A Closer Look

Laurie Hackett sits down with Chrissy Hixson of Capital Blue Cross and Ilene Wood, a longtime volunteer, to talk about finding ways to give back that feed your soul.

Laurie Hackett welcomes Alison Pickel of the LV Chamber and Mark Reid and Amy Saul of the Easton Urban Gardening Program to talk about their work in and with the community.

Laurie Hackett is joined by Chip Hurd of the United Way and Tiffany Sondergaard of ts Brand Elevation to talk about their journeys, inspirations, and love for the Valley.

Laurie Hackett talks with Susan Drexinger of Sincere Event Co. and Candi Staurinos of Zoellner Arts Center about the value of helping to build a community around you.

Laurie Hackett welcomes Teri Haddad of eMediaworks and Jill Wheeler of City Center Group to talk about their passion for giving back to the community and their 'why.'

Laurie Hackett welcomes Chris Martin of Martin Guitar and Marci Lesko of the United Way about their work with this year's United Way campaign, and in the community in general.

Laurie Hackett sits down with Kimberly Hein of ArtsQuest and Jody Piagesi of the Chamber Foundation to talk about their for their roles as Lehigh Valley natives.

Laurie Hackett welcomes Jared Mast of the Greater Easton Development Partnership and Mel Klausner, a local theatre volunteer, to talk about the joys of their roles and their motivations.

Laurie Hackett talks with Laura McHugh and Ryan Griffiths about a community project in the works in Macungie, and Tom Groves of the LV Chamber about the spirit of giving.

Laurie Hackett talks with Tim Burke of Phantoms Charities and Lina Barbieri of Miller-Keystone Blood Center, about their love for giving back and the impact they can see being made.

Laurie Hackett welcomes Lindsay Watson, small business owner and active volunteer, and Wenda Boyer and David Yanoshik of Equi-librium, to talk about their "why" for serving.

Laurie Hackett talks with Curt Mosel, COO of ArtsQuest, and Lauryn Graves, a volunteer with the American Heart Association, to talk about their reasons for being involved in the community and their shared belief in the value of positivity.

Laurie Hackett welcomes Chris Bongo of the Bradbury-Sullivan LGBTQ+ Community Center and Jessica Edris of Good Collective to talk about their inspirations for giving back.

Laurie Hackett is joined by Doug Downing of Fulton Bank and Maggie Walters of United Way to provide a closer look at someone years into volunteering and someone just emerging as a community leader.

Laurie Hackett sits down with Nancy Dischinat of Workforce Board LV and Diane Donaher and Sal Verrastro of Rotary International to talk about their dedication to improving the community and the world.

Laurie Hackett welcomes Jason King Jones of the PA Shakespeare Festival and Carol Obando-Derstine, active community volunteer, to discuss their involvement in the community and the true meaning of service.

Laurie Hackett talks to Mike Molewski and Anthony Onorata of the NCC 2024 Food and Wine Gala and Anne Baum of Lehigh Valley Reilly Children's Hospital about the importance of saying yes to opportunities to give back.

Laurie Hackett sits down Brittany Keal of the Great Lehigh Valley Chamber and John Dodds of WDIY and so much more to discuss getting involved early and continuing throughout your life.

Laurie Hackett welcomes Laura McHugh of the United Way and Mike Butz of Alvin H. Butz to talk about what inspires them to give back and their emphasis on being involved in the community as families.

Laurie Hackett welcomes Kurt Landes, President and GM for Lehigh Valley IronPigs Charities, and Tanya Tyler, recent ATHENA Leadership Honoree, to talk about why they give back to the community and what inspires them.

Laurie Hackett welcomes Rich Wuerthele from Crayola for a conversation about community engagement, collaboration, and applying professional skills, and the duo are joined by Emily Conners Henry from Valley Youth House to talk about the nonprofit's upcoming "Setting the Stage" fundraiser.

Laurie Hackett welcomes Nakia Flowers, a volunteer board member with Via of the Lehigh Valley, then welcomes Yusuf Dahl and Ignacio Patricio from the Real Estate Lab.

Laurie Hackett speaks with Kerry Beidleman from the Third Street Alliance for Women & Children about his role as a volunteer board member, then welcomes Diane Donaher from Cay Galgon Life House about her organization's residential and community programs.

