Nonprofit News

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.

To arrive at emergency scenes faster and well-staffed, Upper Macungie Fire & Rescue in Lehigh County has launched a staffing incentive program that will pay "qualified and trained" volunteers to cover 12-hour shifts.

Dr. Rachel Levine, who as the first transgender person approved by the U.S. Senate served as U.S. assistant health secretary, will be keynote speaker for Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center's annual health summit.

In 1989, Yusef Salaam and four other teenagers were imprisoned after being wrongly accused and convicted of raping a woman in Central Park in New York. At Northampton Community College on Tuesday night, he shared his story and the need to address inequities in the criminal justice system.

Giant Markets Feeding School Kids Program made a donation of $8,623.86 to the Allentown School District's Child Nutrition Department on Friday.

United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley celebrated a record campaign and 15 consecutive years of growth with its Celebration of Caring at the ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks.

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.

Allentown City Planning Commission on Tuesday approved the construction of a 49-unit apartment building and parking garage on West Hamilton Street. The complex would house primary occupants 55-and-older and adults with disabilities. Representatives of the neighboring music school voiced concerns about increased traffic and the safety of students, parents, and staff.

ArtsQuest is seeking photos of local "Hometown Heroes" for their Memorial Day exhibit.