FROM THE CHAMBER Aiding Area Nonprofits

BY ZOE SATTERTHWAITE, STORYTELLING INTERN, GRCA

Giving locally is the best way to improve your community, as well as improve yourself. Here is a small selection of local nonprofits and Greater Reading Chamber Alliance (GRCA) members that work daily to help make Berks County a better place.

Safe Berks

Since 1976, Safe Berks has held the same goal — to provide a safe haven to survivors of domestic abuse and sexual violence. Originally named Berks Women in Crisis, Safe Berks services include counseling, legal support, community outreach and education, and a 24-hour bilingual hotline. Safe Berks also offers a secure shelter for victims and their children, with in-house counseling and full-time staff to ensure all residents feel safe. All services are free and confidential. During the summer, local youth can attend Camp Safe Berks, a free day camp that teaches participants about social justice. Monetary donations can be made online at safeberks.org/ donate/. Donations of new items such as clothing, towels, bedding and personal care items are always welcomed and appreciated. For those interested in donating time, Safe Berks always is looking for volunteers to provide dinner for shelter residents. Contact MindyM@SafeBerks.org for volunteer opportunities.

Centro Hispano

Centro Hispano’s purpose is to engage the Latino population in the Greater Reading area through community events and local services. In 1988, Centro Hispano founded Casa de la Amistad, a community center t argeted towards senior citizens. Casa de la Amistad offers daily meals, educational classes and group activities. Centro Hispano also is partnered with five local colleges to aid both parents and students who seek guidance during the application process, as well as offering scholarship opportunities to Latino students who are seeking careers in post-secondary education. Centro Hispano works with the Olivet Boys and Girls Club to provide meals and snacks for at-risk children and teens. It also partners with Safe Berks to raise awareness about domestic violence and to provide support services to Berks County’s Latino community. To donate to Centro Hispano, visit centrohispano.org/ donate. To volunteer time, call 610.685.1264.

Berks Nature

Berks Nature was founded in 1974 with the goal to protect, preserve and celebrate the natural beauty of Berks County. Berks Nature manages nine community gardens, preserves more than 11,000 acres of land and manages more than 27 miles of trails in Berks County. It offers countless events and educational programs each year for people of all ages. Berks Nature owns and operates The Nature Place, located in Angelica Creek Park, which acts as the home for many signature programs such as the Eco-Camp and Nature Pre-School. The Nature Place was built using many sustainable and eco-friendly building practices and is LEED gold certified. Every November, Berks Nature hosts the State of the Environment Breakfast to discuss current environmental events. Every five years this event and its accompanying publication examine Berks County’s natural resources through an evaluation of 25 environmental indicators. Donations can be made at support. berksnature.org, or a one-time, $20 donation can be made by texting NATURE to 20222. Berks Nature is always looking for volunteers to help further environmental education and conservation. To volunteer, email info@berksnature.org.

Upcoming Event

Join Berks Women2Women for its 12 th Annual Conference + Expo on Thursday, April 20, from 7:30am to 3:30pm at the Santander Performing Arts Center. This full-day event will feature keynote speakers, breakout sessions and an expo of women-owned businesses. Visit greaterreading.org/ events to purchase tickets.

TV Personality and Producer: Netflix, Hulu, Food Network. Entrepreneur, NYT & WSJ bestselling author

2023 West Reading Craft Pretzel & Beer Fest

Enjoy old favorites and new creations! This year will include a West Reading Homebrewers Competition from 10:30am-4pm. Prizes include the chance to brew with Chatty Monks. The event is free to attend and offers live music and more. For more info visit visitwestreading.com/ wrcpbf-2021-list-of-retailer-and-breweries/ or facebook.com/WestReadingPretzelBeerFest.

