Thank you to the PPL Foundation!

RCI has received a $2,500 grant from the PPL Foundation. These funds will be used to support our Community Building Center, which serve as a safe, welcoming, daytime space where our most vulnerable neighbors can find support, connection, and friendship. Thanks to the collaboration of our incredible partner organizations, our community members can also access a growing suite of critical services through the CBC’s Service Hub.

We are grateful for this new partnership with PPL, and for all they do to support our broader community!

Through strategic partnerships, the PPL Foundation supports organizations working to create vibrant, sustainable communities; promote diversity, equity and inclusion; and empower each citizen to fulfill her or his potential. The PPL Foundation contributes more to a wide variety of nonprofit organizations in eastern and central Pennsylvania. To learn more, visit pplcares.com.

Summer time fun!

Summer is always bubbling with activity and fun around here. It’s a time to create good memories and get outside. This year we had several memorable events for our community members.

In June we hosted our first-ever Rummy Tournament at the Community Center. We had 12 people sign up, all competing for bragging rights and a Walmart gift. We weren’t sure which people were more excited about, bragging rights or the Walmart gift card. The games were tense and there was a lot of smack talk heard around the table. After the group stage, only 3 were left and the battle was on. It was a hard fought game, but in the end only one left with the title of “Rummy Champion”, and that was Gus. He was beaming with pride.

Also in June, we hosted our Annual RCI Village BBQ Picnic in West Park. Over the past year, we added 4 new households to the housing program so this picnic was packed. We ate BBQ chicken, mac’n’cheese, coleslaw, potato salad and lots of yummy desserts. It was a good time for the new residents to get to know others in the housing program. We even found out that two residents were friends from long ago and had a nice reunion. We never know how our community will come together, but it’s nice to know our circles are always smaller than we think. To top off the evening, we got to enjoy some good Blues music!

And lastly, we had our Annual Day in the Park on July 8. The event started first as a way to celebrate the Olympics, but everyone enjoyed it so much that we decided to turn it into a yearly event. Our Zumba volunteers provided gift cards to purchase food and supplies and Johnny’s Bagels donated pastries for desserts. There were hamburgers, hot dogs, salad, coleslaw, and pretzels from Philly Pretzel Factory. For games this year we had Can Jam, Mini Golf putt-putt, Hula Hoops, Noodle Javelin, and Soda Chug from a baby bottle. It was great weather and everyone enjoyed themselves!

Learning to save lives with Narcan

The use of opioids in drugs has increased greatly in the past several years. According to an article in the Morning Call, in 2021, there were 700 opioid related deaths in the Lehigh Valley for the year. In the state of Pennsylvania there were over 4,500 opioid related deaths. It’s tragic to see community and family members die from overdose as a result of their addictions or even first time use. To combat the opioid epidemic across the country, first responders are using Naxalone, or as it’s commonly referred to, Narcan. Narcan is a nasal spray that reverses the effects of opioids and returns normal breathing.

With overdose being so much more common now, we want our staff and volunteers trained in how to administer Narcan so that we can save the lives of our community members. The Lehigh Valley Health Network and The Health Care Trust of Anne Constance and Carl Robert Anderson awarded a grant to the Valley Health Partners Street Medicine team and RCI to provide more health care access to the unsheltered community in Allentown. As a result of this partnership, RCI has hosted the Street Medicine team for Narcan training on two separate occasions. In June, we held a refresher course and individuals who participated in the training received a certificate and a free package of Narcan. These trainings have immediate and real world applications for us at the Community Center, as we have had to administer Narcan to our own community members on occasion. Their training allowed to know how to handle the situation and use Narcan while the first responders were in route to the center.

Thanks Street Medicine team for all you do!

We love our Wawa!

It’s a well-known fact that Pennsylvanians love their Wawa. Whether it’s a hot coffee and donut for breakfast or a hoagie for lunch, Wawa has great food. We appreciate the generosity of Wawa store #8078 on Cedar Crest Blvd in Allentown, who for many years has been donating breakfast sandwiches, hot dogs, and donuts to our Community Center. Fiorenza's Food For Friends connected us with them and the partnership has been great. We depend on Wawa’s kindness to feed our community members and it always keeps them satisfied.

A big thank you from all of us here at Ripple Community Inc!