Boyertown Library hosts ‘adulting’ classes
Boyertown Community Library hosts Adulting 101: Skills for Learning, classes that teach important life skills to teens and adults.
Sue Smith, a retired home economics teacher, will instruct on clothing care, how to mend a hole and replace a button on Oct. 24 at 5:30 p.m. The class is open to teens and adults ages 15 and up.
Boyertown Community Library Director Denise Pulgino Stout teaches cooking classes. Her next class will be held on Oct. 25, from 4 to 6 p.m. New recipes will be taught at each cooking class. The cooking classes are open to anyone age 12 and older.
Registration for the classes is required. Sign up online at bit.ly/3NPKYK8.
The library thanks the Boyertown Community Center, Inc. Fund of Berks County Community Foundation for supporting the library and supplying the grant funds to make these classes possible.
For more information about upcoming programs, visit https://www.berkslibraries.org/branch/boyertown.
Exeter Community Library hosts Philly author
On Oct. 11, the Exeter Community Library will host Jason Rekulak, author of the new thriller “Hidden Pictures,” which released in May.
“Hidden Pictures” is about 23-year-old Mallory Quinn. Fresh out of rehab, she finds the perfect new job: Working as a babysitter in the idyllic suburb of Spring Brook, New Jersey. She’s caring for a five-yearold boy named Teddy who loves to draw — but as his pictures turn increasingly sinister, Mallory suspects supernatural forces at work. With help from an eccentric neighbor and a handsome landscaper, Mallory investigates a long-ago murder on the property — and discovers that Teddy’s strange drawings might be pointing her to the culprit.
Filled with actual drawings throughout the novel itself, “Hidden Pictures” is “filled with thrills, chills, twists, and turns,” said Exeter Community Library Executive Director Mallory Hoffman.
Rekulak worked for many years as Publisher of Quirk Books, an independent press based in Philadelphia. His debut novel “The Impossible Fortress” was translated into 12 languages and became a finalist for the Edgar Award. He lives in West Philadelphia with his wife, children, and too many pets.
Books will be available for pre-order through the library thanks to Reads & Company Bookshop in Phoenixville, or for purchase that evening at the event. The first 10 people to pre-order “Hidden Pictures” ($30) will also get a gift bag that includes an Exeter Community Library mug, coffee, Sandy’s Cookie Company cookie, book light, a sketch pad to create your own ‘hidden pictures,’ and more. All pre-orders must be picked up at the event. To pre-order, email the library at exetercl@berks.lib.pa.us.
Gilbertsville native awarded transplant scholarship
A Gilbertsville organ transplant recipient has been been named as a recipient of the Jessica Beth Schwartz Memorial Scholarship.
Funded through the Transplant Foundation, the charitable foundation which supports the mission of Gift of Life Donor Program. Each year, the scholarship program issues $2,500 awards to transplant recipients seeking higher education. The scholarship was created in memory of heart transplant recipient Jessica Beth Schwartz.
“It is my pleasure to give these young organ transplant recipients the opportunity to pursue higher education, while honoring my daughter Jessie’s love of learning,” said scholarship co -founder Janice Schwartz Donahue in the announcement. “These students have already displayed great strength and resilience in their lives. I’m sure a great future lies ahead for them.”
Just a few days after she was born, Jessica Beth Schwartz was diagnosed with a congenital heart defect. Her heart and body began to slow down by the age of 14. But thanks to someone who said yes to organ donation, Jessica was able to experience eight and a half additional years of life.
A total of 71 students have been awarded scholarships since the fund was created in 2003 in her honor totaling more than $155,000.
Scholarship recipient Cade Hovey of Gilbertsville was born with a rare liver disease called progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis. At age 16, he received a liver transplant at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
“My life is forever changed thanks to my donor hero. Our connection is a complicated mix of tragedy and transformation, intense suffering, and overwhelming gratitude,” he said.
Hovey served as the president of his senior class, in addition to his participation in other student organizations, working toward his goal of serving others. Outside of school, Cade advocates for the PFIC community. He is a peer mentor for PFIC Advocacy & Resource Network, and a Gift of Life ambassador.
Like Jessica, Cade is an artist and maintains a host of other interests and passions. He just began his freshman year at Susquehanna University and plans to study journalism and international relations.
To be eligible, students must be an organ or tissue transplant recipient under the age of 25, seniors in high school, or be enrolled in a two or four-year college, university, trade or technical school. To contribute to the Jessica Beth Schwartz Memorial Scholarship Fund, or for more information on scholarship criteria, visit www.jessiesday.org.
21st Annual Safe Berks Silent Witness March and Dedication
Safe Berks will honor and remember victims of domestic violence homicide in Berks County on Monday, Oct. 17 at the 21st Annual Silent Witness March and Dedication, which is held each October as part of Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
From Safe Berks to Reading Area Community College, marchers will carry red, life-size silhouettes that symbolize the victims. Each silhouette wears a shield that describes the tragedy of their untimely death. Participants mourn for each of the victims, and their families and friends. At RACC, a Dedication Ceremony will be held, followed by lunch.
