The council helps clients improve reading skills and language proficiency, prepares them for employment, helps students achieve high school equivalency certification, provides workforce development and works with permanent residents seeking U.S. citizenship.
Suddenly, however, the future of the organization appears uncertain as it anticipates federal funding cuts for its next fiscal year, which begins July 1.
“I never thought we’d be in this position,” said Ryan Breisch, executive director. “We’ve relied on federal funding since it was authorized in 1987.”
WIOA funds account for about 20% of the literacy council’s total budget of $760,000, with other funding coming from the United Way of Berks County, the state, private donations, fee-for-service work with area businesses and an annual fundraising event.
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, WIOA funds are intended to improve the nation’s workforce system by helping people attain high-quality jobs and careers while also assisting employers hire and retain skilled workers.
And that, said Breisch, is exactly what the funding accomplishes.
“That funding pays for classes for students working to improve English proficiency skills so they can obtain employment or advance to higher paying jobs,” he said. “And it helps us to keep the lights on in our classrooms and pay our staff members so we can continue to meet the needs of our community.”
Clients Are Seeking Better Lives
Breisch, who has been employed by the literacy council for 30 years and has served as executive director since 2010, said people who find their way to the organization are self-motivated and prepared to work hard to advance.
“They want to make a better life for themselves,” he said. “And that ultimately results in better circumstances for our entire community.”
Breisch spoke of Gabi, who moved from Brazil and, with help from the literacy council, was able to graduate from nursing school and obtain employment in the health care field.
Bob Libutti, a long-time volunteer and former board president of the Literacy Council of Reading-Berks, tutors student Jin Chen.
He related the story of Juan Pablo, an industrial engineer who, with his American wife and children, moved to Berks County from Mexico in 2002 to care for his ailing father-in-law. Able to speak only Spanish, Juan Pablo sought help from the council, became proficient in speaking and writing English, and landed a meaningful job that he’s held for 17 years.
“We have thousands of success stories,” Breisch said. “And when people are successful, they can contribute to the success of others.”
Uncertainty Makes Planning Nearly Impossible
Ongoing uncertainty about its budget for next year has made planning for 2026 nearly impossible, according to Breisch.
On top of not knowing what will happen with its federal funding, Literacy Council staff worry that Pennsylvania’s ongoing state budget impasse could eventually result in adverse financial consequences.
And, explained Breisch, if federal funding does come through for 2026, which at this point is by no means guaranteed, it’s unclear what conditions may be attached to it.
“We aren’t giving out student handbooks at this point because we don’t know what classes we can include in them,” Breisch said. “And we’re planning on only doing a half-year budget for 2026 for now because we have no clue what will happen after June 30.”
Ryan Breisch, executive director of the Literacy Council of Reading-Berks, is worried that potential cuts in federal funds could cause program disruptions.
While the current uncertainty is disconcerting, the Literacy Council continues to look forward to its move from its current headquarters in West Lawn to Tec Centro’s building at 450 S. Sixth Street in Reading. The move is tentatively planned for January.
The rent they will pay for the new space should be substantially less than costs for upkeep of its current building, which the Literacy Council owns, Breisch said. And funds from the sale of the current building will allow grant money to be applied for education rather than to pay for rent or building upkeep.
“We’re worried about a lot of unknowns right now, but we’re also excited about moving and working more closely with Tec Centro and the clients it serves,” Breisch said. “We’ll keep doing what we do to the best of our ability.”
At the Community Foundation, we want to improve life in Berks County by connecting its residents with accurate information.
What do these cuts mean for Berks County residents, nonprofits, businesses and donors?
The impact of federal funding cuts, government shutdowns, and the state budget impasse are beginning to be felt on a local level.
While philanthropy helps create vibrant and healthy communities, it is not designed to replace the stability of federal or state investments. Affordable housing, food security, access to education, workforce development, affordable healthcare and much more depend on federal dollars. When that funding is stripped or halted, we risk a reduction in essential local services.
Local philanthropy has never and will never be able to fill the void of government funding.
Why Stories of Impact?
As a community foundation, we hear directly from the Berks nonprofits, agencies, businesses and individuals how federal cuts impact their capacity to serve the community. To connect Berks County residents with accurate information, we’ve engaged a local freelance reporter to elevate the voices of those impacted and shed light on the real-world effects of these budget changes on local organizations and individuals.
This research has been captured in the form of articles that you can read below.
