Cheryl A. Funk, of Allentown, has been selected as the 2017 Volunteer of the Year by the Berks County Association of School Retirees (BCASR); a county level branch of the Pennsylvania Association of School Retirees (PASR).
She is a member of this association and the East Penn Sub Chapter for Brandywine Heights, Fleetwood, and Kutztown Area School Districts. This special award was presented to her on Saturday, Sept. 30, during the BCASR’s Fall Luncheon Meeting at the Fleetwood Grange on Moselem Springs Road in Fleetwood. Mary Ann Zerkowski, in charge of Public Relations and Community Services Co-Chair, presented the award to Cheryl.
Humility, honor, recognition, and future inspiration would best describe Cheryl’s feelings as she accepted this special award. Her minister, Pastor Sue Yoder, and a dear friend/mentor, Jack Ferlino, have inspired her to step forward to do challenging things for neighbors in need locally, nationally, and internationally.
This award comes directly from the state of Pennsylvania. The folder bears the Seal of the Senate of the State of Pennsylvania. A picture of the Senate Chamber adorns one side of the folder. The other side officially congratulates Cheryl on her volunteer service acknowledging her service contributions locally, nationally, and internationally. The document is signed by Senator Judith L. Schwank and bears the official gold seal of the Senate of Pennsylvania.
Cheryl’s entire teaching career has been in Berks County. The first 16 years of her career was spent as a learning support teacher for the Berks County Intermediate Unit. The last 16 years she was an elementary level learning support teacher for the Kutztown Area School District, retiring in 2008. She continues to participate in meetings within the East Penn Sub Chapter, attend get-togethers with present and retired school district staff, and join in celebrations honoring upcoming retirees.
“In her teaching career, Cheryl always looked for more and better ways to help the children in her charge. Then when she retired from teaching, she continued helping others using her ability to organize and to assume responsibility in many community groups,” said Miriam Schearer, Kutztown, who taught across the hall from Funk, in the Maxatawny Elementary School of the Kutztown School District.
Her volunteer involvement continues to be the Neighbors Matter Team, a church to community-based reach out with various activities; a multi-faith Refugee Resettlement project to support a Muslim family who recently arrived in the United States; Daybreak special programs; and maintaining church-to-church partnerships/global intern visitations between The Worldwide Ministry Care Team of the Lehigh Presbytery and the Hungarian Reformed Church Districts of Cluj and Oradea in Romania.
Cheryl is looking forward to continuing her volunteer service and embark on more challenging experiences to reach out to neighbors near and far.
