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We are pleased to provide this report to the region highlighting our efforts
over the past 24 months. Dorothy Rider Pool and Leonard Parker Pool were
vibrant participants in community life in the Lehigh Valley. They actively
engaged in, and often led, civic, arts, health, and education activities
that contributed to the Commonwealth. Since the passing of Mr. and Mrs.
Pool in 1975 and 1967 respectively, we, at The Rider-Pool Foundation have
had the privilege of continuing their legacy of care and generosity toward
their fellow citizens. This stewardship is manifest through support for
community organizations that contribute to the quality of all our lives
through education, human services, the arts, and community development.
We express our compliments to all our grant recipients, and in particular,
to the performing and fine art organizations, as well as the colleges
and universities in the region. Their contributions enrich our lives and
give witness to our feelings and aspirations.
In the years 2005 and 2006, the Rider-Pool Trustees provided $877,775
to not-for-profit agencies who work for the betterment of the community.
The 153 grant awards are briefly described in this report. We continue
to be impressed with the leadership and skill of the governing bodies,
management, staff, and volunteers of the not-for-profit organizations
across the region. We appreciate the contributions they make to improve
our collective quality of life, and we hope our involvement has been of
some assistance.
In 2003, the Brookings Institution released a report that pointed to emerging
challenges to the quality of life in the Valley. Specifically highlighted
were the facts that our region was losing its young people and the remaining
population was aging. In addition, the region was experiencing a considerable
decline in both well-paying jobs and educational attainment. This report
and subsequent analyses commissioned by the Lehigh Valley Partnership
highlighted the troubling interconnection between the loss of green space,
the “hollowing out” of our downtowns, and the effects of suburban
sprawl.
The Rider-Pool Foundation has had a long-standing strategic interest in
community development strategies to address these challenges. Our interest
is most recently expressed in our support for the work of Renew Lehigh
Valley. Their community development work advances an agenda to revitalize
our downtowns, preserve green space, and address quality of life issues.
This interactive community development approach to housing, income, education,
and human service issues also speaks to and informs our understanding
of the interconnection of broad social determinants that influence the
quality of life of our citizens. The considerable growth of the population
in the Lehigh Valley in the past decade points to the importance of a
regional cooperative problem-solving approach to major community development
challenges that take these broad social factors into account. Most importantly,
we are encouraged by Renew Lehigh Valley’s ability to stimulate
citizen involvement in community meetings around these issues. For example,
on a bitter night last December, several hundred people left the comfort
of home to attend a community meeting to discuss the need for improved
public transportation and the potential for light rail service in the
region. That kind of community participation represents an encouraging
trend and bodes well for our collective future.
In May 2006, The Rider-Pool Foundation had opportunities to meet with
other national and local philanthropic and civic organizations interested
in the revitalization of cities in Pennsylvania. In particular, we have
had the benefit of meaningful conversations with our local funding colleagues,
The Harry C. Trexler Trust and the United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley,
on the topic of “place based” community development. The Casey
Foundation has effectively utilized this approach to locality development
in Baltimore. Going forward, there may be potential for cross-disciplinary
approaches to working with the residents of specific neighborhoods in
Allentown and across the Lehigh Valley to improve quality of life issues
that directly affect them. This work would engage all of our funding interests--education,
human services, and the arts¬--in a meaningful and mutually supportive
fashion in one neighborhood over a sustained period of time. Over time,
the “place based” work can evolve and expand to other neighborhoods.
Our work at The Foundation is complementary to the work of our philanthropic
sister, The Dorothy Rider Pool Health Care Trust. The Trust was established
upon the death of Leonard Pool in honor of Dorothy Rider Pool. Its mission
is to enable Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network (LVHHN) to become
a superior regional hospital and improve the health of the citizens of
the region. The Pool Trustees desire to help LVHHN and its strategic partners
to have a demonstrable, dramatic, and sustained impact on the health of
the citizens of the region. This desire is informed by the growing appreciation
of the effects of broad social, economic, educational, and cultural determinants
on health. Accordingly, the future work of the Pool Trust may be increasingly
interactive with other efforts of The Rider-Pool Foundation, especially
as it relates to the health impact of early childhood and elementary school
learning, improved prenatal care for low-income women, and support to
enable our elderly citizens to maintain an independent and participatory
lifestyle.
We invite you to contact The Foundation for more information about how
to apply for funds. We send our deepest appreciation to the Trustees of
The Rider-Pool Foundation for their wisdom and concern.
Edward F. Meehan
Executive Director
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