It’s often said that it takes a village to raise a child. But, in reality, that village is only as good as the inhabitants are strong and steady within its boundaries. That means, communities working together with organizations to make themselves stronger and better almost always bring about more positive changes to the areas they are serving. Here are five such organizations in our area.
Oakbrook Collective Impact Council
After conducting a survey of Oakbrook residents in June 2017, United Way of Berks County convened the Oakbrook Collective Impact Council (OCIC) in January of 2018 to prioritize critical issues identified by residents via the survey and coordinate collaborative efforts to address residents’ needs.Using the “Collective Impact” model, community partners commit to work together to achieve the same goal and to address complex social problems. This multi-year process allows the group to discover the root cause of an issue and work to create positive changes.
As the OCIC helps to strengthen the neighborhood, the goals focus on increasing residents’ access to food and community resources. Access to nutritious and affordable food is a basic need since food insecurity creates greater health challenges. Ensuring children have enough food is important so that they can do well in school and make friends. And when residents have access to community resources centered on education, financial stability and health, their well-being and lives are improved. As basic needs are better addressed, the focus can shift to other key
issues, such as early grade reading proficiency, higher education/training opportunities, etc.
The council meets bi-monthly and is comprised of Oakbrook residents and representatives from 34 organizations, including community partners, local nonprofits and businesses. The Reading Housing Authority is a valued and critical partner for OCIC. In order to be involved with the OCIC, participants need to have some direct form of connection with the Oakbrook area. To learn more, visit uwberks.org.
South of Penn Task Force
Another community group that targets a specific area is the South of Penn Task Force (SOP). This group of committed individuals, organizations and stakeholders is working to improve quality of life, foster interpersonal relationships with neighbors, and increase homeownership in the area south of Penn Street in Reading.
The SOP was established in 2017 with funding from The Wyomissing Foundation. After consulting with Jim Hartling of Urban Partners in Philadelphia (who has extensive experience in downtown revitalization, housing market analysis/strategy and neighborhood planning), this became a targeted initiative with partner organizations and supporting businesses in southwest Reading. Their sole purpose? To make the neighborhood a better place to live. The geography of SOP extends from Franklin Street to Canal Street and from Reading Area Community College to 7th Street.
Activities since the group’s inception include financial literacy classes, GED and ESL classes, block parties, holiday parties, field trips, neighborhood meetings, movie nights, clean-up competitions, arts and cultural activities and youth programming. SOP has also helped to return the beauty and utilization of the Reading Iron Playground back to its neighbors and away from individuals who do not have the best interests of the children and families living there at heart. Activities continue to expand each year with more focus on increasing financial literacy and home ownership. One of the next problems to be addressed is repairing and replacing some of the sidewalks within SOP.
If a person or group is located within the SOP neighborhood, they are welcome to email the SOP community outreach worker, Tony Veloz, at soprpl@gmail.com to find out how to get involved. For additional info about the group, visit their page on Facebook.
18th Wonder Improvement Association
The 18th Wonder Improvement Association was created to develop and manage sustainability and prosperity within the neighborhoods of Millmont, Oakbrook and Wyomissing Park in the 18th Ward of the City of Reading. The goals of the association include promoting a sense of community and unified purpose; assuring the historic continuity and structural integrity of the neighborhood’s architecture; improving the image and perception of the 18th Wonder neighborhoods; and strengthening economic revitalization of property and commerce for residents, businesses, property owners and stakeholders of the 18th Ward.
The group began in 2015 when the Masano Auto Group purchased the former Baldwin Hardware facility, an approximately 30-acre Brownfield property that had been vacant for a few years. After the purchase, John Masano started discussions with some of the neighbors of the property (Reading Truck Body, Reading Housing Authority, Berks Catholic), throwing around ideas for improving their immediate surroundings. From those discussions, more groups were asked to get involved and meetings started to happen on a regular basis.
Through the Berks County Community Foundation and with the help of state Senator Judy Schwank, the group was able to utilize a state grant to develop an 18th Ward Neighborhood Plan, which outlined a number of infrastructure projects and beautification efforts for the area. It provided the core information that the 18th Wonder group needed in order to pursue the necessary funding that these projects would require.
The 18th Wonder Improvement Association has an Advisory Committee that meets every third Thursday at 2:30pm at the Reading Housing Authority offices at 400 Hancock Blvd. in Reading. In addition, there is an 18th Wonder Business Alliance and an 18th Wonder Resident Alliance.
Berks Teens Matter
In 2011, health officials in Berks County identified teen pregnancy prevention as an area of focus. At that time, Berks County had a higher rate of teen pregnancy compared to other counties of similar size and compared to the overall state rate.
Knowing this was an issue that needed community collaboration, Sheila Bressler from the Berks County Mental Health/Developmental Disabilities Program, along with Nadine Smet-Weiss from Co-County Wellness Services and a group of local individuals, formed a Teen Pregnancy Prevention Workgroup. The goal of this group was to help raise awareness in the Berks County community about teen pregnancy while working to implement prevention efforts. The group focused on improving parent/caregiver and youth communication, providing youth sexual health education, and increasing awareness about teen pregnancy in the medical community. Funding was secured from The Wyomissing Foundation, United Way of Berks County and the Power of the Purse.
In May 2015, it was decided that the youth of Berks County would be best served by merging the TPP Workgroup with the newly-developing Berks Teens Matter (BTM). Many of the original Workgroup members still participate in Berks Teens Matter, and their knowledge and expertise is invaluable to the initiative.
Berks County residents of any age can become involved with Berks Teens Matter. Currently, BTM facilitates and organizes the Youth Ambassador Program for students in 9th through 12th grade at Reading High School. The ambassadors meet on a weekly basis, learning about various aspects of adolescent development, such as sexual health and sexuality, healthy relationships, consent, reducing risks of STDs and unplanned pregnancies and other related health topics. Then the student ambassadors provide peer education programming in the community. In the past, they have provided educational sessions at Olivet Boys and Girls Club, local libraries and beyond. Berks Teens Matter also is interested in creating and facilitating Youth Ambassador programs in other high schools throughout the county.
Berks Coalition to End Homelessness Youth Committee
Youth homelessness is an issue that has recently risen to the forefront of concerns in our area.
The Berks Homeless Youth Committee, a sub-committee of the Berks Coalition to End Homelessness, began in the early 2000s as a small group of agencies trying to understand the needs of homeless youth. As schools began to identify students that were experiencing homelessness and the Pennsylvania Department of Education began collecting data on this issue, advocates in Berks County realized the scope of the problem and that there was a need for additional services.
Over the years, the committee began to grow, as more schools and agencies became involved and more people in the community wanted to support the issue. At their current meetings, professionals continue to share resources and information and work on collaborative projects that will benefit the homeless youth in Berks County.
The committee, comprised of representatives from various non-profits and school districts, works to think through collaborative responses to supporting homeless youth, aiming to ensure that all youth services are entered into the 211 service referral system. Since the formation of the youth committee, these services are in place in the county: drop-in centers, case management services, youth shelters and a mentoring program to support homeless youth. There also is increased communication between schools and community partners.
Anyone can join the Berks Homeless Youth Committee. Email krihof@berksiu.org or meldem@berksiu.org.
