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| United Way Announces Leadership Changes
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 United Way of Berks County Board of Directors has announced Tammy White as chief operating officer of the organization, effective January 1. She previously was senior vice president of the organization's resource development division. The board of directors stated that White will succeed Karen A. Rightmire as the organization's president upon Rightmire's retirement on June 30, 2009.
"Tammy will serve as an excellent leader," states Ron Bashore, a longtime United Way volunteer leader who chaired the organization's search committee for Rightmire's successor. "She is a proven leader with significant experience in the management of major giving and the annual campaign, planned and endowed giving and marketing and communications, and she excels at relationship management. She has a strong record of leading successful annual campaigns in support of United Way programs and services that benefit more than 100,000 local people each year."
Under White's leadership of the organization's campaign efforts, she is credited with raising 90% of the organization's revenue through the annual campaign process and implementing a step-up Challenge Match strategy to increase growth in the local Tocqueville Society. In 2008, United Way exceeded an $8.8 million campaign goal and raised more than $8.9 million.
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| Shopping Spree Winner Clears the Shelves at Shurfine Markets
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 The crab legs were flying at Shurfine Markets in Sinking Spring recently as Jewel Lawrence raced through the aisles of the supermarket to claim her husband's prize as the winner of United Way's Shurfine Shopping Spree. At the end of the three-minute shopping spree, Jewel had grabbed $1,779 worth of meats, seafood, frozen items and laundry detergent.
Jewel's husband, Kevin, won the shopping spree by contributing to the 2008 United Way campaign through his employer, the Reading Eagle Company.
"It was such a surprise when I learned that I won the shopping spree," Kevin said. "I'm very thankful for the opportunity, and I think it's great that companies like Shurfine support United Way's efforts. It's important that we all work together to make a difference in the community."
This is the eighth year Shurfine Markets has donated a three-minute shopping spree to the campaign.
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| Free Tax Preparation at VITA Sites |
Short for Volunteer Income Tax Assistance, VITA sites are a joint venture of the Berks County $ in Your Pocket Coalition, which promotes awareness and access to federal Earned Income Tax Credits (EITC) for workers earning less than $33,000/ year. The coalition, which consists of Berks Encore, Berks Community Action Program (BCAP), Centro Hispano, United Way of Berks County and the IRS, is offering free tax preparation at most of the Berks Encore centers, BCAP and the Hispanic Center. The volunteer tax preparers are fully trained and certified by the IRS to complete tax returns and help individuals receive the tax credits they are entitled to. Appointments can be made by calling one of the following locations:
Berks Encore: 610-374-3195
BCAP: 610-376-6571
Centro Hispano: 610-376-3748
To date, the Coalition has helped individuals and families across Berks County receive more than $600,000 in refunds.
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| Godiva Incentive Winners Announced |
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Congratulations to the lucky winners of the Godiva Chocolatier incentive for Leadership Givers:
Carol L. Dacoros
Carpenter Technology Corp.
Virginia Morse
White Star Tours
Wendy L. Whitmoyer
Carpenter Technology Corp.
The winners will each receive a new shipment of Godiva chocolate once a month for a year. Our thanks to Godiva Chocolatier for their support of the LeadershIp Giving program.
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Do you know someone who needs help?
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Berks HelpLink is an online, searchable database of organizations in Berks County offering help for a wide variety of circumstances. Click here to access Berks HelpLink, or visit United Way of Berks County's website at www.uwberks.org and click on the HelpLink logo.
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Hunger in America 2009
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| Berks County is participating for the first time in a nationwide study - Hunger in America 2009 - sponsored by Feeding America (formerly America's Second Harvest), the national food bank network.
The Greater Berks Food Bank and United Way of Berks County are partnering to manage the research study in Berks County to get an accurate and more in depth understanding of how many people need help getting enough food to eat, what their circumstances are, and what parts of the county they come from. The research results will help in future planning efforts to help those who are hungry.
This effort will take place throughout the year, with a full report expected late 2009 or early 2010. | |
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