The Berks County Chapter of the Penn State Alumni Association, the Penn State Berks THON student group, and the Reading Royals are teaming up for the fifth consecutive year to hold a fundraising event to benefit THON, the world's largest student-run philanthropy dedicated to supporting children with pediatric cancer and their families, on Saturday, February 7, 2015, at 7 p.m. at the Santander Arena in Reading.

The Penn State Berks Theatre Department will present The Vagina Monologues, the award-winning play based on V-Day founder and playwright Eve Ensler's interviews with more than 200 women, for one night, Tuesday, February 3, 2015, at 8 p.m. in the Perkins Student Center Auditorium. Tickets are $10 and all ticket proceeds will be donated to Berks Women in Crisis, a local organization that aids victims of domestic violence and sexual assault and promotes educational programs on these issues.

Extreme athlete and motivational speaker Sean Burch teaches audiences how to get in shape, both physically and professionally. Burch will present an inspiring lecture on Wednesday, February 4, 2015, at 7:30 p.m. in the Perkins Student Center Auditorium. This event is free and open to the public.

The Penn State Berks Center for Creativity, Entrepreneurship and Economic Development (CEED) and the Institute of Industrial Engineering (IIE)-Reading Chapter are hosting a lecture titled "A Vision to Improve the Economical, Environmental and Social Sustainability of our Logistics System" by Russell D. Meller, Ph.D., Vice President of Research and Development at Fortna Inc., on Wednesday, January 28, 2015.

The Miller-Keystone Bloodmobile will visit Penn State Berks on Thursday, January 22, 2015, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the Multipurpose Room of the Perkins Student Center. In addition, radio station WRFY-FM (Y-102) will be on site with a live remote from 10 a.m.-12 noon. Students, faculty, and staff interested in donating blood should register by calling Health Services, 610-396-6075. Registration the day of the event will be held in the first floor lobby of the Perkins Student Center.

Penn State Berks will host a screening of the film, The Anonymous People, which highlights the addiction recovery of more than 23 million Americans, on Thursday, January 22, 2015, at beginning 6 p.m. in the Perkins Student Center Auditorium. A panel discussion will follow. This event is free and open to the public but seating is limited. To reserve a seat, visit: cocaberks.org/people.html.

Penn State Berks Theatre students were recently recognized at the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival (KCACTF) Region 2. Theatre students Arielle Smith, Julia Elberfeld, Christopher Crawford, and Brandon Reimer traveled to Cleveland, Ohio with their professor, James N. Brown, from January 2-6, 2015.

Students will be volunteering in the community in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday, January 19, 2015. They will volunteer at Opportunity House and at the Animal Rescue League from 11 a.m.-1 p.m.

Penn State Berks will host a banquet in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2015. The event will be held in the Perkins Student Center Multipurpose Room; doors open at 6 p.m., with a soul food dinner at 6:30.

This spring, as part of the Global Studies degree program's "Global Oscars Come to Berks," Penn State Berks will present four films nominated for the 2014 Best Foreign Language Film at the Academy Awards: The Hunt on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2015; The Missing Picture on Thursday, Feb. 26; The Great Beauty on Thursday, March 26; and Omar, on Thursday, April 23; all at 6 p.m. in room 121 of the Gaige Technology and Business Innovation Building. All four films are free and open to the public.