Strunk to Head Education Foundation Fund Drive

Frank Strunk

Blogger's Note: The following was provided by the Foundation for Pottstown Education.

The Foundation for Pottstown Education is pleased to announce that Frank Strunk has been appointed as the Chair of their Annual Support Campaign. 

Strunk is a Senior Vice President and Relationship Manager for Tompkins VIST Bank working out of the Pottstown branch.

He has spent the past 46 years in the banking business in the Pottstown and Boyertown area. Prior to Tompkins VIST, he worked for the former National Penn Bank.

He is married to Pam and together raised three children, and enjoys their six grandchildren. 

Strunk served four years in the Air Force with service in Vietnam in 1966-1967. He has been involved in the community as President of Vietnam Veterans Chapter 565, Pottstown, Treasurer of Pottstown Area Veterans Memorial, member of VFW, Pottsgrove American Legion plus member, past President of Pottstown Rotary Club and Board member of Tri-County Area Chamber of Commerce

The Annual Support Campaign is the Foundation’s fund raising drive to solicit funds which will financially support programs for the students and teachers in the Pottstown School District. This is the Foundation’s second annual campaign with a goal of raising $75,000.

Tracey Brown, President of the Foundation states “supporting the Foundation’s Annual Support Campaign is making an investment in our children, their education, and their future. We are committed to providing the children of Pottstown with opportunities where they can explore, learn, and achieve. Money raised in this campaign will make a significant impact in the amount of and types of educational opportunities the Foundation can support this year.”

During the previous year, the Foundation awarded more than $181,000 in support of programs and scholarships for the district students and teachers. 

Programs include: Early College Program which enables high school juniors and senior who apply for the program, the opportunity to take up to 30 credits at the West Campus of Montgomery County Community College, field trips to various locations which enhance the classroom learning environment, environmental education programs, assistance with the Advanced Placement testing fees, as well as funding more than $31,000 in scholarships for all grade levels.

The Annual Support Campaign has been developed to ensure not only continuation of the programs already funded but in the hopes of creating more funding reaching all students in the school district. This campaign is part of the recent Strategic Plan that was developed with the assistance of more than 25 community leaders.

Strunk and the Foundation’s Executive Director Joe Rusiewicz, are currently working with the board and community leaders to develop the Executive Committee for the campaign.

About FPE: The Foundation for Pottstown Education’s (FPE) mission is to support, promote, sponsor and carry out educational, scientific or charitable activities and objectives within or related to the Pottstown School District. Visit www.foundationpottstowned.org for more information about the Foundation for Pottstown Education. 

Sponsorship Lets Pottstown Middle School Students Visit Reading Public Museum for First Time Ever

Photos by Emily Overdorf

Christian Morales and Jonathan Moser work the controls on a movable metal dinosaur during a recent field trip to the Reading Public Museum.

Blogger's Note: The following was provided by Tompkins VST Bank.

Thanks to Tompkins VIST Bank, 280 Pottstown School District 7th graders recently visited the Reading Public Museum on Sept. 25 and Oct. 9.

The Bank is the first corporate organization to directly sponsor a chosen school district through The Museum's Feed Their Imagination grant program.

This is also the first time Pottstown School District visited The Museum.

Angelica Shifflette looks at Egyptian pottery

Bank staff will participated in the tours, which are timed to highlight The Museum’s annual October fundraiser for Feed Their Imagination.

“With many school districts experiencing budget cuts, field trips like those to The Museum have been eliminated, and that’s why we’re happy to support this program,” said Frank Strunk, senior vice president, Commercial Banking relationship manager.

Since the founding of The Museum in 1907, school students have always been an integral part of the
Reading Public Museum's audience.

Unfortunately, district budgetary cuts mean that schools are finding it increasingly difficult to provide educational field trips to their students. 

The Feed Their Imagination program helps schools fund field trips to The Museum.

Duha Selmi and Miley Taylor pose with a Roman wine jar

Tompkins VIST Bank, a subsidiary of Tompkins Financial Corporation, is a locally headquartered community bank with 19 branches serving southeastern Pennsylvania.

It offers personalized service, local decision-making and a broad range of services for consumers and businesses, including cash management services, commercial loans, and an online business loan application process.
Insurance and wealth management services are provided through the Pennsylvania offices of Tompkins Insurance and Tompkins Financial Advisors. More information available at www.vistbank.com, www.facebook.com/TompkinsVISTBank, https://www.linkedin.com/company/vist-financial-corp.

Ahyan ONeil checks out a polar bear at the Reading Public Museum ... from a reasonably safe distance.