund in partnership with the United Way of Berks County at the request of West Reading Borough Council. “Our hope is that the funding will ease their burden as they cope with their loss.”
The West Reading Disaster Relief Fund will continue to accept donations until May 31, 2023, at which time it will sunset, with all remaining funding to be held for immediate and future needs related to the following priorities:
- Support to the families of individuals killed in the explosion for immediate financial losses.
- Support to individuals displaced from their homes as a result of the explosion.
- Support to organizations helping individuals displaced from employment as a result of the explosion.
- Support to the Borough of West Reading for planning and/or implementation of historical commemoration of the explosion (including, but not limited to the creation of a memorial to those lost).
“We are grateful to everyone who has given to the fund, including so many of our local businesses,” said Tammy White, president of the United Way of Berks County. “The outpouring of support of neighbor helping neighbor has been inspiring. We continue to thank everyone for the kind generosity.”
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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.
Media Contact: Erica Caceres, Communication Manager, Phone: 610-685-2231, Email address: ericac@bccf.org
Intergenerational dialogue is a great way for individuals to learn and understand each other. Besides, with our families, there aren’t many opportunities for young and older adults to talk to each other about life. Twin Valley Community Education wanted to create a space where children can practice this at school and teach the importance of these connections through hands-on experience. With funding from Berks County Community Foundation, they implemented a new educational project entitled Bridging Generations.
The main purpose of this project is to bridge the gap between generations to promote better communication from different walks of life. Twin Valley Community Education Foundation wanted students to learn about handwritten communication, while simultaneously connecting them with a generation outside of their own. The funding for this program came from the Hawley and Myrtle Quier Fund. This fund makes distributions to improve the quality of life for Berks County residents, with emphasis on the arts, education, women’s issues, children’s issues, and animal welfare. This program was created to foster human connections in our community.
A group of second-grade students at Robeson Elementary Center who were not behind on their schoolwork, and who had an interest, were paired with a participating older adult whom they could become local pen pals with. This program was intended to fill a gap and provide students with an older adult and vice versa. According to Lynn Weller, the program coordinator, “This program was successful in bringing Berk’s older individuals and elementary students together to learn from each other and form friendships in a safe and meaningful way.”
Not only did this program succeed in connecting two different generations, but it also succeeded in teaching children the importance of letter writing and written communication. Weller reported that “before this program, 32% of participants reported that they were unsure how to write a letter, and 79% were unsure how to address a letter.” The program proved to be a positive experience for the older adults who participated as well. Many participants were elated to teach children about the importance of writing. Additionally, it gave them an outlet to share stories and life advice, which they really enjoyed.
Weller mentions that more students will be encouraged to participate in the future, not just those who are ahead with their studies. In addition to this, there is a hope that an event will be hosted at the end of the program where the participating children and their families can meet the senior citizens in person.
While this grant opportunity is no longer available, you can still donate to the Hawley and Myrtle Quier Fund for new future programs by visiting www.bccf.org. If you are looking for funding for your next project, check out other funds that are available at www.bccf.org.
UPDATE – More than $660,000 has been donated to the West Reading Disaster Recovery Fund since it was established on Saturday, March 25. Donations have been made by more than 1,500 individuals, families, and businesses across Berks County and the country.
To assist with urgent, immediate needs, on March 30 the fund distributed a total of $220,000 to the families of those who died and to those displaced from their homes. An additional $230,000 will be distributed to those groups in the coming days.
“Out of respect for the families, we will not be providing specific details regarding those distributions,” said Kevin K. Murphy, president of Berks County Community Foundation, which created the fund in partnership with the United Way of Berks County at the request of West Reading Borough Council. “Our hope is that the funding will ease their burden as they cope with their loss.”Based on the level of donations received, the fund will continue to provide grants until it is depleted. The priority of those grants is as follows:
- Support to the families of individuals killed in the explosion for immediate financial losses.
- Support to individuals displaced from their homes as a result of the explosion.
- Support to organizations helping individuals displaced from employment as a result of the explosion.
- Support to the Borough of West Reading for planning and/or implementation of historical commemoration of the explosion (including, but not limited to the creation of a memorial to those lost).
“We are grateful to everyone who has given to the fund,” said Tammy White, president of the United Way of Berks County. “The outpouring of support of neighbor helping neighbor has been inspiring. The magnitude of this event transcends geography as local giving from Berks Countians is joined by contributions from people across the United States showing their support for our community. We thank everyone for the kind generosity.”
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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.
