Brad and Tanya Stephenson thought they knew the impact the United Way of Berks County has on the community.<\/p>\n
It turns out they were wrong.<\/p>\n
As the couple began the work of leading the annual fundraising campaign for the nonprofit organization, they quickly learned the United Way does much more than they could have fathomed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have met people and we have heard their stories,\u201d Brad Stephenson said. \u201cWe have a greater understanding that these people are not statistics \u2014 they are our neighbors, they are the people we work beside, they have families just like ours.\u201d<\/p>\n
That message was delivered to a crowd at FirstEnergy Stadium Wednesday morning to celebrate the official start of the United Way\u2019s 2026 fundraising campaign. The 10-week fundraising campaign has already raised $1.65 million of its $10.5 million goal, Brad Stephenson said.<\/p>\n
The event was followed by the annual Day of Caring, when more than 300 volunteers spread out across the county to tackle all sorts of projects.<\/p>\n
United Way of Berks County President Tammy White said the Day of Caring is emblematic of the overall mission of the organization.<\/p>\n
White said the support the United Way receives allows the nonprofit to make a real impact through its more than 80 programs and services. That means helping children become stronger readers, giving people the skills they need to find employment and empowering families facing difficult challenges.<\/p>\n
\u201cA successful campaign means so much more than reaching a monetary goal \u2014 it\u2019s a child taking the next step toward a brighter future, a neighbor finding a path forward, a family knowing there is help when they need it,\u201d she said. \u201cWe are launching thousands of moments of help, hope and opportunity across Berks County.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Stephensons, who own New Castle Lawn & Landscape in Cumru Township, said the United Way\u2019s mission perfectly aligns with their goal of positively changing the futures of 100,000 people during their lifetimes.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis campaign gives us the opportunity to be part of something much bigger than ourselves,\u201d Brad Stephenson said. \u201cWe can\u2019t change the lives of 100,000 people on our own, but we can when an entire community decides to show up for each other.\u201d<\/p>\n
The point was driven home through stories of local people who have felt the United Way\u2019s positive impact.<\/p>\n
Just a short time ago Douglas Demming Jr. was among the 37,000 adults in Berks who do not have a high school diploma, making it more difficult for him to find employment offering a sustainable wage.<\/p>\n
He said he wanted to achieve more, set a good example for his four children and contribute more to his community. But finding the time to take GED courses was challenging as he struggled to balance work with fatherhood.<\/p>\n
So he turned to the Literacy Council of Reading-Berks for help.<\/p>\n
And, after taking the free preparation classes offered through the organization, he earned his GED just in time to see his oldest child receive a high school diploma.<\/p>\n
Demming, who is working toward a degree in business management, said that without the literacy council he would not be where he is today.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy children have really enjoyed the me that I have become since I began this journey,\u201d he said. \u201cI have a lot more confidence in myself and they can see that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jacqueline Cortes is also feeling more confident.<\/p>\n
It was not that long ago that she was sleeping on the streets, convinced she would never be able to overcome the steep obstacles that stood in her way to rebuilding her life.<\/p>\n
But the Berks Coalition to End Homelessness gave her hope.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe coalition helped me until I got on my feet and made sure that my foundation was right,\u201d she said. \u201cIt was the first time in a long time that I felt like someone really cared.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cortes said that assistance enabled her to turn her life around. She now has stable housing and a steady paycheck.<\/p>\n
Brad Stephenson said the stories of Cortes and Demming serve as a reminder of the United Way campaign\u2019s importance.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe United Way sees people as what they can be and what they should be,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen you give, volunteer or share the United Way\u2019s message you help make that possible.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Brad and Tanya Stephenson thought they knew the impact the United Way of Berks County has on the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":287476,"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-287475","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\/287475","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=287475"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/287475\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/287476"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=287475"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=287475"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=287475"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}