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Allentown, Pa., August 1, 2023—The Lehigh Valley Community Foundation (LVCF) has recently promoted three staff members in recognition of their professional growth, increasing expertise, and demonstrated commitment and leadership in advancing the Foundation’s work.

Trisha Higgins, CPA, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Trisha Higgins, CPA, has been promoted to the position of Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, elevating her from her previous role as Vice President and CFO. With over 20 years of dedicated service since joining in 2002, Trisha oversees all aspects of the Foundation’s financial and operational administration. When announcing the promotion, Erika Riddle Petrozelli, CPA, CAP®, President and CEO at LVCF, said, “This title change acknowledges Trisha’s long tenure, unwavering commitment, and valued leadership in many critical functions at the Foundation.”

Megan Briggs, Vice President of Community Investments

Megan Briggs has been named Vice President of Community Investments, a promotion from her previous role as Director of Community Investments. Megan joined the LVCF staff in 2017, and in her new role, she is responsible for overseeing grantmaking administration and strategy as well as the organization’s community leadership work, a key initiative of the organization’s strategic plan.  She collaborates with volunteer advisory committees to implement the Foundation’s high-impact grantmaking programs and analyzes data from the nonprofit community to maximize and promote community impact. Petrozelli noted, “With this promotion, the Foundation recognizes Megan’s impactful contributions to our community leadership work and her trusted partnerships in the community.”

Holly Fitzpatrick, Grants Manager

Holly Fitzpatrick, who joined the LVCF staff in March of 2022, has been promoted to the position of Grants Manager from her previous role as Grants Administrator. “This promotion acknowledges her elevated role in the grants process and all that she has done to take ownership of these processes and earn the trust of fundholders, nonprofits, and fellow staff members,” Petrozelli explained.  As Grants Manager, Holly collaborates with the Finance, Community Investments, and Donor Services teams to steward grants through the process, from initial input to preparation for payment.

The promotions were announced at the spring LVCF Board of Governors meeting and became effective in July 2023. To learn more about the staff at the Community Foundation, visit The Lehigh Valley Community Foundation Staff (lehighvalleyfoundation.org).

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Allentown, Pa., July 25, 2023—Lehigh Valley Community Foundation (LVCF) has announced the 2023-2025 cohort for its CORE Fellowship Program, a two-year capacity-building process designed to bring Lehigh Valley nonprofit leaders together to center equity in themselves, their relationships, their organizations, and the nonprofit sector. LVCF is proud to partner with 15 fellows from 8 organizations, as well as 8 systems-stakeholder in this year’s fellowship.

“The CORE Fellowship Program name signifies that this work will focus on addressing the core of our own selves, the core of our organizations, and the core of our systems,” noted Megan Briggs, LVCF Vice President of Community Investments. “As a funder in the Lehigh Valley, we recognize that nonprofits are working to incorporate equity into their organizations. Due to our positioning and experience, our approach is to support that work that needs to be done to reach equity by providing the infrastructure and resources necessary to both individuals and organizations.”

“We recognize that individuals and organizations are in many different places in their work on equity, and the CORE Fellowship Program is designed to meet people where they are at in their own equity journey, as long as there is a demonstration of commitment to being on an equity journey,” explained Monique Saunders Moreno, Assistant Director Community Investments. 

The Community Foundation is partnering with consultants again this year to deliver the model, including Phyllis Alexander, Guillermo Lopez, Jr., and Carter Gilbert. These consultants contribute in the program design and decision-making as well as being in the facilitation role for the program. The CORE Fellowship program offers benefits to both the individuals in the cohort, but also their respective organizations. CORE Fellows will receive leadership development coaching along with guidance from organizational development consultants on the creation of an equity-centered capacity-building project. LVCF has partnered with Partnering For Change as the organizational development consultants for the fellowship.  They will conduct an in-depth equity and organizational discovery process with time to carry out an equity-centered capacity-building project. Fellows will also benefit from building connections to a network of nonprofit leaders. The CORE Fellowship offers a $25,000 grant to each participating organization.

