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Lehigh Valley Community Foundation, United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley, and Faces International partner for a special initiative, Project Equity.  

Allentown, Pa., November 10, 2020—Lehigh Valley Community Foundation and United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley have partnered with Faces International to create a new initiative that will bring together nonprofit stakeholders in the region to create a common vision, values, and strategies for redesigning an equitable and sustainable nonprofit sector.  Project Equity: Redesigning the Lehigh Valley Nonprofit Sector” launched with the unveiling of the project website at: https://projectequitylv.com/ and a video raising awareness about the project.

“The underlying principle of Project Equity is the concept of ‘co-design’ which is when an organization and its stakeholders work together to design or rethink a service,” explained Megan Briggs, Director of Community Investments at Lehigh Valley Community Foundation. “We are inviting the people most affected by COVID-19 and systemic inequities into the problem-solving and decision-making space to co-design strategies to address how the nonprofit sector can rebuild in a way that focuses on equity and sustainability.”

The COVID-19 pandemic, economic downturn, and the heightened national consciousness on racial disparities has laid bare the systemic racism and historic disinvestment in our communities, as well as the stark inequities in our society. “The nonprofit sector is serving a vital need during this crisis, but is being stretched in many ways,” said Erin Connelly, Senior Director of Impact, United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley. “We need to operate differently to serve our community and we have an opportunity to rebuild in a way that focuses on equity and sustainability. Now is the time to ask how the Lehigh Valley nonprofit community could build an equitable, sustainable nonprofit sector together. It is with that vision in mind, that we are launching Project Equity.”

“This approach goes beyond creating a diversity plan or initiative where leadership overlays elements of diversity and inclusion overtop systemic inequities,” said Tyrone Russell, Chief Executive Officer of Faces International. “We’ll have the right people around the table. Together, they will dig into the core of our nonprofit sector and pull out a framework that inextricably connects missions to processes, donors to our neighbors, and equity to sustainability.”

Kevin Greene, Chief Operations Officer at Faces added, “Equity is not about taking away what you have. It is about extending the table so we have the voices and expertise we need to achieve success.”

Project Equity will include four distinct phases that will ensure the initiative remains centered on equity and is a thorough and complete process. Consulting group TCC group will provide data and evaluation support for the initiative.

• Phase One – Community-wide Launch
  The project begins with the creation of a “Design Team” made up of nonprofit and community representatives who will receive a grant to their respective organizations in recognition of their time.
   
• Phase Two – Learn and Discover
  Design Team participants will engage in intensive dialogue about their experience in the nonprofit space. The team aims to understand what our community and nonprofit sector has experienced as the pandemic, racial injustice and an economic downturn converge.
   
• Phase Three – Community Co-designing
  The Design Team will review data, answer key questions, and craft a common vision, values, and priorities for an equity-centered recovery and reimagining of the nonprofit sector.
   
• Phase Four – Share and Act
  With a completed framework in hand, the information will be shared and distributed to all stakeholders within the Lehigh Valley.

“The outcome of Project Equity will enable the nonprofit sector to rethink how we are operating, imagine better alternatives, and co-create strategies to make those alternatives come to life.” Briggs explained further. “The project aims to center the community’s expertise and create a unified voice around the vision, values, and strategies in rebuilding from COVID-19. Through the process, we seek to build and deepen relationships and seed new partnerships.”

The project was initiated through the Strategic Response Team, a collaborative that began to meet to align and coordinate initial response and recovery efforts in the Greater Lehigh Valley. Project Equity is supported by a grant from the United Philanthropy Forum’s Momentum Fund, as well as donor contributions supporting COVID-19 relief efforts. 