11am-5pm | Penn Avenue | West Reading

WHAT TO DO & WHERE TO GO

COMPILED BY NIKKI M. MURRY

KU Presents: Laura Benanti

Tony® Award-winner and five-time Tony® Award nominee Laura Benanti is a highly celebrated stage and screen actress. Her TV and film roles include Gossip Girl , Younger, Worth and Tick-Tick…Boom! In 2019, Benanti made a triumphant return to Broadway as Eliza Doolittle in Lincoln Center's acclaimed production of MY FAIR LADY. Her performance at Schaeffer will feature songs from many Broadway musicals, jazz-influenced torch songs and comedic takes on beloved favorites and standards with a liberal dose of her charming wit and humor. For tickets and more info visit kutztownpresents.org.

7:30pm | Schaeffer Auditorium

Kutztown University

11-16 & 25-30

Reading Fightin’ Phils

Cheer on your Fightins opening day, April 11 at 6:45pm as they start as they take on the Hartford Yard Goats. Later in the month they face the Altoona Curve. For game times, promotions and tickets visit fightins.com.

The Evolution of Joni Mitchell

An enlightening journey through the life and songs of the music legend performed by acclaimed cabaret artist Lauren Fox with commentary from the Joni biography Reckless Woman , and accompaniment on piano, guitar and bass. Former New York Times music critic Stephen Holden wrote about the show, “More Joni than Joni, Fox captures Mitchell’s literary depth and musical sensibility with profound empathy and understanding.” For tickets and more info visit millercenter.racc.edu/evolution-joni-mitchell.

7:30pm | Miller Center for the Arts

Reading Area Community College

Various start times

FirstEnergy Stadium | Reading

2, 12, 14 & 15

Reading Royals

Come out and cheer on your hometown hockey team and enjoy a variety of fun themes and promotions. For more info visit royalshockey.com.

Various start times

Santander Arena | Reading

5th Annual Spring Iron Pour & Forge Fest

The day begins with a gathering of the local blacksmith’s association. These artisans will share their process for super heating and hammering steel into delicate ornate patterns. Following will be fire-roasted food available from Dundore & Heister. Music will be provided by Pollen Consolidated. Cap off the night with an exciting display as 2,000 pounds of iron is heated to 3,000 degrees and the molten metal is tapped for pouring. Rain date May 6. For more info visit goggleworks. org/event/spring-iron-pour-forge-fest-2/.

2-10pm | GoggleWorks

Center for the Arts | Reading

Benefits

April 29

33rd Annual Friend, Inc.

Community Services

Benefit Auction

Bid on awesome art, jewelry, household items, autographed items, gift certificates for local businesses (like hair salons and restaurants), not to mention the famous desserts. New this year is the Friendly Furniture Flipper Challenge where local business-owner artisans transform furniture “wrecks” into heirlooms for your bid ding pleasure. For more info visit friendinc.org.

5pm | Belzner Hall at Kutztown Fairgrounds

THEATRE/DANCE

April 20-23

Spring Awakening

Winner of the 2007 Tony Award for Best Musical, this electrifying alternative rock musical tells a story of adolescent anarchy as a group of teens in 19 th-century Germany, subjugated by their parents and teachers, dare to discover a sensual world of freedom and feeling outside the classroom, only to find their lives irreversibly shattered by the very adults who should protect them. For mature audiences. For tickets and more info visit albright.universitytickets.com.

April 20-22 at 8pm, April 23 at 2pm Albright Theatre | Albright College

WHAT ELSE April 20

Berks History Center: Two Du Pont Properties Trip

Enjoy a day of impressive estates and spectacular gardens with the Berks History Center. During this day-long excursion, participants will first visit Nemours Estate, a masterpiece of Gilded Age design with a 77-room mansion and 200-acres of formal French gardens in Wilmington, DE. Next, visit the Mt. Cuba Center, a colonial revival style house and land that was transformed into a lush botanical garden featuring some of the region’s most beautiful native plants. For more info contact Vicky Heffner, Education Curator, at 610.375.4375 or education@berkshistory.org.

8am-6pm | Berks History Center | Reading

Want Your Event

Submit your event on our website at BerksCountyLiving.com.

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