AROUND TOWN

Welcome Winter with a Celebration

Head to West Reading Jan. 28 through 30 for the 5th Annual West Reading Ice ‘N Spice Festival if you’re a fan of the coldest of seasons. Featured will be highly talented ice sculptors, including nationally-known Danny Kissel of Kissel Studios, Newville, Cumberland County, chiseling their way through hundreds of pounds of ice to craft beautiful creations. Specials with spice will be highlighted at businesses in blocks 400-700 along Penn Avenue. Don’t miss out on the limited edition spicy drinks, eats with a kick and discounts on merchandise, too. Hours are Friday: 5-9pm, Saturday: 11am-8pm and Sunday: 11am-5pm. Want to get involved? Contact West Reading Tavern, festival host, at 610.376.9232. For more info visit westreadingicenspice.com. – NIKKI M. MURRY

Branding Pretzel City

West Reading Main Street Manager Mark Ratcliffe is on a mission. He wants the Greater Reading area to brand itself as “Pretzel City.” Explains Ratcliffe, “I know how important it is for an area to have an identity. That identity can encourage or discourage people to live in your area. Tourism is also an incredibly important component to a thriving city and community like ours.” He’s putting his mission into motion. “I have talked to numerous community leaders, and all think it’s a good idea,” he says. “It would be great if the City of Reading really embraced it and did a major push, but I also think a grassroots endeavor could help get the ball rolling. As Reading looks for a new identity, I think we should lean on our history, and pretzels are true to who we are, not rich or poor, not male or female, and a product that is loved internationally.” Want to help the effort, learn more and sport Pretzel City gear? Visit pretzelcitypa.com.– NIKKI M. MURRY

Kick off the New Year with Creativity

Visit The Art Room in West Reading if you’re looking for a fun and creative way to stay busy on a cold winter day. Opened about a year ago by Brian Adams, many call the business his “love story for West Reading.” He explains, “I felt as if something was missing from the Avenue. And it was an activity!” Since getting rolling, The Art Room now offers ceramic painting, pottery painting, glass painting, wood painting, canvas painting and clay play. Bonus: it’s BYOB! The Art Room is also a collaborative center. Says Adams, “We love to collaborate with our neighbor stores. We have done a makeup tutorial with Tina’s Salon and Day Spa, and recently we started an exciting collab with Chatty Monks Brewing. You can purchase a glass with both of our logos on it, paint it and bring it to Chatty Monks and get it filled with complimentary French fries.” Want to check it all out? Learn more at theartroomwestreading.com.– NIKKI M. MURRY

Get Organized and Start the New Year Right

Clutter can really bog us down. Looking to start fresh for 2022? Here are a few tips.

1.

Clear Digital Space.

Clutter doesn’t just come in the form of physical matter. How many unneeded photos are on your smartphone? How many junk emails are in your trash or spam folder? Get rid of these items, too.

2.

Make a Checklist.

Overwhelmed by the idea of clearing out items in your home that need to go or by setting up an organizing system? Make a to-do list first. Setting up a plan can make starting – and finishing – a task much more manageable.

3.

Take Photos.

Need a motivator to keep cleanup spaces clear? Take a photo of your work once you’ve completed it. If you’re unsure if it’s becoming cluttered again, refer back to the images of your finished project for comparison.

100 Years Strong

Head out to the Hamburg Strand movie theater to help celebrate its centennial. This month will feature a special show on Jan. 26 at 7:30pm by the Jeremiah James Patriotic Show. For more info visit hamburgstrand.org/ upcoming-events.

AT LEFT: JIM REECE, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, FRIEND, INC. COMMUNITY SERVICES

What is Friend, Inc.

Community Services?

BY KELLY TANGER | PHOTO COURTESY FRIEND, INC. COMMUNITY SERVICES

Friend, Inc. Community Services is a social service agency catering to the Northeast Berks County area and was founded in September, 1972. With offices originally located on Main Street in Kutztown, the nonprofit’s services initially centered on drug and alcohol counseling. When funding priorities changed and became more focused on the Reading area, Friend unfortunately closed for a period of time, until a group of churches got together and were able to happily bring Friend, Inc. back to life. Over the last several years, Friend, Inc. has recognized that people in the community had a considerable, yet often quiet, desire to know where to turn for help and how to access it, be it for financial struggles, due to food scarcity, or a number of other needs that can oftentimes strike unexpectedly. Executive Director Jim Reece says, “One of the challenges we have in this part of the county is that it’s very rural. There is poverty. There is domestic violence. There is homelessness, but it’s harder to see in a rural community.” Friend Inc. has been able to meet the needs of community members in the northeast part of Berks with compassion and has grown exponentially over the years.