About the Lehigh Valley Community Foundation

For more than five decades, the Lehigh Valley Community Foundation has helped donors with their charitable contributions with a simple, powerful, and highly personalized approach. LVCF connects people who care to causes that matter, grow their charitable legacies, and fund nonprofit organizations to improve the quality of life in the region. Learn more at: www.lvcfoundation.org

Mission of United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley

The mission of United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley is to provide the leadership, convene the partnerships, and develop the resources and solutions that improve our community.  We remain committed to these goals and sincerely appreciate the continued support of partners, program providers and donors throughout the Lehigh Valley. Learn more at: www.UnitedWayGLV.org

About Faces International

Established in 2012, FACES international, or Faces, is a team of highly skilled, efficiently trained, and experienced professionals offering services in six (6) distinct areas of focus: Team Building and Cultural Competence Training, Events, Design, Business Consulting, Digital Marketing, and Videography. These areas of service operate together in what is known as the “FACES Ecosystem.”  The common goal amongst all areas is to enhance the lives of community members and challenge each individual client receiving our services to strive for excellence. We have a very diverse clientele who have had the opportunity to become part of the intergenerational, and interconnected Ecosystem. Learn more at: https://facesint.com/.

AFP, Eastern PA Chapter to Celebrate National Philanthropy Day with a Free Virtual Ceremony

Allentown, Pa., November 6, 2020—The Eastern PA Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) honored the people, organizations, and businesses that stepped up during the COVID-19 pandemic during the chapter’s 2020 National Philanthropy Day Awards Ceremony. The Greater Lehigh Valley COVID-19 Community Response Fund, established by the Lehigh Valley Community Foundation and the United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley, received the chapter’s Outstanding Community Champion Award.  Through this Fund, dozens of organizations collaborated to strengthen emergency services for community members who were disproportionately impacted by the pandemic in Lehigh, Northampton and Carbon counties.

Together with a Strategic Response Team of community leaders, 23 funders united to provide a rapid, informed and coordinated approach to assessing emerging needs and getting dollars where they’re needed most. (See video of award presentation of the Outstanding Community Champion Award at the bottom of this webpage.  The Awards program was held on Wednesday, November 18 from 9:00 to 10:00 a.m. To view the entire program, use this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gswBQY3Rc0&feature=youtu.be

Kurt Landes, President and General Manager of the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, will serve as master of ceremonies for the free event that will be held virtually on November 18th at 9am.  He will be joined by Sharon Alexander, CFRE, AFP Eastern PA Chapter President to welcome all who wish to attend. PPL and North Star Construction Management are the Lead Sponsors of the event that celebrates philanthropy and good will by honoring those making an impact on the Greater Lehigh Valley area during this unprecedented time.

The AFP Eastern PA Chapter also will pay tribute to the following honorees during the National Philanthropy Day Awards Ceremony:

• Outstanding Philanthropists – Vince & Michelle Sorgi, nominated by Girl Scouts of Eastern PA
• Outstanding Foundation – Andy Derr Foundation for Kidney Cancer Research, nominated by Lehigh Valley Health Network
• Outstanding Large Business – North Star Construction, nominated by Lehigh Valley Health Network
• Outstanding Small Business – Eight Oaks Farm Distillery, nominated by Cancer Support Community of the Greater Lehigh Valley
• Outstanding Nonprofit – Meals on Wheels, nominated by Moravian College
• Outstanding Collaborative Project – Lehigh Valley Regional Homeless Advisory Board, nominated by New Bethany Ministries
• Outstanding Youth in Philanthropy – Project Quarantine, East Stroudsburg Jr. High School, nominated by LVHN Pocono Foundation
• Outstanding Community Volunteer – Cathy Coyne, nominated by New Bethany Ministries

For more information regarding this event, or to register, please visit www.afpeasternpa.org.  

About National Philanthropy Day

National Philanthropy Day (NPD) celebrates the charitable work that everybody does to create impact in their communities. AFP Eastern Pennsylvania’s annual NPD Awards Breakfast honors the professionals, volunteers, and organizations that bring the love of humankind to life every day.

About AFP Eastern PA Chapter

Founded in 1986, the AFP Eastern Pennsylvania Chapter is a regional professional association whose membership is comprised of persons involved in development, public relations, non-profit management and fundraising consulting.  It is a chapter of the international organization, Association of Fundraising Professionals.  The majority of chapter members represent organizations in Lehigh and Northampton counties.  The Chapter currently has a membership of approximately 150 fundraising professionals.

The Application Period is Open Now until December 30, 2020

Allentown, Pa., October 29, 2020—The Upper Bucks Community Fund of the Lehigh Valley Community Foundation is now accepting applications for the Richard E. Gasser Fund and Erwin J. and Gertrude K. Neusch Fund which are for organizations and programs primarily serving the Palisades, Pennridge and Quakertown School Districts in the Upper Bucks area.

