Hill’s Student Philanthropy Council Now Accepting RFPs For Grant Program

Editor’s note: This is way cool! Nice give back to the Greater Pottstown Community 🙂

The Hill School is now accepting applications from Pottstown-area nonprofit organizations for its Student Philanthropy Council (SPC) grant program.  Interested organizations may download and submit a Request for Proposal.   View and print a PDF of the Request for Proposal here.  Completed applications must be submitted by Thursday, January 20, 2014.

The SPC was established in 2009 through a gift to The Hill School courtesy of Charles A. Frank III, Hill ’59, and his wife, Betty. Hill student participants solicit and evaluate local nonprofit requests for funding, and then award a total of $10,000 in grants each year.  Last year, through the Franks’ leadership and the generosity of several other donors, The Student Philanthropy Council became an endowed program at the School with the establishment of The Student Philanthropy Council Endowment in honor of Kay and David Dougherty.

Last year, representatives of the SPC presented a total of $10,000, to four local organizations: Pottstown Downtown Improvement District Authority ($2,110); The Growing Center ($2,690); Montgomery Child Advocacy Project ($2,500); and the Pottstown Cluster of Religious Organizations ($2,700).  Read more about the recipients of the 2013 grants.

The SPC is comprised of 12 students – including co-presidents Sanobar Shaikh ’14 and Omeed Alidadi ’14 – who meet once a week to study the process of philanthropy and visit the sites of various organizations.  Mrs. Amy Lehman, Hill’s experiential education coordinator, is the faculty adviser to the group. SPC members are chosen based on the quality of their applications, interviews, and their sincere ability to commit time to the group.

BLIGHT & REDEVELOPMENT STUDY FOR THE BOROUGH OF POTTSTOWN, MONTGOMERY COUNTY, PA

Editor’s note: Here is some interesting reading for current Pottstown Borough residents, potential residents and business investors.  

http://www.genesishousing.org/_pdfs/pottstown_blight_study_2013_website.pdf

Celebrate New Year’s Eve At Sunnybrook Ballroom

A Sunnybrook New Year’s Eve Celebration with Amanda Carr and the Swingin’ Smooth Sounds of the SunnyBrook Dance Band.  Tickets are $50.

http://shop.thesunnybrookballroom.net/12-31-13-Amanda-Carr-New-Years-Eve-Amanda-Carr-New-Years.htm

Towanda Borough Council Passes $4.9M Budget Thursday, Tax Rates To Remain The Same

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Bradford County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

TOWANDA, PA – The Towanda Borough Council on Thursday adopted a final $4.9 million borough budget for 2014, which leaves the borough’s tax rates unchanged.

The budget keeps the borough’s services the same as they were, borough Manager Kyle V. Lane said.

The council also voted unanimously to adopt the salaries for the borough’s employees for 2014, which in most cases had been previously set by union contracts.

However, the borough’s four non-unionized, salaried employees, including the borough manager, will receive a 2 percent “cost of living” raise, the council decided.

Read more: http://thedailyreview.com/news/council-passes-4-9m-budget-thursday-tax-rates-to-remain-the-same-1.1607411

Cowboys’ Romo Has Surgery, Won’t Play In Showdown Against Eagles

IRVING, Texas – Tony Romo‘s season is over, and the Dallas Cowboys will have to win without their star quarterback in a third straight winner-take-all finale.

Coach Jason Garrett said Romo had back surgery Friday, and Kyle Orton will start when Dallas faces Philadelphia on Sunday night with the NFC East title and a playoff berth on the line.

Garrett said Romo underwent treatment all week in hopes of playing after injuring his back in a season-saving 24-23 victory against Washington. The winning touchdown came after the injury on Romo’s fourth-down pass to DeMarco Murray in the final 2 minutes.

Romo injured himself when he tripped over his foot while trying to escape pressure earlier in the fourth quarter.

Read more: http://www.yorkdispatch.com/latestsports/ci_24800100/cowboys-romo-has-surgery-wont-play-showdown-vs

York Public Transportation To Improve With Bill

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting York County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The aging fleet of public transportation buses in York County will get a boost from the recently passed state transportation bill, as could Rabbit Transit‘s plans for a fleet conversion from diesel to natural gas.

Rabbit Transit CEO Richard Farr said the $2.3 billion package “couldn’t be passed a moment too soon,” as about 64 percent of the organization’s 87-vehicle fleet is beyond its useful life or will be in 2014.

That means they’ve surpassed 12 years of age or 600,000 miles, “and we have vehicles with mileage as high as 900,000 miles,” he said.

The old buses are more expensive to maintain, to the tune of an extra $600,000 per year, he said, and in recent months two of them had to be retired because the frames are cracked beyond repair, making them unsafe to haul passengers.

Read more: http://www.yorkdispatch.com/breaking/ci_24801596/york-public-transportation-improve-bill

22-Year-Old Dead After Overnight Shooting In Pottstown

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Montgomery County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

UPDATED 9:47 a.m.) POTTSTOWN, PA — After an overnight shooting in the borough, one person is dead and one person is in the hospital.

Police responded to the 5th floor of the King Street Commons apartment building at 262 King St. around 12:36 a.m. Friday.

According to the Montgomery County District Attorney, the 22-year-old victim was pronounced dead at the scene.

The body of the victim was carried out of the building by officials from the Montgomery County Coroner’s office at 9:15 Friday morning.

Read more: http://www.pottsmerc.com/general-news/20131227/video-22-year-old-dead-after-overnight-shooting-in-pottstown