The Bea Blatner Volunteer of the Year Award honors those who contribute to the Literacy Council’s mission.
Bobbi Anne DeLeo stood in the messy room filled with sawdust and scaffolding and started to cry. The Executive Director of the York County Literacy Council looked past the construction and saw home.
She envisioned a place where hundreds of members of the York community would visit to better their lives. She saw them taking ownership of their futures. She saw them diving into a dignified learning environment.
In their newly renovated office/instructional space within the Graham Capital Building on Sixth Avenue in Spring Garden Township, the York County Literacy Council is setting up classrooms and preparing to welcome the first students to step into the new facility.
But it took several people to get to this point. It took years of searching for a location and space that would work. It took many phone calls and meetings with potential donors. It took nearly 30 meetings with the Space Needs Facility Location Task Force, set up under the Literacy Council Board of Directors and chaired by Frank E. Dittenhafer II.
“I thank God for Frank Dittenhafer,” DeLeo says. “We couldn’t have done this without him on the board.”
Frank E. Dittenhafer II
‘A responsibility to do what I can’
As President of Murphy & Dittenhafer Architects, Dittenhafer rolled up his sleeves and put a call to members of his firm to help the Literacy Council find a new home. Not only did his staff take part in site visits, doing test fit layouts, but they prepared renderings, construction drawings and oversaw the construction at the newly leased space. They even helped select the final finishes and furnishings under M&D Interiors Studio.
Dittenhafer’s work was recognized with the 2020 Bea Blatner Volunteer of the Year Award. Blatner was a longtime volunteer and board member with the Literacy Council. She tutored up into her 90s.
In awe of those who have contributed to improving the lives of others through literacy, including countless tutors and volunteers, Dittenhafer felt compelled to do what he could to further that mission.
“In my view, literacy is not optional,” Dittenhafer says. “You can see how it impacts so many people in just about every area of their life. This is important work, and there’s a responsibility to do what I can to help.”
Now, as staff members of the Literacy Council move into the new space and class schedules are finalized, there’s a hope and excitement that buzzes about the space. Beyond the freshly painted walls and the new carpets, DeLeo and Dittenhafer can see the potential of what’s to come.
“There was a vision for this place that Frank had from the beginning, and he helped bring it to life,” DeLeo says. “It’s incredible how it’s all come together. We’re incredibly blessed.”
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The memorial’s groundbreaking took place in June, and the dedication is set to take place on November 11, 2024, or Veterans Day.