Philanthropy, Service, and People Who Strengthen the Lehigh Valley
The Lehigh Valley Community Foundation’s Board of Associates 2026 Spring Meeting and Awards Program brought together donors, professional advisors, nonprofit leaders, corporate executives, community volunteers, and friends of the Foundation on May 28 at Saucon Valley Country Club for an evening centered on gratitude, growth, and the power of philanthropy. The program honored two recipients whose work reflects different but complementary expressions of charitable leadership: David Torrey and the Torrey Family Fund, recipient of the 2026 Vision in Philanthropy Award, and Edward J. Lentz, Esq., recipient of the 2026 Service to Philanthropy Award.
Linda Sheftel opened the program by welcoming attendees and reflecting on the continued growth of the Board of Associates since its inaugural meeting in 2018.
“The Board of Associates plays an important role in advancing the Foundation’s mission as we continue to build new opportunities for engagement, giving and community partnership,” Linda said. She thanked members for serving as “trusted ambassadors for the Foundation” and helping strengthen LVCF’s work throughout the Lehigh Valley.
The program also included brief remarks by Peter Danchak, Regional President of PNC Bank who thanked the Community Foundation and acknowledged the good work of the Board of Associates.
Erika Riddle Petrozelli, President and CEO of LVCF, then offered an update on the Foundation’s growth and recent community impact. She described the evening as “a celebration of philanthropy — not just as an act of generosity, but as a reflection of trust, partnership, and love for this community.”
Erika shared that LVCF is on track for another record year of contributions, approaching $30 million, and that grants are expected to exceed $10 million for the first time in the Foundation’s history. She also noted that LVCF’s assets have grown to nearly $140 million, more than 80 percent of which is endowed. “Those numbers matter,” she said. “But what they really represent is something much deeper.”
She also highlighted LVCF’s recent response funding, including the Bridge Fund for Critical Support, launched in partnership with United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley, and the Trusted Response Fund, which supports nonprofits responding to emerging needs and building long-term resilience. Together, these efforts directed more than $1 million in response funding to community needs.
Vision in Philanthropy Award | David Torrey and the Torrey Family Fund
The first award of the evening, the Vision in Philanthropy Award, was presented to David Torrey and the Torrey Family Fund. Erika described the award as one of LVCF’s most meaningful honors, recognizing fundholders who demonstrate “a deep and lasting commitment to philanthropy in the Lehigh Valley.”
David first connected with LVCF through his financial advisor after maintaining a donor-advised fund on a national platform. Seeking a more personal connection to local needs, he transferred his fund to LVCF and established the Torrey Family Fund. “David is a proud servant of the community,” Erika said, noting his decades of service as a volunteer firefighter and his support for causes including basic needs, homelessness, food insecurity, emergency needs, veterans, and foster youth.
In accepting the award, Torrey spoke with humility and humor, beginning with the story of being notified of the honor. “When Carrie (Nedick) called me and said, you’re being chosen for this award, I said, ‘What did I do?’” David said. He thanked his family, his longtime friend Barbara Lee, his advisor Geoff Boyer, and the Community Foundation. He also spoke about why LVCF became the right philanthropic partner for him. “I find that the Lehigh Valley Community Foundation has a good knowledge of local charities,” he said. “What I like about the Lehigh Valley Community Foundation is that you can give locally, as well as internationally.”
David used his remarks to draw attention to needs that remain close to his heart, especially housing and disaster relief. He spoke about traveling to Mississippi after Hurricane Katrina to help with rebuilding and about his concern that communities affected by disaster can be forgotten once they leave the news.
“One of my concerns is that if it isn’t in the current news, everybody forgets,” he said. He also challenged attendees to take a practical step for foster youth: purchase suitcases and backpacks at rummage sales or yard sales and donate them to Valley Youth House or similar organizations, so children do not have to move their belongings in trash bags.
Edward J. Lentz, Esq. | Service to Philanthropy Award
The second award, the Service to Philanthropy Award, was presented to Edward J. Lentz, Esq. of Fitzpatrick Lentz & Bubba, P.C. Erika described the award as recognizing professional advisors who help clients “turn their values into action, create meaningful legacies, and ensure that charitable dollars continue to benefit” the community for generations.”
“We at LVCF have been so fortunate to work with Ed over the years,” she said. “He has been both an advisor to his clients and a trusted partner to LVCF.”
Joseph Bubba, Esq., Ed Lentz’s colleague and partner at Fitzpatrick Lentz & Bubba, offered remarks that blended admiration, humor, and professional respect. He described Lentz’s academic credentials, Lehigh Valley roots, role as a founding partner of the firm, and leadership in estate planning and planned giving. “You can’t really talk about Ed without mentioning academics,” Buba said, later adding that Lentz’s work in planned giving had benefited many Lehigh Valley charities and their constituents.
Joe Bubba also praised Ed’s attention to detail and his emphasis on fundamentals. “Ed has a simple mantra that he passes on to all attorneys, both old and new,” Buba said. “If you want to be good at what you do, you do not need to have an exotic model for success. You simply need to do the basic things in the right way.”
He also reflected on the significance of receiving the award from LVCF. “To receive this award at this time means a lot to me,” Ed said. “It especially means a lot because I’ve seen the Foundation grow from kind of a sleepy Bethlehem foundation to a dynamic organization with $140 million of assets under management.”
In accepting the award, Ed thanked his colleagues, staff, family, and the Foundation. He recognized the estate planning team at Fitzpatrick Lentz & Bubba and gave special thanks to longtime estate planning paralegal Lisa Malamasi, noting her work on charitable remainder trusts benefiting the Community Foundation.
Erika closed the program by congratulating both honorees and thanking attendees for celebrating “the power of philanthropy in the Lehigh Valley.”
“We are so grateful to be surrounded by people who believe in this place and in the difference that we can make together,” she said.
The evening concluded with a reception, but the message of the program carried beyond the event itself: philanthropy takes many forms. It lives in a donor’s attention to urgent needs, in an advisor’s careful counsel, in a board member’s ambassadorship, and in a community foundation’s ability to connect people who care with causes that matter.
The event was sponsored by PNC Bank, Fitzpatrick Lentz & Bubba P.C., Charlie and Ruth Marcon, and David and Carol Osborn.
See the event photos on LVCF’s Flickr page – Click Here
See the event video on LVCF’s YouTube page – Click Here
See all the photos on LVCF’s Flickr Gallery below.
See the entire program on LVCF’s YouTube page at:
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