Richard E. Gasser Fund provides grants to benefit programs, organizations, and residents in the Upper Bucks County, Pennsylvania, area. The grants are made to support programs and projects which enhance interest, education, and achievements in technology, science, and technology-related fields.

Erwin J. and Gertrude K. Neusch Fund provides grants for charitable programs which benefit residents of Upper Bucks County, specifically those in the geographic area served by the Quakertown and Palisades School Districts. The programs of interest to the Neusch Fund are primarily, but not exclusively, in arts (including industrial arts), education, and rural life.

Grant awards have ranged depending on the number of quality of applications submitted. Historically, the grant awards have ranged from $1,000 to $10,000.Applicants must be a publicly supported organization with 501(c)(3) exempt status that provides services in Upper Bucks County in the Palisades, Quakertown, or Pennridge School Districts.

Funds will support projects or programs in the areas of Arts, Education, Rural Life, Science, and Technology. Grants cannot be used for educational scholarships for pre-K, primary, secondary or post-secondary education or given to individuals.

About Upper Bucks Community Fund of the Lehigh Valley Community Foundation

The Upper Bucks Community Fund of the Lehigh Valley Community Foundation is a great way for philanthropically-minded people to give back to their community. The fund is directed by the Upper Bucks Advisory Board which is composed of local community leaders focused on growing local giving, issuing grants to local nonprofit organizations, and organizing resources to meet local needs.  The Upper Bucks Advisory Board is an important philanthropic arm of the Lehigh Valley Community Foundation (LVCF). Their intimate knowledge of the people and organizations which serve the community is extremely valuable and results in careful and thoughtful grantmaking in Upper Bucks County. Learn more…

Lehigh Community Foundation President and CEO Bernie Story has been named one of seventeen outstanding leaders to receive a Lehigh Valley Business Icon Award.

Lehigh Valley Business’ ICON Honors recognizes Greater Lehigh Valley business leaders over the age of 60 for their notable success and demonstration of strong leadership both within and outside of their chosen fields. The winners will be featured in the November 9, 2020, edition of Lehigh Valley Business.

About Bernie Story, President and CEO

Bernie Story joined the Lehigh Valley Community Foundation as President and CEO in 2012 after a 32-year career in higher education administration. As President and CEO, Bernie oversees the operations of the Foundation and works closely with the Foundation’s Board of Governors in developing strategies to support the mission of the organization.

Prior to joining the Foundation, Bernie held a variety of positions at Moravian College including Director of Admissions, Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid, and Vice President for Enrollment. He was also a writer at Market Street Design Company, and lead singer and rhythm guitarist for The Midnight Sun, a local rock band.

Bernie had been a long-time member of the Board of Directors of the Boys and Girls Club of Bethlehem serving as President and Vice President and Bernie also served as Chair of the Middle States Regional Council of the College Board and as a higher education panelist for Leadership Lehigh Valley. Currently, he is also a Director of the Saucon Insurance Company and he serves on the Steering Committee of the Upside Allentown Neighborhood Partnership Program.

Bernie is a Bethlehem native and a graduate of Moravian College with a degree in English Literature. He currently resides in Emmaus with his wife Peg. They have three children and five grandchildren.

Congratulations to the 2020 ICON Honors Winners!

Shelley Brown, State Theatre of Easton
Nancy Dischnat, Workforce Board LV
Cindy Feinberg, Feinberg Real Estate Advisors
Thomas Fiorini, Westgate Global Logistics
Tom Garrity, Compass Point Consulting
Bruce Haines, Hotel Bethlehem
Douglas E. Hutchinson, Hutchinson, Gillahan and Freeh, P.C.
Ellen Kern, Pennsylvania Senate
R. Chadwick Paul, Jr., Ben Franklin Technology Partners of NE Pa.
Doug Pellitier, Trifecta Technologies
Richard Reppert Sr., R.L. Reppert, Inc.
Thomas Riddle, Valley National Financial Advisors
Bernard Story, Lehigh Valley Community Foundation
Donna Taggart, Taggart Associates
Marsha Welsh, East Stroudsburg University (Retired)
Thomas Williams, Domani Wealth
Dick Yuengling, D.G. Yuengling and Son, Inc.

