In 2002 the TriCounty Area Chamber of Commerce began active use of the Chamber’s 501c3 charitable organization, the TriCounty Area Chamber of Commerce Foundation, Inc.
The purpose and direction of the TriCounty Area Chamber of Commerce Foundation, Inc. focuses on the administration of the Chamber’s Leadership TriCounty program. Leadership TriCounty is a 10-month professional development program. Since its inception in 1993, the program has prepared more than 200 community members for leadership positions in the tri-county area. Through this experience each participant will be equipped with the personal skills and understanding of the problems, opportunities, and resources which exist within the communities of the tri-county area so they may be effective in assuming responsible and demanding roles in the solutions of a spectrum of challenges facing Southeastern Berks, Western Montgomery, and Northern Chester Counties.
Due to the pandemic, we were not able to continue this annual program but instead took last year off. We are excited to re-launch the program in September of this year and bring together the next group of participants that will graduate in June of 2022. The Class of 2022 will be capped at 16 participants; there are currently 5 open slots and interested individuals should contact the Chamber office.
In addition to administering our Leadership TriCounty program, the TriCounty Area Chamber of Commerce Foundation, Inc. was designated by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to receive monies from businesses per Act 4 of 2001, which amended the Public School Code to authorize tax credits for businesses that make contributions to educational improvement organizations. The Chamber Foundation was named an educational improvement organization and continues to renew and maintain that designation. Our Foundation focuses our financial support on vocational, career-development programs in public schools throughout their K-12 grades.
The Foundation was grateful to receive a $3000 donation from Tompkins VIST Bank in December. “The TriCounty Area Chamber has been a great partner for many years, and we’ve donated to its Foundation and other youth educational programs through the EITC for more than a decade,” said Scott Gruber, president, and CEO of Tompkins VIST Bank. “We’re especially pleased to support the Foundation this year, given the educational challenges children and parents have continued to face.”
Not facilitated through the TriCounty Area Chamber of Commerce Foundation, Inc. but instead through the programs and services offered through the Chamber, we consistently support the professional development of our Members and their employees; we offer additional educational and professional development opportunities through event presentations and offering “SkillUp” workshops/seminars monthly. The topics covered through the SkillUp presentations are an opportunity for a business owner to improve their skills or invite their employees to attend/participate in a particular topic area that might be beneficial to their areas of responsibility. Since January, a special thank you to John Whitehall of Sandler Training who presented “Productivity and Time Management” in February; in March Jenna Armato, Growth and Success Coach, presented “3 Questions to Supercharge Your Momentum” and in April Adrean Turner of Turner Coaching, Training, & Consulting, LLC will present “Inclusive Leadership.” We are grateful to these Chamber Members for sharing their time, talent, and expertise with the Members of the TriCounty Area Chamber of Commerce.
For more information on our organization’s impact on education please contact us.