Reclaiming a life from a downward spiral of addiction and violence can seem like an insurmountable challenge. It takes time, effort, courage, and support—both emotional and financial—for a vulnerable woman to recover from a painful past and plant the seeds for a healthy, productive future. Bloom Bangor offers such empowerment to marginalized women in the Slate Belt area. A... »
1 2 3 As reggae plays softly in the background of his Easton salon, Stephen Flowers settles into a chair, crosses his legs, and begins to talk about why it’s important for him to give back to those in need. “I have a young son, and I want to teach him to make the world a better place,” he says. “It seems like people are very angry at each other, and we’re so divided. When ... »
Home ownership has long been a big part of the American Dream. And plenty of effort goes into it: working, saving, and searching—not to mention maintenance. But, as John Lennon put it, “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans,” and some people find that dream dissipating just when it was within reach. That’s what happened to Jinette Ramos and her ... »
“Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.” For nearly 50 years, ProJeCt of Easton has been fighting poverty by helping people learn to help themselves, vibrantly bringing the old proverb to life. “The goal has always been to provide a real coordinated effort to solving poverty,” says Alison O’Connell, ProJeC... »
The Lehigh Valley depends on motivated volunteers to sustain the mission of food pantries, shelters, festivals, performing arts organizations, fire companies, literacy centers, blood banks, animal rescue groups, and other nonprofits. Without the selfless dedication of volunteers, the world looks a little bleaker. But there are the super volunteers, the ones who never say n... »
Brett and Corinne Feldman are humble people. The husband and wife are responsible for igniting a movement of providing healthcare for the region’s homeless, but won’t take credit for it. Instead, they dole out praise to the disenfranchised who trust them, the students who dedicate hundreds of hours to the couple’s cause, and the people who believed in a wild idea. Corinne ... »
In 2016, women made up only 26 percent of the nation’s computing workforce, and it’s not because they aren’t working: women also held a whopping 57 percent of professional jobs last year, according to the National Center for Women and Information Technology. Similarly, while women received 57 percent of the nation’s bachelor’s degrees in 2015, only 18 percent of computer a... »
When we are encouraged and supported to be ourselves, we can better step into well-rounded roles that serve our communities. It can start at any age, right now, with us. Lehigh Valley Girls Rock (LVGR) is the local chapter of Girls Rock, an organization that takes that heady sentiment and blends it with punk and DIY ethos, intersectional feminism, and instruments. Particip... »
You’ll likely have a hard time removing your eyes from the breakfast menu—scrambled eggs with feta and sun-dried tomatoes, spiced brûlée oatmeal, and homemade granola—or the Cuban pulled pork panini, buffalo chicken wrap, and vegetable minestrone for lunch. But through the temptations and desire to eat well, you might miss the subtle reminders that Café the Lodge is much m... »
It sounds like the plot to a romantic comedy, but Billy Mack really was on tour with his band when he fell in love with a little coffee shop in South Dakota, and it really did change the course of his life. It was called The Red Rooster Coffee Shop, and as soon as Billy walked through its doors, he felt at home. “We ended up having a show at The Red Rooster and I just wal... »
