Behind every great idea is an ordinary person who had the determination and drive to turn his or her inklings into something extraordinary. Three local residents are among a special group of trendsetters who have combined their creativity and innovation to bring their notions to life. These innovative ideas born in Berks are offering a host of benefits to the community – from added safety, to savings at local businesses, to unique wearable art. These visionaries’ stories offer inspiration to anyone who has ever wanted to transform ideas into reality.
Do It Local App Offers Easy Way to Save Money, Support Charities
One Berks County mother’s passion to support charities and locally owned businesses has blossomed into a mobile app that is ultimately saving consumers money.
Mohnton resident Heather Brady created and launched the Do It Local discount app – part advertiser, virtual coupon book and fundraiser – to help bring her community together.
The app offers a platform for some of Heather’s favorite local businesses to advertise, for consumers to save money, and for local charities to receive donations.
“Berks truly is filled with lots of incredible places and truly passionate business owners,” explains Heather on how the app came to fruition. “My love for life, family and my hometown of Berks grew, and I knew I had to create this missing ‘tool.’”
Here’s how it works: Consumers purchase the app for $25 – $15 of which goes to a participating charity. Users then have access to discounts from dozens of local businesses in categories such as restaurants, salons and spas, auto care, home services and shopping.
Featuring local businesses within the app – instead of the big chains – was a natural fit for Heather. “Local businesses are the ones who are invested in the community,” Heather says. “They are the ones who support local charities’ needs. They have a personal connection.”
Other convenient features of the app include geo push notifications to users when they are close to a participating business, a savings calculator to easily track annual savings, and banner ads to promote their charity’s upcoming events.
Heather’s entrepreneurial vision began last summer when she experienced some “eye-opening” life events. She gave birth to a still-born son, Cameron. While she was at home healing from her loss, she bonded with her then-2-year-old son, Colton.
“I wanted a local app filled with locally owned deals to enjoy life,” Heather recalls. “I wasn’t getting paid while I was off work, so I had to hunt for deals. Discovering Berks places and saving money became a game.”
Today, the success of the app has enabled Heather to leave her full-time job in corporate media and advertising and to focus her energy on her son and expanding the app.
Do It Local is generating buzz in other communities, too. The app has already launched in neighboring Lancaster County. In October, Do It Local will launch apps in Doylestown, Pa., and Durham, N.C. Heather is working with individuals in nearby Montgomery and Lehigh counties for their own Do It Local app launches later this year.
“I was hoping our app would take off,” says Heather of her app’s growing popularity. “I know that communities need this tool.”
By next summer, Heather hopes to raise $150,000 for charities – that’s 10,000 app users. “It’s all about the charities,” she says. “I win when they see a big win.”
Annual memberships to the app can be purchased at doitlocalapp.com. After you purchase a membership online, the website will provide app download buttons for the app through the Apple App Store or through the Google Play Store.
Turning Leaves into Art
A local artist is using her talents to turn the leaves of Oley’s 500-year-old Sacred Oak Tree into beautiful pendants.
The Sacred Oak Tree is the largest yellow oak tree in the United States and sits in a grove of trees on private property just off Friedensburg Road in Oley Township. According to folklore, the tree was a sacred tree for the Lenape Indians and has spiritual healing powers.
“When I heard about the Sacred Oak of Oley, I knew I had to cast its leaves,” Linda Lori recalls. “We’re talking a 500-plus-year-old tree that is on the list of the Top 10 most spiritual trees in the country.”
Linda transforms leaves from this grand oak tree into wearable art through leaf casting, a process that involves applying a concrete mixture to the underside of a leaf and allowing it to dry.
“The casting process for leaves is fairly simple, but first and foremost, you’ve got to like playing in mud,” Linda shares. “There is very little room for any negotiations here. If the mix is too watery or thick – or if the environment is not just the right temperature and humidity – it gets ugly.”
The leaf casting process begins with picking the perfect leaf. “You are going to want leaves with veins that are pronounced, as this will give your cast much more depth than with a shallow-veined leaf,” Linda explains. “What blows my mind is a leaf itself. No two are exactly alike. Only through casting them can you really see the intricacy of their architecture that you wouldn’t otherwise notice.”
Linda’s wearable art is one-of-a-kind. “It’s really the leaf that is one-of-a-kind,” Linda says. “However, I still can’t find another designer that is doing this on a professional level. Although many jewelry makers commonly use concrete for their designs, tiny leaf casts aren’t very common. I’m not sure why either. They’re just so darn cool.”
Linda gathers leaves from the Sacred Oak Tree twice a year when the property owners host a public visitation. The next scheduled visitation is 9am-2pm on Saturday, Oct. 7.