Below is the list of Organizations and Fellows that were selected for the 2023-2025 CORE Fellowship Program:

Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Lehigh Valley 

• Susan Bartels, Chief Executive Officer
• Tyrone Fisher, Director of Volunteer Engagement 

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Easton Area Community Center 

• Lisa Campbell, Associate Director
• Kathryn Presto, President of EACC Board of Directors

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Muhlenberg College (Office of Multicultural Life and Trexler Library) 

• Robin Riley Casey, Associate Dean of Students and Diversity Initiatives 
• Jess Denke, Community Engagement Librarian

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NAMI Lehigh Valley 

• Mitchell Lopez, Director of Community Outreach 
• Margaret Murphy, Executive Director  

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The Bach Choir of Bethlehem 

• Ebony Stevens, Marketing Manager 
• Christopher Jackson, Artistic Director & Conductor 

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Pinebrook Family Answers 

• Angie Andresen, Vice-President Human Resources 
• Monica R. Harrison, Family Based Teams Coach 

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Pratyush Sinha Foundation | Mindful Child Initiative

• Prabha Sinha, Founder 
• Sara Kanoff Martinez, Co-Executive Director  

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SELF – LV

• Enid Santiago, Board Chair 

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Stakeholders 

In addition to nonprofit leaders selected to participate in the program, there are eight nonprofit stakeholders who were invited to participate in the CORE Fellowship Program. These stakeholders are important partners in shifting the nonprofit sector to becoming more equitable and have consistently demonstrated a commitment to equity. Stakeholders are represented from the philanthropic, government, or corporate sectors.  

The following stakeholders have agreed to participate in the 2023-25 fellowship cohort: 

• Monica Brooks, Manager, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, PPL Corporation 
• Dannah Hartman, Director of Marketing, Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Northeastern Pennsylvania 
• Margaret McConnell, Director of Strategic Partnerships, People First Federal Credit Union 
• Laura McHugh, Vice President, Marketing and Communications, United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley 
• Holona Ochs, Marcon Institute Director & Associate Professor, Lehigh University 
• Genesis Ortega, Communications Manager, City of Allentown 
• Erika Riddle Petrozelli, CPA, CAP, President & CEO, Lehigh Valley Community Foundation 
• Melissa Starace, Foundation Director, Baker Foundation/Boldly Go Philanthropy 

Learn more about the CORE Fellowship Program 

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Allentown, Pa., April 25, 2023—Lehigh Valley Community Foundation recently distributed more than $190,000 in general operating grants to area nonprofits serving youth and families with an emphasis on early childcare as part of its foundation-directed community investments grantmaking. 

The Community Foundation manages several different area-of-interest funds that are focused on supporting Lehigh Valley youth and families, including the Edward & Inez Donley Fund; Walter & Alma Bastian Fund; Frances L. Barnard Fund for Children; Support from Roger & Kathy Yott; Lucille F. Driver Fund; William C. Rybak Fund for Persons with Disabilities; Robert D. & Gwendolyn-Jane Romeril Campership Fund; and Janice & Paul Gross Fund. 

“The Community Foundation’s goal in awarding these grants is to offer flexible funding to organizations that provide comprehensive approaches in engaging youth and their families with a focus on the early childcare sector,” explained Megan Briggs, LVCF’s Director of Community Investments.  “Early childhood is one of the most critical periods of a child’s development. Quality childcare is a fundamental requirement of a vibrant, healthy economy. Yet, in the Lehigh Valley, and across the country, there is a crisis occurring in early childhood education. With these grants, we seek to support childcare centers and help the many children that need care in the Lehigh Valley.” 