The winners will be featured in the November 9, 2020, edition of Lehigh Valley Business. For more information, visit https://www.lvb.com/2020-icon-honors-winners/

Allentown, Pa., October 1, 2020—Lehigh Valley Community Foundation recently named Monica Brooks, manager, Diversity & Inclusion for PPL Electric Utilities, to its Board of Governors. Brooks will serve on the Community Foundation’s Community Relations Committee.

Brooks is responsible for promoting and developing training, coaching, and/or mentorship programs to enhance PPL employee understanding on inclusion issues. With experience working across multiple industries and in a variety of demographics, Brooks has a proven career and expertise in organizational change, improving workplace culture, diversity, and leadership credibility.  She is known for driving engagement and growing leadership to produce positive business results.

Brooks also possesses a strong passion toward community involvement and mentoring.  She has been a consistent mentor to young females and single mothers since 1999. As a leader of Diversity & Inclusion, Brooks recently completed the certificate program, Diversity & Inclusion with Cornell University (eCornell).  She also has a Bachelor of Science degree in Sociology and Criminal Justice from Alabama Agricultural & Mechanical University, in Huntsville, Alabama.

The Board of Governors at Lehigh Valley Community Foundation provide administrative, programmatic, and fiscal oversight in support of the organization’s mission. Members of the Board serve as ambassadors, promoting the Community Foundation as a vehicle for philanthropy and a leader of community improvement.

About Lehigh Valley Community Foundation

For more than five decades, Lehigh Valley Community Foundation has helped donors with their charitable contributions with a simple, powerful, and highly personalized approach. LVCF is a philanthropic hub for the Lehigh Valley—who knows and navigates the landscape of the Lehigh Valley’s community needs to connect people who care to causes that matter.

With a diverse and respected Board of Governors, the Community Foundation is a tax-exempt 501(c)3 organization located in Allentown, Pennsylvania.  The Foundation is cause-neutral and supports all areas of community needs in the Lehigh Valley and beyond in compliance with the National Standards for U.S. Community Foundations. To learn more, visit: www.lehighvalleyfoundation.org.

Allentown, Pa., October 1, 2020—Lehigh Valley Community Foundation recently named Thomas Groves, founder, president, and partner at Equinox Benefits Consulting in Emmaus, Pa., to its Board of Governors. Groves will serve on the Community Foundation’s Finance Committee. 

Groves has over twenty years of industry experience, including working for the large insurance carrier, Highmark Blue Shield. He started Equinox Benefits Consulting (The Equinox Agency), in 2004, and is an expert in negotiation, self-funding, and employee engagement. As the founder and principal partner, Groves has led Equinox to be one of the fastest growing companies in the region year over year.

Groves participates on various community boards. Bilingual in English and Spanish, he serves as Vice Chair of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (Lehigh Valley). Groves has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Marketing from Saint Joseph’s University.  He is licensed in Accident and Health, Life & Fixed Annuities, Casualty & Allied Lines, Personal Lines, Property & Allied Lines as a Resident Producer for Pennsylvania, and ten other states.  He can be found on the National Producer Registry. 

The Board of Governors at Lehigh Valley Community Foundation provide administrative, programmatic, and fiscal oversight in support of the organization’s mission. Members of the Board serve as ambassadors, promoting the Community Foundation as a vehicle for philanthropy and a leader of community improvement.

About Lehigh Valley Community Foundation

For more than five decades, Lehigh Valley Community Foundation has helped donors with their charitable contributions with a simple, powerful, and highly personalized approach. LVCF is a philanthropic hub for the Lehigh Valley—who knows and navigates the landscape of the Lehigh Valley’s community needs to connect people who care to causes that matter.

With a diverse and respected Board of Governors, the Community Foundation is a tax-exempt 501(c)3 organization located in Allentown, Pennsylvania.  The Foundation is cause-neutral and supports all areas of community needs in the Lehigh Valley and beyond in compliance with the National Standards for U.S. Community Foundations. To learn more, visit: www.lehighvalleyfoundation.org.