Serving Others

Today, Friend, Inc. operates a large self-select food pantry five days a month at its main office, serving close to 500 individuals in the community, as well as a weekly on-campus student pantry at Kutztown University, serving roughly 150 students a month. Friend also operates a mobile food pantry in Huff’s Church the first Thursday of the month, utilizing their new refrigerated box truck. This allows the organization to serve those who might not have the physical ability to come in to the market. The nonprofit even offers a pet pantry for furry friends’ needs, too. Reece adds, “If we can bring the needed identified services to the community up here, that’s what we do.”

To receive assistance from Friend, Inc. individuals complete an intake process with a case manager in order to determine their needs. From there, they are connected to the appropriate services that can assist with rent, utilities, employment, housing and more. The friendly staff helps people navigate through each step for a smooth process. Friend, Inc. does provide short-term direct assistance. However, some of the outside assistance programs have a longer turnaround time. Friend, Inc. also has the capability to provide help during a waiting period. The bottom line remains that the struggles people face can often be hard to see. Reece says, “People who are hurting need help, and our goal is self-sustainment. We try to help either directly or through other support services so that people can get their lives back with a sense of self-respect.” He continues, “We’re here; we care.”

Fundraising for Friend

There are two large annual fundraising events to participate in or donate to, both in the name of supporting this amazing agency. The Brake the Cycle of Poverty charity ride and a benefit auction both occur each year, not only raising funds, but also raising awareness of some of the issues in our community, including homelessness, poverty and domestic violence. This year, the benefit auction will be held on April 30th and will be both live and virtual. On hand will be an auctioneer, eats, drinks and fun. More info and tickets can be found on friendinc.org.

DID YOU KNOW?

Heavy lifting.Friend Inc. distributes between 8,000 and 10,000 pounds of food each month. In 2021 alone, the nonprofit provided direct support to nearly 1,200 people.

Collaborative Agencies. Friend, Inc.

is also the northeast home for Safe Berks, Family Guidance Center, and Women and Family Services (WIC) making these services more accessible to the community.

IN THE LIMELIGHT WITH Julia NickeyRegional Director, Marketing and Communications, Penn State Health

BY CHRISTINA J. STEFFY | PHOTO BY JOHN A. SECOGES, SECOGES PHOTOGRAPHICS

Julia Nickey loves her community. A Berks County native, she enjoys everything about the area, from the hidden gems in the City of Reading to the rural countryside. She also enjoys giving back to the community through her roles at Penn State Health and Berks Encore.

How did you end up in health care marketing? I always knew I wanted to go into marketing. When I was looking at degree programs, I came across a food marketing program at St. Joseph’s University outside of Philadelphia. I thought it sounded interesting, so that’s the program I chose. But after graduating, I never worked in food marketing. I ended up working at Alvernia University (then Alvernia College) and helped with the development of their master’s in business administration program with a health care focus, and I realized health care was the field I wanted to be in. I then worked for a local medical device company and eventually joined the Penn State Health St. Joseph campus as their Director of Patient and Organizational Engagement. Now, I’m a regional director of marketing and communications for the health system.

What’s the most rewarding part of your job? Navigating the health care landscape can be very complicated, and in my role, I can simplify the process with clear messaging. It’s nice knowing that something I’ve helped create has helped someone take positive action with their health.

Tell me about your volunteer work with Berks Encore.I’m a board member for this local organization that provides services for our senior citizens. In 2019, just before the pandemic, we launched a Care+ program to provide personalized care planning services for families taking care of their loved ones at home. This program eases the stress caregivers often have by providing a health assessment and connecting them to local resources that can help their loved one age in place safely.

In 2018, you were named a Greater Reading Young Professional Rising Star, and in 2019, you were aLehigh Valley Business 40 under 40 honoree. As a successful young professional, what advice do you have for other young professionals hoping to achieve their career goals? This sounds simple, but you should figure out what comes naturally to you and what you love doing, and then find a way to make money doing that. Doing something you love is important, otherwise no matter what, you will always feel like it’s just work and it’s not fulfilling.

You’re a busy professional who’s active in the community, but when you do have some free time? How do you relax? When I’m not doing home repairs with my husband, school activities with my daughters, or playing in the West Reading Pickleball league, I enjoy running in the park, listening to true crime podcasts and Friday happy hours.

LEARN MORE.

Improved Access.

St. Joseph Medical Center has been a part of the community since 1873. In 2015, it joined Penn State Health, expanding Berks residents’ access to high quality care.

A Growing Network.

Penn State Health has urgent care centers and hospitals across eight counties including Berks. In 2022, a new hospital campus is opening in Lancaster.

Lisa Muller

Queen of Whimsy

BY MARIAN FRANCES WOLBERS

Of all the wonderful creatives who live and work in Berks County, Lisa Muller could well be crowned the queen of whimsy. Her wild imagination — a subtle one, mind you, not unbridled — is always given full love on the canvas, leaving the viewer with a sense of supreme wonder and mystery, as though her brush has literally painted the canvas of your own spiritual center, or the innermost chambers of your heart. Her full-blown show at Reading’s GoggleWorks last year was alive with sheer presence and inner vision.

