{"id":262742,"date":"2026-08-10T17:48:54","date_gmt":"2026-08-10T17:48:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/262742\/"},"modified":"2026-08-10T17:48:54","modified_gmt":"2026-08-10T17:48:54","slug":"voiceup-berks-celebrates-10-years-of-youth-leadership-and-service","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/262742\/","title":{"rendered":"VOiCEup Berks celebrates 10 years of youth leadership and service"},"content":{"rendered":"

When a group of local women founded VOiCEup Berks a decade ago, they started with the idea that young people could make a difference now, not someday.<\/p>\n

Today, that belief has grown into a countywide movement that has inspired more than 5,000 Berks County students to find their voices through service, said Executive Director Christi Terefenko, who cofounded the organization with Christie Botterbusch and Rachel Kuhn.<\/p>\n

VOiCEup celebrated that journey during its 10th anniversary gala, \u201cRooted in Service,\u201d at the Reading Public Museum. More than 225 students, volunteers, educators, business leaders and supporters gathered July 24 to honor the organization\u2019s first decade while looking toward its future.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had what was either an incredibly bold vision or a completely ridiculous idea,\u201d Terefenko told guests as she reflected on VOiCEup\u2019s beginnings.<\/p>\n

Over the past decade, more than 5,000 young people have contributed over 68,000 hours of community service through VOiCEup Berks programs, building leadership skills as they addressed issues ranging from food insecurity to mental health advocacy.<\/p>\n

Along the way, more than 1,500 at-risk students met graduation requirements through the organization\u2019s IGNITE curriculum, she noted, and its annual Canstructure competition collected more than 125,000 pounds of food for local families.<\/p>\n

But Terefenko said the organization\u2019s greatest impact can\u2019t be measured in numbers alone.<\/p>\n

The greatest accomplishment, she said, is each young person who leaves the program believing \u201cI can make a difference.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"VOiCEupVOiCEup Berks youth volunteers were honored recently at the organization\u2019s 10th anniversary gala. Luca Mele, a senior at Lancaster Country Day School, received the 2026 Heart of Youth Volunteer Corps of Reading Award for his compassion and commitment to service. Athena Worley, a senior at Wilson High School who has logged more than 1,000 volunteer hours, received the organization\u2019s highest youth honor, the 2026 Youth Volunteer Corps of Reading Youth of the Year Award. (Courtesy of VOiCEup Berks.)<\/p>\n

In addition to celebrating VOiCEup\u2019s accomplishments, the gala also was an occasion to recognize those whose support helped the organization take root.<\/p>\n

VOiCEup presented its inaugural Unsung Hero Awards to David Patti of Customers Bank, Christopher Pruitt of East Penn Manufacturing, and Carl and Charlene Dragonette for years of mentorship, generosity and steadfast support of young people.<\/p>\n

Instead of traditional plaques, each honoree received a tree, reflecting the gala\u2019s \u201cRooted in Service\u201d theme.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ve made Berks County better, not because anyone asked you to, but because that\u2019s simply who you are,\u201d Terefenko said, thanking the recipients for investing in future generations.<\/p>\n

\"VOiCEupVOiCEup Berks presented its inaugural Unsung Hero Awards recently at a 10th anniversary gala. David Patti of Customers Bank, Christopher Pruitt of East Penn Manufacturing, and Carl and Charlene Dragonette were honored for years of mentorship and support of young people. (Courtesy of VOiCEup Berks.)<\/p>\n

The celebration also honored two young volunteers whose commitment embodies the organization\u2019s mission.<\/p>\n

Luca Mele, a senior at Lancaster Country Day School, received the 2026 Heart of YVC Reading Award for his compassion and commitment to service.<\/p>\n

Athena Worley, a senior at Wilson High School who has logged more than 1,000 volunteer hours, received the organization\u2019s highest youth honor, the 2026 YVC Reading Youth of the Year Award.<\/p>\n

The event also celebrated the organization\u2019s next chapter.<\/p>\n

Earlier this year, VOiCEup Berks transitioned from operating as a fund of the Berks County Community Foundation to an independent 501(c)(3), a move leaders say will position it for continued growth throughout the region.<\/p>\n

Looking ahead to VOiCEup\u2019s second decade, Terefenko said the organization has always sought to cultivate something larger than volunteerism.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur work has never been about creating volunteers,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s about developing young people who understand that their voices matter, that they belong in this community, and that they have the power to shape its future.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When a group of local women founded VOiCEup Berks a decade ago, they started with the idea that…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":262743,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[349,182,139,28,128,130,129,706],"class_list":["post-262742","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-reading","tag-berks-county","tag-local-news","tag-news","tag-pennsylvania","tag-reading-city","tag-reading-city-headlines","tag-reading-city-news","tag-top-stories-reg"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/262742","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=262742"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/262742\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/262743"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=262742"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=262742"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=262742"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}