“There’s a lot of positive things happening in Reading. There’s no shortage of individuals and groups working on initiatives and projects aimed at making improvements in the city”, Rodney Ridley, Vice President Alvernia University. “We are working to bring these efforts together.” He noted that the coalition was not developed to do anything new, but to work together on things already underway. “The goal is to come together and take a collaborative approach and expand their impact.”
Alvernia has launched the Cultural Coalition to help coordinate these efforts and engage the broader community. The Cultural Coalition is a volunteer group that will work on ongoing initiatives surrounding the social and economic issues in the City of Reading. The coalition is made up of three task forces: arts and culture, community and neighborhood revitalization, and education and workforce development. The main goal of the coalition is to connect the efforts underway in the downtown with the surrounding neighborhoods, creating a more engaged and inclusive community.
Alvernia’s President John Loyack has noted “with several projects underway and many others on the horizon, we are pleased to serve as a catalyst to ensure economic revitalization positively affects these neighborhoods and constituencies, especially those that are under-served and under-represented.” He has said that this effort can serve as a pilot to guide future strategies to serve the entire county.
The coalition is being chaired by Adonis Fleming and Maritza Loaiza, both lifelong Reading residents. Fleming, a graduate assistant for community outreach at the O’Pake Institute, grew up on South Fourth Street. Loaiza, a special assistant in the city’s office of the managing director, said the work the coalition will do is personal to her too. “This is home. This means something to me,” she said. “I want to see this city thrive.”
Each of the coalition’s task forces will serve different roles. The community and neighborhood revitalization task force will work with residential neighborhoods and local businesses to increase homeownership. The arts and culture task force will focus on promoting awareness of and celebrating local artists. The education and workforce development task force will work on enhancing access to post-secondary educational and training opportunities.
Join us on May 10th to learn more about the Cultural Coalition.
Register in advance for this meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEvdeypqDwrGNHljUFAKUulqKdu1o8zG85X
