Health care and city workers, animal advocates, bakers lead Lehigh Valley
The Morning Call asked readers this month to nominate women who have made a difference in the Lehigh Valley.
Readers responded by nominating local business owners, volunteers and animal advocates — all women who have excelled in their field, have made a positive impact on the community and have consistently gone out of their way in service of others.
Beginning at right, learn about the women who readers say deserve to be recognized for their hard work, in honor of Women’s History Month:
Timi Bauscher
Timi Bauscher, owner of The Nesting Box Market and Creamery in Kempton in Albany Township, Berks County, began donating more than 150 eggs to the Parkland CARES Food Pantry in February, and has committed to doing so every month this year.
She was nominated for her work bringing the community together. Last year, she organized her market as a distribution site, selling more than 1.5 million eggs from chickens she saved from being euthanized.
“To be nominated among an inspirational field of women is humbling, and I hope to continue to influence people with the results that positivity, creativity and actions can have on their own community,” Bauscher said.
Yamelisa Taveras
Yamelisa Taveras is the founder and executive director of The Unidos Foundation, an Allentown nonprofit that aims to improve the quality of life for those underprivileged and marginalized in the community, by empowering unity and self-investment. During the pandemic, the organization was able to secure a grant to donate thousands of pieces of much-needed personal protective equipment across the region. It also works to bridge technology gaps, recently giving Chromebooks to 11 graduating seniors from Allentown School District. And, in January, Taveras opened her own drug and alcohol recovery facility.
“It is wonderful to hear that my work serving our community is impacting in a positive way,” she said.
Lauren Reightler
Lauren Reightler is an occupational therapist at Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest, who works with COVID-19 patients in the intensive care unit to rehabilitate their bodies and minds. She did a community collection for craft supplies to keep her patients doing things they love. In May, she’s going to earn her doctorate in occupational therapy.
“What wonderful news to hear today,” she said of her nomination. “I am honored to even be thought of as a difference-maker.”
Janell Connolly
Janell Connolly owns Connolly Consulting, a small-business strategy firm, and Threadstone Trading Co. in Pen Argyl, where she sits on Borough Council. She is also a volunteer on the steering committee of Slate Belt Rising, a program through the Community Action Committee of the Lehigh Valley. Her nomination described how she worked with dozens of businesses during the pandemic to help them apply for aid and secure supplies, using her knowledge of government to help residents understand policies and procedures. She also volunteers in the community, recently by helping to match residents to vaccine appointments. “The Lehigh Valley is a better place with her in it,” according to her nomination.
“My community, and the small businesses here have been my passion for so long, I had to find a way to get them through [the pandemic],” she said. “I would wake up in the morning to dozens of messages asking for help, I refused to turn anyone away. I now spend some of my extra time on vaccine matching. Technology and navigating systems were huge vaccination hurdles for the elderly population in the Lehigh Valley. I am filled with joy when I think about how many hugs I’ve enabled in the last few weeks.”
Clary Peralta-Colon
Clary Peralta-Colon, who monitors Department of Housing and Urban Development grants for Allentown, was nominated for her work with the community. Originally from Brooklyn, New York, she calls Allentown her home. She sits on various community boards, and through her work with the city, helps provide funding for residents dealing with homelessness, domestic violence and home rehabilitations. As the only Spanish-speaking employee in the bureau, she helps all Spanish-speaking applicants.
“As a Hispanic woman, experiencing the Allentown School District, living in Center City and experiencing a typical Allentown adolescence, I can say that playing an active role in my community is extremely important to
me,” she said. “I often find myself in rooms where a lot of voices go unheard, [but] being active in my community helps me prevent that; it helps me advocate on behalf of my Hispanic community, it helps me bring new innovative ideas as a millennial, and a voice as a woman in government.”
Lisa Spitale
Lisa Spitale, an area attorney who recently announced she was running for the district judge seat covering Forks and Palmer townships and Tatamy, was nominated for her volunteerism in the region. She serves the community by volunteering legal services through various organizations, and she also serves as Northampton County conflicts counsel. In that role, she represents indigent parents trying to reunite with their children, and individuals in guardianship matters. She’s an active participant in the Book Buddies Program, which encourages reading by sending volunteer attorneys into elementary schools to read to students and give away books. She also volunteers with the Miracle League Trick or Treat event, the Holiday Hope Chest project and the Fair Share program. In 2014, she received the Northampton County Bar Association Fair Share Pro Bono Award.
“This community is very
important to me, as it is the one I was raised in and the one my husband and I chose to raise our son in. Volunteering allows me to connect to my community and to do my part in helping to make it a better place,” she said. “I am fortunate in that my legal career has offered me the opportunity to assist those in need of services they are often not otherwise able to afford. My participation in programs such as the EASD conflicts resolution program, Book Buddies, Miracle League Trick or Treat and Holiday Hope Chest allows me to assist children and families outside of court.”
Jenae Holtzhafer
Jenae Holtzhafer, founder and executive director of The Kindness Project in Emmaus, was nominated for her work helping children in foster care and the families they are placed with across the Lehigh Valley. The initiative started a little over three years ago, culminating in the creation of a space filled with donated goods where families can get what they need right away if the call comes in to foster a child. Its offerings include car seats, clothing and beds. What started as a Facebook page, with Holtzhafer organizing donations in her dining room, has grown into an organization with nonprofit status and plans to expand to offer enrichment programs for foster children.
“Knowing about the foster closet concept in Berks County, I said ‘We need this here in Lehigh,’ “she said. “If we could provide this free service, perhaps more people could get involved with fostering because they don’t have to worry as much about the financial concerns.”