“The fallen leaves that I gather have already begun to dry, so the first thing I do is preserve them with glycerin, or they would be too brittle to cast with concrete,” she explains of the process. “Not all of them make it through that process though, so I try to find several dozen of the smallest ones for the pendants. And to me, they’re all perfect – bug holes and all.”
For their pendant, individuals can choose leather cords in black and espresso, or other materials such as copper ball chain and black para-cord, which is made from recycled materials.
Linda’s Sacred Oak cast pendants are available through her Etsy store: Linda Flora Design. She recently added a natural clay pendant to the line. It’s cut out of clay and has tiny pieces of the Sacred Oak leaf mixed into the material.
For each pendant purchase, Linda donates $10 to the preservation of the Sacred Oak. She says it comes down to gratitude. “The public is allowed to visit the tree twice a year, and this is my way of giving something back for that incredible opportunity.”
The artist says of all her pendants, “I love that they are intrinsically unique. There will only ever be one pendant of that particular leaf. No two leaves are alike. They’re another one of nature’s magnificent architectural designs.”
Kutztown Exchange Zone Provides Added Safety
Buying and selling used items online is becoming more and more popular, and the Kutztown Police Department is helping to make the process safer for local residents.
The department debuted the Kutztown Exchange Zone in July of 2016 – two well-lit parking spaces outside the police station at 45 Railroad St. that are under 24/7 video surveillance.
Local residents can use the area to more safely sell or buy merchandise from strangers through online sites such as Craigslist, Letgo and the Facebook Marketplace. According to statistics site expandedramblings.com, Craigslist has 80 million U.S. users, with 40 million new classified ads posted each month; Letgo has 20 million monthly active users, with 100,000 items purchased daily.
“It’s a part of the police department’s responsibility to provide added safety to the public,” says Kutztown Police Chief Craig Summers on why his station created the exchange zone. “We’re providing a well-lit, public spot, so people don’t have to use some back alley.”
He said there is a risk with any exchange, but the spaces are video recorded for added security. Should anything happen, the police can retrieve video and obtain license plate numbers and pictures of individuals.
While the Kutztown Exchange Zone is accessible 24 hours a day, Chief Summers recommends that residents use it during daylight hours. “Coming at 3am probably isn’t a good time, but the cameras are good and can still see things,” he assures.
Local families also use the safety zone for child custody exchanges. “Some parents are required by the court to exchange their children at a police station,” Chief Summers explains. “They used to do it in the back parking lot, but now the exchange zone provides a safer spot.”
Chief Summers says he can’t take credit for the Kutztown Exchange Zone. He saw other police departments implementing similar safety areas and thought the Kutztown community could benefit from its own exchange zone.
Plus, the cost was minimal. “All we needed were some signs and paint,” Chief Summers says. “The lights and cameras were already there.”
Kutztown was the first police station in Berks County to offer an exchange zone, with Amity Township Police Department following in September 2016 and Spring Township Police Department in December 2016.
“More and more municipalities have contacted me for exchange zone verbiage,” Chief Summers says. “Because the exchange zone doesn’t cost a lot to implement, it’s just a good service that the police want to offer.”
For residents who can’t buy or sell items at one of the county’s exchange zones, Chief Summers recommends that they look for a public place in a neutral location during daylight hours.
A Rockin' Product Born in Berks
Hate the idea of putting chemicals in your child’s hair? Looking to tame tangles? Thanks to two Berks moms, you can put those worries to rest.
Rock the Locks is a natural and organic kids’ hair product line, launched in 2012 by working moms Lori Derr (27 years of experience in the hair industry) and Joie McKim (nine years of experience in the retail industry). Created exclusively for kids, Rock the Locks products are safe and effective for children's' hair care and styling.
In 2015, the ladies teamed up with Piggy Paint, a non-toxic, kid-friendly nail polish brand, to expand Rock the Locks even further. Piggy Paint was also created by a mom-trepreneur, sharing many of the same values. Rock the Locks products continue to be developed and manufactured in Reading.
Says McKim, “When searching for hair care products for our children, we noticed the amount of harmful chemicals that were added to children's shampoo, detanglers and other products. Together we set out to create a line of natural and organic hair products that were safe and fun to use on our children and that the kids themselves wanted to use!”
All Rock the Locks products are free of alcohols, dyes, sulfates, parabens, gluten and dairy, making them safe for children of all ages. The fun smells are made from essential oils and fruit extracts. The product line currently consists of a Shampoo and Conditioner 2-in-1, Hairspray, Flex Style Gel, Texture Paste, Conditioning Detangler and Curl Booster. A Glitter spray, Beach Wave spray and more will be launching soon!
Rock the Locks products are available at local Lords and Ladies Salons, more than 1,400 Wal-Mart locations, walmart.com, target.com and rockthelocks.com.