Media Contact: Erica Caceres, Communication Manager, Phone: 610-685-2231, Email address: ericac@bccf.org
READING (December 2022) — Berks County Community Foundation recently approved $41,600 in grants to five Boyertown area organizations through its Boyertown Area Charitable Program.
These grants are distributed from the Boyertown Area Community Fund, which supports charitable causes within the geographic area served by the Boyertown Area School District, and the Boyer Foundation Fund, which also supports Boyertown area health, social, recreational, and safety organizations.
Since 1997, the program has granted more than $1,000,000 to over 60 Boyertown area organizations, providing much-needed support for a variety of charitable causes.
It awarded the following grants in 2022:
Boyertown Area Historical Society received $3,910 for a project dedicated to cataloging and digitizing approximately 10,000 three-dimensional and archival items. This will make the collection of items more accessible to the public and prepare for new exhibits on racial justice, indigenous populations, and the PA250 celebration.
Boyertown Midget Baseball League received $15,000 for construction to update the facility to today’s standards, including the addition of ADA-compliant restrooms, and safe spectator seating. The facility has served the community since 1963.
General Carl Spaatz Regional Army Air Corps Museum received $10,000 to upgrade the HVAC system. This will help keep the exhibit preserved with climate control. The Museum offers a fully interactive educational opportunity to learn about the history of the Boyertown community during WWII and beyond.
Pottstown Cluster of Religious Communities received $6,000 for the purchase of personal care and cleaning products to distribute to low-income households seeking help through its food pantry and housing programs.
Studio B Art Gallery received $6,690 for a variety of projects, including a fine art exhibit with a virtual tour; publication of the studio’s 10th book of poetry, prose, and art; podcast conversations with Boyertown community members; and opportunities to share memories and goals.
To support future grants provided by the Boyertown Area Charitable Program, donations are always accepted. To learn more, contact the Community Foundation at 610.685.2223 or click here for more details.
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. Media Contact: Erica Caceres, Communication Manager, Phone: 610-685-2231,Email address: ericac@bccf.org
BOYERTOWN, PA (November 3, 2021) – Berks County Community Foundation awarded more than $100,000 in grants in October to seven organizations serving the Boyertown area, including $66,000 from the Boyertown Area Charitable Program.
The Boyertown Area Charitable Program provides grants to organizations, programs, or initiatives that improve the quality of life for residents of the Boyertown Area School District.
The program’s Advisory Committee recently held its annual meeting and, after careful consideration, awarded the following grants from the Community Foundation’s Boyertown Area Community Fund and the Boyer Foundation Fund:
- $15,000 to Building A Better Boyertown to support a grant-writing position. Building A Better Boyertown is a nonprofit Main Street program that works to improve the community. An additional $30,000 grant, payable over two years, was awarded from the Marlene L. Driscoll Fund of Berks County Community Foundation to support the position.
- $15,000 to the Boyertown Midget Baseball League to renovate Mackey Field at Boyertown Community Park. Renovations will include covered dugouts, expanded bullpens, expansion of the in-play area behind home plate, conversion to a grass infield, the addition of ADA-compliant restrooms, seating behind home plate, and more. An additional grant of $10,120 was awarded to this project from the Marlene L. Driscoll Fund.
- $10,000 to the Boyertown Community Ambulance Service to replace a cardiac monitor/defibrillator.
- $10,000 to the General Carl Spaatz National USAAF Museum for a B-17 Flight Simulator Room, which will have attendees act as one of a six-person crew on a bombing mission in a mock-up of a B-17 bomber.
- $7,500 to the Gilbertsville Fire and Rescue Company to install an emergency vehicle exhaust extraction system in the company’s station.
- $3,500 to Studio B for “Transforming Moments: Finding My Voice,” Studio B’s annual fine art exhibit and book release.
- $3,250 to the Jewish Federation of Reading/Berks to bring “Violins of Hope” to more than 1,500 students in the two middle schools of the Boyertown Area School District. “Violins of Hope” is a collection of instruments recovered from the Holocaust and restored to provide education about the negatives of antisemitism, racism, and other divisions in our local community, and to turn the focus to unity and understanding. The two-hour assemblies will be followed by related in-class instruction.
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Berks County Community Foundation is a nonprofit corporation that serves as a civic leader for our region by developing, managing and distributing charitable funds aimed at improving the quality of life in Berks County. More information is available at www.bccf.org.
NEWS RELEASE
Contact: Jason Brudereck, Director of Communication, jasonb@bccf.org, 610.685.2223
