Sparking Change: The Official Podcast of Berks County Community Foundation

Access to reliable, regional news is the oxygen communities breathe. Local, investigative reporting improves civic engagement and helps residents make informed decisions. Spotlight PA is a nonpartisan, nonprofit dedicated to high-quality investigative journalism for Pennsylvania state government, who launched a Berks Bureau in 2025. Spotlight PA’s Community Forums Program is an extension of this i...

Chad Ganley, Assistant Director of Career Development at Kutztown University, and Katie Diamond Rothstein, Generation Impact Program Director at VOiCEup Berks, join the Sparking Change podcast to discuss student retention in Berks County. The idea to increase employment and internship opportunities, as well as community engagement for recently graduated college students, originated from an initiat...

Emily Smedley, Environment and Energy Program Officer, hosts a conversation with representatives from What'SUP Berks, a local initiative whose mission is to reduce and eventually eliminate the use of Single-Use Plastic (SUP) bags in all stores, restaurants, and businesses in Berks County by 2027. By providing educational opportunities, engaging with community leaders, and encouraging the use...

Cindy Milian, Health & Human Services Program Officer, hosts a conversation with representatives from United Way of Berks County, Friend, Inc., Bethel-Tulpehocken Public Library and Hamburg Public Library. Together, the group discusses the need for social services in our rural libraries, what it means to meet people where they are, and the foundation's newest initiative.