Tag Archives: Ricketts Community Center
Kids Day A FREE Community Event Hosted By Olivet Boys & Girls Club
The Olivet Boys & Girls Club is hosting a free event at their Pottstown Unit, the Richard J. Ricketts Center, located at 658 Beach Street in Pottstown, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, September 26. The purpose is to strengthen relationships between the Club, partners and the Pottstown community, in addition to celebrating and supporting our kids. The best way to do that is to invite the community into the Club. The event will include food, games and entertainment. Pottstown School District staff, students and parents, along with community members and community partners, will be invited.
Youth Produced And Directed Film To Premiere On August 14, 2015
Helping to Inspire Positive and Healthy Opportunities for Progress Inc. (HIP HOP Inc.) is pleased to announce the premiere of Pottstown: The Kidumentary. The premiere will be held at the Olivet Boys and Girls Club – The Ricketts Center, 640 Beech Street, Pottstown, PA 19464 on August 14th, 2015 at 6:00pm.
Pottstown: The Kidumentary is a youth led, youth directed and youth produced film about the Borough of Pottstown and the people that make it great. The kidumentary was produced over the summer by youth participating in the summer learning program of HIP HOP Inc. in partnership with the Olivet Boys and Girls Club – The Ricketts Center. The primary goal of the summer learning program and the development of the kidumentary were to develop key 21st Century Life Skills in written and verbal communication, listening skills, video production and editing, team work and academic based research.
“We are proud of the work of the youth of HIP HOP Inc.”, stated Shay Peterson, Vice President of HIP HOP Inc., who went on to say, “The development of Pottstown: The Kidumentary was not only a fun hands on experience for the youth involved, it helped youth to develop core skills that will increase the likelihood of post-secondary success, while exposing youth to careers in production, technology, research and communication.”
For ticket information please visit: www.hiphopinc.org.
For more information please contact:
HIP HOP Inc.
Ralph E. Godbolt, President and CEO
Healthy Family Nights Coming To Pottstown
This gallery contains 2 photos.
Kids Dice Vegetables For Healthy Pizzas And Learn About Nutrition
Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Montgomery County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
POTTSTOWN — Kid chefs learned that a healthy twist on a traditionally baked dish was surprisingly tasty.
Children of the Oliviet Boys and Girls Club made no-bake pizzas with garden fresh vegetables last week at the Ricketts Community Center.
The youth cooking class is part of a summer nutritional program at the club.
Kristin Robinson, nutrition major at the University of Pittsburgh, is working alongside MOSAIC garden manager Laura Washington this summer to teach the kids about healthy eating.
Olivet Boys & Girls Club Summer Camp
June 16th through August 8th
Richard J. Ricketts Community Center, 640 Beech Street, Pottstown, PA 19464
Monday – Friday 8:00 am to 5:00 pm
Breakfast & Lunch
Ages 6 to 14 (volunteer opportunities available for youth older than 14)
(weekly fee is income-based – $25 or $50 – proof of income is required)
Subsidized families – call your case manager
Olivet Boys & Girls Club (484) 945-1020, Janice Burgess, Unit Director
Pottstown NAACP Leaders Question Spending Priorities
Location of Pottstown in Montgomery County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Editor’s note: I question a lot more than the spending priorities in Pottstown. The municipal government is corrupt, dysfunctional and has a spending addiction. Taxpayers are overburdened and get very little in return for their hard-earned money. There is no leadership, no vision, no commitment to improving the quality of life in the borough and the list goes on and on. The overpaid manager doesn’t even live in Pottstown along with most of the municipal employees in borough hall. The state needs to take over before it’s too late.
POTTSTOWN — The president and vice president of the Pottstown chapter of the NAACP told borough council Monday that if the borough and school district can find $5 million to fix sidewalks and install bike lanes, they should also be able to find similar amounts to build a pool in Pottstown and help the Ricketts Community Center.
“I went by Memorial Park the other day and I saw kids swimming in the Manatawny (Creek),” NAACP Vice President Johnny Corson told council.
“I know I wouldn’t let my children swim in that creek. Who knows what’s in it, animal feces and the like,” Corson said. “If we had a pool, we wouldn’t have to worry about that.”