Lehigh Valley Community Foundation and United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley receive $65,000 grant from the Momentum Fund

Allentown, PA, September 29, 2020—Lehigh Valley Community Foundation (LVCF) and United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley (UWGLV) announced today that they have received a $65,000 grant from the newly-formed Momentum Fund. This grant will support collaborative relief work with community-run organizations actively mitigating the pandemic’s impact with an explicit focus on social justice.  

The grant was one of 129 grants, totaling $8.5 million, awarded by United Philanthropy Forum’s Momentum Fund to 501(c)(3) organizations around the country managing COVID-19 relief funds that provide grants and other forms of direct support to community-run organizations working with communities of color, historically marginalized populations, and other groups being disproportionately impacted by the pandemic.

“This grant will help to deepen our understanding of the impact of systemic racism and COVID-19 on the BIPOC community in the Lehigh Valley,” said Megan Briggs, Director of Community Investments, Lehigh Valley Community Foundation. “By centering our efforts through the lens of racial equity and being more intentional in this work, it will inform our strategies that address racial disparities.”

“This crisis has made it clear: we need to work together to address deeper structural inequities that continue to affect our community. We cannot turn a blind eye to the disproportionate impacts of COVID-19 on Black Indigenous People of Color. With support from the Momentum Fund, we can further expand the Fund’s focus on racial equity to create lasting change,” said Jill Pereira, Vice President of Education and Impact, UWGLV.

The Momentum Fund grant will power the ongoing work of the Greater Lehigh Valley COVID-19 Community Response Fund, a partnership of 23 funders including LVCF and UWGLV. With an explicit focus on racial equity, the Community Response Fund provides a rapid, informed and coordinated approach to assessing community need and getting dollars where they are most useful.

Momentum Fund support will help to successfully and quickly build the bridge from COVID-19 response to an infrastructure that combats racism at the systems level and drives long-lasting and comprehensive change across multiple sectors of our community.  

“We are witnessing a historic and unprecedented level of suffering and need that must be addressed before this nation falls even further into a state of absolute humanitarian crisis,” said Amanda Misiko Andere, CEO of Funders Together to End Homelessness and Chair of the Momentum Fund Advisory Board. “It is essential that the philanthropic sector continues to dedicate itself to this work, which includes addressing the devastating and deadly human health, economic, and social impacts that are befalling millions of people of color and vulnerable families across the nation every day.”

The Momentum Fund was launched in May 2020 with a vision of ushering in a new model of philanthropic giving that unapologetically centers racial equity and explicitly prioritizes the needs of Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) communities. The Momentum Fund is managed by United Philanthropy Forum.

To view a complete list of Momentum Fund grantees, visit www.momentumfund.org.

Mission of United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley

The mission of United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley is to provide the leadership, convene the partnerships, and develop the resources and solutions that improve our community.  We remain committed to these goals and sincerely appreciate the continued support of partners, program providers and donors throughout the Lehigh Valley. www.UnitedWayGLV.org

About the Lehigh Valley Community Foundation

For more than five decades, the Lehigh Valley Community Foundation has helped donors with their charitable contributions with a simple, powerful, and highly personalized approach. LVCF connects people who care to causes that matter, grow their charitable legacies, and fund nonprofit organizations to improve the quality of life in the region. Learn more at: www.lvcfoundation.org

Allentown, Pa., September 9, 2020—In response to community needs as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic, Lehigh Valley Community Foundation (LVCF) established the Upper Bucks COVID-19 Response Fund that recently awarded $12,800 to nonprofits providing food assistance (safety net services) to Upper Bucks County residents. 

Grants from the Upper Bucks COVID-19 Fund are supported by several sources of funding. It is primarily supported by the Erwin J. & Gertrude K. Neusch Fund at LVCF, in addition to individual donor contributions.

“Grants from the fund were directed by the Upper Bucks Advisory Board which is an important philanthropic arm of the Community Foundation,” said Megan Briggs, director of community investments at LVCF “Their intimate knowledge of the people and organizations which serve the community is extremely valuable and results in careful and thoughtful grantmaking in Upper Bucks County.”

