50 Historical Fun Facts

50 Historical 

TIDBITS

1 

2 

1967 

The Bethlehem Area 

Foundation was founded 

by a group of civic leaders 

and Rolland Adams, 

publisher of the former 

Bethlehem-Globe Times. 

1967 

The Community 

Foundation traces its roots 

to 1967 when community 

leaders in Bethlehem, Pa., 

established an endowment 

with the $50,000 that 

remained after the 

City’s 225th anniversary 

celebration. 

Historical TIDBITS 

Historical TIDBITS

3 4 

1968 

The Foundation’s first 

grants of $3,022.07 were 

provided to the Visiting 

Nurses Association, the 

Children’s Home of 

Bethlehem and Allentown, 

the Army, and the 

Family Counseling Service 

of Northampton County. 

1968 

The second trust known as 

the Bethlehem Anniversary 

fund was established with 

$17,000. Presenting the 

check is Walter Trumbauer, 

left, general chairman 

of the city anniversary 

committee, to Michael 

Schrader, executive director 

of the fund. 



5 6 

1968 

William Rybak, a Bethlehem 

attorney and former state 

legislator, established the 

Foundation’s first donor 

advised fund. Today, the 

William C. Rybak Fund still 

helps to provide assistance to 

individuals in the area with 

disabilities. 

1969 


Foundation received a 

hand-written letter with a 

$5 donation for the Boys 

Club of America. 



7 8 

1970 


Foundation received its 

first gift of appreciated 

securities, signifying the 

Foundation’s growth. 

1974 

The BAF installed the 

second woman to the 

board, Mrs. John W. 

Leming, joining the first 

woman Mrs. William L. 

Lee, who was inducted 

the year prior. The board 

also welcomed Dr. James 

G. Whildin, a St. Lukes 

Hospital radiologist. 



9 10 

1974 

The Foundation received 

$4,100 from the Rybak 

Children Fund’s dinner 

dance. Lehigh County 

DA George Joseph, State 

Representative William 

Eckensberger, and Rybak, 

present the check to 

BAF’s executive director 

Michael Schrader. 

1975 

A new lunchroom in the 

Hamilton Building of 

Sayre Child Center was 

opened with the help of 

a $2,000 grant provided 

by the Bethlehem Area 

Foundation. 



11 

12 

1976 


Foundation made 

$500 available for 

the Moravian Music 

Festival to bond the 

Bethlehem community 

in a celebration of their 

heritage. 

1976 


Foundation provided 

a $500 grant to the 

Moravian Academy to 

purchase a computerprogramming 

machine for 

a new college course. 



13 

14 

1977 

The Foundation awarded 

the Boys Club and Girls 

Club of Bethlehem each 

$200 grants to purchase 

office equipment. 

1978 

The Bethlehem 

Area Foundation 

awarded $2,807 to 

the Bethlehem Public 

Library to provide 

shelving to the North 

Side Library’s main 

floor. 



11 15 

12 16 

1979 

The founder of Lehigh 

Valley Community 

Foundation, Rolland 

L. Adams, bequests 

$1 million dollars to the 

Foundation. 

1979 


Foundation reelected 

Dr. James G. Whildin 

as chairman, Thomas 

Butterfield as vice 

chairman, and Michael 

Schrader as secretary. 



11 17 

12 18 

1979 


Foundation donated 

$1,000 to the Historic 

Bethlehem Preservation 

fund to restore Monocacy 

Valley. 

1980 


Foundation awarded 

$4,000 to the Bethlehem 

YWCA to purchase 

vehicles to transport 

seniors to and from classes, 

luncheons, and health 

examinations. 



11 19 

12 20 

1980 

The Secretary-Treasurer 

of the William C. Rybak 

Handicapped Children’s 

Fund, Maryanna 

Weinhoffer and William 

Rybak, hand over a check 

for $5,300 to the executive 

director of the Bethlehem 

Area Foundation, Michael 

Schrader. 

1981 

The Foundation 

provided a $23,000 fund 

to St. Luke’s Hospital to 

purchase an ultra sound 

scanner that helped save 

the life of an unborn 

child. 



11 21 

12 22 

1982 


Foundation welcomed 

Jeffrey P. Feather, 

president of Pentamation 

Enterprises, as chairman of 

the board of governors. 

1983 


Foundation appoints 

Reverend William P. Dodd 

to serve a six-year term on 

the board of governors. 



11 23 

12 24 

1985 

In 1985, the Bethlehem 


was able to produce 

$140,000 in grants. 

1985 

The first executive director, 

Michael Schrader, 

ended his 18-year career. 

Schrader helped countless 

community members fulfill 

their philanthropic duties 

and help make a difference 

in the Lehigh Valley. 



11 25 

12 26 

1986 


Foundation named 

Eleanor Boylston 

Executive Director. She 

was the former president 

of the board of directors 

of the United Way of 

Northampton and Warren 

Counties. 

