United Way Awards $250,000 in Funding through UNITED for Mental Health Grants

February 11, 2025

United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley announces $250,000 in grants through two new funding initiatives—Youth Mental Health Innovation Grant and United for Veterans’ Mental Health Grant, to address the region’s growing mental health crisis. With intentional investments, United Way can support innovative projects that prioritize and enhance the mental well-being of young people and programs and initiatives that make mental health resources and support available to veterans.

“At United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley, we’re dedicated to addressing the growing need for mental health services for everyone in our community,” said Marci Lesko, Chief Executive Officer of United Way. “We want children, families, older adults and veterans to feel seen, heard, understood and supported. We’re honored and excited to provide support for prevention-based and intervention-based solutions, to empower youth to be a part of the solution and raise awareness.”

Across the nation, mental health needs are rising rapidly, creating substantial impacts on all parts of life including physical health, quality of life and even a student’s ability to learn in school. In fact, the U.S. Surgeon General has described declining mental health among youth as the crisis of our time. In the Greater Lehigh Valley:

39% of youth report feeling depressed most days,
40% of adults report symptoms of depression or anxiety,
25% of seniors report feeling isolated from their community, and
The suicide rate is 34% higher than the state average, with Carbon County reporting the highest suicide rate among veterans in Pennsylvania.

Donors contributed to the UNITED for Mental Health initiative during United Way’s 2023 annual campaign chaired by Tony and Adrienne DaRe of BSI Corporate Benefits. “As our campaign focused on mental health, we were deeply moved by the personal stories shared by many. We saw firsthand how United Way was working to create solutions to make a real difference, and it was inspiring to witness the strong desire to further strengthen those efforts. We’re proud to know that the funds raised will go directly to programs that connect children, parents, veterans and their families to the critical services they need most,” said Tony and Adrienne DaRe.

The following organizations began receiving grants ranging from $5,000 to $20,000 in January.

Youth Mental Health Programs and Initiatives:

Aevidum – Louis E. Dieruff High School Aevidum Club, Paws Place ($2,500) – Mental Wellness space, named Paws Place, will provide students with a peaceful environment to relax, recharge and manage stress. Paws Place will also house the school social workers office and in-school telehealth counseling center.
Allentown Public Theatre, After-School Youth Theater Teen Mentorship Program ($10,000) – The program engages students from middle school through high school and fosters active listening, awareness and compassion, alongside acting and critical thinking development.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Lehigh Valley, Sports Buddies Mentoring Program ($10,000) – The program combines evidence-based mentoring approaches with increased youth access to sports.
Casa Guadalupe Center, Map My Happy Experience ($10,000) – This experience will consist of in-depth research of what factors matter for a youth to be a happy young person in Allentown.
Community Bike Works, Rooted in Nature ($6,000) – Rooted in Nature is aimed at supporting youth mental health through nature, nutrition and community building.
Fine Feather Foundation, Inc., Excelsior After-School Program ($10,000) – The program promotes a healthy lifestyle for children aged 10-14 years old from Harrison Morton Middle School in the Allentown School District while also emphasizing mental health awareness and creative expression.
Grace Deliverance Baptist Church, Youth Retreat ($2,500) – A youth retreat for 15 core youth leaders to create a safe space for youth to build their leadership with a life coach and talk about their challenges while learning tools to overcome them.
Lehigh Valley Community Broadcasters Association, Inc., You Are Not Alone Lehigh Valley Program ($9,000) – The youth media program is hosted by two local teenagers and explores a variety of topics related to mental health and how it impacts thoughts, feelings and behaviors.
Northampton Community College – Bangor Area High School, 5K Race ($2,500) – Hosting a 5K that will address youth mental health by bringing awareness to the problems many students face, empowering more students to speak up.
The Ortiz Ark Foundation, Youth Resilience and Empowerment Program ($10,000) – The program will support a comprehensive sports-based approach to improving youth mental health, focusing on emotional resilience, peer support and social skill development through baseball and basketball.
Paradigm One – Leon Gonzalez – Being Phenom(enal) Program ($5,000) – This program would offer mentorship from 17-year-old Leon Gonzalez to other young men who find themselves in difficult circumstances, offering a space for them to express how they are feeling and also provide discipline and confidence moving forward.
Pinebrook Family Answers ($25,000) – Funding supports family and school-based mental health programming across the Lehigh Valley.
Preventative Measures Foundation, TeleWell App ($10,000) – To address the mental health challenges faced by low-income commuter students at Lehigh Carbon Community College, the Preventive Measures Foundation is partnering with TeleWell, an online platform providing accessible mental health services to provide access to professional counseling, real-time chat/text services and meditation tools to help manage stress and anxiety.
St. Luke’s University Health Network, Aevidum Programming Extension ($2,500) – Extending the Aevidum programming will provide resources, messaging, campaigns and stress reduction materials related to mental health at Paxinosa and Cheston Elementary Schools and Easton Area Middle School, United Way Community Schools in the Easton Area School District.
Touchstone Theatre, Building Bridges Program ($10,000) – Expansion of the program to create a “Mini- Bridges” program for Bethlehem Area School District elementary school students with social, emotional and behavioral difficulties.
Valley Youth House ($25,000) – Funding supports youth education, school-based counseling, attendance support and other preventive youth-focused mental health programs.

Veterans’ Mental Health Programs and Initiatives:

Battleborne ($20,000) – Enhance Battleborne’s veteran program and expand their reach into Carbon County and its rural areas to build out key initiatives that promote mental health and resilience, ensuring veterans, first responders and their families in these underserved communities receive the support they need to reintegrate successfully into civilian life.
Penn Foundation, St. Luke’s Victory for Veterans Program ($20,000) – This community-based peer support and case management program is offered at no cost to veterans and their families living in Carbon County who are actively struggling with suicidality. The Program is co-located at a St. Luke University Health Network’s site with the Carbon County Veterans Affairs (VA) Office called Veteran’s Hub.
River Crossing YMCA, Veterans Wellness Initiative (VWI) ($20,000) – This positive, uplifting, free 12-week program focuses on the total health of veterans.
Valley Health Partners, Veterans in Recovery (VIR) Program ($20,000) – This program provides veterans and their family members with integrated, veteran-centered care that meets the clinical and non-clinical needs they face, removing barriers to care, delivering quality integrated health care and building a better community through recovery and connection.
Victory House of Lehigh Valley, Social Work Supervisor ($20,000) – This funding will support a dedicated social work supervisor to oversee social work interns from local colleges and universities. This position aims to ensure high-quality supervision, professional development and enhanced service delivery to Victory House of Lehigh Valley clients.

Funding through the UNITED for Mental Health grants also supports training on trauma-informed approaches via United Way’s Resilient Lehigh Valley initiative.