The following grantees have received three multi-year awards:  

• Resurrected Community Development Corporation | $25,000 

• Third Street Alliance for Women & Children | $25,000 

• Volunteers of America of Pennsylvania | $20,000 

Also grant one-time awards have been awarded to the following grantees:  

• Community Services for Children | $20,000 

• Greater Valley YMCA | $20,000 

• Lehigh Valley Children’s Centers, Inc. | $20,000 

• Pratyush Sinha Foundation| $6,000 

• NAMI Lehigh Valley| $6,000 

• Pinebrook Family Answers | $20,000 

• Saucon Valley Community Center | $5,000 

• Via of the Lehigh Valley | $20,000 

The grants applications were evaluated by the Youth & Families Advisory Grant Committee which included both content and context experts in the field of youth and families. Applications were evaluated based on the organization’s area of focus in meeting a critical gap in the current early childcare crisis, the population they serve, and how they are guided by the community in proving quality early childcare services.  Learn more about LVCF’s foundation-directed grantmaking – click here. 

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Easton, PA – March 7, 2023 – The City of Easton announced today that it is establishing a charitable fund through the Lehigh Valley Community Foundation to benefit the Easton Recreation Department for youth sports programming.

Individuals and companies can donate to the charitable fund to support the development of programs, such as the new AAU Boys Basketball Program, which is benefiting city residents.

The donated funds will not be limited to this program, but will also be used in the creation of future talent-developing programs in the city’s Recreation Department. Donors will have the option to designate funds to the specific program of their choice. Funds will support the purchase of team uniforms, facility rentals, equipment, and participation fees in an effort to reduce cost for city residents who may not be able to afford similar opportunities only offered in suburban municipalities.

“This fund will allow us to expand recreational programming by introducing new programs that support talent development,” said City Administrator Luis Campos. “I’ve had many discussions with community and business leaders who would like to financially support the city’s Recreational Department’s programs so that they can expand, but until now they didn’t have a way to do so.”

LVCF assists community organizations with their charitable activities by setting up funds to allow donations to be made by companies and individuals. LVCF then acts as the homebase for the funds, collecting and providing them to the organizations for their stated purposes.

“My administration’s goal for the Recreation Department is to create more programming for our youth because athletics has the power to bring them together,” said Mayor Sal Panto. Jr. “Our community programs develop much more than sports skills. They teach players how to be a member of a team where they contribute to a larger goal that benefits everyone involved. The individuals and companies that donate to this new fund will be empowering our youth through athletics.” 

“We are so pleased to partner with the City of Easton and play a role in supporting the residents through the development of this important charitable fund at the Community Foundation,” said Erika Riddle Petrozelli, CPA, CAP, President and CEO of Lehigh Valley Community Foundation. “This fund will enable a wide variety of interested parties to lend their support to enhancing opportunities for Easton area youth to benefit from organized recreational and athletic activities.”

“The city’s new charitable fund will expand the capacity of the Recreation Department to grow and strengthen the athletic programs that the city’s youth want to participate in,” said Kevin McCarthy, Recreation Department Director. “These programs will maximize their skill development, creating a pipeline of talent for area school teams. They also provide youth with a positive outlet of exercise, team building skills, and friendship.”

Make a donation to the City of Easton Sports and Recreation Fund

Allentown, Pa., January 17, 2023—Jihan Solomon joined the staff of the Lehigh Valley Community Foundation in December 2022.  As Business Administrator, Jihan provides support for the Chief Executive Officer, Board, and Finance Department.  In addition, she is also responsible for Business Office Operations.

Prior to joining the Foundation, Jihan spent 12 years as an Accounts Payable and Billing Specialist at Computer Aid, Inc.  In addition to her accounting duties, she assisted in testing and implementing the Spend Management modules for the Workday Financial ERP. Part of her time there, she volunteered in the SHS Exploratory Program as an assistant and instructor. 

For several years, she participated in the Email Buddy Program and volunteered at the CAI Learning Academy.  Before joining Computer Aid, Jihan spent 5 years in the Banking industry, part of which included becoming a Walt Disney Cast Member for Partners Federal Credit Union in California.    

Jihan is a native of the Lehigh Valley and graduated from Penn State University with a A.A. in Business Administration.

