Month: March 2012

Support TriCounty Community Network at Friendly’s on April 4th

Friendly’s Fundraiser

Visit Friendly’s at 200 Shoemaker Road, Pottstown

Wednesday, April 4th 

Between 4pm and 9pm

Support TCN and its programs in youth development, caregivers support, environmental awareness, family literacy, homeless services, domestic violence awareness, and workforce development.

 Get together with family and friends to help us, while you help yourself to some great food!

When you visit Friendly’s on the date and time above,
Friendly’s will donate 10% of the proceeds to our fundraising efforts!

 Enjoy great food and great fun while benefiting

TriCounty Community Network

For more information about TriCounty Community Network, contact:

 Jennifer M. Doyle, MPA
Executive Director
TriCounty Community Network
260 High Street
Pottstown, PA 19464
Phone: 610-705-3301
Fax: 610-705-3304

jdoyle@tcnetwork.org

@TCN_Pottstown

 Partnering to improve health, social and environmental conditions.

Last chance! Get tix to Fashion Plates fundraiser TODAY!

Fashion Plates 6: Carnival in Venice

The Gallery School of Pottstown presents

Fashion Plates 6: Carnival in Venice this Saturday, March 31 at Brookside Country Club!

The Gallery School’s signature fundraiser returns to its roots as an evening, couples-friendly event. Guests will enjoy amazing food, unlimited signature cocktail, and wonderful entertainment, from a fabulous fashion show, sponsored by Boscov’s Department Stores, to a strolling magician, a harpist and more. They will give away fun door prizes, and their fabulous silent auction will bring out the bidder in everyone.

Purchase your tickets TODAY! NO tickets will be sold at the door!

$70 for one ticket; two for $120.

Sponsors

VIST Financial
Boscov’s Department Stores

Table Sponsors

Boenning & Scattergood, Inc.
Independence Planning Group
Heartland Abstract, Inc.
Dolan & Mayerson, P.C.
Sager & Sager
J.H. White Financial
Creative Health Services

Entertainment Sponsors

Pete La Rosa Productions
513 Entertainment
Betsy Chapman, Harpist
Magical Illusions of Kyle and Kelly

Pottstown Library celebrates Family Reading Month!

  Did you know that April is Family ReadingMonth? I did not know that. When my kids were little it was always family reading month! There’s nothing better than tuning out the noise of the rest of the world and settling into the world of a children’s book with your child on your lap or by your side, eager to turn the pages to find out what happens next.

The Pottstown Regional Public Library at 500 E. High Street is celebrating Family Reading Month with a chance for families to read together and win prizes! See details below. To learn more and become a library member, stop by in person, give a call (610-970-6551) or visit their website at http://ppl.mclinc.org.

Read with a family member for 20 minutes a day for 20 days until May 4, 2012. Registration opens April 1 and you must register by April 13, 2012 then… Read! Read! Read!

All books read for Family Reading Month must be borrowed from Pottstown Regional Public Library.

Read even MORE! Mark an “X” on each day you read for at least 20 minutes with a family member. Try to keep a list of titles—it’s fun to watch your list grow! You must bring your completed calendar into the library by May 4, 2012 to be eligible for prizes.

SPECIAL PRIZE DRAWING!

Each time you visit the library & check out books, you can fill out a prize drawing ticket for a chance to win a special prize.

Pottstown Family Center Offers Workshop for Fathers

The Pottstown Family Center is offering Dare To Be The Best, an interactive workshop for fathers.

Participants in Dare To Be The Best will be supported in being the best parent they can be through father-child interaction, case management, education, and advocacy. Information about community resources, services and programs will be available.

Dare To Be The Best will be held on six Wednesday evenings beginning April 11. Each session will run from 6:30-8 p.m. at Rupert Elementary School, 1230 South Street, Pottstown.  Free child care is available.

Pre-registration is required. Registration deadline is Thursday, April 5. For more information or to register, contact Rob Gaskill at 610-326-1610 ext. 239 or rgaskill@fsmontco.org.