Laurie Hackett welcomes Sarah Massaro from Safe Harbor Easton to talk about how how Safe Harbor helps combat homelessness, then welcomes Shane McGee from Penn State Lehigh Valley's advisory board to talk about their programs and finding the right volunteer role.

Laurie Hackett begins by sitting down with Carol Andersen of Bloom for Women, and then speaking with Moravian University's Dr. Chris Hunt about the Black & Latino Male College Readiness Program of the Lehigh Valley at Moravian University.

Laurie Hackett welcomes Vindya Raghavachari from Saara Arts for a conversation about promoting and celebrating Indian and global art, then chats with Chris Kaklamanis from from The Arc of Lehigh and Northampton Counties about the organization's mission to promote inclusion, opportunity and equity,

Laurie Hackett welcomes Melissa Starace from the Karl Stirner Arts Trail to talk about the trail's outdoor and artistic offerings, then chats with Tim Mulligan from Communities In Schools of Eastern Pennsylvania about his organization's mission and activities to help students build bright futures.

Laurie Hackett welcomes Kathy Trimble from Pinebrook Family Answers to talk about her organization's mission of helping children and families, then speaks with longtime community leader David Yanoshik about the spirit and importance of volunteerism.

Laurie Hackett sits down with Tom Harrington from Valley Youth House to talk about the nonprofit's role in supporting youth, then welcomes Marlene Beers from the Girl Scouts of Eastern Pennsylvania about their Take the Lead Event, cookie sales and more.

On the final episode of A Closer Look for the year, Laurie Hackett welcomes Tony Iannelli, President and CEO of the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce.

Laurie Hackett welcomes ArtsQuest's Vicki Doule to talk about their holiday events and volunteerism, then speaks with Marc Rittle from New Bethany Ministries about the organization's history and serving the community.

Laurie Hackett welcomes Jared Mast from the Greater Easton Development Partnership about GEDP's initiatives and role in developing Easton's hospitality sector, then speaks with Dr. Rajika Reed, a volunteer at the Hispanic Center Lehigh Valley, about social services, their food pantry and more.

Laurie Hackett welcomes David Lewis from United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley, and Karen Smith from Volunteer Center of the Lehigh Valley for a discussion about community involvement, fundraising, and the regional spirit of volunteerism.

Laurie Hackett talks with Rob Brooks of Phantoms Charities about the organization's health and fitness programs, then chats with Rebecca Bodnar and Jill Wheeler, who partner on the Community School at Central Elementary.

Laurie Hackett welcomes Margaret McConnell from The Literacy Center to take a closer look at the organization and its literacy programs, then chats with Anita Paukovits of The Children's Home of Easton about their goals for guiding, supporting, and encouraging children to believe in themselves.

Laurie Hackett welcomes Peter Castagna from the Miller-Keystone Blood Center to talk about the importance of donating blood for those in need, then chats with Katarah Jordan from the James Lawson Freedom School about charter school education benefits and preventing summer learning loss.

Laurie Hackett is back to take a closer look at area nonprofits, welcoming St. Luke's Sacred Heart Hospital's Frank Ford and Women's 5K Classic founder Wendy Body to share their stories.

Laurie Hackett is back to take a closer look at Lehigh Valley-area nonprofits, and the subjects of the arts and the outdoors, with ArtsQuest CEO Kassie Hilgert and Chris Kocher, President of the Wildlands Conservancy.

Laurie Hackett welcomes two great nonprofit leaders to share their organizations' stories: Bethlehem's own Dan Roebuck from A Channel of Peace and Executive Director Leela Breithaupt from the historic Bach Choir of Bethlehem.

On this episode of A Closer Look, Laurie Hackett takes another dive into area nonprofits with Yusuf Dahl from The Century Promise and Dr. Joseph Roy from the Bethlehem Area School District.

For the first episode of A Closer Look, Laurie welcomes Dr. Teri Haddad, Vice President of Community Initiatives and Advancement at Community Services for Children and Anne Baum, recently-named President of Lehigh Valley Reilly Children's Hospital to talk about their great nonprofits, and dive into who, and how, each organization helps the Lehigh Valley.