Hundreds of Students Celebrate Christmas Early at the Fifth Annual Lehigh Valley Labor Council Toy Drive
United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley is United for KIDS, ensuring that every child feels seen, valued and included during the holiday season. Santa brought holiday cheer once again to Roosevelt Elementary School, a United Way Community School in the Allentown School District, with a festive parade of vehicles, gifts and special guests during the fifth annual Lehigh Valley Labor Council Toy Drive.
On Friday, December 20, Santa’s helpers, including Capital Blue Cross, local labor unions and dedicated volunteers, gathered at United Auto Workers Local 677 on Mack Blvd in Allentown to prepare his “sleighs.” These sleighs included a Teamsters Local 773 trailer, a UA Local 677 trailer, a fire engine and a LANta bus—all brimming with gifts for Roosevelt’s students. The festive caravan made its way to the school, greeted by excited students and surprise visitors like Santa himself (played by Allentown Mayor Matt Tuerk), IronPigs’ mascot FeRROUS and other beloved characters.
As part of Santa’s visit, he made a heartfelt stop at Roosevelt’s Autistic Support (AS) class, where the students received personalized gifts from their wish lists. These presents were provided by TeenWorks™, a United Way affinity group that champions youth-led community service projects.
The collaboration of partners like the Lehigh Valley Labor Council, TeenWorks™ and United Way showcases the power of a UNITED community coming together to bring joy to children and families during this special time of year.
TeenWorks is made up of a diverse group of local middle and high school students and local members of organized labor. This organization, which operates solely in the Lehigh Valley, began in 1999 as a partnership with the labor community and United Way. The group meets monthly and helps to fund community service projects throughout the Lehigh Valley from various youth groups. Over 500 organizations have received grants of up to $1,000.00 for their projects. In addition to funding projects, TeenWorks board members have a strong group of volunteers who can be counted on to do anything from building shelves to distributing mulch.
TeenWorks and Capital Blue Cross have shared the financial support for Roosevelt for the past seven years. TeenWorks and Capital Blue Cross entered into this unique relationship over twenty years ago and have produced significant results.
Special thanks to Lehigh Valley Labor Council for their deep commitment to Roosevelt and the groups who provided donations/financial support for this year’s toy drive: UAW 677, Teamsters 773, Laborers 158, Laborers 1174, AFSCME, Workers United, AEA, Operating Engineers 542, Allentown Firefighters, Allentown Police Department, Lehigh County Sheriff’s Office, ATU 956, LANTA, Mack Trucks, Cohen, Feeley, Altemose & Rambo, Capital Blue Cross, IATSE 200, SEIU 668, United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley, Communities in Schools, United Way TeenWorks, Lehigh Valley IronPigs, Lehigh Valley Print Center, USW, among others.
