Without a website or social media account, The Greater Pottstown Foundation doesn’t have much of a visible footprint on the Internet, but the impact of its efforts has been felt by many people, especially students, in the Pottstown area. 

“We’re a quiet organization, but we’re always here for the community,” said Paul Prince, Esquire, who serves as the president of the Foundation board. “Our primary focus is to support educational opportunities and other projects that have a positive impact.” 

One of those key educational opportunities is the Round the Town scholarships for students attending Montgomery County Community College, especially those attending the Pottstown Campus. 

These scholarships have helped to make college possible for many students, transforming their lives and reshaping their futures.

“By awarding me this scholarship, you have lightened my financial burden which allows me to focus more on the most important aspect of school, learning,” said one of the MCCC scholarship recipients, Elizabeth Hayden of Pottstown, in her thank you letter to the Foundation. “Your generosity has inspired me to help others and give back to the community. I hope one day I will be able to help students achieve their goals just as you have helped me.”  

For U.S. Airforce veteran Robert Derek Rider of Pottstown, the Round the Town Scholarship will help him pursue a rewarding career in information technology.

“As a non-traditional aged student, these funds will greatly assist in helping me afford my educational expenses and other needs while completing my degree,” he said in his letter. “It is not always easy to find a fulfilling career path after returning to civilian work. As an egress mechanic in the U.S. Airforce, my experience was specialized. I have always had a passion for technology, and I am excited to work toward the education needed for my career goals.”

For Prince and the board members of The Greater Pottstown Foundation, education plays a vital part in Pottstown’s future. 

“The cornerstone of my success is education,” Prince said. “I value my education and what it has done for me. The future of Pottstown is dependent upon education and retention. This is a small part I can play to make education available to the greater Pottstown community.” 

The genesis of The Greater Pottstown Foundation was a generous gift from a devoted Pottstonian, Shandy Hill. Hill co-founded the Pottstown Mercury in 1931 with William Heister and served as the  managing editor until he retired in 1967. 

“He approached our law offices with a desire to create a program that would help promote Pottstown and support education,” said Prince. 

Fulfilling Hill’s intentions, Prince and Prince (now Prince and Kurtas) established The Greater Pottstown Foundation, registering it with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania as a 501(c)(3). Initially, the Foundation started supporting college scholarships through the Shandy Hill Essay competition for seniors from Pottstown, Pottsgrove, the Hill School and Owen J. Roberts high schools. To participate, students must write an essay focusing on some aspect of life in the Greater Pottstown area that has positively shaped their lives. The winner, as determined by the Foundation board, receives a $30,000 scholarship to be used over four years. 

While the Foundation’s focus has been primarily on education, it also has funded numerous other impactful community endeavors, such as the Pottstown Library’s children program, a pre-k summer program, art classes at ArtFusion 19464 when the Pottstown School district had to cut art programs, and golf and tennis lessons for underprivileged youth. 

“We try to help wherever we see a need,” said Prince, describing how the Foundation helped fund packages for the troops in Afghanistan and provided $200 gift cards during the holidays for families of local soldiers who were serving overseas. 

“The board focuses on charity and doesn’t spend much money on operations,” he said, noting that all of the volunteer members have full-time jobs and do not have much spare time to plan or organize fundraisers or even complete the website that has been in the works for a few years. The Foundation funds continue to grow through astute investments, he said.

Along with Prince, the  current board members include George Bell, Patricia Crosson, Anthony Giamo, and Chris Heidenreich. 

“We would like to enlarge the board with more volunteers,” he added, so they can continue to advance the original vision to help educate students, who will hopefully stay in the region to share their talents. 

For Prince, his family roots are deeply established in Pottstown. He is the fifth generation of the Prince family and has been practicing law in Pottstown for 51 years, continuing the legacy of his father and grandfather.

“We’re the oldest law firm in the borough – the firm was established in 1916. In fact, our office building was built in 1873 so Pottstown is in our genes” he said. 

With such strong ties, Prince firmly believes in the people of Pottstown.

“Pottstown has many treasures to offer,” he said. “This town has an incredible history. We helped to build the Golden Gate bridge [through the former McClintic-Marshall Co., a subsidiary of Bethlehem Steel located in Pottstown], we built fighter engines [Jacobs Aircraft Engines] for World War II, and we made the tires [Firestone Tires] for vehicles around the world. More importantly, I believe in this community because of the people and their acceptance and respect of and for each other demonstrated multiple times throughout our history. When a disaster happens, the community comes together. The residents also have a drive to make this town a better place and that all makes us truly a better place.”