Established in 1993, the Pottstown Family Center offers support programs and services that help families learn, grow and achieve self-sufficiency. Family Services has served as the lead agency of the Pottstown Family Center for nearly 10 years. For more information on the Pottstown Family Center, contact Family Services’ Pottstown Office at 610-326-1610 or visit www.fsmontco.org.

Creative MontCo wants your input!

Are the arts important in your life and the life of your family? Do you spend time and money to learn how to paint or play an instrument or knit a sweater? Do you enjoy going to galleries, performances, or outdoor festivals? Would you like to see a few cafes with open mics in your downtown? Does the perfect nut roll or shoo-fly pie make you want to write poetry? Does a surprising piece of whimsical art in a public place bring a smile to your face?

Car Art!

These are just some of the ways that arts and culture touch our lives, and Montgomery County would like to hear from you about what specific places and activities are important to you in your town and throughout the region. Check out the survey here.Last fall Montgomery County launched a large-scale planning process called Creative MontCo. Their website bills Creative Montco as “a bold partnership of community members and organizations developing a comprehensive cultural and creative economy plan for communities throughout the county. Creative MontCo is dedicated to making Montgomery County a more vibrant place to live, work and play.”

The beautiful thing about the arts – besides just being, well, beautiful – is that arts and culture can be an economic engine for a local economy. All over the country, there are towns, small cities and even neighborhoods within larger cities, that have discovered their identities as centers of art, culture, and history and they have generated jobs and stabilized their tax base by understanding, expanding, and promoting their assets.

The Creative MontCo Steering Committee is being led by Montgomery County Community College president Dr. Karen Stout. The County has hired some really knowledgeable planners – The Cultural Planning Group – who understand how arts and culture can be good for residents and visitors alike and can stimulate economic growth.  They have have been surveying and meeting with artists, organizations, and groups ever since to find out what residents like, what they want more of, and what they envision for their towns in the way of arts, and culture, which I take to include historic and heritage resources as well as the natural environment (i.e., parks). 

To me, the term “culture” gets at the history of a place and how that is reflected today in the people that live there, the work they do, the traditions that live on, and the natural and built environments that are tied to all of that. For me, “the arts” includes any creative endeavor, including, say, beautiful cupcakes or the really old mosaic tiles in many of the entryways of the stores in downtown Pottstown.

So… what arts and cultural activities and events are important to you? Please take a few moments NOW to respond to their survey here.  And feel free to spend some time at Creative MontCo’s website, reading what others have to say and sharing your vision for the creative future of your county. 

 

 

Pottstown Area Health & Wellness Foundation article: Exercise proven to be a stimulus to learning

 Editor’s note: This is the latest article from the Pottstown Area Health & Wellness Foundation. More evidence that not only does exercise make us feel better physically and mentally, but it’s good for our brains too!

Teaching all kids, not just athletes, the importance of fitness and wellness, was the topic of conversation recently in Pottstown and Boyertown.  Dr. John Ratey, author, researcher and Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, traveled to the area recently to talk about the “brain-body connection.”

Dr. John Ratey, author of the book Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain, began the day speaking to a group of 33 at the Pottstown Area Health & Wellness Foundation. Representatives from local school districts and organizations attended this small group discussion to learn the importance of incorporating activity and fitness into the daily routines of local school children.

“We were very excited to have Dr. Ratey visit Pottstown,” stated Dave Kraybill, Executive Director of the Pottstown Area Health & Wellness Foundation. “His research is very exciting and supports the Foundation’s goal of promoting exercise and active lifestyles.”

New brain cells are generated every day. According to Ratey, exercise promotes new brain cell growth and acts as a “brain fertilizer”, which optimizes learning.  In addition to the increased learning ability, exercise can help control aggression, stress and depression.

Later that day, Dr. Ratey traveled to Boyertown to address a group of more than 150 faculty, staff and Board members from the Boyertown School District. Neighboring school districts were also represented, in addition to local organizations.

Those in attendance learned about the relationship of the human brain development and movement, and how it directly relates to our ability to learn and process new information. Questions and answers focused around the connection between student’s physical activity, test results, depression and incidences of discipline.

