Director's Dispatch The Hammels elevate the Initiative

When Penn State alumni Vic and Dena Hammel of Wyomissing joined our Initiative early last year, they quickly elevated our operation. They began by contributing $450,000 to set up our Eastern Hub at Penn State Berks. At the same time, Vic, former Ehrlich Pest Control CEO and co-owner, helps lead our development efforts and mentors me on the business and marketing sides of our work.

In recent months, Vic has challenged me to think bigger. How can we scale our K-12 professional learning programs? How can we expand our reach and help many more educators effectively teach difficult topics? How can we impact more students? Well, I’ve been working on a plan. I’ve started sharing the first draft with stakeholders. Stay tuned. 

Earlier this month, Vic and Dena took our Initiative even higher with a $5 million endowment. As I told Penn State News, this seminal gift represents the Hammels’ dedication to providing children with an impactful education and our society with a brighter future by upgrading our K-12 instruction of difficult topics. 

To quote Vic quoting abolitionist Frederick Douglass: “It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.” 

Thank you, Vic and Dena, for this extremely generous contribution and for all you do. We are forever grateful for your vision, support, and active participation!

I also want to thank some of the Penn Staters who helped facilitate this gift. Forgive me if I left off a name. They include President Neeli Bendapudi, Chief of Staff Michael Wade Smith, Bellisario College of Communications Dean Marie Hardin, former Provost Nick Jones, Initiative volunteer head of development Elliott Weinstein, Bellisario Director of Finance and Administration Sandi Rockwell, and University Development’s Vice President Rich Bundy, Assistant Vice President Mark Theiss, Director of Strategic Initiatives (Principal Gifts) Heather Winfield, Melissa Edwards of Penn State Berks, and Senior Writer Gregg Baptista.

The best news? Vic, who likes to say this is just the beginning, plans to continue being just as involved.

I very much look forward to many more years of working with and being challenged by Vic and Dena. As we say in Hebrew, Toda raba, chaverim! (Thank you very much, my friends!)