Former United Way staff member moves to leading non-profit
Bethlehem, PA, December 5, 2018 – Meals on Wheels of the Greater Lehigh Valley (MOWGLV) has hired Corissa “Cori” Rolón as their new Director of Development and Communications.
Rolón has worked in non-profit Development in the Lehigh Valley for over two decades, with previous leadership roles at United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley and Casa Guadalupe Center. At MOWGLV, Rolón will oversee relationships and communications with the nearly 3,000 individual, corporate, government and foundation donors who provide $3M per year to support the suite of Meals on Wheels services. These programs include medically-tailored meal delivery, grocery shopping, pet food/supply delivery, emergency meals, and more.
Rolón’s professional background includes working in high-need communities in the Lehigh Valley serving diverse populations in the fields of afterschool education, AIDS prevention, Drug and Alcohol recovery, mother and child health and most significantly, healthy aging. As Director of the Lehigh Valley Alliance on Aging, she worked to decrease the rate of seniors prematurely placed in nursing homes– lowering it from 13% to 3.5% during her time with the group– and to double the rate of seniors who have their basic needs met. She won several national awards for her work at United Way, becoming the only person in the United Way Worldwide network to win all three national awards – the Common Good Award for a project that makes the most significant population-level change in a community, the Impact Signature Project for a cutting edge program model and the Center of Excellence for excellence in fundraising.
“One of my earliest childhood memories is delivering Meals on Wheels,” said Cori Rolón. “My mom had a very rural delivery route. As we drove along the back roads, my two younger sisters and I would prepare songs and little skits to perform for the seniors. I remember the sparkle in their eyes as they clapped for joy at our performances. It taught me from a young age the importance of Meals on Wheels to people who have difficulty leaving their homes.”
This position is the result of the recent merger of Meals on Wheels of Lehigh and Northampton Counties that occurred at the end of August 2018.
“During this time of great change and growth at the agency, I am excited to advance and expand our donor base,” said Vicki Coyle, CEO of Meals on Wheels of the Greater Lehigh Valley. “I look forward to demonstrating the important work we are doing to deliver ‘more than a meal’ to nutritionally at-risk and socially isolated adults so we can continue to provide these vital services for the people who need them.”
Mission of Meals on Wheels of the Greater Lehigh Valley
The mission of Meals on Wheels of the Greater Lehigh Valley is to provide homebound seniors and adults with disabilities with freshly prepared nutritious meals, wellness checks and social visits so they can eat well, stay socially connected and remain living independently for as long as they can. https://mowglv.org/about-us/
Information provided to TVL by:
Jamie B. Rzeszowski
Development Associate
Meals On Wheels of the Greater Lehigh Valley
4240 Fritch Drive, Bethlehem, PA 18020