According to Stephanie Petri, K-12 Health and Physical Education Lead Teacher, “The faculty and staff in the Boyertown School District found this information very exciting and are planning to incorporate 20 minutes of physical activity prior to the junior’s PSSA reading and math exams. Our goal is to increase student focus, decrease test anxiety, and improve student success. We believe the connection between exercise and learning will provide this outcome.”

The Pottstown Area Health & Wellness Foundation’s mission is to enhance the health and wellness of area residents, providing education, funding and programs that motivate people to adopt healthy lifestyles. Visit www.pottstownfoundation.org for more information about the Foundation. Discover Pottstown area’s online community at www.missionhealthyliving.org to learn and share great information on how to lead a healthier life. You can also follow Mission Healthy Living on Facebook and Twitter.

Moms Club of Douglassville West joins “Fill the Media Lab” Food Drive!

I‘m lending my outreach/network to the MOMS Club of Douglassville West; they wanted to team up with a blogger to join in the “Fill the Media Lab” food drive, so here we are! Read on to learn how to contribute to their collection…

The MOMS Club of Douglassville West Kids Clothing & Equipment Sale is THIS Coming Saturday!

Saturday, March 24th 7am – Noon
St. Paul’s UCC Church, Douglassville

Find fantastic deals on gently used spring & summer clothing from newborn through size 16. Great toys, videos, books, baby strollers, high chairs, swings, car seats, maternity clothing and much, much more!

** NEW ** We are teaming up with Positively Pottstown and the Pottstown Mercury for the Fill the Media Lab Food Drive.

Bring in a non-perishable food item and be entered in a drawing for exclusive night-before shopping at the fall sale on September 15th, 2012.

Bring in a donation of LAUNDRY DETERGENT and get two entries!!

A portion of the sale proceeds will be given to The Greater Berks Food Bank and Relay for Life – Daniel Boone Area

Bake sale proceeds benefit St. Paul’s UCC for the generous use of their facilities

Click here for directions!

Hope to see you there,
Audrey McCouch
Chairperson, Sale Committee

Girl Talk Series continues at YWCA this Saturday: Body Image & Self-Esteem

When you look in the mirror, do you like what you see? Developing a positive body image and a healthy mental attitude is crucial to a woman’s happiness and wellness.

IMAGINE STARTING your day facing just one of these challenges: Depression, an eating
disorder, relentless unrealistic and hyper-sexualized media images, mean girl tactics at school
and online, or a boyfriend who belittles you. Ugh! Yet for our teen girls, these are just some of the many issues confronting them every day, taking a toll on their confidence, self esteem and physical health.

This workshop offers a safe, girls-only environment to make connections, embrace who they are
and talk about issues important to them. Discussions will include self esteem, healthy living,
exercise and proper eating. The goal is for girls to take away information and resources to give
them a strong foundation and the tools to develop into empowered, confident young women.
Join us for girl talk!

Saturday, March 24, 2012
1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Free with reservation
YWCA Tri-County Area
315 King Street, Pottstown
610-323-1888

Girl Talk Series:

May 2012
Non-Traditional Careers

July 2012
Cyber Bullying and Stalking

September 2012
Go Green!

November 2012
Advocacy

Happy Hour at Ranieri’s nets support for two worthy causes

More than 60 people attended last Friday’s Positively!Pottstown Happy Hour at Rich Ranieri’s Flooring & Carpeting center at 218 E. High Street. In addition to introducing the fine products and services offered by Rich and his staff for over 30 years in Pottstown, we also wanted to raise awareness of  The Mercury‘s Fill the Media Lab food drive going on now and a fundraising campaign for Lindsey Havyer, a Pottstown High School student headed to Utah for a national DECA competition to showcase her 2011 downtown cleanup project.

Thanks to the generosity of our guests and the generosity of Craig & Sue Bolinger of The Ice House, who donated food to the event, we were able to collect 50 food items, $50 for the Grumpy’s collection/food match, and an anonymous donation for The Pottstown Cluster. We were also able to raise a whopping $400 toward the $1,200 cost for Lindsey’s trip! PDIDA is helping to raise funds for Lindsey and for a scholarship for future students who undertake projects that directly benefit downtown businesses. Contact Sheila Dugan of PDIDA to learn more or to make a donation (610-323-5400).