Allentown, Pa., January 17, 2023—Amy Sams joined the staff of the Lehigh Valley Community Foundation (LVCF) in January of 2023 as Donor Services Associate.  Under the leadership of the Director of Donor Services, Amy is responsible for managing, tracking, and stewarding relationships with current and prospective fundholders, and their advisors.  She also assists with Board events and activities. 

Prior to joining the Foundation, Amy developed and managed adult programs at The Jewish Community Center of the Lehigh Valley.  Most recently, Amy worked in academic foundations and success, as well as civic and community engagement at Northampton Community College in Bethlehem, Pa. 

Amy serves the Lehigh Valley community through her volunteer activities with ArtsQuest, The Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley, Civic Theatre and Congregation Keneseth Israel in Allentown.

Amy Sams is a native of Allentown and graduated from Pennsylvania State University with a B.S. degree in Marketing. 

Allentown, Pa., January 26, 2023—Lehigh Valley Community Foundation recently named Leigh Ehrlich, CPA, CHFP, MBA, to its Board of Governors. Leigh is Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for Hospital Operations at Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN). She will serve on the Community Foundation’s Finance Committee.

In Leigh’s role at LVHN, she is responsible for driving improvement in financial performance working closely with the senior leadership for the thirteen hospital facilities. In addition, Leigh spearheads Network initiatives that drive improved margin performance through revenue enhancement and/or expense reduction and market growth.

Leigh joined LVHN in 2015 following a 15-year tenure in Big 4 accounting followed by a corporate finance role at Catholic Health East/Trinity Health.

Leigh holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Management, concentrating in accounting from East Stroudsburg University and earned her MBA at Lehigh University. She is a Certified Public Accountant and is a member of the Healthcare Financial Management Association. 

Leigh is also a Certified Healthcare Financial Professional. She serves on the following boards: Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce Board of Governors, Women’s 5K Classic, Lehigh Valley Anesthesia Services and Lehigh Valley EMS.  She serves as treasurer for Lehigh Valley Anesthesia Services and Lehigh Valley EMS.

Leigh is a Lehigh Valley native and graduated from Pen Argyl High School.  She currently resides in Lower Macungie with her husband Bill and three daughters.

Allentown, Pa., December 1, 2022—The Upper Bucks Community Fund of the Lehigh Valley Community Foundation issued $35,600 in grants to area nonprofit organizations. The Fund consists primarily of two area-of-interest funds. The Richard E. Gasser Fund and Erwin J. and Gertrude K. Neusch Fund are for organizations and programs primarily serving the Palisades, Pennridge and Quakertown School Districts in the Upper Bucks area.

Two of the grants will address the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) problem in the region. The invasive insect native to northeastern Asia was first discovered in Michigan in 2002 and since has devastated the Ash Tree population in the United States. In 2012, the Emerald Ash Borer was confirmed in Bucks and Montgomery counties. EAB is very destructive and kills Ash trees quickly, within 1 -2 years. The leafy canopy of infested ash trees will begin to look thin. EAB chews through the tree’s water and nutrient-conducting tissues, strangling the tree. If there is a high population of EAB in the tree, the leafy canopy in ash trees will start to die. A third to a half of the branches may die in one year. The Bucks County Horse Park and the Heritage Conservancy are receiving 2022-23 grants from the Upper Bucks Community Fund at LVCF that will support efforts to remediate the problem by removing affected trees in the region.

These grants were made at the recommendation of the advisory committee for the Upper Bucks Community Fund, a geographic affiliate of the Lehigh Valley Community Foundation. “The Upper Bucks Community Fund Advisory Group carefully considered each application in accordance with the fund’s priorities,” said Megan Briggs, Director of Community Investments at the Lehigh Valley Community Foundation. “After a very thorough discussion about all the excellent applications, the Advisory Group worked together to recommend the final grant awards. Each member contributed their own depth of knowledge about the Upper Bucks region again this year to award projects and programs that will increase the quality of life for Upper Bucks residents.”

