MISSION
The Wyomissing Foundation is a private Foundation established in Berks County, Pennsylvania and formed for the promotion of such charitable, scientific, literary, and educational activities as the Trustees of the Foundation in their discretion may select.
The Board of Trustees honors the wisdom of the Foundation’s Founder and continues the Foundation’s focus on the following values:
- We use our vision, leadership, and resources to address a broad spectrum of critical community needs in order to create measurable impact.
- We are proactive in our grant making and are interested in investing in the sustainability of community initiatives.
- We promote social justice through our grant making and seek grants that address the pressing needs of those most vulnerable.
- We seek out organizations or individuals who have the vision and skills to impact critical community issues, especially for those whose voices are not often heard.
- We will be a catalyst to mobilize others to invest in critical community issues.
- We identify the strengths of communities where impact can be meaningful and effective, and we design initiatives that build from these strengths.
- We value diversity, which brings multiple perspectives to enrich our work and our community; work toward equity in access to resources and the opportunity for all to achieve their full potential; and believe that inclusive practices serve to recognize and welcome differences, not diminish, or suppress them.
HISTORY
Born in Barmen, Germany, in 1866, Ferdinand Thun and Henry Janssen moved to New York in 1889, working for different braiding companies. In 1892, Thun invited Janssen to join him in Reading, Pennsylvania, to start a braiding machine business. Originally named the Textile Machine Works, the company moved to Wyomissing in 1896.
By 1900, Thun and Janssen were crafting and using their own braiding machines, leading to the formation of the Narrow Fabric Company, which offered a variety of braids. In 1906, the Textile Machine Works diversified further by producing knitting machines for women’s full-fashioned stockings, eventually dominating the American market. Around the same time, they founded the Berkshire Knitting Mills, which became the world’s largest full-fashioned stocking mill. These three companies were collectively known as Wyomissing Industries.
Wyomissing Industries fueled the development of the Borough of Wyomissing, a suburb of Reading, Pennsylvania. Thun, Janssen, and their civic partners planned the community, including homes, businesses, schools, parks, playgrounds, a hospital, museum, and library.
In 1926, Thun, Janssen, and Gustav Oberlaender established The Wyomissing Foundation, with Ferdinand and Anna Thun playing key roles. Janssen and Oberlaender eventually created their own foundations.
Since Ferdinand Thun’s passing in 1949, The Wyomissing Foundation has continued his legacy through community partnerships and outreach, overseen by community leaders and Thun family descendants. The Board of Trustees is divided evenly between family and community members, including 4th and 5th generation descendants of Ferdinand and Anna Thun. In alignment with the founders’ vision, the foundation remains dedicated to initiatives that enhance the quality of life in the communities it serves.
STAFF
Patricia Giles, President
(484) 269-0640 (cell)Karen Rightmire, Former President, Chief Strategy Officer
krightmire@wyofound.org
(610) 463-7876 (cell)
Krickett Yetter, Finance Director
kyetter@wyofound.org
(610) 914-5792 (cell)
Valeri Harteg, Community Impact & Operations Coordinator
vharteg@wyofound.org
(484) 706-9594 (cell)
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Mary Kargbo, Chair
Timothy Lake, Vice Chair
Tod Auman, Treasurer (non-voting)
Kathryn Lavinia Scheffey, Secretary
Lenin Agudo
Kirsten Goff
Kathleen Herbein
Julia Landstreet
Paul Oxholm
Scott Rehr
Daniel Scheffey
Anna Weitz (Community Advisor to Board of Trustees)
The Wyomissing Foundation Board of Trustees is uniquely structured with one-half family and one-half community members. The family members include 4th and 5th generation descendants of Ferdinand and Anna Thun.
NEWS & HAPPENINGS
