Sparking Change: The Official Podcast of Berks County Community Foundation

This episode of "Sparking Change" features Casey Trexler, Director of Operations at VOiCEup Berks, an organization whose mission is to mobilize and empower young changemakers to shape more equitable communities through service learning. Throughout the episode, listeners will learn about VOiCEup’s beginnings, international recognition for their impactful programming, as well as what is in store for the organization’s future. Monica Reyes, Vice President for Programs and Initiatives, hosts the conversation.

Generation 180 is a national nonprofit helping individuals find clean energy solutions, which believes that schools are a good fit for implementing community-based solar projects. Shannon Crooker, PA Director at Generation 180, sits down with Emily Smedley, Environment and Energy Program Officer of Berks County Community Foundation, to discuss emerging solar projects in Berks County schools. Crooker explains the health, financial, and ecological benefit of schools going solar--and how school leadership can utilize grant opportunities to get started on their solar journey.

Learn more about Generation 180’s Solar for All Schools program by visiting https://generation180.org/electrify-our-schools/solar-for-all-schools/

Connect with Shannon Crooker by emailing her at [email protected]

Learn more about Berks County Community Foundation by visiting https://bccf.org

Connect with Emily Smedley by calling the foundation at 610-685-2223.

Making a healthier community starts with understanding its residents' needs and why they may struggle to meet them. Listen to our latest episode of Sparking Change, featuring Jennifer Kolker, Clinical Professor of Health Management and Policy at Drexel University Dornsife School of Public Health. Jennifer sits down with Cindy Milian, Health & Human Services Program Officer, to discuss the importance of public health infrastructure and how Berks can learn from its neighboring counties.

To connect with Jennifer Kolker, email her at [email protected].
To connect with Cindy Milian, call the foundation at 610-685-2223.

The mission of Berks County Community Foundation is to promote philanthropy and improve the quality of life for Berks County residents.

To learn more about Berks County Community Foundation, visit https://bccf.org.

Access to reliable, regional news is the oxygen communities breathe. Local, investigative reporting improves civic engagement and helps residents make informed decisions. Spotlight PA is a nonpartisan, nonprofit dedicated to high-quality investigative journalism for Pennsylvania state government, who launched a Berks Bureau in 2025.

Spotlight PA’s Community Forums Program is an extension of this investigative work. Focused on topics that matter to the community, this interactive and educational program has helped bring the Tec Centro Workforce Network to Berks County.

To subscribe to Spotlight PA’s Berks Bureau newsletter, access free, investigative reporting on Berks County, and attend a Community Forum, visit https://www.spotlightpa.org/berks/. Have a story you’d like to share with Spotlight PA? Visit https://www.spotlightpa.org/tips or call +1 717-418-9684 to submit a tip. To learn more about Berks County Community Foundation, visit https://bccf.org/. You can get in contact with the Community Foundation by emailing us at [email protected] or calling 610-685-2223.

Chad Ganley, Assistant Director of Career Development at Kutztown University, and Katie Diamond Rothstein, Generation Impact Program Director at VOiCEup Berks, join the Sparking Change podcast to discuss student retention in Berks County. The idea to increase employment and internship opportunities, as well as community engagement for recently graduated college students, originated from an initiative led by Kim Sheffer, Lifelong Learning Program Officer for Berks County Community Foundation.

You can connect with the foundation by emailing [email protected], calling at 610-685-2223, or visiting www.bccf.org.

Chad Ganley can be reached by emailing [email protected]

Katie Diamond Rothstein can be reached by emailing [email protected] 

Emily Smedley, Environment and Energy Program Officer, hosts a conversation with representatives from What'SUP Berks, a local initiative whose mission is to reduce and eventually eliminate the use of Single-Use Plastic (SUP) bags in all stores, restaurants, and businesses in Berks County by 2027. By providing educational opportunities, engaging with community leaders, and encouraging the use of reusable bags, What'SUP Berks hopes to ultimately help pass legislation banning SUP in the Commonwealth. Listen to the episode now to learn about the environmental, health, and financial repercussions SUP has on the Berks community--and how you can join the fight against SUP. Tom Crotty, Executive Team Member, and Linda Dapcic-Angst, Treasurer of What'SUP Berks, join the conversation.

Cindy Milian, Health & Human Services Program Officer, hosts a conversation with representatives from United Way of Berks County, Friend, Inc., Bethel-Tulpehocken Public Library and Hamburg Public Library. Together, the group discusses the need for social services in our rural libraries, what it means to meet people where they are, and the foundation's newest initiative.