A Daughter’s Love Inspires a Legacy of Giving
Congratulations to Michele and Michael Pessina, who received ArtsQuest’s Philanthropy in the Arts Award at the Linny Awards on Thursday, October 15, 2026. The recognition celebrates their support for creative opportunities in the Lehigh Valley. For the Pessinas, that work is part of a lifelong commitment to their community—and a way to carry forward the spirit of their daughter, Angela René Pessina.
Both raised in Allentown, Michele and Michael learned early the value of education. Neither of their fathers finished high school, yet both families made college possible for their children.
Michele went on to teach students with learning differences in the Allentown School District and later worked in the Parkland School District. Michael built a career of more than four decades at Lutron Electronics. From their earliest paychecks, they contributed to United Way.
“We just always were giving to things that were important to us,” Michele said. Their interests grew from experiences close to home: the opportunities they had as children, the schools where Michele taught, and the organizations they came to know throughout the Lehigh Valley.
Their giving took on a deeper focus after Angela died in 2012. A Spanish teacher at Pen Argyl High School, she loved children, language, music and art. Michele remembers a daughter who drew, sang in choirs and taught herself to knit. At school, Angela started a knitting club and sometimes put on Spanish music while students worked. One student later told her parents how much the club had helped him with his anxiety.
“The arts became our focus,” Michele said, “because of her.” She also recalled how naturally Angela connected with children: At family gatherings, Angela was often the one holding a baby or playing with the younger cousins.
Amid the shock of losing her, Michael remembers thinking, “We can’t bring her back, but what we can do is do good in her name.” The couple established the Angela René Pessina Foundation Fund at Lehigh Valley Community Foundation in 2013. Dedicated to children’s education and welfare, the fund gives them a lasting way to support causes that reflect Angela’s interests and compassion.
They had considered starting a foundation of their own. After speaking with friends who knew the Community Foundation, they chose to establish Angela’s fund there. “We’re so happy we were directed to you,” they said during their interview. They value learning about local organizations, visiting programs and seeing firsthand what their support can help accomplish.
The Pessinas also established the Angela René Pessina Spanish Scholarship for students at Pen Argyl High School. Twenty-eight students have received scholarships to date. Michele has returned for the presentations each year, continuing a connection with the school community that embraced Angela and her family.
Their support for ArtsQuest extends Angela’s legacy into creative learning. At the future ArtsQuest Creative Factory powered by PPL, her name will be associated with a classroom, scholarships and bilingual signage. The couple hopes that, years from now, they might meet someone who says, as Michael imagined, “We were in Angela’s classroom and it helped us.”
The Linny Award brings welcome attention to that work, though recognition was never the Pessinas’ aim. “It’s not about the stuff you accumulate,” Michael said. “It is about the impact you make.” Through their fund at the Community Foundation and the many causes they support, Michele and Michael are making that impact while giving new generations a chance to know Angela’s name.
-end-
The 2026 ArtsQuest Linny Award winners. Learn more at: https://www.artsquest.org/the-linny-awards/program/