“The Upper Bucks Advisory Board is frequently faced with difficult decisions as a result of receiving grant requests that indicate total needs that far exceed our currently available funds,” noted Doug Hutchinson, chair of the Upper Bucks Community Fund Advisory Board.  “We always attempt to allocate available funds to grant requests that best reflect the desires of the donors of the funds. We encourage all charitable organizations faced with unfunded needs to continue to submit grant requests in the future even if we were unable to fund a previous request.”

The following organizations received grants from the Upper Bucks COVID-19 Response Fund:

• Palisades Community Foundation – $2,250
• YMCA of Bucks County – $2,100
• St. Luke’s Upper Bucks Campus – $1,200
• Children’s Developmental Program – $2,000
• FEAST Pantry – $1,900
• AHUB/Outreach Care – $2,000
• Bucks County Opportunity Council – $1,350

Those interested in supporting additional grants to Upper Bucks nonprofits through this fund can learn more and make a gift on the Lehigh Valley Community Foundation website at: https://www.lehighvalleyfoundation.org/upper-bucks-covid-19-response-fund.

Learn more about the Upper Bucks Community Fund on the Lehigh Valley Community Foundation website.

See related release | Area Nonprofits Receive $33,800 in Grants from the Upper Bucks Community Fund

About the Upper Buck Community Fund

The Upper Bucks Community Fund of the Lehigh Valley, a geographic affiliate of Lehigh Valley Community Foundation, consists primarily of two area-of-interest funds. The Richard E. Gasser Fund and Erwin J. and Gertrude K. Neusch Fund are for organizations and programs primarily serving the Palisades, Pennridge and Quakertown School Districts in the Upper Bucks area. Recently added to Upper Bucks umbrella, The Bucks County Free Library Endowment Fund is an agency fund that benefits the seven-branch county library system with locations in Bensalem, Doylestown, Langhorne, Levittown, Perkasie, Quakertown, and Yardley-Makefield.

Racial Justice 3-part series that gives space to reflect, dialogue, process and move to action within a peer-learning community

Lehigh Valley Community Foundation (LVCF) will hold, Choosing the Path for Anti-Racism in the Nonprofit Sector, a three-part introductory workshop series that will give space to reflect, dialogue, process and move to action within a peer learning community. The workshop is co-sponsored by Humanitarian Social Innovations, and planned in collaboration with the Volunteer Center of the Lehigh Valley will be held in two cohorts, (August 4, 11, 18) and (August 5, 12, 19). The three-part workshop series is facilitated by Erica T. Mahady, Illumination Consulting Partners.  (see Ms. Mahady bio below).

The workshop series for nonprofit leaders seeking to gain an understanding of Racial Justice and Anti-Racism and are seeking clarity on how to connect Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion to their organization’s mission or strategy. “Lehigh Valley Community Foundation, in coordination with the Volunteer Center of the Lehigh Valley initiated this event due to the community foundation’s participation in the Strategic Response Team’s Technical Assistance Sub-committee, which was designed to be responsive to needs in our nonprofit community as a result of COVID-19 pandemic,” said Megan Briggs, LVCF director of community investments, who is a member of the Strategic Response Team. This event is a follow-up to Heart-to-Heart: A Dialogue on Diversity and Race, an event that was organized by LVCF in June to offer Nonprofit Leaders a virtual space for connection and reflection in the midst of social uprisings and the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Participation in the three-part series will provide attendees with the following:

• Shared language for discussing racial equity, biases and how to facilitate these difficult conversations.
• Frameworks and tools to understand how to respectfully enter into Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion work for transformational change.
• Guidance on how you can make a commitment and concrete plans for dismantling racism within your organization and in the larger society.

The workshop attendees should be decision-makers and change-agents within organizations. The representative attending should be on a leadership level, with the responsibility of making key decisions for the organization.

Please see the below description of the sessions:

Advancing Diversity, Racial Equity and Cultural Competence: Cultural competence is about our will and actions to build understanding between people, to be respectful and open to different cultural perspectives, strengthen cultural security and work towards equality in opportunity. We will have an opportunity to explore shared language for talking about race, racism and racial justice. To illuminate racism, we need to name it, frame it and explain it.

