LINC will celebrate the Welcoming Community Leader and Welcoming Workplace honorees at the event.

BETHLEHEM, Pa. (October 14, 2024)—LINC, a nonprofit organization committed to fostering welcoming and inclusive workplaces and communities, is hosting a one-of-a-kind fundraising event to support community members, colleagues and friends on Wednesday, Nov. 20, at Black River Farms Vineyard and Winery at 5:30 p.m. The evening includes honoree recognition, hors d’oeuvres, drinks, networking, a silent auction, and the Welcome Home raffle featuring wreaths and home goods from local businesses.

LINC will celebrate the Welcoming Community Leader Award and Welcoming Workplace Award recipients at the event:

Welcoming Community Leader Award: Marie Arnold.

Marie has played a pivotal role in helping newcomers settle into the Lehigh Valley and feel at home in their new community. Marie Arnold and her husband, Ron, a longtime LINC board member, have first-hand experience relocating to a new location. The pair has moved numerous times, including from central New York to Los Angeles, then San Francisco Bay Area, Houston, Tokyo and the Lehigh Valley, which has been their home for over 25 years.

An avid volunteer with LINC, American Red Cross, ArtsQuest, St. Luke’s and others, Marie Arnold has helped more than a dozen LINC newcomers get settled and plugged into the community. She has provided transition support to relocating family members, dropped off meals for new parents, held meet-ups ranging from walking the Saucon Rail Trail to pasta-making, and invited the LINC community to annual holiday celebrations at her home.

Welcoming Workplace Award: B. Braun of America.

B. Braun of America, headquartered in Bethlehem, PA, with 8,500 employees across 30 locations in North America, is a leading medical device and technology company. This award is given to organizations with a demonstrated commitment to fostering a culture of inclusion and belonging. As a member of the founding group of employers that gave LINC its start back in 2015, B. Braun has delivered excellence in welcoming and supporting relocating employees and has been recognized for its leadership in promoting health equity and addressing disparities in health care. Through its nine employee resource groups that are open to all employees, B. Braun works to recognize,

respect and value the differences of its highly diverse workforce. B. Braun has supported LINC’s workplace inclusion efforts, notably stepping up as a champion at the 2023 LINC Inclusion Summit which convened over one hundred CEOs and executives across the greater Lehigh Valley to discuss strategies for strengthening workplace cultures of inclusion and belonging.

“This event embodies our organization’s commitment to fostering a vibrant and inclusive community, as well as serves as a crucial fundraising opportunity for LINC, allowing us to continue our mission of building communities and workplaces where everyone feels welcome throughout the region,” said LINC’s President Katelyn Mack. “We are gathering the community to recognize an individual and company that champion LINC’s mission of creating a welcoming Lehigh Valley. Marie Arnold and B. Braun of America support our organization’s ethos and we are grateful for their partnership. Together, we are enhancing the overall fabric of the Lehigh Valley, making it a more welcoming place for all.”

Silent auction experiences include a Crayola factory tour with Crayola CEO Pete Ruggiero, a package from Wind Creek that includes a spa experience, dinner at Chop House and an overnight stay, and golf at Saucon Valley Country Club.

Sponsors include Crayola, Lehigh University, PSECU, Social T Marketing & PR, and United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley.

Sponsorships are available through Oct. 15. For tickets and more information, visit https://secure.givelively.org/event/lehigh-valley-inter-regional-networking-connecting/linc-welcom ing-lehigh-valley.

###

About LINC

LINC is a nonprofit organization that envisions communities and workplaces where everyone feels welcome, gets rooted, and thrives. It focuses on supporting employers by attracting and supporting relocating employees and other newcomers to the greater Lehigh Valley while helping advance diversity, equity, and inclusion in organizations. For more information, visit www.linc-lv.org/.

 

Information provided to TVL by:
Amiee Goldy
www.socialtmarketing.com