Pottstown did have a pool, Gruber Pool, but it closed in 2000 when it was discovered that long-deferred maintenance on the electrical system posed a safety hazard to swimmers.
Projects Sought For Pottstown Neighborhood Cleanup
POTTSTOWN — As planning for the Pottstown CARES cleanup event moves ahead, those hoping to help spruce up Pottstown’s core neighborhood and generate some activism there are soliciting residents for projects they might undertake.
The CARES project, standing for Community, Awareness, Responsibility, Empowerment, and Sustainability, has the three entities working on a community cleanup day scheduled for Oct. 25.
“We are trying to build a list of “doable” spruce- up projects, and the best way for us to do this is to generate a list of residents and their specific concerns/requests,” according to Cathy Skitko, communications director at The Hill School which is partnering with Pottstown borough and school district on the project.
Requests can be emailed to PottstownCARES@pottstown.org, or you can follow the link on the borough’s web page to make requests or register concerns.
Summit Coordinates Major Cleanup Effort For Pottstown
Location of Pottstown in Montgomery County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
POTTSTOWN — Three prominent forces in the borough have banded together to plan a cleanup effort to stimulate growth and vitality in parts of Pottstown.
Pottstown School District employees and school board members, The Hill School administration and staff, and borough employees were present at a Tuesday meeting at the Richard J. Ricketts Center to begin planning for the Pottstown CARES initiative.
The CARES project, standing for Community, Awareness, Responsibility, Empowerment, and Sustainability, has the three entities working on a community cleanup day scheduled for Oct. 25.
The planning meeting was spearheaded by Assistant Borough Manager Erica Weekley, Hill School Headmaster Zach Lehman and Hill Communications Director Cathy Skitko. The meeting was called so the groups could work with locals to identify the primary concerns and problems to tackle in the assigned cleanup area, and to identify solutions for those problems.
Olivet Boys & Girls Club Summer Camp In Pottstown
June 17th through August 9th
Richard J. Ricketts Community Center, 640 Beech Street, Pottstown, PA
Monday – Friday 8:00am to 5:00pm
Ages 6 to 14 (volunteer opportunities available for youth older than 14)
(Weekly fee is income-based – $25 or $50)
Subsidized families – call your case manager
Call (484) 945-1020, Janice Burgess, Unit Director
MOSAIC To Hold “Open Garden” In Pottstown
August 29, 2012 – Pottstown, PA – MOSAIC Community Land Trust is holding an “Open Garden” on Saturday, September 22 from 12-2 pm. All are invited into the Community Garden at 423 Chestnut Street in Pottstown to participate in a salsa-making workshop, learn how the garden works, and pick vegetables to take home.
“The idea of many people gardening their own plot within a larger space may have seemed unusual last spring when this was just a vacant lot,” said David Jackson, President of MOSAIC’s Board of Trustees. “We want to welcome the community to see the garden in action.”
The Community Garden has plots being tended by Pottstown residents, including groups from Pottstown Middle School, the Olivet Boys and Girls Club, and the Maternity Care Coalition/Early Head Start. Hundreds of pounds of squash, tomatoes, kale, basil and many other vegetables and herbs are being harvested. Members weigh their produce and record it on a sheet; totals will be announced at the end of the season.
Garden guests on September 22 will be able to take home vegetables and herbs from one of MOSAIC’s community plots. There will also be salsa-making demonstrations and tastings, along with pesto made from basil grown in the garden. MOSAIC is now seeking another site in Pottstown to add a garden next year. Interested residents can get on a list for next year’s gardens.
Support for acquisition and construction of the garden on Chestnut Street came from the Pottstown School District, Pottstown Area Health and Wellness Foundation, National Penn Bank, Genesis Housing Corporation, Susquehanna Bank, Lowes, Borough of Pottstown, Davey Tree Experts, and Andrew Monastra, Esq.
MOSAIC Community Land Trust’s a mission to increase homeownership in Pottstown, develop community gardens, and support the arts. Their office and gallery is at 10 S. Hannover Street. Membership in the CLT is open to all; details can be found at their website at www.mosaiccommunitylandtrust.org or by calling David Jackson at 484-949-4235.