Anti-Racism and Becoming an Actionable Ally: Historically, it has been people of color who have pushed back most strongly against racism, racial injustice and white privilege. However, for radical systemic change to occur, white people must join with BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) to demand change. Many are resolving to demonstrate allyship by taking actions to counter, disrupt, and dismantle systemic racism through anti-racism. In this workshop, we will explore allyship and anti-racism which are two related concepts that can help white people effectively and respectfully work for racial justice. Additionally, participants will have the opportunity to learn about an approach that anti-racism allies can use to share their perspective with people who are skeptical that racism against BIPOC is a problem worthy of specific attention.

Infusing Equity and Inclusion Across Organizations: The process of dismantling racism is not just about individuals changing behaviors and ways of thinking. This important individual work must in turn trigger a commitment to dismantling racism in organizations. Organizations, like individuals, can evolve to become anti-racist. In this workshop, participants will have the opportunity to complete an assessment to analyze racial equity within their organization. Generative discussions will be utilized to debrief the process. Lastly, each individual will have the opportunity to begin discussing a goal to advance organizational development of racial equity.

Emmaus, PA – July 16, 2020—Burkholder’s Heating & Air Conditioning, Inc., a 60-year-old, family-owned and trusted Eastern Pennsylvania-based provider of residential and commercial HVAC services, is proud to announce that it has raised $3,582 for the Lehigh Valley Community Foundation’s (LVCF) COVID-19 Response Fund following the launch of the company’s recent Gives Back Campaign.

The Gives Back Campaign, borne out of the ongoing COVID-19 crisis and in response to the growing needs of the local greater Lehigh Valley community, allowed current HVAC contract customers, as well as non-contracted customers, to schedule any preventive equipment maintenance services between April 27th-June 15th, 2020. Upon successful completion of the service calls made during that timeline, Burkholder’s donated $6.00–a tribute to its milestone anniversary–on behalf of 597 customer transactions that were received to LVCF’s newly created COVID-19 Response Fund. Each gift was matched dollar-for-dollar by the Foundation.

“To say that we are extraordinarily proud of the rallying response we received from this remarkable community since the moment our Gives Back Campaign was first announced is a sore understatement,” stated Robert Burkholder, President. “From our valued customers who supported our promotion to our cherished employees who helped to catapult it over the course of its 8-week run–evidenced by the 597 fielded phone calls to our customer service department, all jobs which were serviced by our team of talented technicians–we are amazed by the display of unifying generosity during a time in history that tested and challenged so many without prejudice or limits.”

Established in the spring of 2020, the COVID-19 Response Fund is dedicated to assisting local nonprofits in the Lehigh Valley to support individuals and families who have been adversely affected by the global outbreak. Eligible recipients of the contributions that have poured in from regional community partners–which has reached over $100,000–include organizations that provide critical social safety net services including food access, support for the economically disadvantaged, and services for those without shelter, and those at risk of homelessness. To date, sixty-four organizations have received fiscal support from partners like Burkholder’s to sustain their operations and stretch their resources to those most vulnerable populations.

“We commend Burkholder’s Heating & Air Conditioning, Inc. for their commitment to supporting area nonprofits during this difficult time through the LVCF COVID-19 Relief Fund,” said Erika Riddle Petrozelli, Vice President for Philanthropy. “Burkholder’s generous contribution helps the Community Foundation support a regional, coordinated effort to rapidly deploy resources to community-based, front-line nonprofit organizations in the Lehigh Valley as well as distribute grants directly to nonprofits.”

LVCF continues to solicit additional donations to disburse adequate funding for other local organizations that provide education, child care, healthcare, utility assistance, job training, transportation, and violence prevention. Individual or corporate gifts can be made via a check made payable to LVCF COVID-19 Response Fund (LVCF) or credit card via Paypal. For more information, visit www.lvcfoundation.org.

About Burkholder’s Heating & Air Conditioning, Inc.

Burkholder’s Heating & Air Conditioning, Inc. provides a full range of HVAC services to both residential and commercial customers throughout Eastern Pennsylvania. Founded in 1960 and still a privately held, family-run company, Burkholder’s HVAC has completed hundreds of installations and delivered award-winning service to their customers. For more information, visit www.burkholders-hvac.com.