Latest news with #RACC
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Schuylkill River Trail garden to honor Reading-area philanthropist David Thun
Schuylkill River Greenways has announced plans for a trail garden in honor of David Thun, a Reading-area philanthropist and longtime greenways supporter. The Thun Trail Garden will be a landscaped rest area for trail users featuring native plantings, benches, a bike fix-it station and a commemorative plaque honoring Thun's commitment to the organization, the trail and development of Reading's riverfront, officials said. The area will be next to the new South Front Street section of the trail on lands the organization acquired during Thun's time as a board member. 'This is a wonderful time and place to honor David,' Elain Schaefer, greenways executive director, said during a ceremony Thursday. 'Not only for what he did for the greenways or the trail but really for this entire region.' Officials said plans for the South Front Street trail section include connecting the existing trail along the riverfront through the Reading Area Community College campus to a completed section of the trial on River Road. It will include a short off-road section along Riverfront Drive to South Front Street through the RACC campus and under Penn Street. The on-road trail section will be a two-way cycle track, separated from traffic with curbed vegetated island. Pedestrian crosswalks along the new trail section will be upgraded to meet ADA standards. 'We want to bring our trail into the towns it traverses,' said Kent Himmelright, greenways trail director. 'Driving the economy of the towns along our trail is one of our main goals.' Officials said engineering for the South Front Street section is finished and work is expected to be completed within 18 months.
Yahoo
12-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
RACC and Yocum Institute benefactor James H. Yocum leaves lasting legacy
When Susan Rohn first saw the dilapidated former factory, now home to the Yocum Institute for Arts Education, she wasn't sure what to think. The institute needed a building with more space and room for expansion, and Rohn, executive director of the institute, had gone with James H. Yocum, then president of the board and a longtime benefactor, to check out the building at 3000 Penn Ave. in Spring Township. Seeing the broken windowpanes and holes in the ceilings, Rohn seriously doubted the neglected building was a good fit. She was surprised when Yocum turned to her and said: 'This is perfect. This is exactly what you need.' It was classic Jim, Rohn said. He had a gift for seeing beyond what was, to what could be. James Yocum Yocum died April 8 at the age of 98. The Reading native, Korean War veteran and Harvard-educated businessman was a passionate philanthropist whose legacy lives on at the arts institute that bears his name and Reading Area Community College. Both institutions were transformed by his generosity. As a longtime trustee of RACC, Yocum played an instrumental role in shaping the college and its future. His leadership included serving as vice chairman from 1996 to 1998 and again from 2000 to 2002, as well as chairman from 1998 to 2000 and again from 2002 to 2004. Titles don't begin to capture the breadth of his impact, said Anthony DeMarco, vice president for college advancement and executive director of the Foundation for RACC and Miller Center. 'Jim was much more than a philanthropist and leader,' DeMarco said. 'He was a friend to faculty, staff and students. We all revered him. His joyous, positive nature lifted the spirits of all around him.' Yocum created the foundation — the philanthropic arm of the college — and served as its first chairman. Thanks to his vision and tireless dedication, DeMarco said, the foundation now holds over $32 million in assets, making it one of the most successful among community colleges in Pennsylvania. Yocum also established and endowed 25 scholarships, believed to be the most created by an individual at a Pennsylvania college. 'Hundreds of RACC students have benefitted from Jim's generosity,' DeMarco said, 'and hundreds of Yocum Scholars will earn college degrees for generations.' Yocum also made a major gift that allowed the college to build its Yocum Library, which serves as the academic heart of the college. In honor of his extraordinary service, DeMarco said, the college renamed its highest recognition for former trustees to the James H. Yocum Trustee Emeritus Award. Fittingly, he said, Yocum was the first recipient. Yocum's legacy at the Yocum Institute, formerly the Wyomissing Institute of Fine Arts, is equally profound. As a longtime board member and past president, Yocum supported the institute for decades, helping it grow into a vital center for creative learning and performance. In 2009, the institute was renamed in his honor. When the organization outgrew its former space, Yocum not only scouted the current location in Spring Township, he also provided the financial support and leadership to make the transition possible, Rohn said. Today, the Yocum Institute serves as a hub of arts education for students of all ages and backgrounds. Its ADA-compliant facilities include a black-box theater, art gallery, six dance studios, music wing and a secure arts-based kindergarten and preschool. Rohn said there are many stories about Yocum, who often approached life with the joy and wonder of a child. He was known for the colorful and often flamboyant suits and vests he wore to the institute's exhibit openings and performances. 'There are no bad cookies,' he'd quip, happily munching at opening receptions, she remembers. As for his favorite artists, Rohn noted, these were the students of the institute's preschool and kindergarten. 'He was a character, and everyone loved him,' said Rohn. 'He was so good to everyone. He was a treasure.' Yocum was predeceased by his parents, George Lehman Yocum and Helen (Jost) Yocum, and a brother, George Yocum. A Mass of Christian burial will be held April 15 at 11 a.m. at St. Margaret Catholic Church, 925 Centre Ave. Friends and associates will be received from 9:30 to 11 a.m. prior to Mass. Burial will be in Charles Evans Cemetery, Reading. A celebration of life for James H. Yocum will be held at the Yocum Institute May 9 from 4:30-6:30 p.m. Memorials may be made in his memory to the Yocum Institute for Arts Education, 3000 Penn Ave., Reading PA 19609 or the Foundation for RACC to support the James H. Yocum Scholarship Fund, Foundation for RACC, 10 S. Second St., Box 1706, Reading PA. 19603.