Let’s Talk – Pottstown Community Meeting On April 28th
Genesis Housing Corporation, a 501(c)3 non-profit corporation, will hold a Community Meeting on Thursday, April 28, 2011 at 7:00 P.M. at the Ricketts Center, 640 Beech Street, Pottstown, PA 19464. Community members will be asked for their ideas for a new mural at the Chestnut Street Park and to help to set priorities and develop future projects. An update on Washington Street neighborhood projects including the new community garden will be discussed. Information on the Science in the Park event and other upcoming events will be provided. Community concerns about this area and other sections of the Pottstown will be explored with the hope of setting priorities for future projects.
If a picture is worth a thousand words, then the proposed mural in the Washington St. neighborhood will speak volumes on the tenacity and determination driving the revitalization of Pottstown. Genesis Housing Corporation, The Gallery on High and Citizens for Pottstown’s Revitalization are in collaboration to develop a mural at the park located at Washington and Chestnut Streets. The artistic coordinators, Cathy Paretti and Erika Hornburg-Cooper of the Gallery on High have selected Robert Louis Williams, an accomplished local artist to design and create the proposed park mural. Let’s talk about the different types of murals and what this mural should look like – this is the chance for your input.
Judith Memberg, Executive Director of Genesis Housing Corporation, will provide an update on their Washington Street neighborhood housing developments including the rehabilitation of vacant properties for new home buyers and the homeowner rehab programs. Information about the Pottstown Homeowner Rehab Program will be provided.
Genesis Housing Corporation serves Montgomery County as a non-profit community development organization and is dedicated to the development of affordable housing and to the education of consumers on housing and financial issues. Genesis Housing Corporation has worked with government agencies, other non-profit agencies and private housing developers to create affordable housing. Genesis Housing Corporation is certified for counseling for FannieMae, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), PA Housing Finance Agency (PHFA) and many banks and local government programs.
For more information, visit our website at http://www.genesishousing.org or call 610-275-4357.
Pottstown School District and Olivet Boys & Girls Club to Hold Lights On Afterschool! Block Party October 22, 2009
MEDIA ALERT
October 15, 2009
Meggan Kerber, CFRE
Chief Development Officer
610-373-1314 ext. 215 (day)
610-223-2157 (evening)
Pottstown School District and Olivet Boys & Girls Club to Hold Lights On Afterschool! Block Party October 22, 2009
7,500 Rallies Nationwide Aim to Make Afterschool Programs Available to All
Pottstown School District and Olivet Boys & Girls Club will sponsor a Lights On Afterschool rally on Thursday, October 22 from 3:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. at Smith Plaza in Pottstown, PA. It will be one of more than 7,500 such events around the nation that day, the ninth annual Lights On Afterschool celebration, organized by the Afterschool Alliance. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is Chair of Lights On Afterschool again this year. Speakers from the local area will call for expanding afterschool opportunities so that every child who needs a program has access to one, and discuss the harm that results from budget cuts and freezes.
Participants in the Lights On Afterschool will learn about how afterschool programs in Pottstown are keeping kids safe and healthy, inspiring them to learn, and relieving working parents of worries about their children’s activities during the afternoon hours. The program is open to all parents, supporters and community members. Guests are invited to participate in programs hosted by the Gallery on High, Girl Scouts, Pottstown Library and others. Refreshments and prizes will be provided at the event for attendees.
· What: Lights On Afterschool Rally
· When: 3:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m., October 22, 2009
· Where: Pottstown Borough, Smith Plaza outside of Borough Hall
For more information contact Vanessa Saylor, Pottstown School District at 610-906-6196 or Tia Quarles, Pottstown Area Director at 610-463-5823.
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Olivet Boys & Girls Club of Reading and Berks County is “The Positive Place for Kids,” serving thousands of youth between the ages of six and 18 at 9 locations in Reading and Berks County, as well as four locations in Pottstown including the Richard J. Ricketts Community Center, and a summer camp in
Hamburg. The Club opened in 1898, and is one of the original founding members of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America movement.
The Afterschool Alliance is a nonprofit public awareness and advocacy organization working to ensure that all children have access to quality afterschool programs. More information on Lights On Afterschool is available at http://www.afterschoolalliance.org.
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