For Immediate Release
Contact: Ron Ticho
(610) 360-0205
Ront@wlvt.org
Lehigh Valley Public Media Announces 2023 Good Neighbor Award Honorees
Award Recipients Will Be Recognized at the Good Neighbor Awards Gala taking place on Kindness Day, May 23, 2023
Lehigh Valley, PA; April 3, 2023 – Lehigh Valley Public Media, home of PBS39, 91.3 WLVR, and LehighValleyNews.com, announced today the recipients of its 7th Annual Good Neighbor Awards and that the event recognizing this year’s honorees will take place on May 23. This year’s honorees are Pennsylvania Secretary of Revenue Designee and former State Senator Pat Browne, retired Lehigh Valley Public Media Board Chair Steven Thompson, and the Volunteer Center of the Lehigh Valley.
Given in the spirit of Fred Rogers, the awards are given out annually to those individuals and organizations that have made significant contributions to improving the quality of life in our community. Kindness Day, was inspired by Rogers, of PBS, who used 1-4-3 as another way of saying “I love you”, with the numbers representing the number of letters in each word. On May 23, the 143rd day of the year, our community is called on to spread a little extra joy throughout the commonwealth.
“Everyone at PBS39, 91.3 WLVR, and LehighValleyNews.com, is excited to honor our good neighbors who are committed to the growth, prosperity, and well-being of the Greater Lehigh Valley,” said Tim Fallon, Chief Executive Officer, Lehigh Valley Public Media.
The Good Neighbor Awards will be held the evening of May 23, 2023 at the Delta Hotel by Marriott (the former Holiday Inn Fogelsville). Contributions raised from the event, support the Good Neighbor Fund, a fund established to support the organization’s education outreach programs.
For more information about the event, including tickets, contribution levels, and sponsorship information, please visit https://www.pbs39.org/goodneighborawards.
2023 Good Neighbor Award Recipients
Pat Browne was elected to the House of Representatives in 1994 and served until he won the Pennsylvania Senate seat in a 2005 special election. He served as State Senator for the 16th District from 2005-2022. Throughout his tenure, he focused on both the Valley’s immediate needs and on securing a better future by chairing the Senate Appropriations Committee, as well as serving on the Senate Education, Finance, Communications & Technology, and Transportation Committees.
Steven Thompson is Vice President of Finance for Delane Consulting, a professional consulting and talent management firm. Mr. Thompson also served on the Board of Directors for Lehigh Valley Public Media from 2001 to 2023, and as Board Chair from 2020 to 2022. He has been a champion for youth, education, and community – currently serving on the executive board of the Minsi Trails Council of the Boy Scouts of America and as an active member of his congregation at the East Hills Moravian Church in Bethlehem.
The Volunteer Center of the Lehigh Valley (VCLV), led by CEO Karen Smith, has made connections between individuals and businesses interested in volunteering with local nonprofit organizations for the past 35 years. VCLV also gathers community members for volunteer days of service, such as 911 Day of Service, Family Volunteer Day, and MLK, Jr. Day of Service. In order to ensure that area organizations have longevity, the VCLV offers capacity training for nonprofit boards, volunteer coordination training, and nonprofit skill building.
The Good Neighbor Awards is made possible in part by Highmark Blue Shield who has served as the title sponsor for the event for the third consecutive year.
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About Lehigh Valley Public Media
Lehigh Valley Public Media is a community-owned nonprofit organization that is home to PBS39, the Valley’s public television station; 91.3 WLVR, the Valley’s all day, every day NPR station; and LehighValleyNews.com, the Valley’s only locally owned nonprofit digital news platform. For more than 50 years, Lehigh Valley Public Media has provided Eastern Pennsylvania and Western New Jersey with dynamic communication platforms; engaging, accessible education programs; and neighborhood-focused community resources. Lehigh Valley Public Media is headquartered at the Univest Public Media Center on the SteelStacks campus in Bethlehem.