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Note from Monica Reyes, VP for Programs and Initiatives: Opinions expressed in the Government Cuts, Local Impact Series do not necessarily represent those of Berks County Community Foundation.
Click here to read the bio of our reporter, Susan Shelly McGovern
Susan is a freelance writer, editor, and researcher.Over the course of a long and varied career, Susan has crafted thousands of articles, written or contributed to more than 50 books, generated copy for advertising and marketing firms, edited a variety of manuscripts, researched corporate histories and generally applied her skills to whatever projects presented themselves.
But what Susan has enjoyed the most is telling stories.
As a feature writer for the Reading Eagle, area colleges and universities, health care systems, treatment centers and others, Susan has had the opportunity to tell the stories of first-generation college students, people struggling with addiction, veterans, business executives, health care workers, educators, patients dealing with serious illnesses and people who have triumphed over adverse circumstances.
As a long-time, invested resident of Berks County, Susan has witnessed some of the challenges local people experience with food insecurity, homelessness, incarceration, alienation and other extremely challenging situations. She has worked with agencies including New Journey Community Outreach, Opportunity House, Berks Coalition to End Homelessness, Family Promise of Berks County and Connections Work.
by Susan Shelly McGovern
Helping Harvest vans are frequently seen at community events in Berks and Schuylkill counties.
Maria has always worked hard to make sure her children have enough food and other necessities. There seldom was extra, but they always had enough.
When Maria, of Reading, was diagnosed earlier this year with Stage 5 kidney disease, however, the single mother didn’t know what to do. Unable to work, faced with medical bills and receiving only 60% of her wages through short-term disability insurance, having enough food for her family was suddenly a very frightening uncertainty.
Volunteers distribute food to neighbors at a Helping Harvest Mobile Market.
Fortunately, Maria reached out and was able to secure immediate assistance from Helping Harvest Fresh Food Bank, a community resource serving Berks and Schuylkill counties. That help has given her family access to adequate food supplies as they wait for their application for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits to be processed and, hopefully, approved.
But that ability to provide immediate and adequate aid for those in need is becoming increasingly difficult, according to Jay Worrall, president of Helping Harvest and board chair of Feeding Pennsylvania, an organization that promotes food banks within the state and assists them in obtaining necessary resources and support.
Cuts in federal funding for food distribution programs made earlier this year are straining the ability of food banks across the state and nation to continue supplying resources to those most in need.
Worrall said federal cuts resulted in a loss of $3 million to Helping Harvest, equivalent to about 15% of the food it distributes annually.
Those cuts, coupled with stalled state funding caused by Pennsylvania’s ongoing budget impasse and impending cuts to SNAP, are resulting in trying times for Helping Harvest, Worrall said.
SNAP benefits could be reduced by as much as $11 million in Schuylkill County and up to $26.8 million in Berks, according to Worrall, affecting thousands of families. In addition, it is unclear whether the recent shutdown of the federal government, which was still underway at the time this article was written, might have long-reaching implications for the future of Helping Harvest.
Volunteers pack food boxes in Helping Harvest’s warehouse in Spring Township.
“Demand for our services continues to increase, but we’re left with fewer resources to meet those needs. The worst of the SNAP cuts haven’t even taken place yet, but people are anticipating them and already looking to us for extra help. It’s the perfect storm and it’s making our work very difficult,” Worrall explained.
Helping Harvest recently announced cuts to some of its programs in Schuylkill County, starting in November. The food bank will stop providing food to about a dozen pantry and mobile market sites, a move Worrall attributed to federal funding cuts and the state’s budget impasse.
A Helping Harvest volunteer gives local students fresh fruit to take home.
Although the food bank has made some organizational changes and altered the way it processes and distributes food to try to make up the shortfalls it’s experiencing, it is unable to keep up with decreased funding and increasing demand.
“We’re working to close that gap, but we’re not going to make up $3 million in one year,” Worrall said. “We’re going to have very serious challenges to overcome.”
While the future of funding for Helping Harvest and other food banks is uncertain, Worrall is looking forward and trying to remain optimistic.
He pointed to the potential of Helping Harvest’s Community Kitchen that opened in August in downtown Reading, explaining that the kitchen makes it possible for large-scale food donations to be repurposed into thousands of individual meals for people in Berks and Schuylkill counties.
“That’s a real help in getting meals out to people who need them,” Worrall said. “It’s wonderful how the community came together to support the Community Kitchen and make that possible.”
Volunteers and staff assemble ready-to-eat meals at Helping Harvest’s new Community Kitchen.