1986 


Foundation provided a 

$25,000 grant to purchase 

the Turning Point II 

shelter; helping abused 

women in the region. 



11 27 

12 28 

1988 

In 1988, the Foundation 

awarded $96,833.25 to 

charitable organizations in 

the region. 

1988 


Foundation elected 

Monsignor John McPeak 

as chairman, Joseph 

F. Leeson Jr. as vice 

chairman, Jose Perna and 

Nancy Swan as board of 

governors. 



11 29 

12 30 

1989 

Members of Bethlehem 

Area Foundation’s 

board attended the 

Commonwealth 

Community Foundation 

press conference. 

1990 

Eleanor Boylston, the 

former executive director 

and secretary, attended a 

National Conference on 

literacy at the Library of 

Congress and met with 

First Lady Barbara Bush. 



11 31 

12 32 

1990 

Children enrolled in 

the United Cerebral 

Palsy of the Lehigh 

Valley early intervention 

program received toys 

purchased with grants 

from the Bethlehem Area 

Foundation. 

1990 

The Bethlehem 


began supporting 

the Hispanic Arts 

Program to take 

children off the 

streets and provide 

them with cultural 

enrichment. 



11 33 

12 34 

1992 

The BAF awarded $78,835 

to 18 agencies. The photo 

depicts the chairman of the 

board, Joseph F. Leeson, 

presenting the down 

payment of $50,000 for the 

Southeast Neighborhood 

Center. 

1992 


Foundation named five 

new board members Elmer 

Gates, Debbie Haight, 

Terrill Theman, William 

Matz, and Paul Franz. 



11 35 

12 36 

1992 

Celebrating it’s 

25th anniversary 

the Bethlehem Area 

Foundation was 

renamed the Lehigh 


Foundation to broaden 

its area of service. 

1993 

Benjamin Franklin 

designated that a portion 

of his will be donated 

to all the citizens of the 

Commonwealth and in 

1992 some of this money 

helped establish the Ben 

Franklin Trust fund at 

LVCF. 



11 37 

12 38 

1993 

With the help of Lehigh 


Foundation Carole Brown, 

an associate professor of 

English at Moravian College 

started the Child Advocacy 

Fund that helps maltreated 

children in the Lehigh 

Valley. 

1994 

Carol Henn became the 

executive director. She was 

former consultant at the U.S. 

Information Agency meeting 

with non-profit and government 

leaders in former Soviet 

bloc nations to strengthen 

philanthropic organizations, 

community initiatives, and 

public-private partnerships. 



11 39 

12 40 

1997 

The Foundation’s 

30th anniversary was 

celebrated by distributing 

funds dedicated 

towards arts and 

culture, education, the 

environment, community 

betterment, health care, 

human services, science, 

history and heritage. 

2000 

LVCF began the new 

millennium by granting 

more than $500,000 

annually for the first time. 



11 41 

12 42 

2002 

The Lehigh Valley 

Community 

Foundation hosted 

its 35th Anniversary 

at the Holiday Inn 

Conference Center. 

2003 

At the Rolland L. Adams 

Society Reception, Carole 

Koepke Brown and Father 

Daniel Gambet received 

the Vision in Philanthropy 

Awards. 



11 43 

12 44 

2007 

For LVCF’s 40th 

anniversary the logo 

was redesigned to have 

a more natural look and 

enlarged stars to reflect the 

Foundation’s growth. 

2011 

The George T. Walker 

Fund was established, 

which would eventually 

help fund the Proton Beam 

Therapy Center at St. 

Jude Children’s Research 

Hospital to minimize 

damage to healthy tissue 

and organs in cancer 

patients. 



11 45 

12 46 

2012 

The Lehigh Valley 

Community Foundation 

celebrated its 45th 

anniversary, receiving 

recognition from the 

Allentown Mayor Ed 

Pawlowski, Bethlehem 

Mayor John B. Callahan, 

and Easton Mayor 

Salvatore J. Panto, Jr. 

2012 

Bernie Story became the 

President and CEO of 

LCVF. A graduate of 

Moravian College, he 

enjoyed a 32-year career at 

Moravian, holding a variety 

of positions including 

Dean of Admissions and 

Financial Aid and Vice 

President for enrollment. 



11 47 

12 48 

2014 

Lehigh Valley 

Community 

Foundation sponsored 

the Freddy Awards. 

Bernie Story presented 

the check to Shelly 

Brown at the State 

Theatre Center for the 

Arts. 

2015 

The annual grant total 

exceeds $2.5 million for 

the first time. 



11 49 

12 50 

2015 

Lehigh Valley Community 

Foundation reaches a new 

height by establishing its 

200th charitable fund. 

2017 

The Community 

Foundation is celebrating 

50 years of connecting 

people who care to causes 

that matter by supporting 

6 important issues with 

$300,000 in Spark Grants. 

#BeTheSpark

50 Historical Fun Facts

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