The following organizations received grants for programs from the fund’s 2022-23 grant cycle. The funded programs are listed as well.

• Bucks County Horse Park
  Bucks County Horse Park, Inc. Emerald Ash Borer Remediation

• Durham Historical Society
  Archival effort to protect, display and share historical artifacts

• Heritage Conservancy
  Ash Tree Remediation and Forest Stewardship Project at Fuller-Pursell Nature Preserve

• National Inventors Hall of Fame, Inc.
  Camp Invention STEM, Innovation, Creativity and Entrepreneurship Programs in Upper Bucks County

• Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival
  FreeWill and WillPower Tour to Upper Bucks (Quakertown and Palisades School Districts)

• Riegelsville Public Library
  Art for Kids in the Summer

• Valley Choral Society
  Bringing the Faure Requiem with an Orchestra to the Upper Bucks Area

• YMCA of Bucks County
  Quakertown Branch After School Arts Program

About the Upper Buck Community Fund of the Lehigh Valley Community Foundation

The Upper Bucks Community Fund of the Lehigh Valley Community Foundation, a geographic affiliate of Lehigh Valley Community Foundation, consists primarily of two area-of-interest funds. The Richard E. Gasser Fund and Erwin J. and Gertrude K. Neusch Fund are for organizations and programs primarily serving the Palisades, Pennridge and Quakertown School Districts in the Upper Bucks area. Recently added to Upper Bucks umbrella, The Bucks County Free Library Endowment Fund is an agency fund that benefits the seven-branch county library system with locations in Bensalem, Doylestown, Langhorne, Levittown, Perkasie, Quakertown, and Yardley-Makefield.

Learn more about the Upper Bucks Community Fund on the Lehigh Valley Community Foundation website.

Erika Riddle Petrozelli, President and CEO of the Lehigh Valley Community Foundation recently spoke with Cornerstone | Independent Asset Management on a podcast “Cornerstone Unplugged,” about the importance of community foundation, her career path to LVCF, and a variety of related topics.

Erika joined the Foundation in 2014 as Director of Donor Services, focusing on maintaining and expanding philanthropic relationships. She was named Vice President of Philanthropy in 2020, contributing to strategic decisions and community leadership activities, particularly during the pandemic. Erika is also a CPA that provides professional knowledge and advice about charitable giving to a wide range of Lehigh Valley residents, from individuals and families to their trusted advisors and local businesses. She is president of the Estate Planning Council of the Lehigh Valley and was recently named Vice Chair of the board of the Pennsylvania Community Foundation Alliance.

Erika Riddle Petrozelli explains what attracted her to the nonprofit Erika talks about her role evolution inside the Lehigh Valley Community Foundation:

• The Foundation’s involvement in other nonprofits
•  Who are the primary investors in the Foundation, and how does the process work?
• Erika talks about the Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy (CAP) Study Group and its importance to the Foundation 
• What is capacity building, and how does it impact the Foundation? 
• Erika explains the dollar amount, percentage, and gift you can give to the Foundation
• What’s next for the Foundation?
• Things Erika does for fun to unwind and what it was like working during the pandemic

Click to listen to the the Podcast

From Cornerstone

Would you like to make charitable contributions, leave a legacy, and impact the world? What’s the best way to achieve your goal? Many people are willing to help their communities and support the causes that matter to them. There has been a rise in nonprofit organizations and community foundations to help. And now, Erika Riddle Petrozelli shares how she’s running a community foundation that helps donors with charitable contributions using a simple, powerful, and highly personalized approach. 

In today’s episode of Cornerstone Unplugged, join JP Cavaliere and Stephen Link as they sit down with Erika Riddle Petrozelli, the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Lehigh Valley Community Foundation, to discuss what it takes to run a community foundation. Erika explains how she got into the nonprofit space and her role in the Lehigh Valley Community Foundation, the Foundation’s role in other nonprofits, endowment, how capacity building impacts the Foundation, and how people can invest with the Foundation. 