In these very uncertain times, Worrall will continue to look to the Berks and Schuylkill communities for support. It is urgent, he said, that the needs of everyone at risk for hunger – especially children – are addressed and met.
“Think what it would be like to not have enough food for your kids,” Worrall said. “I can’t imagine that, and I don’t want anyone else to have to, either. We’re going to need all the help we can get, but Helping Harvest will continue to serve the people who need us the most.”
Balancing immediate and long-term support for your favorite community causes
At Berks County Community Foundation, we’re committed to working with individuals, families, and businesses to help make a difference in the causes they love.
Many people who establish funds have at least a general idea of the impact they’d like to achieve. If you’ve established a fund at the foundation, or if you are considering doing so, you might already have charities and priorities you want to support.
Our team can help you achieve your charitable goals. These goals include giving to charities you’ve already supported and introducing you to new initiatives and programs within your interest. Our program officers are experts in their areas of focus and have the latest information on community needs.
Here are some questions to consider:
Do the causes and issues that matter most to you address short-term, immediate community needs, or long-term needs that will impact future generations?
Would you like your children, grandchildren, or other loved ones to help advise your charitable fund in the future?
Would you like to see the results of your giving now, or are you comfortable with your legacy taking shape beyond your lifetime?
When you think about your charitable impact—whether in five years or fifty—what would make you feel your fund or funds at the Community Foundation accomplished their purpose?
Please reach out anytime. Together, we can craft a charitable giving plan that honors your unique vision. Whether you’re aiming to create a lasting legacy, make an immediate impact, or both, we are here to help.
READING, PA (October 1, 2025) – Berks County Community Foundation has elected three new members to its Board of Directors, effective July 1, 2025.
Steven Fritz began his career in Reading as a CPA with EY (then Ernst & Whinny,) and was employed by VF Corporation for 30 years in positions which included General Auditor, several division CFO/COO roles, President of Jantzen and finally, Preside of VF Outlet.
He has served on the board of Luthercare of Lititz, as well as the board of a medium-sized manufacturer located in Reading, PA. Previous NFP board roles included the Berks County Chamber, RiverPlace, and Berks Economic Partnership.
Julia H. Klein is a retired entrepreneur and the former Chairwoman of C.H. Briggs Company. She is an independent board director at Eastern States Group, the College of Wooster, and an advisor with the Delaware Valley Family Business Center.
Julia is a former director of the Philadelphia Federal Reserve Bank, former board chair of Berks County Community Foundation, and many other business and philanthropic boards.
Rabbi Brian I. Michelson is the rabbi of Reform Congregation Oheb Sholom in Reading, PA, where he has served since 1998. Previously, Brian spent six years as a rabbi at Temple Beth Israel in Melbourne, Australia. In 2017, he was awarded a Doctor of Divinity by the Hebrew Union College in honor of twenty-five years of service to the Jewish community.
Brian serves as a chaplain with the Reading Police Department and as the Jewish chaplain at the Reading Hospital. He is president of Easy Does It, Inc. and the past chair of the Home Health Care Foundation. He has served as a member of the board for Opportunity House and Berks Youth Chorus. He is one of the founders of “A Common Heart” Jewish, Catholic, and Muslim Dialogue. Brian was awarded the Franciscan Prize by Alvernia University in 2016.
Board members may serve three, three-year terms.
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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.
The Community Foundation manages more than 380 charitable funds. Each year, those funds distribute scholarships and grants to support local students and assist a variety of nonprofit organizations and causes. More information is available at www.bccf.org.
Spark Note: calling the foundation
We’re honored to work with so many individuals, families, and businesses to make a difference in the causes you care about. Philanthropy isn’t just about wealth—it’s about values, habits, and improving the quality of life in our community. This philosophy guides our work with donors across generations. We hope you enjoy this month’s insights and tips.
We are Here for You: Four Reasons to Call the Community Foundation
In an economic and legislative environment full of unpredictability, we encourage you to tap into the knowledgeable team at the Community Foundation – perhaps even more than you have in the past.
If you’ve already established a fund at the Community Foundation, you’re familiar with many of the ways we make charitable giving easy, flexible, and effective. This allows you to achieve your goals for improving the quality of life in our community as well as fulfilling your own estate planning and financial objectives.
Not quite sure when to reach out to the Community Foundation? If any of these situations applies to you, drop us an email or give us a call!
