NAACP Donates $1,000 to Education Foundation

From left, Emanuel Wilkerson, Pottstown NAACP Executive Secretary, John Armato, Pottstown Area School Board Foundation for Pottstown Education Board of Directors and NAACP Member, Vince Artis Pottstown NAACP Member, Joe Rusiewicz Executive Director Foundation for Pottstown Education, Johnny Corson Pottstown NAACP President

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

The Pottstown NAACP recently presented a $1,000 check to the Foundation for Pottstown Education in support of the Foundation’s recent Chromebook Campaign. 

At a recent chapter meeting, Pottstown NAACP’s President, Johnny Corson recognized the Foundation for its quick action to raise funds supporting the purchase of Chromebooks for the students of the Pottstown School District.

On hand at the meeting was Foundation President, Tracey Brown, Vice-President Georgette Howell and Executive Director, Joe Rusiewicz. 

In his presentation, Corson stated, “We were all amazed by the foundation's swift response to the school district's need for hundreds of Chromebooks and additional resources to keep everyone safe. Thousands of families across the region faced insecurities and digital barriers making education a burden. This is no longer true in Pottstown due to your action and generous support of your donors.”

The $1,000 check was made in memory of Elder Jannie Brandt and Alexis Artis, who both valued education. 

The funds were made possible by Mr. and Mrs. John Milligan in memory of Corson’s mother, Elder Brandt, Vince Artis in memory of his daughter, Ms. Artis along with the membership of the Pottstown NAACP. Mr. Milligan is President of the Norristown NAACP while Mr. Artis is a member of the Pottstown NAACP and the Montgomery Elks on Walnut Street in Pottstown.

In receiving the recognition, Brown and Howell praised the NACCP for their work in the community and thanked the chapter for their support. 

Rusiewicz echoed these sentiments by stating “We appreciate the efforts of the Pottstown NAACP and are so thankful for your support. Both of our organizations are here with a mission to improve the quality of the lives of our community. This donation and support from a sister non-profit shows how well our community comes together.” 

The Foundation for Pottstown Education initiated the Chromebook Campaign after Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf closed all schools to help stop the spreading of the COVID-19 virus. 

At the time, one out of every four students in the Pottstown School District had no devices to support their online learning and continuation of their education. With this donation, more than 82 donors of the Foundation for Pottstown Education have provided the funding for 785 devices. 

This campaign was aided by a matching grant from the Pottstown Area Health & Wellness Foundation where every dollar raised up to $100,000 was matched. Kicking off the matching fund was The Hill School in Pottstown which donated $50,000 from an anonymous Alumnus of the school.

The mission of the Foundation for Pottstown Education is to raise funds for and support life-changing educational opportunities for the students and teachers in the Pottstown School District promoting the enhancement of our community. For further information on the foundation, visit the website at www.foundationpottstowned.org or contact Joe Rusiewicz at jrusiewicz@pottstownk12.org