About Cornerstone

Cornerstone is one of the nation’s leading independent investment consulting firms. They are committed to building and preserving the assets of institutions and wealthy families, now and into the future. Their success is rooted in navigating complex financial decisions on behalf of their clients, and their mission is right in their tagline: Insight. Influence. Integrity. Learn more at: https://cornerstone-companies.com/

Resources mentioned in this episode:
Erika Riddle Petrozelli on LinkedIn
Lehigh Valley Community Foundation
Stephen Link on LinkedIn 
JP Cavaliere on LinkedIn 
Cornerstone Advisors Asset Management
Cornerstone Unplugged podcast 

Click here for a complete list and review of Cornerstone/s disclaimers 

Allentown, Pa., October 3, 2022— Lehigh Valley Community Foundation (LVCF) announced the 2022-23 grant recipients for both Program Stream and Entry to Program Stream initiatives. LVCF is the regional partner agency of the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts. Through the Partners in the Arts program (PPA), LVCF works with the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts to distribute grant awards for projects or programs involving artists throughout Region 5, which includes: Carbon, Monroe, Lehigh and Northampton counties.

Program Stream is an invitation-only grant opportunity which provides ongoing support to arts organizations and arts programs with an established history of funding from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts. Once admitted to this funding stream, organizations receive consistent general operating support for arts programming. 

Entry to Program Stream is a grant opportunity which provides general operating support for small arts organizations and non-arts organizations or units of government with a history of at least one year of consistent arts programming in Pennsylvania and average annual revenue less than $200,000. 

Both Entry to Program Stream and Program Stream grants may be used for operations or programs.  Entry to Program Stream offers a new pathway to attaining long-term general operating support. Grantees that receive funds through Entry to Program Stream for one to three years may qualify to be recommended for Program Stream. At this time, grant amounts for Entry to Program Stream are estimated to be a maximum of $2,000, while Program Stream grant amounts are estimated to be a maximum of $3,000. The amounts are subject to change depending on state funding.

“We thank the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts for partnering with the Community Foundation to offer this opportunity for additional small art organizations and programs to get in the PPA stream of funding,” said Monique Saunders Moreno, Assistant Director of Community Investments at the Community Foundation. “These small, but important multi-year grants can make a difference in the life of an arts organization—we are pleased to welcome these organizations into the stream.”

Those organizations receiving Entry to Program Stream grants for 2022-23 include:

• Delaware Water Gap Celebration of Arts, Inc.
• East Stroudsburg University Art Department
• Fusia Dance Company
• Interlace Cultural y Desarrollo Integral Mexicano de LV, Inc.
• Mock Turtle Marionette Theater
• Puertorrican Culture Preservation, Inc.
• Repertory Dance Theatre
• Ukrainian American Heritage Foundation of the Lower Anthracite Region

Those organizations receiving Program Stream grants for 2022-23 include:

• Appalachian Fiddle & Blue Grass Association
• Bach and Handel Chorale Inc
• Bethlehem Fine Arts Commission
• Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center
• Chamber Music Society of Bethlehem
• Godfrey Daniels
• Lehigh Valley Dance Exchange
• Lehigh Valley Storytelling Guild
• Mikayla’s Voice
• Moravian University
• Penn State Lehigh Valley
• Pocono Bluegrass & Folk Society
• Pocono Concert Chorale
• Pocono Youth Orchestra
• SATORI
• Shawnee Institute Ltd
• SouthSide Film Institute
• The Allentown Band
• The Arts Community of Easton, Inc.
• The Camerata Singers
• WDIY 88.1 FM
• Young People’s Philharmonic of the Lehigh Valley

These grants are supported by the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency, through the Pennsylvania Partners in the Arts (PPA), its regional arts funding Partnership. State government funding comes through an annual appropriation by Pennsylvania’s General Assembly and from the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. PPA is administered in this region by the state’s PPA Partner (Lehigh Valley Community Foundation for Region 5].

Learn more about Pennsylvania Council on the Arts grant opportunities on the Community Foundation Website.

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