Pennsylvania

The Penn State Berks Office of Campus Life will be working with the Berks Cares and Yoga and Meditation Society student organizations to host awareness events related to hunger and homelessness.

Penn State Berks students, community members, and children in the City of Reading will gather in Northwest Reading to clean up a one-mile section of the Schuylkill River Trail.

Rolf D. Schmidt, a German immigrant and Berks County entrepreneur, recently committed $250,000 to establish the Schmidt Family Scholarship Fund, a new endowed scholarship for students with demonstrated financial need who enroll in one of Penn State Berks' baccalaureate degree programs upon graduation from Reading Area Community College.

The National Science Foundation has joined in supporting Penn State’s goal of taking more of its discoveries to market by awarding Penn State a five-year, $500,000 Innovation Corps (I-Corps) grant to establish the Invent Penn State I-Corps Site in collaboration with Ben Franklin Technology Partner’s TechCelerator, Happy Valley LaunchBox, and Invent Penn State’s Innovation Hubs.

Penn State Berks students will visit the residents of Country Meadows and serve dinner at Opportunity House in September.

Pennsylvania state Sen. Judith L. Schwank, D-11th District, received the 12th annual Friend of Penn State Legislative Award for the significant role she has played in the continued improvement of Penn State.

United Way of Berks County's Big Cheese event continues to grow, and this year's effort, which will draw 1,000 volunteers to package 500,000 meals, has been noted as the largest event of its type organized by a United Way, as well as the largest food packing event by any organization in the country's Northeast area, according to The Outreach Program. The Outreach Program is the national nonprofit organization that organizes food packing events with local organizations across the country.