1. You promised yourself at the end of 2024 that you’ll never again get caught in a year-end crunch.
The last few months of the year are always hectic with holiday activities. When you layer on the added stress of tax planning and completing the charitable giving plans you set back in January, you might tip the scales from hectic to chaotic! The foundation staff can help organize your year-end charitable giving early, so that it achieves both your financial and philanthropic goals.
2. You’re concerned about recent drops in funding to local charities, but you’re not quite sure about what you can do to help.
The Community Foundation is Berks County’s home for charitable giving. That means that we have a finger on the pulse of our community’s needs and the nonprofits that are addressing those needs. Our team can provide recommendations for how you can help fill the gaps in funding that have affected local organizations.
3. Your tax advisor has suggested that 2025 is an important year to increase your charitable donations, but you don’t want your gifts to favorite charities to suddenly spike and then drop again.
For the small percentage of people who itemize deductions on their individual income tax returns, 2025 may indeed present opportunities. Our team is happy to work with you and your tax advisors to structure gifts to a fund at the Community Foundation. This will ensure that you’re leveraging tax advantages while also maintaining consistent support year after year for the causes that are important to you.
4. You’re updating your estate plan and want to leave money to charity, but you’re not exactly sure what charity you want to support.
Please reach out to Berks County Community Foundation anytime you are updating your estate plan or related financial documents, such as beneficiary designations on IRAs, life insurance policies, or retirement accounts. Our team is happy to work with your advisors to make sure you’re exploring the tax benefits of using various types of assets to fund your charitable intentions.
Whatever your charitable giving situation, we are here for you! Whether you’ve already started a fund at the Community Foundation or you’re considering getting involved, we look forward to our conversation.
Reading, PA (August 25, 2025) – Health and Human Services Program Officer of Berks County Community Foundation, Cindy Milian, gave the keynote speech at the Community Wellness Department of Reading Hospital Tower Health’s “Voices for Health” event. This event launched the Community Wellness Department’s week-long celebration of community health workers. Tanieka Mason, MPH, Director of Health Equity at Tower Health, asked Cindy to address the health needs of Berks County residents, impart her expert knowledge, and provide a testimonial to the vital services our community health workers provide.
Event attendees and speakers included Helping Harvest Fresh Food Bank’s President, Jay Worrall; Reading Hospital President and CEO, Dr. Charles F. Barbera, MD, MBA, MPH, FACEP; Secretary of Human Service of the PA Department of Health, Dr. Valeria Arkoosh, MD, MPH; Executive Deputy Secretary of the PA Department of Health, Kristen Rodack; Senator Judy Schwank; various local health service and pharmaceutical providers, and of course, a cohort of dedicated community health workers who serve Berks County.
According to the Tower Health website, “Reading Hospital’s Community Wellness Department works to identify and address key health issues in the community by leading a variety of programs and initiatives, collaborating with community partners, and investing in the overall health of our community.”
Cindy Milian’s keynote speech for the Community Wellness Department of Reading Hospital Tower Health’s “Voices for Health” event can be found below. Please note that certain photographs and last names of individuals have been omitted to maintain anonymity.
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“Thank you to the Community Wellness Department of Reading Hospital Tower Health for having me as a speaker for this event.
It is an honor to address esteemed hospital leadership, the stewards and officials of our local community, and of course, the cohort of community health workers present today.
My name is Cindy Milian, and I am the Health and Human Services Program Officer at Berks County Community Foundation. After 25 years of working as an Early Intervention Specialist, Therapeutic Staff Support, Home Health Aide Supervisor, Caseworker, and Casework Supervisor in Pennsylvania, I decided to take a well-deserved break by joining the foundation and overseeing hundreds of grants for individuals, public health initiatives, and human services initiatives.
Before I talk to you about community health, patient advocacy, or social determinants of health, I want to talk about my grandson.
This is Alexander (image omitted). He loves Baby Shark, Reggaeton, and being carried on my husband’s shoulders. If anyone here has a one-year-old child in their lives, then you know that they assert themselves and their needs loudly and with conviction. Alexander is no exception to this—we always know when he’s hungry, or wants Papa, or isn’t feeling well. Being a grandmother to Alexander means witnessing community health initiatives in action; it means fielding a lot of requests for help and hugs; it requires the inspection of the tangible and intangible world around him, and evaluating how it will affect his mental, physical, and spiritual health.
But the real inspection I want to conduct today is on the health of Berks County. My current work with the Community Foundation places me in a position of power and privilege: the power—or burden—of saying no to grant applicants, and the privilege of witnessing the life-changing impacts our donors have on their fellow Berks residents.
