Alvin was never afraid of hard work. After growing up in Douglassville, Alvin began his career at Gudebrod in Pottstown. When the plant closed, he began working at Stanley Flagg. Eventually, he got a job loading trucks at Boscov’s Department Store. Alvin always...
Category: Blog
Stacy Celebrates 5 Years at Opportunity House
Name: Stacy Perlaki Title: Director of Development Family: Husband, Joel, and son, Zachary 5 Fun Facts about Stacy: Favorite Food: Pizza Your dream vacation spot: The Bahamas The App you can't live without: Apple Pay Least favorite household chore: All of...
Kevaughn Ferguson Internship at Opportunity House
Kevaughn shares his internship experience at Opportunity House. He previously was part of the O'Pake Scholar program helping non-profits in Berks County. In the summer of 2024, he accepted an internship with Opportunity House. Interning at Opportunity House has been...
Hosting A Clothing Drive For Opportunity House
Giving Back: My Experience with Opportunity House's Clothing Drive by Katy Taveras In 2020, while finishing my last semester for my associate's degree in business management at Reading Area Community College (RACC), I was nominated for membership in The National...
Jennifer Celebrates 20 Years at Opportunity House
Name: Jennifer Stepp Department: Lead Teacher at the Second Street Learning Center Years of Service: 20 years Family: My sons, Isaiah, 22, Makiai, 13, and my daughter, Shyanne, 19. My gerbils, Splinter and Horse, and my 3 goldfish, Larry, Moe, and Curly. 5 Fun...
Addiction Lead to Homelessness and Redemption–Opportunity House
“When is the bus stopping? I need a cigarette.” You'd expect to hear that from people who have an addiction to cigarettes. They don’t sound like life-saving words, but they were. When Terrance left Atlanta to return to Pennsylvania, he had no plans. His girlfriend...
Bianca Ruiz has been named Director of the S.M.I.L.E program at Opportunity House.
Bianca Ruiz has been named Director of the S.M.I.L.E program at Opportunity House. In this role, Ruiz is responsible for program development of the S.M.I.L.E program. This program is a key component of the Opportunity House Shelter Services. S.M.I.L.E. stands for...
A Fighting Spirit to Overcome Homelessness-Opportunity House
“My mom taught me how to keep fighting and not to give up. My dad taught me to dream.” Those traits are part of her DNA that has helped her survive abuse, homelessness, and despair. Today, as Crystal is rebuilding her life, her internal motivation drives her while her...
Seeing Herself as a Homeless Woman–Opportunity House
When Amy* came to Opportunity House, she was looking for far more than shelter. She was looking to change her life. The biggest challenges she faced were her perceptions of homeless people. That’s what happened to addicts and lazy people—it wasn’t what she ever...
Meals Made with Love–Opportunity House
Making home-cooked meals is both her joy and her ministry. For Bernice Holmes Hopkins it started with Frances Powers, a fellow member at New Hope Baptist Church in Reading, PA asked her to help prepare a meal for Opportunity House. Mother Powers and other members of...