Latoya Hutchinson
Latoya Hutchinson, owner of Wicksquisite Candles, is a hard-working entrepreneur expanding her business and giving back to the community. She donates portions of her sales to local, women-run nonprofits, including The Unidos Foundation. While she plans to retain her office in Allentown, she’s expanding April 9 to the Quakertown Farmers Market.
“To be honest, I feel like there’s a lot of focus on big, large companies and there’s so much potential that goes on in small communities,” she said. “I think there’s been a lack of comradery, I feel, so as I grow, I connect with people and they connect with people.”
Maggie J. Ewald
Maggie J. Ewald was nominated for her work with local animal rescues, specifically raising money for shelters through photography via her Orefield studio, Slobbery Dog Photography. She also launched a program
called “Senior for Senior,” in which she invited those with a senior dog to come in for a session free of charge, but asked them to donate the cost of the session or more to a local rescue, sponsoring another senior dog. In addition, she’s compiled donations for local shelters.
“If the word can go out about being able to raise more donations and money for these shelters and rescues in the future, that’s all that I would ever want,” she said.
Kelly Bauer
Kelly Bauer, executive director at the Center for Animal Health and Welfare in Williams Township, was described in her nomination as a “modern day wonder woman” for her work at the no-kill shelter and her seemingly tireless advocacy for animals. In the last five years, she’s has had no fewer than six dogs at her home. She also runs a podcast, “Paffee Talk,” every Saturday, speaking about the realities of shelter life and the importance of animal advocacy. She describes herself as “just a girl who loves animals.”
“It’s to empower them to be animal advocates, that it’s not just adopting an animal or sending in a donation, but it’s voting that will put the legislators in place that will create the laws that help animals,” she said of her advocacy work. “It’s something that when you love what you do, it’s not your job — it’s a commitment, a responsibility.”
Melanie Lino
Melanie Lino is the owner of Made by Lino and co-owner of Lit Coffee Roastery & Bakeshop in Bethlehem, and co-founded Afros in Nature, a nonprofit collective that connects Black, indigenous and people of color with nature. Her nomination focused on her “incredible impact on the community,” and included, “I could cry thinking of the honor it is to know her.” Lino, a self-taught baker, last year connected with singer-songwriter Alicia Keys to help with her work with laid-off employees during the pandemic, and her baked goods were recently featured on the Philadelphia 76ers’ Instagram account during a small-business promotion.
“I feel like I am just doing what any human should do while flowing through the human experience,” Lino said. “What a difference our world would be if we all operated in a way that while, uplifting ourselves, we are uplifting others.”
Marie Bachman
Marie Bachman is the chief technology officer for Bethlehem Area School District. In her nomination, she was described as a woman who “leads by example,” garnering the love and respect of the about 50 employees she supervises. When the pandemic caused education instruction to shift to virtual classrooms, she helped staff members work from home, and was described as “the driving force” to get laptops for all students and expand internet access for families in the district. “She is always approachable and open to new ideas and doing whatever it takes to make BASD a leader in the education field,” according to her nomination. “She works endless hours and never complains and always goes beyond what is expected.”
Bachman said she was honored and humbled to be nominated.
“Through this nomination, I want to recognize my amazing staff members who work efficiently and effectively to support the daily tech needs of the students and staff of BASD,” she said. “It is a privilege to work with my staff and the BASD School Board, administrators, faculty and support staff to make the experience BASD students have every day meaningful and successful.”
Nadia Alicia
Nadia Alicia is the founder and executive director of the Spanish Immersion Learning Center in Allentown, an organization that promotes the acquisition and development of the Spanish language. She is also the founder and CEO of Language Project, which works to develop and preserve the Spanish language in the region. She immigrated from Peru as a child and is an Allentown School District graduate. She is completing her dissertation for her doctorate in educational leadership and administration. She also serves as secretary of Alianza Lehigh Valley, a political action committee that supports candidates who stand for the Latinx agenda. She is committed to make a difference in the region, according to her nomination.
“It’s important for women in the Valley to see another woman reaching success, but, more importantly, Lehigh Valley ‘women making a difference’ needs to be about bringing awareness to the inequities and barriers that we, the woman of the Lehigh Valley, must successfully challenge in order to have a fair shot at opportunities that are disproportionally afforded to our male counterparts,” she said. “It has not been an easy road to where I stand today, and my duty is to effect change so women like me will have a better shot at their idea of success.”
Jessica O’Donnell
Jessica O’Donnell is the executive vice president of Affiliated Chambers for the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce. Her nomination detailed her work last year as “a pivotal role” to help get COVID-19 relief funds to businesses in Northampton and Lehigh counties, and she’s recently expanded to work in Carbon County and the Carbon Chamber & Economic Development Corp. as well. She reached out to hundreds of businesses affected throughout the Lehigh Valley, walking people through their applications, helping them through their frustrations and turning each phone call into a friendship — all with a smile on her face, according to her nomination. Described as a “natural leader,” she’s been with the chamber for seven years.
“The Lehigh Valley has so much to offer and, in my opinion, is a premier region within our country to live, work, play and raise a family,” she said. “Active involvement in this community is critical because it is such a rewarding opportunity and experience to positively impact the lives of many. Small businesses are the heartbeat of this Valley and the work we do at The Chamber plays a key role in the quality of life and economic vibrancy within each community we serve.”
Just because Women’s History Month is almost over doesn’t mean The Morning Call is done recognizing and celebrating women making a difference across the Lehigh Valley. Do you know a woman, or group of women, who deserves to be recognized? Email Molly Bilinski at milinski@mcall.com.