With the foundation, I’ve met with Hamburg community leaders who are struggling to identify mental health clinics for their at-risk populations; in Reading, I’ve guided a monolingual, Spanish speaking resident through the process of applying for a grant that could save her child’s life; and all over Berks County,
I’ve talked with countless individuals who are one paycheck away from homelessness. They are our neighbors, our coworkers, our friends. They are the patients we see in our offices, clinics, at-home visits and hospital beds every day.
Before we can talk about community health, we must talk about the community. In 2023, the United Way’s ALICE Report, which stands for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed, showed that over 40% of Berks County households earned less than the county’s basic cost of living. This means that more than 47,000 Berks County working households are one paycheck away from a severe financial crisis, and more than 18,000 households are living in poverty.
For those 18,000+ households, the cost of a survival budget is unattainable. Meaning 12% of Berks Countians cannot afford the following:
Housing
Childcare
Food
Transportation
Health care
Technology
Taxes and
Unanticipated, one-time costs within the other categories.
So, what budget item would you cut to make ends meet? Would you call out from work and miss a paycheck because you couldn’t afford the bus fare? Would you skip a mammogram appointment to pay your rent this month? These aren’t hyperbolic questions designed to scare you – these are questions that tens of thousands of our community members ask themselves every day.
Some people in Berks County might hear these numbers and think, “well, that’s just a City of Reading issue.” This belief is false.
The need to improve access to equitable care, particularly for marginalized populations
The need to provide behavioral/mental healthcare to both adults and youth
The need to focus on health education and health literacy, especially resources and information tied to wellness and disease prevention
The need to address health disparities and increase the focus on health equity
Based on the information provided in this report, I’d like to share with you a story that highlights the need for these improvements. Last names have been omitted to maintain anonymity.
Ms. Susan is a grandmother, just like me. She lives in Boyertown, and, like so many families in our county, has been tasked with the guardianship of her grandson, who was diagnosed with Joubert Syndrome at birth. This genetic disorder affects part of the brain that controls balance and coordination. The disorder requires extensive therapy and services to manage daily living. Missing these appointments can have severe impacts on health – so why would Susan skip them? Ms. Lauren, a community health worker assigned to Susan’s family, noticed a trend of skipped appointments and decided to check in with the family.
Lauren found that Susan’s husband is wheelchair bound and in need of constant care, just like their grandson. Between providing 24/7 care for both her husband and grandson, Susan struggled to manage the paperwork and scheduling necessary for her grandson to attend school and therapy. Lauren discovered that the family didn’t have readily available access to a computer, where most of this paperwork could be found. That’s when Lauren reached out to the foundation.
For less than $200, Jess’s Sunshine Fund provided a laptop for Susan to manage her grandson’s care. The no more missed appointments led to no more unnecessary declines in her grandson’s health. Susan’s grant is one of the smallest distributions made by Jess’s Sunshine Fund, but it was profoundly impactful.
This technological barrier reveals a much larger truth: when we have a dedicated community health worker committed to the recognition, investigation, and improvement of the conditions that people are born, raised, and grow in, we can work together to create a healthier future.
Stories like Susan’s are just one of hundreds that I’ve been a part of at Berks County Community Foundation. Our relationships with community health workers in the county allow us to allocate donor dollars to essential health initiatives.
I’d like to give you another example of how collaboration with a community health worker made a positive impact on a family.
In 2024, a Berks County community health worker, Ms. Bobbi, noticed that Ms. Carmen, whose son has sickle cell anemia and Lowe syndrome, often rescheduled or missed her son’s necessary, recurring appointments in Philadelphia. After talking with Carmen, Bobbi discovered two things: first, Carmen’s car was in constant need of repair and wholly unreliable. Second, Carmen is a single mom, tasked with providing constant care for her son. As a young boy who is blind, non-verbal, and non-ambulatory, Carmen’s son has total dependence on his mother.
With Bobbi’s help and a written letter of recommendation, Carmen applied for our Arthur O. and Clara M. Schlegel Memorial Fund and was awarded the grant money needed to purchase a reliable vehicle. In Carmen’s case, and too often in Berks, non-medical factors impede our community’s health. We’ve all heard the cliché statement of, “I can’t afford to get sick right now.” Right now, it is our job to make a healthy life attainable and affordable for all.