Muller’s animals with tall ears, female faces with sly, expressive eyes looking sideways out to the world, a horse with a bluish mane holding a small flower (“Forget Me Not”) — all of these distinctive paintings and prints are highly collectible. The very act of investing in Muller’s images to adorn your space — at home or office or boardroom — suggests an intention to be uplifted and reminded of the power of emotion, humor and dreams.

That Whimsical Style Says Muller, “I tendto work from the inside out. I choose this approach over representation, partly because I find reality to be an unreliable narrator. The power of emotion can override perception, dictating much of what is thought to be ‘real.’ The individual mind is largely unknowable, each having its own impractical judgements. This idea fascinates me and shows up in the paintings as whimsy.”

The mixed-media artist describes her process: “I usually begin with paper collageon a wood substrate. The paper might have animage of a previous painting, a grocery list or a scribbled note. All kinds of things gointo this first layer.” This attention to detail, and especially to valuing everyday objects as inspiration, comes naturally to her. She continues, “Then there are several layers of acrylic color. I usually finish with oil paint because of its long working time. In between I may use pencils, crayons, markers...anythingthat achieves the effect I want. The viewer mostly sees the final layer of oil when looking at the finished work.”

And those colors! Those shades! The brilliant contrasts draw you in, hold your gaze. Just one more look. The act of enjoying Muller’s work is multi-level, as though you’re investigating more than seeing. The effect varies from painting to painting. Just when you think you’ve figured out what the figure, the image, the face or the cloud is saying to you, you’re wise to simply step back a few yards or more and then look again from a distance. Now breathe. You’ll land with the distinct sensation that whatever you need to do as you move on to the next moment of your life is going to be fine, just fine — and richer for the journey.

Into the Woods About those faces and animal motifs, Muller explains, “I like to morph different species of animal together as part of the illogical worlds I create. Certain creatures have become symbols, though few convey the same symbolic meaning to every audience,so I often go with themost common. Sometimes an animal persona is represented as a costume, something that can be removed. I often see myself acting out traits that are associated with non-human animals, so these combinations feel natural to me.”

LEARN MORE.

A strong collaborator with other artists, Muller creates evocative “mini” pieces for sale during the popular “25 Days of Minis” series.

From her blog at lisamullerart.com: Watching the dogs prod the ground, sniffing patches of rotting leaves like they’re plowing through a bestseller, I see a familiar part of my studio experience.”

AROUND TOWN THOUGHTS FROM THE CHAMBER ALLIANCE Engage your Returning Workforce with Professional Development BY MARK DOLINSKI, VP of Professional Development and Training The training and development of your employees is more important than ever with the rapidly changing dynamics of the marketplace. Leading organizations have invested wisely in employees because the benefits are vast and diverse. This investment strategy benefits employees, retention, talent attraction and positions the organization for future growth. The training of employees has the immediate benefit of improving quality and productivity. Not only does employee development go beyond helping the employee with their current job, it also helps create a more adaptable culture to meet changing needs in both the workplace and marketplace.

Less obvious is the value training and development has today with employees and the success of the organization. Organizations are facing uncertainty in dealing with the ongoing effects of COVID-19 on a multitude of fronts such as remote work, vaccinations, new work safety protocols and pertaining to the psychological impact of isolation and cognitive decline.

“In the absence of the social interaction that our brain expects, increased isolation and loneliness can lead to increased risk for cognitive decline,” says Kalina Michalska from the University of California. Focusing on learning can help employees deal with these issues while gaining the skills necessary to overcome these challenging times. McKinsey & Company, a global management consulting firm, suggests that companies craft a talent strategy that develops employees’ critical digital and cognitive capabilities, their social interaction and emotions, and their adaptability and resilience. Helping to develop employees’ emotional intelligence also brings the value of helping employees, teams and departments to better handle the stress brought about by the pandemic both at home and in the workplace. The benefit to the organization is in building organic growth, operating more efficiently and accelerating growth. Smart organizations are using this moment to rethink how business is done, to become more agile and nimble, and to increase speed and productivity to capture more market share and to enter new lines of profitable business. The Greater Reading Chamber Alliance (GRCA) is here to help you start 2022 on the right path with developing and retaining your top talent and as you welcome your remote workers back to the office. The start of the year allows everyone the opportunity to renew their goals, to recommit to growth and to focus on having the best year ever. One way to achieve this is by sharpening your professional competencies. Starting in January, the GRCA is offering an array of professional development programs to help you have your best year ever, including its Lead Worker Certificate Program, Supervisor Training Certificate Program, Essentials for Effective Management and Essentials of Effective Leadership. No matter where you are in your professional development, GRCA is here to help you and your organization grow. Register today!

UPCOMING EVENT

Human Resources & Benefits Roundtable, Thursdays beginning Jan. 20 through April 7 from Noon to 1:30pm. Register at greaterreading.org/events.

BETTER TOGETHER

10 M to 1 GIG

Whole-Home Wi-Fi System