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Berks Best Community Service Winner: Brian Snelling

Diagnosed with muscular dystrophy at age 9, Brian W. Snelling of Exeter Township has never let the disease get the best of him. In fact, the disease has always challenged the 18-year-old Exeter High School senior to do his best. With aspirations to become an aerospace engineer like his grandfather, Brian has career dreams, like many students. But he already has demonstrated a commitment to community service, with nearly 1,234 hours served during his high school career.


Brian has been selected the winner of the top community service honor, the Taylor Seitzinger Award, in Reading Eagle Company’s annual Berks Best scholarship project. Since 2004, he has been one of the Muscular Dystrophy Association’s general ambassadors. Brian also has been an educational speaker, camp counselor and fundraiser for muscular dystrophy.  He has been personally responsible for raising $10,000 to fight the disease, and has persuaded family and about 20 friends to join in many of his fundraising efforts. “I became an advocate for the Muscular Dystrophy Association on day one (of his diagnosis), fundraising for the summer camp and organization,” Brian said. He said his advocacy work has trickled over to his involvement with the nonprofit agency program called Spark the Wave.

Brian teaches his peers about leadership and inspires other youths to become involved in their community. He has received the Gold Presidential Service Award twice for his work with Spark the Wave. A singer and musician, both pit percussionist and pianist, Brian is involved in a host of school musical organizations and maintains a grade point average of 4.0. He also is active in mission trips to western Pennsylvania and Kentucky with his church, Community United Church of Christ, St Lawrence, and works as a greeter 20 hours a week at a car dealership. “There are many nights when I am not at home until past 9 p.m., many nights when I feel like I live out of my car,” Brian said. He is tremendously busy, reaching out to touch the lives of others.

“Service isn’t about the hours that I document and turn in to the guidance office,” he said. “It has become an integral part of my life. Service is about making a difference in the world, changing lives through simple acts of kindness and unselfishness.”

Parents or guardians: William and Deanne Snelling

Awards and honors: Two gold presidential service awards; Muscular Dystrophy Association general ambassador; Lions Club and physics student of the month; National Honor Society; marching band (section leader, percussion); district and county chorus.

Activities highlights: Marching band, pit percussion section leader; senior high school musical; junior high school musical pit orchestra; District 10 and Berks County chorus; choral accompanist; honors choir.

Career or life goal: My career goal is to become an engineer in the field of aeronautics just like my grandfather, and become someone who revolutionizes the industry. I want all the usual successes like promotions, but ultimately I want to be remembered as someone who made a difference in some aspect.

Post-high school plans: I plan to major in aerospace engineering at one of four schools; Drexel, Penn State, University of Virginia or Princeton. While in college, I plan to further my work with both Spark the Wave and the Muscular Dystrophy Association, continuing fundraisers and both camps and bringing college friends into both. Upon graduation, I will become employed and then return to graduate school for either a master’s or doctorate degree.

Kathy Hertzog

Kathy A. Hertzog was a student at the former Lausch Elementary School in the Exeter School District when her teacher gave her a lower grade on her math notebook than her classmates.   She let her teacher know how unfair she thought that was because she knew she had done just as much work as the others, but in a different way.  And so began her career as an activist for people with disabilities. Her disabilities have been diagnosed as cerebral palsy or a spinal cord injury at birth or possibly both.  That didn’t matter to her. What did matter was living independently and making sure that other people with disabilities could do the same.

Her family still owns Apollo Pools & Spas in Exeter Township, but she stayed in Erie after graduating cum laude from Edinboro College in 1988 with a degree in communications,  Since then, Hertzog has been on the White House lawn for the signing of the federal law that protects the rights of people with disabilities and has helped found Voices for Independence in Erie to help people with disabilities live in the community.  She’s a past board member of the Pennsylvania Council on Independent Living, an agency supporting independent living centers statewide.
Now 48 and still living in Erie, Hertzog operates an Internet-based business, landlordassociation.org.

