The holidays will be a bit brighter for the Saucon Valley Conservancy and other Saucon Valley area nonprofit organizations thanks to a distribution of funds by Lower Saucon Township Council.
Maxine DiMaggio and her family were recognized during the Saucon Valley Conservancy’s annual Holiday Gathering & Open House at the Michael Heller Homestead Monday evening. DiMaggio, a volunteer and art collector who lived in Society Hill in Lower Saucon Township, died earlier this year. The new exhibit at the Homestead features some of the works from her collection. An opening reception for the exhibit is planned for Jan. 14.
The holidays will be a bit brighter for the Saucon Valley Conservancy and other Saucon Valley area nonprofit organizations thanks to a distribution of funds by Lower Saucon Township Council.
Council president Priscilla deLeon was joined by council members Laura Ray and Victoria Opthof-Cordaro at the conservancy’s Holiday Gathering & Open House at the Michael Heller Homestead Monday evening, where they presented SVC board president Roger Jurczak and other volunteers with a check for $25,000.
DeLeon explained that the donation consisted of a portion of the township’s remaining American Rescue Plan Act Covid era relief funding, which it received in response to the pandemic.
The township received over $1 million in ARPA funding in 2021, $500,000 of which was subsequently used to build a township ballfield complex on Easton Road, deLeon said. Another chunk of the funding has been used to pay bonuses to township employees and toward the purchase of a township truck, she added.
When deLeon, Ray and Opthof-Cordaro began serving their current terms on council earlier this year they learned that $188,000 remained out of the $1 million-plus in aid the township received.
They said it then became a priority for council to award those funds to local nonprofit organizations, such as the SVC, which is dedicated to helping preserve Lower Saucon Township history. Other local organizations recently awarded payments from the remaining township ARPA funding include Lower Saucon Fire Rescue, the Saucon Creek Watershed Association, Community Action Lehigh Valley, the Hellertown Area Ministerium, Lower Saucon Township Historical Society, Saucon Valley Community Center and Dewey Fire Co. No. 1.
“These organizations are the beating heart of our community and they deserve our support,” Ray told attendees at the Holiday Gathering. “When you support them you’re fostering a sense of caring and solidarity.”
Opthof-Cordaro commented that she was unaware of how much the Saucon Valley Conservancy has done to preserve the township’s unique past until she attended a Heritage Day event at the homestead.
SVC board president Roger Jurczak and other volunteers from the organization accepted a ceremonial check during the presentation, which also included recognition of a longtime supporter of the conservancy who passed away earlier this year.
The late Maxine L. DiMaggio was a traveler, art lover and collector who moved to Lower Saucon Township from her native New Jersey and later become involved with the SVC.
“Maxine left a profound impact on all of us,” said deLeon, who helped spearhead the founding of the organization in 1993. “She loved the Homestead and all the programs. She was always willing to volunteer to help at events, especially the art gallery receptions and gift shop.”
“I am so glad to honor this great lady by showcasing in this exhibit some of the art treasures she lovingly collected,” she added.
An opening reception for the Maxine DiMaggio art exhibit at the Heller Homestead is planned for Tuesday, Jan. 14. For more information about it and other events, visit the SVC website.
Lower Saucon Township Council members Priscilla deLeon, Laura Ray and Victoria Opthof-Cordaro presented a check for $25,000 to the Saucon Valley Conservancy during a holiday event at the Heller Homestead Monday. The money represented a portion of $188,000 in remaining American Rescue Plan Act Covid relief funds the township received in 2021. More than half a dozen other local nonprofits were also awarded township grants.
