Donor Stories

Family foundations usually represent a significant commitment of assets and energies. The Lehigh Valley Community Foundation can provide a permanent home for family foundations when family members no longer wish to be occupied with the costs or administration of their foundations.
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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 fortun
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Lynn Ratzell and his family established this scholarship fund in memory of Sarah Jane “Sue” Ratzell, who passed away in 2013. Sue was a trained nurse who worked at Miller Memorial Blood Center before retiring and applying her training to her many volunteer hours, including those with the Red Cro
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The Joan A. Kraft & R. Wayne Kraft Memorial Fund was established in 2016 by former LVCF Board of Governors’ member, Ellen M. Kraft, Esq., in loving memory of her parents.
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Born in Fountain Hill, Luther Hottle graduated from Fountain Hill High School in 1948. After graduation, he worked as an office boy at The Morning Call, and he sold donuts in a local bakery.
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Donald Jaffe established the Carol (Rodgers) Jaffe and Donald Jaffe Scholarship Fund in 2017 to support young men and women studying nursing at Simmons College. This endowed scholarship fund is a tribute to his dear wife Carol of 60 years and their beautiful life together.
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Although they both grew up in Easton and were graduated from Easton High School, Kay and Marshall Wolff didn’t meet until many years later. “We were introduced by my great aunt, Elizabeth Kressler,” Marshall says, “She thought we would enjoy meeting each other.” Kay’s aunt had accurate instinct
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George Walker lived a humble life in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania. He was very generous, and he was especially careful to support organizations doing so much for their communities without asking for reimbursement or charging fees. He liked to help those who helped others, and he was par
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It is an iconic photo, one familiar to Lehigh Valley sports fans and wrestling fans around the nation. Twenty year-old Mike Caruso of Lehigh University, the youngest person in NCAA history to ever win three national wrestling championships, stands atop the championship podium, one arm held aloft
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Reaching for Healing and Hope
By Mary Youtz, Joseph's mother
Presented at the BuxMont Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, Warrington, PA, on March 13, 2016.

“It has meant the world to me to be involved with the Lehigh Valley Community Foundation,” Carole Koepke Brown states. “I can do things with and through the Foundation that I could never have done alone. I didn’t have to be wealthy to accomplish my charitable goals.”
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The beautiful West Allentown home of Ruth and Charles Marcon is a remarkable reflection of their lives. Clearly, family is paramount to the Marcons. Three adult daughters, an adult son, and seven grandchildren, ranging in age from 11 months to 16 years, make life eventful and enjoyable.
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Angela René Pessina was born April 21, 1983 in Allentown, PA, and passed away October 28, 2012 at twenty-nine years of age as a result of injuries sustained in an auto accident. She is the oldest daughter of Michele and Michael Pessina and a sister to Alison, who was born in 1986 and is an accou
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“The phone calls started after midnight on June 15, 2005,” quoted The Morning Call newspaper.
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402 days. Joe Zawada remembers the number precisely. That was the span of time between Ryan’s diagnosis and his death. Ryan, the son of Joe and Diane Zawada, was diagnosed with Desmoplastic Small Round Cell Tumor (DSRCT) on February 22, 2008 when he was nine years old.
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