As she went about her life, she saw laws and regulations improve, and Hertzog eventually got the right type of care she needed to continue living on her own.  Then in recent years things began to go downhill, with the state changing the structure of and placing restrictions on the agencies people with disabilities had been using to hire their attendants and relied on for other services, Hertzog said.  Now, the agencies are laying off staff, including people with disabilities, she said.  “We’re sliding back now,” Hertzog said. “The agencies have all these restrictions. You can’t do this. You can’t do that.  “It’s a big pain in the independent butt.”
 
And so Hertzog’s activism continues, because she’s afraid that people with disabilities are going to end up in nursing homes if service cutbacks continue.  The savings the state hoped for won’t happen because nursing home care is more expensive than attendant care, and people with disabilities who were working won’t be paying taxes any more, she said.  “We’ve gone to legislators, called them and met with them face to face, and explained how it’s hurting people with disabilities,” Hertzog said. “We’ve had restore-the-cut rallies. We’re coming at it from every possible angle.  “These are not policies that have to be kept. These are policies that, if people demand it and the community demands it, can be reversed. It can be put back the way it was.”

Charlie Adams

Charlie Adams receives The Philip Philip Mitchell Alumni Service Award, which recognizes an individual who has significantly contributed in the area of public service by sharing or volunteering his or her talent, time, and resources on behalf of the University. The award is a cash gift (designated to the program area of the recipient’s choice), certificate, and inscription of the recipient’s name on a permanent plaque.

Elliot Seifert, Exeter 2002, returns to Reading Express

Standing 6-7 and tipping the scales at more than 300 pounds, Elliot Seifert is a huge presence wherever he goes.
But the former Exeter and Temple University standout said he isn’t so big that playing in the Indoor Football League is beneath him. In fact, he’s thrilled to join the Reading Express for the second season. “I’m still playing the game,” said Seifert, a 2002 Exeter grad. “It doesn’t matter what level you’re at. Everybody who’s here wants to be here, and it’s a great game.”

Seifert joined the Express in the middle of the season for the second straight year. He saw his first action last Saturday at offensive guard in Reading’s 49-28 win over Richmond at the Sovereign Center. Seifert played the last seven games of the 2010 season for the Express. He said he wanted to return to the Express at the beginning of this season but wasn’t sure he could make the commitment since he started a new job teaching at Haverford in Philadelphia. “I didn’t know if I could get away from that to give what is needed to be successful here,” Seifert said.

Seifert stepped right in and helped the Express unleash one of its best offensive performances against Richmond.
Seifert shared time at guard with Sean Tetreault on an offensive line that included veteran guard Chris Nunn and first-year center Steve Brazzle. Seifert was all smiles after his first game in nearly a year. “I missed it,” Seifert said. “It’s a great game. It’s hard to walk away.”

Seifert started 34 games at Temple, the last during the 2006 season. As a senior, Seifert received Temple’s Top Hog Award as the team’s best offensive linemen. He was playing with the New York Dragons of the Arena Football League before the uncertainty of that league forced him to explore other career opportunities. Seifert said he’s glad he can combine his new teaching career with playing football in Reading. “It feels so good to be back,” Seifert said. “My family gets to come see me; my friends get to come see me. I’m close to home so it’s fun to play in front of the people that I actually know.”

One person glad to see Seifert back in an Express uniform is head coach Chris Thompson.The addition of Seifert and Brazzle have helped stabilize an offensive line that has been a work in progress for the past season and a half.
“We’ve been talking with him for about a month or two,” Thompson said. “Any time you can get a 6-7, 300-plus pound Division I-experienced offensive lineman, that’s what we need. He’s a nice addition to our team.”

But Seifert said he isn’t taking anything for granted. He said he understands people who have been with the team for the entire season want to protect their jobs. “If I were on the other side and somebody new came and tried to take my job, I would be a little disgruntled,” Seifert said. “You need to make your mark; you need to prove that you can play. But you don’t want to cross anybody. I can’t come in and expect to be just handed a spot. I’ve got to earn it.”