This event is free and open to the public. For more information or to RSVP, contact Delio Santana, Manager of Education and Outreach Programs at Safe Berks, at DelioS@SafeBerks.org or 610-370-7811.
During the month of October, the Safe Berks Silent Witness Project will be on display at Kutztown University, Alvernia University, and Reading Area Community College.
Safe Berks, founded in 1976 as Berks Women in Crisis, provides free and confidential services to survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault and their family members and significant others. Safe Berks services are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Services include shelter, counseling, legal services, community outreach and response, medical advocacy, and education. Services are available in English and Spanish and will be translated into any other language needed. The 24-hour Hotline is 844-789-SAFE (7233), or text the words SAFE BERKS to 20121.
LVHN Mobile Mammograms returns to KU Oct. 31
The Lehigh Valley Topper Cancer Institute will bring its mobile mammography coach to Kutztown University Monday, Oct. 31. Screenings will take place 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Student Recreation Center parking lot. The screening service will be offered to women over 40 years old who have not had a mammogram in the past year. The event is open to the entire community.
Post-traditional and graduate students as well as staff, faculty and community members can benefit from this opportunity. No prescription is needed for women over the age of 40 who have not had a mammogram in the past year. There are also grant funding opportunities for those over 40 without insurance; those interested should contact the Lehigh Valley Health Network for more information.
To schedule an appointment, call 888-402-5846. Have your physician’s contact information and insurance card available at the time of your call.
First in the region to have a mobile option for its patients, the Lehigh Valley Topper Cancer Institute designed the mobile coach program for women who don’t have convenient access to screening mammography. The coach offers new 3D screening mammograms, the same imaging technology used at their facilities.
The mobile mammography coach is designed with women in mind, as it offers private changing rooms and mammogram area, is fully staffed by Lehigh Valley Cancer Institute medical technologists and takes less than 15 minutes to complete. Mammogram readings are performed by Lehigh Valley Cancer Institute doctors and screening results are provided to women and their primary care providers in a timely manner. The mobile mammography coach is only accessible by stairs, so women should be able to walk up a few steps and remain standing during their exam.
For more information, contact Lehigh Valley Health Network at 888402-5846.
Schwank announces $642,426 in PCCD grant funding for Berks County
The Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency approved grant funding for three Berks County projects.
Kutztown University received $133,300 in Federal State Opioid Response Funds in support of the SBIRT Enhancement Project. SBIRT is an acronym for Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment, a public health approach that delivers intervention services to individuals at risk of developing substance abuse issues. KU offers SBIRT screening to students.
Berks Connections/Pretrial Services received two Federal Byrne Justice Assistance Grants for a total of $499,998. The funding will go towards the reentry services for Berks County residents with previous justice system involvement.
Brecknock Township received $9,128 in grant funding from the Federal Body Warn Camera Policy and
Implementation Program in support of the Brecknock Township Police Department BWC Program.
Schwank said all three projects demonstrate a commitment to making Berks County a better place to live.
“These funds will go towards a wide range of initiatives that will be of great benefit to the entire county,” Schwank said. “Addressing substance abuse, investing in reentry services, and body cameras that help keep officers safe and strengthen evidence quality are all items I believe the vast majority of Berks Countians wholeheartedly support. I commended this group of award recipients for putting together strong applications and taking advantage of these grant funding opportunities.”
Ag group seeks award nominees
The Berks Agricultural Resource Network, B.A.R.N, is seeking nominations for several award categories meant to acknowledge and encourage excellence in agriculture-related areas.
The 2022 Bountiful Berks Award recognizes individuals, groups or a project that have distinguished themselves by achieving and/or promoting best practices in agriculture or related businesses.
The 2022 Agriculture Journalism Award recognizes three examples of exemplary articles, blog posts, podcasts or TV spots about agriculture published between October and September.
The 2022 Agriculture Communications Award recognizes three examples of exemplary newsletters, social media posts, etc. about agriculture published between October and September.
The 2022 Tressie S. Caton Women in Agriculture Award — named after Caton, a tireless and vibrant member of Pennsylvania’s Agri-Women organization — recognizes excellence in agriculture-related fields like, science, economics, farming, veterinary work, philanthropy and more.
Nominations must include a 250-word typed, personal statement or testament. All nominees must live in Berks.
Submissions must include your name, email address, home address and phone number. Deadline for submissions is Oct. 28.
Entries can be submitted to b.a.r.n.berks@gmail. com or mailed to Berks Agriculture Resource Network, Attn. Bountiful Berks Awards, 846 Fleetwood Lyons Road, Fleetwood PA 19522.
Awards will be presented during the B.A.R.N. Farm to Fork celebration, which begins at 5 p.m. Nov. 16 at Reinhart’s Tree Farm, Jefferson Township.
For more information about the Farm to Fork event, go to www.berksag. org/2022farmtofork.html.