December 26, 2024

The FirstEnergy Foundation has granted surprise “Gifts of the Season” totaling $70,000 to six Pennsylvania nonprofits that are working to make lives better in communities served by FirstEnergy Pennsylvania (FE PA).

“We’re proud to support these organizations because their missions align with our commitment to diverse, equitable and inclusive communities where everyone feels safe, valued, included and respected,” said John Hawkins, President, Pennsylvania. “The recipients were chosen by employees who identified organizations in their local areas that do extraordinary work to strengthen the community and enhance the lives of vulnerable and underserved populations.”

The recipients of this year’s gifts are organizations that provide support services to underserved and vulnerable individuals of all ages across our service areas in Pennsylvania – Met-Ed, Penelec, Penn Power and West Penn Power. They include:

Met-Ed service area recipients

• Barrio Alegria ($10,000) – Barrio Alegria is a community transformation organization located in Reading that utilizes the arts as a platform for community engagement and the development of social and multicultural awareness. Barrio Alegria uses dance, acting and painting to build, empower and strengthen communities through individuals and is also involved with neighborhood cleanups and micro-business development.
• Glenn Hope Care Farm ($10,000) – Situated on 43 acres in Felton, York County, Glenn Hope Care Farm promotes the physical and mental health of veterans and their families through on-farm activities such as horticulture therapy, animal husbandry, agricultural classes and special events. Everything grown and produced on the farm is done so by veterans. A portion of the nutritious food produced on the farm – produce, free-range eggs, poultry, pork and grass-fed beef – is donated to veterans and veteran organizations.

Penelec service area recipient

• Vallonia Industries ($20,000) – Vallonia Industries is a pre-vocational facility in Meadville, Crawford County, that has operated a safe workshop for adults with intellectual disabilities for more than 60 years. Vallonia serves individuals from Crawford County and surrounding areas, helping them to develop marketable employment skills and teaching useful workplace behaviors and traits such as getting to work on time, taking and following directions and working well with others. Vallonia Industries provides hand-packaging and small-parts assembly to area businesses. Vallonia’s clients also volunteer with area non-profit organizations – including bell ringing for the Salvation Army – to help them integrate into the community.

Penn Power service area recipient

• The Blind Association of Butler and Armstrong ($10,000) – The Blind Association’s mission is to raise awareness about blindness and provide services that educate and empower individuals with visual impairments or blindness to lead independent and enriched lives. The Blind Association provides life-skills training, vision screenings in cooperation with Lions Clubs, case management, chore services, support groups and social activities, and employment and employment training. The association also provides door-to-door transportation for its clients to medical facilities, stores, banks and other services.

West Penn Power service area recipients

• Achieva Support ($10,000) – Achieva is a non-profit organization located in southwestern Pennsylvania that provides lifelong support to people with disabilities and their families in Allegheny, Beaver and Westmoreland Counties. Its services range from early intervention therapies and employment support to special needs trusts and support in the home and community. Achieva offers clients employment with its janitorial and cleaning services and its wooden pallet/shipping container manufacturing facility in Bridgeville. By promoting inclusive hiring practices and facilitating job placements, Achieva empowers people to build fulfilling careers, gain independence and actively participate in their communities.
• Centre LGBT+ ($10,000) – Centre LGBT+ is committed to bringing neighbors together through LGBT+ education, advocacy and activities in the Centre County region to create an inclusive community. The organization operates a community center at 204 E. Calder Way in downtown State College. Community members founded the grassroots organization in 2014 to help prevent LGBT+ teen suicides. Centre LGBT+ offers support groups, social groups, after-school programs, a library and other resources including a gender-affirming clothing closet.

The “Gifts of the Season” initiative was created in 2016 to support programs and nonprofit organizations that align with FirstEnergy’s core value of diversity, equity and inclusion. Since its inception, the campaign has awarded more than $1.1 million to nonprofit organizations that work to strengthen communities through a diverse lens.

To be considered for a gift, the entity must be a first-time FirstEnergy Foundation grant recipient, and the entity – or at least 51% of its work – must fall under one or more of the following diverse categories:

• Service disabled/veteran-owned business enterprise
• Disability-owned business enterprise
• Minority business enterprise
• Lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender/queer-owned business
• Woman business enterprise