Barry M. Kessler

Barry & Diane Kessler Fund for Social Justice

Barry Kessler, a native of the Lehigh Valley, is a man who cares deeply about serving others in both his professional and philanthropic life.  When Barry realized that life had treated him well and given him opportunities that he never expected to have, he felt compelled to do for the less fortunate.  He lives by the term noblesse oblige, which means “the inferred responsibility of privileged people to act with generosity and nobility toward those less privileged.” 

In 1964, Barry received his degree in chemistry from St. Lawrence University.  He spent only 10 years of his career working for high-profile chemical companies before he started his own company, Kessler Chemical Inc., located in Bethlehem.  During the early 1970s, it was a particularly difficult time to start a profitable chemical business because of the oil embargo by OPEC countries; however, the company focused on two important elements to overcome this hardship – a commitment to exceptional customer service and identification of strategic markets.  His grit and entrepreneurial abilities had allowed Kessler Chemical to grow into a respected supplier of various chemical products.  To this day, Kessler Chemical is always seeking new ways to be of service to their customers through innovation and communication. 

Before Barry became a donor, he was a very active volunteer. He was referred to the Lehigh Valley Community Foundation by his financial adviser, who noticed that Barry was growing increasingly interested in doing more for the organizations he served. His first designated fund with the Community Foundation was earmarked to go to the seven charities that he was personally involved with as a volunteer. 

Since his affiliation with the Lehigh Valley Community Foundation, Barry became more proactive in learning about the needs of the community.  After reading Dr. Christopher Borick’s Reflections paper in 2017, it struck him that there was a great need among people who have no food or shelter, or have limited access. 

LVCF helped Barry establish an area of interest fund to support this cause, while providing him the opportunity to participate in the application review process.  Utilizing the Foundation’s network and knowledge of the nonprofits in the region that address food and housing issues, LVCF sourced high quality grant applications from a diverse set of organizations serving various aspects of the issue. 

In 2019, the Barry M. Kessler Fund at the Community Foundation announced $50,000 in grants to ten nonprofits in the Lehigh Valley that provide food and housing services to vulnerable populations.   The LVCF team, Mr. Kessler, and other interested fundholders had an opportunity to visit some of these nonprofits to see the grant dollars put to work.  Mr. Kessler said, “It was very rewarding to me—to have that connection—between the opportunity to give and the opportunity to see where my giving is benefiting people in the Lehigh Valley.”

In 2024, Barry and Diane Kessler focused their fund on social justice. The duo have been advocates for social justice, driven by a belief that addressing the root causes of inequality is essential to creating a better world. While he acknowledges the importance of providing for people’s basic human needs such as food, shelter, and medical care, he sees a gap in efforts aimed at overcoming the systemic issues that perpetuate these needs.

“Addressing people’s basic human needs, food, shelter, medical care, etc., are necessary and worthwhile,” Barry notes. “But there are many caring individuals, organizations, and government programs engaged in this effort. On the other hand, we believe there is less effort being directed at overcoming the root causes that deny people these basic human needs.”

The Kesslers points to the pervasive problems of bigotry, racism, distrust, violence, and hostility in human interactions as major barriers to achieving social justice. There approach focuses on empowering individuals and communities through confidence-building, education, advocacy, and community empowerment.

“It’s like the Biblical reference to teaching people how to fish instead of just handing them the fish,” he explains. “Our focus on social justice is targeted at providing a remedy. For Barry, social justice means treating all creation with care and respect—whether it be humans, other animals, plants, the earth itself, or the environment. He emphasizes the interconnectedness of human behavior with other entities and prioritizes empowering humans to understand and navigate the world beyond their immediate surroundings.

“In the recent past, with the help and oversight of the Lehigh Valley Community Foundation, we have provided grants to Cohesion Network and Promise Neighborhoods of the Lehigh Valley,” Kessler shares. “Both organizations have demonstrated the characteristics we are looking for. We expect it will be like the proverbial pebble in a pond, spreading outward until the ripple becomes a wave.”

The Kesslers are realistic about the time it will take to see significant changes. “We know the changes we seek won’t happen in a day, a year, or even a decade,” he admits. “However, our fund is set up to last in perpetuity, and that’s a long time. We hope others will join with us by making donations to help make a better world than the one we have today.”

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