FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact:
October 21, 2015
Northeast Berks Chamber of Commerce
610-683-8860 Office
Main Street Programs in Hamburg, Kutztown topic of November Breakfast Program hosted by Northeast Berks Chamber
Kutztown, PA…The Northeast Berks Chamber of Commerce, 110 West Main Street, Kutztown, has opened registration for the Friday, November 20, 2015 Breakfast Program to be held at Keystone Villa at Fleetwood.
In November, Deena Kershner, Executive Director, Our Town Foundation, in Hamburg, and Nancy Brooks, Executive Director, Kutztown Community Partnership will present information on their respective programs. Both nonprofit organizations are Chamber members. Kutztown Community Partnership joined the Chamber in 2003, and Our Town Foundation joined in 2008.
Deena Kershner is a lifelong resident of Hamburg. After graduating from Hamburg High School, Kershner worked for the Pennsylvania Department of Health before taking a position as assistant to the dean of graduate studies at Kutztown University. After her children were born, she chose to be a stay-at-home mom while working part-time in her family’s retail business. She began volunteering for the Our Town Foundation in 2001 and was hired as the first Program Manager in 2003.
Under her leadership in 2005, the Borough of Hamburg was designated as an FHL Bank Pittsburgh’s Blueprint Community. Through this initiative, she led efforts to secure grants from FHLBank for two important affordable housing projects – the Knitting Mill on Peach Alley and the foundation’s current project, Hamburg Housing Rehabilitation.
The following year, the Our Town Foundation formed the Hamburg Area Arts Alliance. Hamburg was designated as a National Historic District in 2010, and the Borough initiated an Elm Street Neighborhood Revitalization Program in 2011. In 2013 the Foundation purchased the Hamburg Strand Theater and was successful in converting to a digital format to save the theater from closing.
In the fall of 2013, Nancy Brooks became the Main Street Manager for the Kutztown Community Partnership, also known as KCP. Nancy loves working on so many projects that bring positive change and opportunity to the citizens of her small town.
Nancy received her BA in Communications and Advertising with a minor in Psychology from the University of Kentucky in 1987. She then began a career in advertising, working for a Gannett Newspaper affiliate, the Louisville Courier Journal for 6 years. In the ensuing years after relocating to Bethlehem, PA, and prior to joining KCP, Nancy was a substitute teacher for several school districts, including Kutztown, Brandywine, and Fleetwood and for the Berks County Intermediate Unit.
Like Our Town Foundation, the Kutztown Community Partnership has documented a long list of accomplishments—some of which are detailed here. Receiving national main street recognition in 2015; becoming the fiscal sponsor for Kutztown Strong, a coalition working toward the prevention of drug abuse in the community, and for the 2015 Kutztown Bicentennial; receiving the Community Service Award for a Community Leadership Institution for support of Kutztown Strong from the Caron Foundation in Reading; and receiving the 2015 Advocate Award during the Northeast Berks Chamber’s Shining Star Event are some examples. Details of both the Hamburg and Kutztown programs will be shared at the Chamber Breakfast Program.
Katherine Metrick, Superintendent, Kutztown Area School District, will conduct a student recognition program prior to the keynotes presentations. Recognition of a junior from each member district excelling in business courses at BCTC, business courses in the school district, or in a leadership position in FBLA. Students represent each of five regional school districts, including Kutztown, Brandywine Heights, Fleetwood, Hamburg, and Oley Valley. The Kutztown University Foundation and Kutztown University sponsor student awards and breakfasts for the program held four times each year.
Lori Schermerhorn, President and CEO, Vision Resource Center of Berks County, will also share information about her nonprofit, a new chamber member this summer, with attendees.
Doors open at 7:30 a.m. at Keystone Villa at Fleetwood, 501 Hoch Road, Blandon. Advance $15 reservations are preferred; $20 admission is collected at the door and for non-members. Secure online payment processing is available chamber programs at www.northeastberkschamber.com.
The mission of Northeast Berks Chamber of Commerce is to be a resource and a voice for its members (and those who are not yet members) in Northeast Berks County. Now operating in its 26th year, the chamber welcomes new members year-round. For membership information or marketing opportunities, call our office at 610-683-8860.
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