• Education
• Human Services
• Culture and Art
• Community Development

Education

The Arc of Lehigh and Northampton Counties, Inc.
The Arc provides resources, individualized advocacy and specialized training on intellectual and developmental disabilities to the people of Lehigh Valley.  In a four year period, The Arc completed more than 57 different training sessions and trained more than 1,150 individuals, including children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, their families and professionals who serve this population with quality information on important topics that impact the vast majority of individuals with disabilities during the course of their lives.  In an effort to make the specialized training sessions more accessible, The Arc utilized resources provided by The Rider-Pool Foundation to develop the option of attending and participating remotely via the internet, as a webinar session.  The Arc now archives past training sessions on their website, which can be accessed at anytime.


A Webinar training session

Family Connection of Easton, Inc. – Parents Who Care is an evidence-based six-week family bonding and wellness program that builds on families' strengths.  The program develops positive parenting skills and improves the quality of life for children and families in Easton.  Family support specialists help families develop a goal plan, provide referrals and information, and coach them as they work toward achieving their personal and family goals.  Resources from The Rider-Pool Foundation allowed Family Connection of Easton to expand the Parents Who Care program. 

“Parents Who Care” parenting education and family wellness group.

Lehigh Valley Children’s Center, Inc.
Lehigh Valley Children's Centers provide highly effective early education and child care to promote healthy child development, meet the needs of families, and encourage children to discover the joy of learning.  Founded in 1970 as Lehigh Valley Child Care, LVCC provides quality full-day, year-round early care and education from infancy through elementary school at 22 sites throughout the Lehigh Valley.   
 

Art is a learning opportunity for this LVCC pre-kindergartener

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Lehigh Valley Center for Independent Living (LVCIL) – 
LVCIL is a private non-profit organization. They are both staffed and governed, at all times, by a majority of persons with disabilities. We place the greatest emphasis on consumer self-determination.  They do not make decisions for their consumers, but provides information and resources to allow consumers to make independent decisions. Their work is also to increase inclusion in the community whether it is in housing, transportation, voting rights, employment, or many other areas.  The Rider-Pool Foundation supported the creation of “Have You Thought About Life? transition conference, which is a program that will better prepare young adults with disabilities in Lehigh Valley schools for their transition to adult life by offering education professionals, social service organizations, local school districts, parents, and students the opportunity to learn more about the transition process and the services available.  In addition, LVCIL hopes to have interactive, in-school transition workshop to young adults with disabilities in Lehigh Valley schools. The workshop will empower these young adults and provide them with information and resources to help them through their transition process.

"Greg Bott (left), Development Coordinator at the Lehigh Valley Center for Independent Living (LVCIL), joins Kutztown University students (from left to right) Rachael Fulginiti, Matthew Fink, and Laura Newman at the 2011 Kutztown Designathon. During this event the students worked for 24 hours straight to produce a poster and logo for LVCIL’s “Have you thought about... LIFE?” transition conference."

Equi-librium – Equi-librium offers horse related activities for children and adults with special needs.  These specialized activities use a combination of sport, education, therapy, recreation and leisure.  They strive to improve an individual’s behavior, communication, physical, perceptual and social skills, as well as balance, muscle tone, self-esteem, independence, communication skills, relationship building and attention to task…all skills that lead to greater independence.
 

Little Bear, a miniature horse, and one of the children getting to know each other.    

Seven-year old with Autism enjoys a moment with his horse.

Family Answers, Inc. provides short-term, solution-focused counseling services to individuals, couples and families.  Counseling services are individualized to address particular client concerns which may include mental health issues, family issues such as divorce, custody and parenting matters, employment problems, and social adjustment issues particular to children, adolescents and older adults. The mission of Family Answers is to provide affordable, high-quality prevention, education and therapeutic services that nurture healthy individual and family life in our community.  The Rider-Pool Foundation support enables Family Answers to continue to provide services to those who could not otherwise afford a counseling program. 

Some sessions at Family Answers. 

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Culture and Art

Community Music School – Community Music School (CMS) offers quality music instruction to all members of the community in most all instruments and voice.  Outreach programs teach those most academically at-risk or those with physical / mental challenges) are part of the CMS mission. CMS has touched 10,000 members of the community through the study of music.  Support from The Rider-Pool Foundation allows those youngsters without the financial means to study music from professionals in the field, thus, offering lessons in any instrument or voice, plus, giving them the opportunities that go with music instruction such as self-esteem, self-confidence, discipline, and a solid foundation for individual growth; cultural exchange and community understanding.

CMS students participate at Mayfair 2010.

SATORI, Ltd. presents formal concerts of traditional and contemporary chamber music at locations throughout the greater Lehigh Valley.  Concerts are often scheduled away from the typical concert hall venue, and are presented in a "listener-friendly" atmosphere.  Support from The Rider-Pool Foundation is used for the ongoing public chamber music concert series, in-school educational programming, the Gift of Music instrument donation program, the annual student competition and community outreach concert series for seniors, the disabled, and hospice patients.

SATORI performing for students at Governor Wolf Elementary School in Bethlehem.

Touchstone Theatre – As a professional, not-for-profit Ensemble theatre company, Touchstone's mission is dedicated to being an active force in the renewal of theatre as a vital art form. Now in its fifth year, The Young Playwrights’ Lab (YPL) is a school-based arts-in-education student residency program for local youth that was developed by Touchstone Theatre teaching artists in collaboration with the Bethlehem Area School District to improve attitudes towards literacy and achievement in academic standards, provide tools to enhance communication skills and promote positive methods for conflict resolution.

Participants enjoying The Young Playwrights’ Lab program.

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Community Development

Lehigh County Conference of Churches – The Lehigh County Conference of Churches (LCCC) operates a Continuum of Care Program, providing a venue for the street homeless.  LCCC’s Continuum of Care approach is an effective best-practices model with the goals of walking the street homeless into permanent housing and sustaining them in that housing, saving lives and conserving valuable community resources.  The following in an account of the program in action, both in word and pictures:   “When the Linden Street Bridge in Allentown was to be rebuilt, nine guys were living in an encampment underneath. Our Homeless Supportive Services program reached out, brought them into case management, worked with several of our programs and others in the community to get them benefits and services, and eventually 8 of the 9 were placed successfully in permanent housing. One of the guys insisted on cleaning up the area before he left. We convinced the City to supply an industrial dumpster, gloves and tools. Before he left, he filled the dumpster twice and left the place as you see in the picture.”
 

Lehigh Valley Zoo  

Lehigh Valley Zoo’s mission is to create a safe, engaging and enlightening wildlife experience for guests of all ages as it demonstrates leadership in the cultural, scientific and conservation communities.

The Lehigh Valley Zoo is home to more than 250 animals representing 70 species, from African Penguins to Zebras, within 1,100 acres of the Trexler Nature Preserve.  Open to the public year-round, the Zoo hosts more than 100,000 guests annually and offers hundreds of educational programs, camps for all ages and family-friendly events.  Part of the Zoo’s mission is to take care of animals medically as well.  The veterinary staff provides complete healthcare for all the animals at the Zoo.  This comprehensive healthcare program includes incoming (quarantine) and outgoing animal exams, treatment of sick and injured animals, surgical care, dental care, and routine preventative care or well-animal checkups which include a complete physical exam, blood work, x-rays and vaccinations.  

The Rider-Pool Foundation provided support to modernize Lehigh Valley Zoo’s veterinary clinic, allowing the Zoo to make further strides in education, science and conservation through the expansion of its exotic animal collection.

African Penguins located in the Jaindl Penguin Pavilion at the LV Zoo.

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