By Greg Settle, TechForce Foundation Director of National Initiatives
TechForce Foundation® Willy Bertoti Memorial Scholarship to Continue in Perpetuity
At Pottstown High School memorial gathering, Bertoti family
announces the Memorial Scholarship to continue in Willy’s memory
Pottstown, PA – October 5, 2019 – It has been five years since Willy Bertoti, an automotive instructor at Pottstown High School in Pottstown, PA passed away unexpectedly. Willy made an impact on everyone his life touched, and especially his students. To honor Willy, friends and co-workers set up the Willy Bertoti Memorial Scholarship Fund with TechForce Foundation, shortly after his passing. To date, there have been seven scholarship recipients receiving support to attend Universal Technical Institute in Exton, PA.
On Saturday, October 5th, a celebration was held at Pottstown High School in honor of Willy. The memorial was organized by the Federation of Pottstown Teachers, among which Willy counted many friends. A small grassy area next to the school’s football field was set aside and dedicated in his memory as a place for reflection and meditation. The special area now is home to a beautiful shade tree, surrounded by flowers. To complete the memorial setting, a very special bench was unveiled, hand-built over many hours by the current automotive class students, constructed mostly from truck parts.
The overarching theme throughout the celebration, as one person after another recalled their memories of Willy, was how much difference one caring person can make in the lives of others.
At the closing of the celebration, Willy’s widow Dolores, along with her son Christopher, announced that the Memorial Scholarship Fund is being set up as a perpetual fund to ensure Pottstown High School students will always benefit from the support of the fund, and to ensure Willy’s memory will live on.
Donations to the fund can be made to the Willy Bertoti Memorial Scholarship Fund at https://app.mobilecause.com/vf/TECHFORCE/team/WilliamLBertoti
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