The first hour of FEEDBACK is about homelessness, trauma, healing, dignity, and hope. Joining us are Rob Turchi, CEO of Hope Rescue Mission and Kate Alley, Executive Director of the LightHouse Women and Children’s Center. They have also invited a resident of Hope House to join us to share his journey from extreme desperation, attempt to commit suicide, losing his leg, hitting rock bottom and then hope by visiting the Hope Rescue Mission. Very, very powerful testimony of coming back and enjoying your life again. Our second hour of FEEDBACK is a conversation with Commissioner Christian Leinbach. Commissioner Leinbach provides an update on the primary election numbers, looking for a new running mate, the Courthouse and 600 Penn Street and all of the amazing events happing in honor of America250PA Berks!

It’s all about reading today on FEEDBACK! Joining us in our first hour is Gloria Foley Troup, creator of Stories and Songs with GiGi, a heartfelt YouTube channel designed to encourage families to read, sing, learn and connect with their children through stories and music. Gloria has created something deeply personal, a digital legacy of love for her grandchildren, future generations and families everywhere! In our second hour we learn about the Berks Book Bonanza, a beloved community event that has become much more than simply a giant used book sale. Judy Ellsworth, Manager of the Book Bonanza tells us the story that through hundreds of thousands of donated books, dedicated volunteers, and a passion for literacy the Bonanza has become a place where readers reconnect with stories, families make memories and books find entirely new lives.

Today on FEEDBACK, we are turning the tables. For decades, Lisa Scheid has been the one asking the questions, telling the stories, and helping this community understand the people, issues, triumphs, and challenges shaping Berks County. Lisa tells her story spanning 20 years as a reporter and editor at the Reading Eagle to her current position of Managing Editor of Spotlight PA’s Berks County Bureau. Our second hour of FEEDBACK is a conversation about resilience, health, entrepreneurship, integrity and what happens when personal struggle turns into purpose. Joining us is Jennifer Witmyer, CEO of Archwood Soapery and Filthy Vegan, whose journey into skincare and haircare formulation began not from a business plan, but from anger, survival and a fierce determination to create products she believed were safer, cleaner and more transparent for consumers.

Our first hour of FEEDBACK is our Chamber Member Spotlight! Dallan Yoh, Director of Membership for the Greater Reading Chamber Alliance (GRCA), introduces us to Pattie Guarino, Owner of Focus on Sports Photography. Pattie shares her personal journey from x-ray technician to sports photographer and what it took for her to grow her twenty-year business of capturing the moments for athletes, families, and community. Hour two of FEEDBACK brings Jessica King to us. Jessica King, a licensed social worker, speaker, entrepreneur, and founder of ElderCARE Collaborative. Jessica’s power message challenges women to rethink the patterns that keep them overextending, over performing, and undervaluing themselves.

Our first hour we are joined by Lily Otu, Founder of The Working Mom Village, a growing community created to support professional mothers though honest conversations, connection and shared experiences. The second hour of FEEDBACK is jam packed with information about Medicare and retirement planning. Perfetto Insurance brings their wealth of experience to the discussion with Jessica Walb, Director of Medicare and Health and Financial Services and Dennis Mulally, Financial Advisor.

Our first hour is a conversation about resilience, identity, confidence, and turning a deeply personal experience into a mission that has impacted children and families around the world. Joining us is Jeff Woytovich, co-founder of Children’s Alopecia Project, an organization dedicated to building self-esteem, providing support, and creating community for children living with alopecia and their families. In our second hour we are talking about one of the most iconic landmarks in Berks County, the Reading Pagoda, and the ongoing efforts to preserve, restore and reimagine its future for generations to come. Joining us is Joey Miranda, President of the Reading Pagoda Foundation, who is here to provide an update on the restoration work, the progress made, and what this beloved symbol means to the city of Reading and the entire community.

Joining us in the first hour of FEEDBACK is Gary Hawkins, Owner and Executive Director, Griswold Home Care. Gary’s work supporting seniors and families has given him a front row view into the emotional realities many older adults face, including loneliness, isolation, grief, cognitive decline and the importance of meaningful human connection. Gary has made it his mission to provide resources and education platforms such as his YouTube show Dementia Clarity, and of course helping seniors create their legacy with the Our Berks Legacy project. Our next hour is a conversation about courage, instinct, teamwork, and the extraordinary moments when lives can change in an instant. Joining us is Cindy Zimmerman, a Clinical Nurse Manager of the Emergency Department at Chestnut Hill Hospital, whose quick action on the Pennsylvania Turnpike recently helped save the life of Erin Jasinski during a medical emergency on a busy highway. Erin joins us as well and talks about how that moment not only saved her life medically but how it also turned her life around mentally as well. Powerful stories.

Today’s conversation is on that many women and families may deeply relate to, but one that too often remains hidden behind shame, silence and unrealistic expectations around motherhood. Join us in the first hour of FEEDBACK are author Crystal Lynette Rance whose book Mom Truths: The S#!t No One Talks About opens honest conversations about the realities many mothers experience, and Allison Maynard, whose deeply personal chapter in the book shares her experience with postpartum OCD and the emotional struggles that followed the birth of her child. In our second hour of FEEDBACK we are covering the topic of the alternative to incarceration - drug treatment court recovery housing. Funded by COCA and licensed by Department of Drug and Alcohol programs, the treatment court recovery housing provides 24/7 intensive case management and recovery support services.