We are thankful for the resources our community partners offer! Please read more about United Way of Lancaster, Church World Services, Lancaster LGBTQ+ Coalition, OVR, Spanish American Civic Association, and the YWCA of Lancaster, and take advantage of this networking opportunity!
United Way of Lancaster – Kevin Ressler
We set the stage for progress by connecting innovative people with new and existing opportunities to create, fund, advocate, and volunteer to help remove barriers for people by increasing nonprofit organizations’ capacity to do good work and helping businesses more actively participate in this work so more people can live healthier, happier lives.
From the creation of the Lancaster County Coalition to End Homelessness years ago to implementing the collective impact model at scale to bring about countywide change in how social services are offered, United Way has always been on the forefront of developing new and better ways to serve the people of Lancaster County by creating numerous partnerships, coalitions, and other initiatives and by continuing to financially support those with proven track record of success.
We also know that a good idea can come from anywhere, and we’re recommitted to listening to residents, community leaders, and business leaders as we continue into our next 100 years of improving the education, financial stability, and health of every person in every community.
Church World Services – Alain Martinez
Church World Service Lancaster is committed to showing welcome to refugees, immigrants, asylum-seekers and other uprooted people within the United States who are seeking safety and the opportunity to rebuild their lives.
For more than 30 years, Church World Service Lancaster has welcomed thousands of new neighbors from around the world to our beautiful country. Through partnerships with faith groups, organizations and individuals, we empower our newest neighbors to build new lives in peace and security, providing up to 5 years of service and support.
Lancaster LGBTQ+ Coalition – K. Foley
At Lancaster LGBTQ+ Coalition, we are committed to building a supportive and enriching community abundant in opportunities for LGBTQQIA+ individuals and those with a stake in creating a more inclusive Lancaster County.
Our mission is to build supportive and enriching opportunities for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Questioning, Intersex and Asexual individuals, along with others who identify with the LGBTQ+ community
K. Foley, MA, LCPC (she/they)
K. Is a somatic psychologist and specializes in trauma and the LGBTQ+ community. They launched Trans/Queer Yoga in 2015, Lancaster Pride Week in 2016 and then in 2019 became one of the founding members and Executive Director for the Lancaster LGBTQ+ Coalition.
In February of 2021 the Coalition launched their Homelessness Emergency Assistance and Response Team program (HEART), a subsidized communal housing model that provides a supportive home where LGBTQ+ community members can truly thrive.
They also started Lancaster Queer Health Consortium along with Dr. Sharee Livingston and Dr. Adam Lake to identify and connect LGBTQ+ proficient providers, conduct and influence research for all intersections of the LGBTQ+ community.
The Coalition’s latest initiative is the launch of Central PA’s first LGBTQ+ community hub: The Loop, at 117 E. Chestnut Street. The Loop serves as the home for Lancaster LGBTQ+ Coalition and functions as a co-working space for all targeted communities to coalesce towards progress. The next initiatives for the Loop include an LGBTQ+ health clinic and stage for local artists.
K. is a 2022/23 Baldwin Fellow and a 2020 YWCA Woman of Achievement Award Recipient, and honored to be amongst so many LGBTQ+ warriors in the 2022 City & State PA Pride Power 100.
Occupation Vocational Rehabilitation – Susan Richeson
The Pennsylvania Office of Vocational Rehabilitation, or OVR, provides vocational rehabilitation services to help persons with disabilities prepare for, obtain or maintain employment. OVR provides services to eligible individuals with disabilities, both directly and through a network of approved vendors. Services are provided on an individualized basis. The OVR counselor, during face-to-face interviews, assists customers in selecting their choice of vocational goals, services and service providers. An Individualized Plan for Employment (IPE) is developed, outlining a vocational objective, services, providers and responsibilities. Certain services are subject to a Financial Needs Test (FNT) and may require financial participation by the customer. Counseling and guidance, diagnostic services, assessments, information and referral, job development and placement, and personal services such as readers or sign language interpreters are provided at no cost to the individual. Also, by law, OVR customers receiving Social Security benefits for their disability (SSI, SSDI) are exempt from OVR’s Financial Needs Test.
Statewide there are 21 District Offices staffed with trained, professional Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors who serve Pennsylvania in all 67 counties. The Hiram G. Andrews Center in Johnstown provides vocational training and comprehensive rehabilitation services to people from across the state. OVR’s Bureau of Blindness and Visual Services provides specialized services to blind and visually impaired individuals. These services are designed to increase an individual’s independence and employability. OVR’s central administrative offices in Harrisburg provide technical assistance to local district offices in order to improve service delivery.
Susan Richeson is currently the District Administrator for the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation. She has 30 years of experience working for the Commonwealth in a variety of vocational rehabilitation positions. She holds a Bachelors degree in rehabilitation counseling from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and a Master’s degree in rehabilitation counseling from The George Washington University. She is a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor.
Spanish American Civic Association – Marlyn Barbosa
SACA uplifts and restores marginalized communities through human, economic, and social services, while supporting cultural identities. Communities supported by SACA are all-inclusive, empowered to prosper through sustained social and economic transformation, and the belief that diversity is to be embraced and celebrated
YWCA – Jessi Purdy
YWCA Lancaster honors the rich diversity of our community. Our culture is the result of our mission and our personal commitments to bringing it to fruition as members of staff, Board, residents, clients and supporters. We each have a role to play.
We respect each other in all aspects of our identities including race, color, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, immigration status, refugee status, national origin, disability, age, employment or education status, socioeconomic status, marital or family status, veteran status or religion.
We are dedicated to creating a workplace that reflects the communities that we serve and benefits from collaboration, sharing perspectives courageously and continued learning.
We believe diversity is our superpower and creates the ideas of the future. All of you is welcome here, just as you are.
YWCA Lancaster stands on our history but looks ahead to remain on the forefront of social change. We are committed to listening, learning and leading to bring real change to the fight for racial equity and gender equality.
Our focus on meeting immediate needs while creating long-term solutions uniquely positions YWCA Lancaster to achieve its mission. This continuum of response from direct service to issue education to advocacy keep us poised and ready to meet some our community’s biggest needs.
Jessica Purdy’s desire for a more inclusive and accepting workplace led her to found FIC Human Resource Partners, LLC so that she could help organizations do better and be better for their employees and the communities they serve. She relies on a combination of her personal and professional experiences combined with a mindset of ‘bringing people in’ to build bridges and navigate the difficult work of creating inclusive cultures of belonging.
She was a founding member of the Lancaster LGBTQ+ Coalition, former board Chair of the Lancaster Pride Association, and a former Keystone Business Alliance Board Member. She is currently a commissioner on the City of Lancaster’s Human Relations Commission and a YWCA Lancaster board member. She has also engaged in various political advocacy work, including discussions in support of the PA Equality Act and expansion of Aging Resource Programs to include LGBTQ+ initiatives .