Addressing the social determinants of health in Berks decreases health issues and lessens the burden on our community. Having a community health worker on your care team to identify both non-medical and medical needs is vital to ensuring positive health outcomes.
Berks County is a beautiful, diverse, and complicated region. We speak different languages, experience different life stressors, and hold vastly different beliefs. But our personal health is fundamentally interconnected with our community’s health. We need community health workers in our offices, clinics, hospital rooms, and mobile health services. Now more than ever, for ourselves and for future generations.
In closing, I want to leave you with one final thought. At Berks County Community Foundation, we have a quote on the wall of our boardroom from local philanthropist and industrialist Louis R. Thun; that reads,
“We remind ourselves constantly that we are heirs of an exceptional past, custodians of a challenging present, and architects of a limitless future.”
I believe that together, we can rise to the challenges presented to us today. I believe that we can build a more equitable, healthy, and vivacious Berks County. And to the community health workers of Berks County – thank you. Your work is invaluable and necessary. True change can start with a single spark, and we need yours.
Thank you.”
It is our honor to work with so many families and businesses to structure and implement your charitable giving plans.
What’s perhaps most rewarding to the team at the Community Foundation is the overwhelming sentiment among our donors that, despite changes in the tax laws over the years, you are committed to making a difference by supporting the causes you love. Although tax benefits of charitable giving ebb and flow, showing your support for our community and the charities you love through estate planning remains steadfast.
August is National Make-A-Will Month, which means it’s the perfect time to review your estate plans with your attorney and our team at the foundation to ensure your philanthropic intentions are up to date. Even a quick check-in now can maximize the impact of your legacy and help ensure that your wishes are clearly carried out to support the causes you care about for generations to come.
If you are a business owner, the concept of succession/estate planning is nothing new. But succession planning isn’t just for business owners–it’s also important for leaving a charitable legacy. The team at the Community Foundation can help capture your intentions, and we make it easy to involve your family members so that the causes you care about are supported for generations to come.
We look forward to talking with you soon about how you can deepen your involvement with your favorite charities. Our team is here to help.
Ed Lombardo has a connection to Berks County Community Foundation that goes back many years. A lifelong Berks resident, high school football coach, community volunteer and investment advisor, Ed recognizes the importance of philanthropy.
To learn more about establishing a fund at Berks County Community Foundation, click here or email mollyr@bccf.org.
Reading, PA (July 23, 2025) – Berks County Arts Fund of Berks County Community Foundation recently awarded $50,000.00 in grants to six organizations. The Berks County Arts Fund supports arts and culture organizations that will implement community-focused programs/projects throughvisual arts. They seek to support innovative, inclusive, and accessible programs that will foster community pride and encourage creative expression within the Berks community.
The following grants were awarded:
$13,025.70 to Alvernia University’s Total Experience Learning Institute mural project, Sanctuary of Color – Bringing Art to the LightHouse Playground. The mural installation will enhance the beauty, privacy, and safety of the playground for Lighthouse residents who are transitioning from crisis to stability.
$3,500.00 to Theron Cook Art Don’t Quit Foundation to support the project ArtCycle: Transforming Trash Into Treasure. Guided painting sessions of inner-city Reading’s trash and recycling bins will bring local youth together to beautify their community and learn about the importance of recycling.
$5,000.00 to State Theatre Preservation Society for its Summer Kid Movies program to provide discounted movies, snacks, and relaxing quality time for lower-income families in Boyertown and the surrounding areas.
$5,815.00 to Our Town Foundation to build its community mural at State Street Square, an event and gathering space that is currently being developed for the cultural and educational enrichment of Hamburg residents.
$3,500.00 to Reading Theater Project to construct large, operable puppets for a free, outdoor theater performance at the Reading Public Museum Arboretum.
$19,159.30 to Reading Symphony Orchestra to host a night of music and visual art. A Visual & Musical Mosaic features musical performances by Reading Symphony Orchestra and photography from local students that answer the question, “What does Berks County mean to me?”
Monica Reyes, Vice President for Programs and Initiatives of Berks County Community Foundation, stated, “We are proud to support these organizations whose work enriches our communities through visual arts. By supporting the visual arts, we’re investing in both creative expression and the civic vitality it fosters.”
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Berks County Arts Fund supports visual arts programming based in Berks County. To learn more about the fund, please visit the fund’s landing page on our website.
If you would like to make a gift to increase our ability to provide grant funding for the arts in our community, please email Molly McCullough Robbins, Vice President for Philanthropic Services, at mollyr@bccf.org.
