The healing begins through the efforts of the Promise Neighborhoods of the Lehigh Valley (PNLV) by fulfilling their nine promises in nine square blocks of Bethlehem City from ensuring children are prepared for Kindergarten to seeing that students and their families are healthy and safe.

Community Fellow Elena De Santis led the first of a series of meetings March 12 in an effort to plant this network in the most beneficial location to the citizens of Bethlehem. PNLV is an organization that collects data and seeks to improve the livelihoods of city folk where statistics show an overwhelming percentage of residents living under the poverty line, 15.1 percent of families to be exact, and 38.2 percent of households with single mothers for this city.

Statistics show a 6.1 percent unemployment rate in Bethlehem alone, and 16.4 percent in the workforce earning less than $10,000 to $14,000 a year.

Not only does Bethlehem harbor some financial trouble, but educational as well. In a census tract of 93 people in just West Bethlehem, 19.4 percent of residents between the ages of 18-24 had less than a high school degree, and those over 25 reached 9.1 percent. In Northeast Bethlehem, a census tract of 104 people had 24.4 percent of 18-24 year-olds with less than a high school degree and 7.6 percent over 25.

According to statistics on state testing, students in multiple grade levels show a tendency to score below basic on math, reading and writing all throughout the city, while the dropout rate escalates.

The PNLV organization sees a need to step in for the children and families of the community in a way that will financially support them and reinstate morale that will guide young students from the classroom into successful careers. Through the collection of statistics over the last few years, this organization has harnessed the information to pinpoint the direst areas in the community and attract sponsors, financial support and other forms of aid to lift children and families out of poverty without the constraints of federal funding.

They're an organization of providers, through census records they can prove to an agency, whether medical, financial or educational, if a specific family or community needs attention and see to that otherwise unmet need.

At the meeting led by De Santis, there was an overwhelming cry from the community to put this organization in their quarter of the world. So far, 61 Promise Neighborhoods exist in the United States, recently investing over $2 million for the Allentown square blocks alone and now Bethlehem residents seek to plant one for themselves. The only question now is which nine square blocks will the Promise Neighborhood cover? Where is there the greatest need? What qualifies the greatest need, families in poverty, children in unsafe neighborhoods, or students failing out of school? It is up to the city to attend these meetings and decide where it wants this organization and exactly how they want this sort of help.

For more information on the Bethlehem Promise Neighborhood (BPN) please contact their offices at 610-351-4288 or for general email inquiries, they can be reached at PNinfo@unitedwaygiv.org.