The Trustees of the Helen & R.K.Laros Foundation in front of the 1919 Laros Silk Company on December 2, 2022, after their annual board meeting. The meeting was held at the Bethlehem YMCA.
The Bethlehem-based Helen & R.K.Laros Foundation, established in 1952 by Laros Silk Company Founder and Owner R.K.Laros and his wife Helen, announced today the annual award of grants for the grant year 2022 to 15 local non-profit organizations.
The Foundation Chair R.K.Laros III and Vice Chair Laura Bennett Shelton & Foundation Trustees gathered with this year’s recipients at a virtual event on 1.25.23 to recognize this year’s recipients and the 2023 Founders Award.
Grants totaling $185,500 were approved by the Board of Trustees of the Helen & R.K.Laros Foundation at their annual board meeting on December 2, 2022, and were awarded in January 2023 to the following nonprofit organizations:
ArtsQuest a $20,000 grant supporting the new Cultural Arts Center, Bethlehem Emergency Sheltering $5,500 for 2022-2023 operating support, Boys & Girls Club of Bethlehem $11,000 to complete a comprehensive HVAC overhaul and honoring Executive Director Winston Alozie with the Foundation’s Founders Award, Central Moravian Church $7,500 to support the replacement of aging infrastructure for the annual Community Putz, Community Action Lehigh Valley $12,000 to make updates to the Forte Building including energy efficiency lighting, Godfrey Daniels $6,000 for the replacement of aged flooring, Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Network $15,000 for the new Center Valley Hospital, Hispanic Center Lehigh Valley $8,000 for increased costs to HVAC repairs & replacement, Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites $15,000 to sponsor the upcoming exhibit, The Story of Silk, Kindness Project $1,000 honoring Trustee George Mowrer for his 20 years of service to the foundation, Lehigh Valley Children’s Centers, Inc. $15,000 to support for the renovations to the playground at the Fountain Hill Children’s Center, Miller-Keystone Blood Center $10,000 for the Trima Accel Automated Blood Collection, Northampton Community College $25,000 to expand the Dental Hygeine Clinic at the Fowler Family Southside Center, Northeast Community Center $34,000 to repurpose the foyer at the Miller Heights facility, YMCA $500 in gratitude for hosting the foundation’s 2022 annual meeting.
The Helen & R.K. Laros Foundation provides grant support with a focus on enduring capital projects that will have significant community impact in the Bethlehem Area. The grant application for 2023 and additional details are available on the foundation website http://www.larosfoundation.org
For more information about grant opportunities or the Helen & R.K. Laros Foundation contact Executive Director Sharon Jones Zondag at larosfoundation.org
