The Greater Pottstown Foundation: A Quiet But Mighty Force Making A Difference

Press release from the Montgomery County Community College:

Diane VanDyke

October 20, 2022

Without a website or social media account, The Greater Pottstown Foundation doesn’t
have much of a visible footprint on the Internet, but the impact of its efforts has
been felt by many people, especially students, in the Pottstown area.

“We’re a quiet organization, but we’re always here for the community,” said Paul Prince,
Esquire, who serves as the president of the Foundation board. “Our primary focus is
to support educational opportunities and other projects that have a positive impact.”

One of those key educational opportunities is the Round the Town scholarships for students attending Montgomery County Community College, especially those attending
the Pottstown Campus.

These scholarships have helped to make college possible for many students, transforming
their lives and reshaping their futures.

“By awarding me this scholarship, you have lightened my financial burden which allows
me to focus more on the most important aspect of school, learning,” said one of the
MCCC scholarship recipients, Elizabeth Hayden of Pottstown, in her thank you letter
to the Foundation. “Your generosity has inspired me to help others and give back to
the community. I hope one day I will be able to help students achieve their goals
just as you have helped me.”

For U.S. Airforce veteran Robert Derek Rider of Pottstown, the Round the Town Scholarship
will help him pursue a rewarding career in information technology.

“As a non-traditional aged student, these funds will greatly assist in helping me
afford my educational expenses and other needs while completing my degree,” he said
in his letter. “It is not always easy to find a fulfilling career path after returning
to civilian work. As an egress mechanic in the U.S. Airforce, my experience was specialized.
I have always had a passion for technology, and I am excited to work toward the education
needed for my career goals.”

For Prince and the board members of The Greater Pottstown Foundation, education plays
a vital part in Pottstown’s future.

“The cornerstone of my success is education,” Prince said. “I value my education and
what it has done for me. The future of Pottstown is dependent upon education and retention.
This is a small part I can play to make education available to the greater Pottstown
community.”

The genesis of The Greater Pottstown Foundation was a generous gift from a devoted
Pottstonian, Shandy Hill. Hill co-founded the Pottstown Mercury in 1931 with William
Heister and served as the managing editor until he retired in 1967.

“He approached our law offices with a desire to create a program that would help promote
Pottstown and support education,” said Prince.

Fulfilling Hill’s intentions, Prince and Prince (now Prince and Kurtas) established
The Greater Pottstown Foundation, registering it with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
as a 501(c)(3). Initially, the Foundation started supporting college scholarships
through the Shandy Hill Essay competition for seniors from Pottstown, Pottsgrove,
the Hill School and Owen J. Roberts high schools. To participate, students must write
an essay focusing on some aspect of life in the Greater Pottstown area that has positively
shaped their lives. The winner, as determined by the Foundation board, receives a
$30,000 scholarship to be used over four years.

While the Foundation’s focus has been primarily on education, it also has funded numerous
other impactful community endeavors, such as the Pottstown Library’s children program,
a pre-k summer program, art classes at ArtFusion 19464 when the Pottstown School district
had to cut art programs, and golf and tennis lessons for underprivileged youth.

“We try to help wherever we see a need,” said Prince, describing how the Foundation
helped fund packages for the troops in Afghanistan and provided $200 gift cards during
the holidays for families of local soldiers who were serving overseas.

“The board focuses on charity and doesn’t spend much money on operations,” he said,
noting that all of the volunteer members have full-time jobs and do not have much
spare time to plan or organize fundraisers or even complete the website that has been
in the works for a few years. The Foundation funds continue to grow through astute
investments, he said.

Along with Prince, the current board members include George Bell, Patricia Crosson,
Anthony Giamo, and Chris Heidenreich.

“We would like to enlarge the board with more volunteers,” he added, so they can continue
to advance the original vision to help educate students, who will hopefully stay in
the region to share their talents.

For Prince, his family roots are deeply established in Pottstown. He is the fifth
generation of the Prince family and has been practicing law in Pottstown for 51 years,
continuing the legacy of his father and grandfather.

“We’re the oldest law firm in the borough – the firm was established in 1916. In fact,
our office building was built in 1873 so Pottstown is in our genes” he said.

With such strong ties, Prince firmly believes in the people of Pottstown.

“Pottstown has many treasures to offer,” he said. “This town has an incredible history.
We helped to build the Golden Gate bridge [through the former McClintic-Marshall Co.,
a subsidiary of Bethlehem Steel located in Pottstown], we built fighter engines [Jacobs
Aircraft Engines] for World War II, and we made the tires [Firestone Tires] for vehicles
around the world. More importantly, I believe in this community because of the people
and their acceptance and respect of and for each other demonstrated multiple times
throughout our history. When a disaster happens, the community comes together. The
residents also have a drive to make this town a better place and that all makes us
truly a better place.”

This press release was produced by the Montgomery County Community College. The views expressed here are the author’s own.