Gilmore | Henne Community Fund

This is a great organization that has done amazing things for many areas of Berks County, PA. I have learned and been reminded of MANY life lessons while volunteering for this outstanding group. I have seen first hand the inspiration, motivation, and determination they instill in children and adults. I look forward to them continuing to pursue their passion and mission for decades to come!!!

We volunteered with this amazing organization in Spring 2015 to help to restore Barbys playground located in the City of Reading. We were truly impressed with how well-run the whole experience was and inspired by John Gilmore and Chad Henne and their families being a part of the whole volunteer process. Gilmore-Henne is an exemplary non-profit organization and we would definitely volunteer again in the future.

JD & Sandie Krafczek

I have been volunteering with the Gilmore|Henne Community Fund for several years and the organization continues to impress me with its dedication to creating positive, sustainable change in our community. G|H goes FAR beyond just building playgrounds! G|H energizes communities and gets neighborhoods involved. The time and energy spent in programming and maintenance of the playgrounds that G|H revitalizes shows true commitment to the community. Gilmore|Henne is truly a great non-profit!

The Gilmore|Henne Community Fund's dedication and attention to detail is unmatched. Every event exceeds the previous.

I'm fortunate enough to have helped out at the Golf Tournament and the Railroad Run. I'm always amazed at the outpouring of support by all types of folks. They genuinely care about the cause and especially for the kids that benefit from what GH Community Fund does. Kudos to the staff that puts in countless hours to make these events happen. Love when I read about all the playgrounds they revitalize and the special movie nights for the community to enjoy.

I have volunteered and loved the 4k Run at the railroad house. It was a great event.

My experiences with Gilmore / Henne have all been great. They are a very generous organization that not only funds improvements in our City's parks, but ensures that there are programs and volunteers to keep the children engaged and the parks active.

From the close involvement of the two namesakes to an Executive Director who can only be described as a "Godsend," to an active board to an army of volunteers, Gilmore | Henne makes a difference in our community that is not just measured in dollars raised or projects completed. As part of every playground/park project they undertake is a considered and mandatory community engagement requirement -- backed with on-going programming either put on or enabled by the organization. The result: projects that are sustainable long after the initial work has been completed.

Gilmore/Henne Fund are the best!!!! I have been working with this amazing group since May of 2013. They picked our park in Fleetwood, Locust Street Playground, to be their next adventure in playground builds.

Not only did they give our kids this great playground but Christine helps throughout the year with the friends of Locust Street Playground with activities like movie night, egg hunts, Halloween in the Park plus many other activities.

Thank you to Chistine, John and Chad and everyone else involved with Gilmore/Henne. I will never forget what you guys have done for our community.


Vicki

AWESOME! This group cares and helps refurbish playgrounds. Last year I saw first hand what they did as a group installing the new playground at Locust Street in Fleetwood. Gilmore Henne returned this year with an egg hunt and movie night! The children in Fleetwood would not have the playground they do. Gilmore Henne thank you for all you do!

I became involved with the Gilmore | Henne Community Fund in 2011. What the Fund has been able to accomplish since then is incredible. Having revitalized and maintained as well as offering programming in 7 parks in Berks County is not an easy task. The amount of lives the Fund has touched is immeasurable. The Gilmore | Henne Community Fund has forged the path in bridging urban and suburban youth and engaging the two in various programming in the parks, all through their own fundraising and at no cost to the taxpayer. I look forward to many more years with G|H.

I gave the Fund 4 stars because there is always room for improvement, and we recognize that.

The Gilmore Henne Community Fund is a fine organization helping build stronger community involvement across Berks County, Pennsylvania by building, improving, or maintaining playgrounds.

I volunteered at the Gilmore Henne Reading School District 16th & Haak community playground build on June 28, 2014.

The community build was an enjoyable and rewarding experience.

The staff also kindly took the time to talk with me about an upcoming community playground build that our Perry PTO was preparing for at Perry Elementary School.

Having the opportunity to participate in the 16th & Haak community playground build prepared me for our playground build.

Thank you Gilmore Henne Community Fund!

Best wishes for many more successful projects in Berks County.

I have seen their work throughout the city. They bring a great following to all the projects. The neighborhood kids seem to respect the parks and love helping keep them clean. The love the activities that happen in the parks.

Gilmore Henne built a playground in our community of Fleetwood where an old , dilapidated playground existed. This is a wonderful space where the children of the local community can come out and now play in a safe environment.

From the start, Christine and John worked tirelessly to co-ordinate the operation of a community build in basically one day. Not only is it a great playground for the kids, the Gilmore|Henne Community Fund continues to work with people from the community to provide programs for the kids. This year they did a movie night and in October will be having a safe trick or treat party in the park.

The Gilmore|Henne Community Fund continues to provide safe places for our kids to play. They provide continued organization for park clean ups and programs for the children of our community. They are AWESOME!

Gilmore/Henne Community Fund has done several playgrounds in the area. They are showing kids that being outside and moving are important. They also give kids a place to go outside that they like to go to. I volunteered with my kids and husband for the 16th and Haak build they did this summer as it was the school my kids attended. They were a wonderful group of people. They really got the community to come together. They also hold events at the parks during the summer for the kids. It's more the just a playground sometimes it's a life changing event for kids. Thank you!

Gilmore/Henne built a playground for my children's school at 16th & Haak. They did a fantastic job organizing the whole event. Other than moving mulch, it could not have gone any better! I also love how they stay involved and help keep the park clean and in good repair. It is really nice to know that there is an organization like G/H that really cares about making sure there are great places in the city for our children to play safely!

