Nonprofit News

Nonprofit officials and supporters paid tribute to local firefighters and staff members and celebrated hitting the halfway mark in the “Rising from the Ashes” capital campaign to raise $100,000 to refurnish its space after a July 2024 fire.

Albert Granger, the late former owner of the Glasbern Inn in Fogelsville, funded the expansion project with a $500,000 donation before his death last year.

The ninth annual Good Neighbor Awards recipients were Darian Colbert and Yolanda Colbert, Ilene Hochberg Wood and Judith A. Harris. The ceremony was held at the Univest Public Media Center, home to Lehigh Valley Public Media, which consists of PBS39, 91.3 WLVR Radio and LehighValleyNews.com.

Derek Wallen, who owns nearby Country Club Brewing, as well as Roasted and Lehigh Valley Printing, said witnessing residential and commercial neighbors in need after the May 2 blaze required swift action.

A couple dozen riders assembled at Bethlehem City Hall on Thursday ahead of a six-mile group ride for the occasion — one with a goal of changing public outlook toward choosing a bike to commute.

Nazareth High junior Brody Muthard will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a playground he created for autistic children at the Colonial Intermediate Unit 20 in Bethlehem. Muthard received intervention and therapies for autism at the I.U. as a child.

A mural reflecting the dreams of young Allentown teenagers was unveiled at the Boys and Girls Club of Allentown on Wednesday.

Local healthcare providers and legislators appeared a press conference at Valley Youth House in Bethlehem to shed light on children’s mental health issues and to advocate for continued state and federal funding.

Leaders of Parkland Cares cut the ribbon Thursday on the nonprofit's new food pantry in North Whitehall Township.

The Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency awarded seven projects in the state with grants from its Community Revitalization Fund Program. Only one project in the Lehigh Valley received money — a remediation project for the Fourth Street Building in Bethlehem.

The Lehigh Valley Transportation Study is revising its regional transportation plan for Lehigh and Northampton counties and is seeking public input.

Rep. Susan Wild will host a webinar Friday, March 10 with groups across District 7 about how to apply for grants under the Community Project Funding program.

Today, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs announced $52.5 million in grants intended to prevent suicide. Named for Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox, the suicide prevention grant program is now in its second year. Its goal is to fund community-based organizations that work with veterans and their families. Last year, the VA gave awards to three groups in Pennsylvania, including more than $530,000 to St. Luke’s Penn Foundation in Carbon County. Eighty recipients won awards nationwide in the program’s first year. Grant applications are due by May 19 with awards expected to be announced in September. Selected organizations will receive funding for 2024. More information on how to apply is available at mentalhealth.va.gov.

The current president and CEO of the Greater Valley YMCA is retiring after 36 years of service to the YMCA but will continue in a consulting role to ensure the completion of major projects.

Volunteers read to elementary school students across the Lehigh Valley for Read Across America Day on Thursday. The United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley and Lehigh Valley Reads coordinated the effort.

Professional organizers will host a free drive-thru shredding event at Freedom High School on March 25.

Bradbury-Sullivan Center presented findings from the Pennsylvania LGBTQ Health Needs Assessment, focusing on responses from Lehigh Valley residents.

Emmaus native Ashley Coleman was named executive director of the Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center in January 2023.

A developing community center in Emmaus, JuxtaHub is beginning to offer workshops and digital experiences using what organizers believe to be the mass media of the near future.

About 900 people dipped into the Delaware River to raise money for the Lehigh Valley's chapter of the Special Olympics.

The extra payments that participants in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, have been getting during the COVID-19 pandemic are ending this month in Pennsylvania, leaving food banks bracing for a surge in demand.

Liz Bradbury has been an LGBTQ activist in the Lehigh Valley for more than 30 years.