Berks County Community Foundation recently approved $62,369 in grants to nine Boyertown area organizations through its Boyertown Area Charitable Program.
These grants are distributed from the Boyertown Area Community Fund, which supports a variety of programs and organizations 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 causes.
The fund awarded the following grants in 2023:
- Douglass Township Police Department received $2,439 to purchase medical kits for each patrol vehicle. The supplies funded through this program will ensure the Douglass Township Police Department is equipped to aid residents of the Boyertown Area School District.
- Gilbertsville Fire and Rescue Company received $6,030 to purchase materials that will allow the regional fire chiefs a stationary area that can be out of the elements to operate at an emergency scene safely and effectively.
- Make-A-Wish Foundation of Greater Pennsylvania and West Virginia received $5,000 to fund a trip to Disney World for an eight-year-old Boyertown resident.
- Greater Philadelphia YMCA received $10,000 to support programs at the Boyertown YMCA, including the Youth and Government teen civic engagement program, the Special Olympics swim team, and the Active Older Adults programming for seniors.
- Reading Hospital Foundation received $1,000 for Gwen’s Closet at Reading Hospital. Through Gwen’s Closet, Reading Hospital staff provide new clothing at no cost to patients who need new clothes at the time of discharge and during their stays.
- Second Wind Bicycles received $12,000 for the Give a Bike, Change a Life project. Through this project, bicycles are fixed and distributed for free to those who need them the most, such as financially at-risk families, refugees, individuals in recovery, those struggling with homelessness, and children within the community.
- The S.P.A.R.K.S Foundation received $5,000 to bring STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) programming to students across the Boyertown Area School District. This program will benefit youth through academic enrichment, providing future career opportunities and allowing youth to explore the realms of STEM while having fun.
- General Carl Spaatz Regional Army Air Corps Museum received $13,000 to preserve irreplaceable historical items and to provide Boyertown Area School District students with free guided tours of the museum.
- Studio B Art Gallery received $7,900 for its I Am: Proud of You and Me! project. This project will provide opportunities during community events for students and adults to create artistic responses to the sentence starter “I Am: Proud of You and Me because…” and culminate in an art exhibit, podcast episodes, and booklet of episode notes, news articles, activities, and a mural.
Donations are always accepted to support future grants provided by the Boyertown Area Charitable Program. To learn more, contact Emily Smedley, Environment and Energy Program Officer, at [email protected].
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. More information is available at www.bccf.org.
