- Valley Youth House has a goal of raising $25 million for its endowment fund
- The Paul & Kym Farr Family has donated $1 million in support of that goal
- Bolstering the endowment is a way to ensure the agency's ability to help the area's most vulnerable youth, organizers say
BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Fifty years into helping the most vulnerable youth across the Lehigh Valley, Valley Youth House has a plan to keep growing.
"We serve 12,000 youth each year," said Christina Schoemaker, senior vice president of advancement for Valley Youth House. "Our goal is to serve three times that in the next 10 years."
The way to do that is to bolster the organization's endowment fund, she said, which now stands at $7.6 million. The ambition is to raise $25 million.
To that end, Valley Youth House recently received a gift of $1 million from the Paul and Kym Farr family in support of the agency's endowment, it announced this week.
Paul Farr is a former PPL executive and the former CEO of Talen Energy.
“...Every child deserves the right to feel safe, secure and celebrated. VYH occupies a very special place in our family’s hearts as one of our children benefited directly from the mission and we understand firsthand the benefits of these investments,” the Farr family said in a written statement.
Growing the Valley Youth House endowment is the way to build infrastructure, attract and retain talent, and grow, Schoemaker said.
"We can't work without counselors," she said.
The agency supports life skills programs, helps with family-based behavioral health, school-based programs and a summer camp, Camp Fowler in North Whitehall Township.
“Delivering our life-changing programs and services is only possible through community partnerships and philanthropic support," said Tom Harrington, Valley Youth House's president and executive director.
"This transformational gift will aid the agency in developing long-term sustainable funding to ensure equity, impact and longevity as we continue to open doors for the most vulnerable youth in our community.”