Thank you to everyone who came out to celebrate a local business and to support these local causes. It always astounds me the way that people in Pottstown do not hesitate to help out and then dig a little deeper. It’s awesome.

Relay for Life and Bark for Life events on tap for spring

Grace Lutheran Church in Pottstown is having a spring craft show to benefit their Relay for Life team. Here are the details:

 
Craft Show & Bake Sale
Saturday, March 24, 2012
from 9am – 2pm at
Grace Lutheran Church
660 N. Charlotte Street
Pottstown, PA 19464
*Bake sale and food proceeds to benefit Relay for Life*
 

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Tara by email (tdonohie@yahoo.com) or by phone at 610-326-2682.

I know I don’t usually post events from outside of Pottstown, but at least in this case, I’m making an exception for the Relay and American Cancer Society events.

Kristin Quigley, Publicity Co-Chair Relay For Life of Boyertown (610-845-7575) sends along news of these upcoming events:

Dining for a Cure: Thursday, March 22, 2012 from 4:30-8pm at the Pit Stop, 961 North Reading Ave, Boyertown, PA 19512

10% of the evenings sales will go towards the Relay For Life of Boyertown. When you, your friends, neighbors, etc., enter the restaurant, mention your team or your favorite team’s name and a portion of the donations will be credited to that team.  Chances will be sold to win a Longaberger basket.  There will also be 50/50 drawings throughout the evening.

All-You-Can-Eat Breakfast: Saturday, March 31, 2012 from 7-11am at the Main Street Pub, 505 Main Street, Bally, PA 19503

Come enjoy our All-You-Can-Eat Breakfast Buffet including Pancakes (Tradition, Banana, Chocolate Chip), Gluten-free Pancakes, Sausage Patties, Scrapple, Grilled Sticky Buns, Juices, Milks, Coffee, Tea and Hot Chocolate.

Cost – $8.00 adults, Children under 12 and Cancer Survivors $5.00, under 5 FREE.

 

American Cancer Society Bark for Life

Bunny Trails & Puppy Tails is back!!

Calling All Canines! Hop over to Coventry Animal Hospital

Saturday, March 24th from 1-4pm

Dog photos with the Easter Bunny!

 $10 ACS Donation; Two or More Dogs in the Same Photo- $15

We are gearing up for Super Bark Weekend. Please join us on April 14th as we gather at Limerick Community Park for Pottstown’s 6th annual American Cancer Society BARK FOR LIFE. Registration for this event begins at 8:30am. Opening Ceremonies will be at 10:00am, followed by a 1 mile walk. Plan to stay after the walk for lots of fun and activities- games and contests for dogs, games for children, food, family pictures, caricatures, canine massages and so much more!

We are collecting items- food, treats, towels, blankets & other necessities- for local rescues & shelters in attendance on April 14th! Please bring an item to fill our doghouse! Let’s help our fellow canines!

Super Bark Weekend continues on Sunday, April 15th. Schutzhund Olympics will be held at Pet Food Direct in Harleysville from 10:00 am to 4:00 p.m. Please come to the Upper Bucks Schutzhund Club’s 3rd Annual Schutzhund Olympics. Your dog does not have to be an experienced Schutzhund dog to attend this fun event, so come on out to compete or come watch some high level dogs compete. Contact Cheryl J. Moriarity- Cherylshepherds@comcast.net for more information or to request an entry form

For more information on ACS Bark For Life: contact Sue or Angie www.relayforlife.org/barkpapottstown

http://barkf.blogspot.com

484-366-1735

  Sue & Charlie (woof!) Dudek

        suedudek@verizon.net  or  610-608-6240
                               Bark For Life 

                      www.relayforlife.org/barkpapottstown
The ACS is the Official Sponsor of Birthdays!

Join us for the 2012 Bark For Life…each Pup gets us closer to a world with MORE BIRTHDAYS!

 

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