U.S. Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA) visited Hispanic Center Lehigh Valley in Bethlehem on July 15 to announce that the organization has been awarded a $350,000 workforce development grant. Above, left to right: Francis Rincon Garcia, phlebotomist training graduate; Johanna Bolanes, ESL student; U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA); Victoria Montero, Network Director, Community Workforce Development, St Luke’s University Health Network; and Raymond Santiago, Executive Director, Hispanic Center Lehigh Valley. (Credit: St. Luke’s University Health Network)
U.S. Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA) visited Hispanic Center Lehigh Valley in South Bethlehem last week to announce a $350,000 workforce development grant.
Casey personally thanked St. Luke’s Network Director of Community Workforce Development Victoria Montero for leading the effort secure the funding.
“We are grateful for her leadership,” Casey said of Montero at a news conference. “We are going to help people get jobs. … This is about knocking down barriers to employment.”
The Hispanic Center will use the funds, in collaboration with St. Luke’s and Northampton Community College, to provide English and other instruction, skills training and employment services.
Casey’s office ushered the grant request through a challenging federal appropriations approval process.
“This has overcome a lot of hurdles,” he said.
The overarching goal of the project, Montero said, is “to assist minority communities break the cycle of poverty.”
In recent years, St. Luke’s has provided significant financial and other support to Hispanic Center Lehigh Valley. St. Luke’s President & CEO Rick Anderson served as co-chairman of the Hispanic Center’s Vision for Renaissance Capital Campaign, which raised several million dollars for renovations to the Basilio Huertas Senior Center and the establishment of the nearby Fowler Community Wellness Center in a stately former bank building.
At the news conference, Casey noted with evident pride that Monday’s visit was his third to the Hispanic Center.
This community health news is brought to you in partnership with St. Luke’s University Health Network.