Gilmore|Henne Community Fund has given me and this community that change is possible through there park revitalization programs and community events. They have a vision and it's directly impacting these kids life. Executive Director Anderston gets it.

I love Gilmore Henne ! I was only introudced to the organization last year and it been an amazing year. They have played a major role in my kids summer with the new playground being built at 16th & Haak and the summer program that took place there. They definitley kept the kids busy :)

The RHS Cheerleaders have been working as
Volunteers for GH since the first playground at second and Oley! This organization has never looked back from day one and continues to bless the city of Reading Youth. They run summer camps. Movie nights an basketball tournaments.

KEEP OF THE AMAZING WORK!!!

Crystal Gilmore Harris

I first became a donor to the Gilmore Henne Community Fund in 2013 after meeting John Gilmore. His passion and commitment to the organization were and are infectious and the GH Community Fund's dedication to improving and building new parks to provide a safe environment for children to learn, grow and play is a testament to their understanding of the social norm and reality that "it all begins with our children". GH Community Fund is a great charitable organization that truly gives back to the community. Keep up the GREAT work.

I have been a passionate supporter of the Gilmore|Henne Community Fund since day one. Having grown up in the city of Reading and playing witness to the downturn in the city, I can attest to the importance of the work that the GH Fund does. It 100% starts with the kids. To turn the city around, you need to provide safe places for children to play, because sometimes home isn't a safe and positive environment. Keep up the great work!

More needs to be done then fixing parks. The people using the parks need more.

I grew up in a one parent home and parks were where I learned how to develop relationships and play sports. Sports kept me motivated and engaged in pursuing bigger and better things. I was so excited when John mentioned to me what he and Chad wanted to do because I personally knew the impact this would have on our community.

I believe the best way to implement change is with our children because they are the future of our communities. I know playgrounds are where children learn and develop many of their values and beliefs. The Gilmore Henne Community fund has enabled our community to stand up and take ownership of our future by organizing and funding park rehabilitations, park programming, and providing access to positive role models. I believe in the Gilmore Henne Community Fund, in the children, and the power our communities have to create change! Thank you Gilmore Henne Community Fund for leading the way!

I have watched this organization grow from heartbreak when John Gilmore took his toddler son to see where he played as a child before playing for the NFL. HIs voice cracked as he told me of drug paraphernalia, graffiti and dangerously broken playground equipment. He teamed with Chad Henne and have fought non-sensical local officials, lack of resources and back-breaking fatigue to provide the children of Reading PA (now cited as one of the poorest areas in America) with hope, joy and smiles. I will be loyal to this group forever.

Gimore | Henne is such a great organization for more than just kids! Their programs not only rebuild playgrounds that have fallen due to lack of city or municipal funding, but they bring hope to neighborhoods and instill pride in the folks who live there. They have such great spirit and its no wonder they have such a great group of followers, supporters and volunteers.

The Gilmore Henne Community Fund is a fantastic organization. They help renovate local park and playground projects by engaginging the local community, neighbors, and especially the children in the neighborhood to take pride and ownership in thier local playground. The facilitate the process from finding funding, local business partners and other advocates to fund these projects finacially and with in-kind donations. They even help to create programing and maintenace programs for the playgrounds they renovate. I have assisted GH Community Fund on 4 playground projects and can't wait until the next one.

As I was moving boxes into our home in West Lawn, a gentleman walking his dog said to me, "You're moving into the best neighborhood in Berks County." He was right. It was a nice quiet neighborhood, excellent schools, and friendly people. Only the community park was run-down and filled with out-dated equipment, litter, and graffiti. That's where John and Chad stepped in. They worked tirelessly to persuade Spring Township to contribute funds in addition to the money they raised. The Gilmore/Henne Community Fund organized a fun day of community bonding, hard work, and pride as we revitalized that dilapidated old park. Now my kids have a safe, clean place to play that the community can be proud of. Thank you John and Chad for remembering your roots and helping the communities of Reading and Berks County.

I have had the privilege of volunteering for the Gilmore | Henne Community Fund. They did a fantastic job of coordinating volunteers and services to improve my local park. I was proud to be there working with them that day. I'm even more excited that my children and other children in the neighborhood have a beautiful, clean park to visit due in part to their active role in revitalizing it. They even treat families to outdoor summer movies which is great for promoting COMMUNITY UNITY.

The Colonial Oaks Foundation awarded one of our most substantial grants of 2013 to the Gilmore / Henne Fund. They have strong leadership in NFL players John Gilmore and Chad Henne. This opens doors for them with public relations and fund raising, but it is important to note that these guys aren't afraid to get dirty either. To witness a GH Community Event is to see the entire Gilmore family and lots of friends getting involved. They build communities through local parks and they set them up to succeed long term, not just for the photo opp.

There are a plethora of charitable organizations out there, all of which are important and help the community at large in some form. However, the Gilmore | Henne Community Fund isn't just about monetary donations they are about finished products that you can utilize. Many public playgrounds throughout Berks County had been neglected for some time, mostly due to a lack of funds. The G | H Community Fund has fixed that. The Fund has revitalized and created six parks since 2010, allowing current and future generations of children to safely play outside and act like, well, kids! Not only has the Fund and their volunteers refurbished and built playgrounds but the staff also organizes park clean-ups throughout the year, runs summer programs at select parks, and offer scholarship opportunities. The founders, though professional athletes, have a hands-on approach and are deeply involved. They can routinely be seen at the numerous events throughout the year.

If you are someone looking to get involved in your community but want to make an impact without necessarily having to open your wallet, the G | H Community Fund is an ideal nonprofit to seek out. I've been volunteering with them from the start and look forward each year to the new projects.