Greater Pottstown Foundation outlines activities, grants

POTTSTOWN — The Greater Pottstown Foundation has concluded the receipt of grant reports for 2024, and grant requests for 2025, announcing awards of over $60,000 to local educational programs, with another $20,000 pending review and approval — all in addition to approximately $70,000 previously provided in grants in 2024.

Grants went to Montgomery County Community College to support scholarships for deserving students in the Pottstown area. The scholarships this year funded most if not all tuition, books, and other educational expenses for Jaclyn Tecce, Julia Fialkowski, Evan Wanish, Brionna Walton, and Hannah Irvin.

The students are selected for foundation funding by the college based on their financial need, academic performance, and commitment to overcoming these barriers while in pursuit of their educational aspirations.

In a different vein, GPF recognizes that a well-rounded person needs at least to be aware of the arts if not participate in them, so for 20 years, the foundation provided a significant portion of the funds that Art Fusion employed for its free in-person arts programming and art classes relied on by students from  Pottstown, Pottsgrove and Owen J. Roberts school districts.

It is the foundation’s goal to provide opportunities for communities to experience the visual arts in an environment of encouragement and dignity. In that vein, Art Fusion 19464 continues to provide classes and art trips for students at nominal or no cost. For those who cannot attend, the foundation has funded Art Fusion’s take-home Art Kits which are fully fledged mini-art classes distributed at community events throughout the year.

Mindful of the importance of the environment and the body as well as the mind, the foundation has continued as a partner and supporter of GreenAllies which this year is promoting a new student leader initiative to empower and support students to become local leaders in environmental sustainability at the Althouse Arboretum in Upper Pottsgrove.

Last year Greater Pottstown Foundation funded GreenAllies for the Student Leadership Training Program, attended by more than 70 students from six local high schools who came to the Althouse Arboretum to work through four different workshops on leadership.

The foundation is spearheading their drive to fund a new classroom for the initiative.  Student comments about the programs included adjectives like “inspirational,” “great learning experience,” “awesome,” “informational,” and “empowering.”

Because education is not always formal or in a school setting but no less important, the foundation has begun supporting Wings of Victory Outreach Corporation. It sought foundation support to preemptively engage the younger generation, providing education to train youth in critical areas such as financial literacy and employment readiness skills. The foundation additionally hopes to help Wings of Victory afford education that can enable individuals to forego homelessness.

As with GreenAllies, the foundation was there to assist Wings of Victory in securing their necessary classroom.

Lastly, the Greater Pottstown Foundation will continue this year to support the Pottstown Public Library children’s programs, whose support was initiated over a decade ago by Board member Chris Heidenreich. To that end, the foundation intends to support the reconstruction of the children’s section that was damaged by flooding.

Perhaps better known are the 24 annual scholarships based on essay submissions from the high schools in the Pottstown area the foundation has awarded since 1998. These scholarships are awarded in honor of Shandy Hill, the former Pottstown Mercury editor, curmudgeon-in-chief, and GPF donor.

The foundation will continue to support with scholarship assistance the current five Shandy Hill Scholars: Deimmy Dang, Eva Burkholder, Natalie Nicholas, William Saylor and Sarah Kopec.

Finally, when the Upper Pottsgrove Veteran’s Memorial reached out for help — the Greater Pottstown Foundation was there and will remain so until the stone is set, the prayers are said, and veterans receive their just honor.

Visit www.greaterpottstownfoundation.org for more information on the Greater Pottstown Foundation’s activities,