Axios
14-03-2025
- Axios
Meet Liars B Lying and Dumpster Buffet: How RACC names rescues
Christie Chipps Peters is in a constant state of trying to find the good. It's what keeps her team at Richmond Animal Care and Control from giving in to the "ugly and the heartbreaking things we see," she says. Just this year, that's included finding a German Shepherd shot in the nose, animals left for dead off Riverside Drive, abandoned cats in containers and a 13-year-old dog whose owner was killed. "Some days are hard and people scream at us and animals suffer and die and we just can't fix all the things," RACC wrote in a post last month. Yes, but: They've found the good in something as simple as a name, says Peters, RACC's director. The big picture: If you scroll RACC's Facebook or Instagram, the animals of 1600 Chamberlayne Ave. usually have funny names, mostly courtesy of the shelter's staff — and that's on purpose. There's Dumpster Buffet, who got his name because he was having a buffet at a dumpster near Westover Hills. Uneeda Biscuit, described as a "big 'ol blockhead," was cranky and in need of a biscuit when he first arrived, Peters tells Axios. There was also a snippy black-and-white Pomeranian named "Puff Puff Bite Bite" because he was mean and "just a puff puff that's gonna bite bite," Peters says. Zoom in: They've had a rooster named Coq Au Vin. a pitbull called Double Cheeked Up and Judge Judy, a beagle-dachshund mix found roaming the courthouse. By the numbers: RACC takes in anywhere between 3,000 and 3,500 animals a year, Peters says. It's been 242 animals so far this year, and about half have either been adopted or returned to their owner. And RACC names them all, including our favorite dog: Liars B Lying. What they're saying: There's been an increase in people from surrounding counties lying to RACC by bringing their own pet and saying it's a stray they found in the city, Peters explained. Staff got so sick of it that they made it one of the surrendered dogs' names. "It feels good to say it, it feels good to see it in print," she says. "We know liars be lying!" What's next: RACC is always looking for name inspiration, so if you have one you think they should use, share it and we'll pass it along.
Yahoo
26-01-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Shelter Saves Abandoned Dog Left Tied to Pole in 'Freezing' Va. Weather, Asks Pup's Former Owner to 'Do Better'
A rescue dog is safe and warm after being abandoned in Virginia's recent cold snap. On Friday, Jan. 17, Richmond Animal Care and Control (RACC) shared on social media that the pup — a black male pit bull mix, the shelter confirmed to PEOPLE — had been discovered tied to a bus pole by a leash and left in dangerous weather the night before. "To the person who left their dog tied to the bus line pole in the freezing cold last night. Do better. 🤬," the shelter posted on Facebook. "To the kind citizen who called Richmond Animal Care and Control to help. Thank you. ♥️ #weareyourcityshelter," they added. RACC shared the information alongside two photos of the dumped dog; one shows the canine along and abandoned by the side of the road in the dark, and the other features a smiling RACC staff holding the pup following his rescue. Related: 40-Lb. Rescue Cat Patches Down 15 Pounds One Year After His Adoption – See the Transformation! (Exclusive) Per local ABC-affiliated station WRIC, the dog was left "near the intersection of Chambers Street and Bowen Street in the city's Southside." RACC spokesperson Christie Chipps-Peters told PEOPLE in an email that the dog is now "doing great" after his rescue. "We are investigating the case," she added. Virginia law states, "No person shall abandon or dump any animal. Violation of this section is a Class 1 misdemeanor." Per the National Weather Service, some areas of Richmond reached a low of 13 degrees on the night the pup was likely left out in the cold. The latest rescue comes after Chipps-Peters urged people to stop abandoning animals while speaking to NBC-affiliated station WWBT in September 2024. Related: Florida Animal Shelter Team Drives Across America to Rescue 78 Dogs from L.A. Fires and Texas Freezing Temperatures Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. She explained that after an abandoned pet or stray is picked up off the street, there is a "holding period" at the open-admission shelter during which the animal cannot be available for adoption to leave time for the original owner to claim the pet. "The shelter should be your absolute last resort. It's stressful, we euthanize, we don't want your pet there," the spokesperson said, per the outlet. Owners looking to rehome a pet should seek out no-kill rescues for assistance or other options, like family and friends, before surrendering an animal to a kill shelter or abandoning them for animal control to find. "Pets who have been loved and treated well don't do well in our shelter," Chipps-Peters added, according to the station. The Richmond pup isn't the only dog abandoned in freezing weather over the several weeks of winter; as PEOPLE reported, a 2-year-old Bichon Frisé was found by maintenance workers in a dumpster at the Glenwood Apartments in Old Bridge, New Jersey, on Tuesday, Jan. 21. Additionally, KC Pet Project rescued a caged dog left abandoned on the streets of Kansas City, Missouri, during a blizzard. The dog is now "living her best life" while she waits for a forever home. Read the original article on People
