A special Black History Month program is scheduled for Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. at Fighter’s Heaven, Muhammad Ali’s former training camp in Deer Lake, Schuylkill County.
The event is being organized by Pottsville native Aaron Snowell, a National Boxing Hall of Fame trainer who has worked with champions such as Mike Tyson, Tim Witherspoon and Frankie Randall.
The program will highlight the many great African American fighters who stood as symbols of aspiration, success, power and resolve. Some overcame the systemic odds to become champions, while many illustrious names were denied deserved opportunities.
The program, which includes lunch, is free of charge, and the public is invited to attend.
Black history concert
The Ringgold Band will present a concert in honor of Black History Month at Reformation Lutheran Church, 3670 Perkiomen Ave., Reiffton, on Sunday at 2 p.m. The concert will feature styles of African American composers and performers ranging from Scott Joplin’s ragtime to the music of Stevie Wonder. The band is under the direction of Chuck Ebersole and assistant director Mark Brumbach.
Holocaust presentation
Jeff Gernsheimer will appear at Penn State Berks Wednesday to share the incredible story of his mother’s journey from Germany to England and then to the U.S. to escape the Holocaust. The event takes place from 12:15 to 1:15 p.m. in the Perkins Student Center Multipurpose Room. This presentation is part of the Penn State Berks Global Forum and it is free and open to the public.
Hilde Gernsheimer was born in 1926 in Cloppenburg, Germany. She was one of the children to escape through the Kindertransport, an organized rescue effort of children (but not their parents) from Nazi-controlled territory that took place during the nine months prior to the outbreak of the Second World War.
For more information, contact Zohra Melaouah-Shaffer at zxg10@psu.edu.
Pansy sale
Friends of Mifflin Community Library is holding a pansy sale featuring a colorful assortment in a 6-inch pot for $9. Order through March 18 and pick up March 24 at 6 Philadelphia Ave., Shillington. Call 610-777-3911 for information
History program
Hamburg Area Historical Society will host a program on March 2 at 7 p.m. in the LGI room at Hamburg High School. Michael Wescott Loder will speak about the Indian captivity experience of two girls captured by Lenapé Indians in 1755. His book is for sale for $16.
Board leaders
Reading-based attorney Sarah Rubright McCahon has been elected board chairwoman of Girls on the Run Berks County,
Girls on the Run is a nonprofit organization with regional chapters throughout the country. It seeks to empower girls in third through eighth grades through regular running sessions that include confidence-building discussions, activities and games.
McCahon joined the group’s governance committee in 2018 and was named to the board shortly thereafter. She has served as chair of the governance committee and as the vice chair of the board.
McCahon is an attorney with the firm of Barley Snyder.
Barley Snyder partner Troy Rider has been elected board chairman of the YMCA of Reading and Berks County.
The YMCA of Reading and Berks County works to strengthen families and the youth community by providing health resources at its five branches.
Rider has been active with the YMCA for more than 12 years as a volunteer and board member. He served as vice chair from 2020 to 2022 and is a committee member for the March Madness Event benefit fundraiser.
Rider has been an attorney with Barley Snyder since 2007.
Wellness clinic
A Berks Community Health Center Wellness on Wheels mobile medical unit will be open Tuesday at the LGBT Center of Greater Reading, 940 Centre Ave., Reading. It offers primary care services and flu and COVID-19 vaccines.
Walk-ins are accepted but appointments are preferred. Call 610-988-4838, extension 1266, for more information or to make an appointment.
Talk to a therapist
The Reading Public Library is hosting a “Talk to a Therapist” event Tuesday from 3 to 5 p.m. at the Main Library, 100 S. Fifth St. Early intervention therapists from Right Start Children’s Services will be available to talk to families about free early intervention services available to children up to age 3. Services include speech, physical, and occupational therapy as well as behavioral support.
Private meeting space is available for parents who require a private, one-on-one conversation with a therapist up to 15 minutes in length. The event is free of charge and no registration is required. For additional information, please call 610-655-6355.
Black History Month film
In partnership with the Reading Branch NAACP, Penn State Berks will air the 2019 PBS and Fireflight film “Boss: The Black Experience in Business” Thursday from 5 to 7 p.m. in the Luerssen Science Building, Room 5. A discussion will follow until 8 p.m. This event is free and open to the public.
The film follows “the untold story of African American entrepreneurship, where skill, industriousness, ingenuity and sheer courage in the face of overwhelming odds provide the backbone of this nation’s economic and social growth.” This event is part of a community partnership project between Penn State Berks students and the Reading Branch NAACP to research, write, and share Black entrepreneurial history in Berks County. Some of the entrepreneurs who are participating in the project will attend the film showing.
For more information, contact Dr. Laurie Grobman at LEG8@psu.edu.
Winter nature walk
Historic Dreibelbis Farm near Virginville will hold a wintertime nature walk on Sunday, March 5, at 2 p.m. Participants will trek into the fields and nature trail with a focus on wood duck habitat and all that’s involved in maintenance of wood duck nesting boxes.
There is no charge to take part in the event, which will be held rain or shine, with only an absolute downpour or blizzard conditions postponing. The rain/snow date is March 12. Attendees are encouraged to dress for the weather and be prepared to walk on an icy or muddy nature trail.
The farm is located at 356 Hard Hill Road (Route 143). Parking is available on-site.
For more information visit www.Dreibelbisfarm.org, “Historic Dreibelbis Farm” on Facebook or contact Mark or Janine Dreibelbis at 610-451-1193.
Source: Berkshire mont
Be First to Comment