Category: Uncategorized

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.

The Community Foundation is committed to supporting the nonprofit sector in addressing ongoing barriers as they arise both in the immediate and in the future, too.  As the recent attention has focused on the importance of Racial Equity, LVCF is offering Heart to Heart: A Dialogue on Race and Diversity, a professionally facilitated virtual conversation by InterACTion Consulting Group.

LVCF is offering this virtual program in response to widespread interest of non-profit leaders to begin or continue work to center their organization’s mission on equity. This program is designed to provide a safe and welcoming virtual space in which candid and heartfelt conversations about racial issues in America can occur. Participants will have opportunities to practice diversity-related communication skills needed as individuals and organizations weather the “Imperfect Storm of 2020” and create a more inclusive, diversity competence and equitable world. The hour session will be facilitated by InterACTion Consulting Group members, Marie Amey-Taylor, Ed.D. and Sarah Halley.

Registation Information

• SPACE IS LIMITED, therefore we are requesting that only one representative from each organization attend. The representative attending should be on a leadership level, with the responsibility of making key decisions for the organization.
• LVCF is hosting two facilitated conversation opportunities on Wednesday and Thursday. DO NOT REGISTER FOR BOTH. Please only register for one of the events.
  • Register here for Wednesday, June 17^th at 9:00 AM
  • Register here for Thursday, June 18^th at 9:00 AM

About the Facilitators:

Dr. Amey-Taylor has provided organizational development services to major corporations and organizations throughout the world. She holds a Doctoral degree in Psycho-Educational Processes/Adult and Organizational Development and a Master’s degree in Urban Education and Policy Studies, College of Education, Temple University. She is the Founder and Director of InterACTion Improvisational Theater Troupe, a diverse theatrical ensemble of actors/facilitators. InterACTion’s clients have included educational institutions, businesses, government agencies and professional associations.

Sarah Halley’s keen understanding of organizations and their people derive from a wide variety of work experiences in both the public and private sectors. An organizational consultant and facilitator for the past 18 years, Sarah’s areas of expertise include: leadership development, executive coaching, meeting design and facilitation, diversity and cultural competence, conflict management, team building, strategic planning and change management. As a graduate of Lehigh University, Sarah’s first career was as a structural engineer in New York City.

How did this event come about?

The Lehigh Valley Community Foundation initiated this event due to the 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.

While this event was organized by LVCF, it is organized in coordination with several other partners who will be offering additional technical assistance resources in the future. This team also recently launched this survey. If you have not taken it already, please take a few moments to fill it out.

Allentown, Pa., June 11, 2020—Lehigh Community Foundation recently received a Pennsylvania Census 2020 Outreach Grant for $25,000 in partnership with Lehigh and Northampton counties to increase the census count in the region.  The results of Census 2020 will determine the level of federal funding the Lehigh Valley receives over the next ten years.

The grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) is supporting a variety of promotional activities in Lehigh and Northampton counties including Spanish language radio advertising, public service announcements on Lehigh and Northampton Transportation Authority (LANta) buses, television and online advertising, and social media outreach.

“The people of Northampton County are responding to Census 2020 at a high rate so far. The stakes are very high and our folks know that an accurate count is the difference between a bright future and a much brighter future for us all,” said Northampton County Executive Lamont McClure, Jr.  “We’ve been pleased to collaborate with the Lehigh Valley Community Foundation and Lehigh County in an effort to highlight just how important responding to Census 2020 is to the Lehigh Valley.”

Data from the Census 2020 will affect the annual allocation of over $800 billion in federal funds for 300 federal programs which include infrastructure, education, healthcare, and emergency services. Programs in the Lehigh Valley that rely on census data for the allocation include $10 million for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and $6.7 million in Community Development Block Grants each year. An undercount in the Lehigh Valley puts these and numerous other federal programs at risk for underfunding.

“As Lehigh County Executive, I am pleased to be in partnership with Northampton County and the Lehigh Valley Community Foundation as we continue our efforts to promote the 2020 Census,” said Phil Armstrong. “Together, the grant funding received from the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development will allow us to broaden our voices and raise awareness for the Census. The efforts we put in today will impact our communities for the next ten years, and I am grateful for this collaboration and opportunity to further promote the Census in Lehigh County and its surrounding neighborhoods.“

One project funded by the grant will include a marketing campaign through Viamedia. A 30-second television spot will run over 900 times for the next two months on major cable networks on Service Electric Cable TV. In addition, an OTT or (Over-The-Top) campaign will generate over 150,000 impressions in the Lehigh Valley on streaming services such as Roku, Amazon Fire, AppleTV, etc.  Utilizing a premium pre-roll campaign, the ad will populate over 120,000 times when internet users in the Lehigh Valley access video content from a variety of news and sports networks.

“When the COVID-19 hit we had to pivot from face-to-face community outreach and census awareness raising events to a digital approach,” said Michael Wilson, director of communications at LVCF. “The focus of the grant is to encourage people to complete the census by reaching them primarily in their homes when listening to the radio, watching television, surfing the web, or viewing social media. Our message is clear. Completing the census is easy, safe, confidential, and important.””

Census 2020 can be completed online at: https://my2020census.gov/.  The 2020 Census asks a few simple questions about households and everyone living there on April 1, 2020. To see an image of the questionnaire, and for more information on answering each question, please visit Questions Asked.