When community partners come together with a shared purpose, real transformation can take hold.
Resilient Lehigh Valley’s (Resilient LV) long-standing partnership with Lehigh County has exemplified that truth. Since 2015, Lehigh County has been a committed and consistent ally in Resilient LV’s mission to build trauma-informed, resilient systems that support youth, caregivers and the broader community.
Resilient LV is a cross-sector coalition convened by United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley, formed to raise awareness about the impact of trauma and build a more resilient region. Its partnership with Lehigh County, particularly through the county’s mental health services team, has been central to that mission.
The collaboration began during a time when United Way was investing heavily in the community schools model. Despite meeting basic needs like food security and access to services, many schools still experienced poor climate and strained relationships between students and teachers. The question remained: Why weren’t things improving?
In 2015, Beth Tomlinson, then the Senior Director of United Way’s Education Team, and Lehigh County’s Administrator of Mental Health, Intellectual Disabilities, Early Intervention Services, Drug & Alcohol Joshua Bridges, attended a conference focused on trauma-informed schools. It was a turning point. They were introduced to the science of trauma—how it shapes the brain, affects behavior and creates invisible barriers to learning and connection. What followed was a renewed focus on how trauma-informed approaches could improve outcomes in schools and communities.
Through joint efforts, United Way and Lehigh County began introducing trauma-informed practices in schools, starting with a pilot at Broughal Middle School in Bethlehem. While not located in Lehigh County, Broughal became an early proving ground for the work. The noticeable shift in school climate—teachers responding with empathy, students feeling more supported—served as a powerful signal to both United Way and Lehigh County that trauma-informed approaches were not only effective but essential. That early success became the catalyst for deeper investment and expansion across the region.
That initial effort sparked something bigger. Beth and Josh convened local leaders from both Lehigh and Northampton counties, including community partners such as the Shanthi Project, Lehigh University, Colonial Intermediate Unit 20, Carbon Lehigh Intermediate Unit 21, Pinebrook Family Answers, and many others, to explore the broader impact of trauma across various systems. Those conversations ultimately gave rise to what is now Resilient LV, which evolved out of the original Lehigh Valley Trauma Awareness Collaborative. It was, in many ways, born out of this foundational partnership with Lehigh County.
Today, the partnership between Resilient LV and Lehigh County has expanded well beyond schools. Lehigh County and Resilient LV have tackled complex topics, including suicide prevention, youth mental health and community training. Together, they’ve championed initiatives like:
HANDLE WITH CARE
Lehigh County’s leadership and financial support helped launch the first Handle With Care program that supports children who experience traumatic events outside of school in Pennsylvania — a model that has now expanded statewide.
Handle with Care programs support children who have been exposed to trauma or violence by improving communication between law enforcement and the schools.
YOUTH SPEAK UP PSA
The campaign aimed to create content that fosters communication between young people and their parents. #YouthSpeakUp continues to make a difference by providing resources and raising awareness about the mental health struggles many youth face today.
Resilient LV and Aevidum collaborated with eMediaWorks and the Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts to produce the campaign, and the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development and Lehigh County provided funding support.
TRAUMA-INFORMED TRAININGS
After attending some conferences on the topic, Josh and Beth collaborated to introduce trauma-informed training to schools in Lehigh County. After successfully supporting students and teachers, Resilient LV decided to expand the training to professionals and the community.
Through continued partnership, Resilient LV expanded trauma-informed training from schools to the broader community. These sessions help individuals, organizations and systems respond to trauma with empathy and build resilience through culturally responsive, healing-centered practices.
Lehigh County has helped fund training efforts and key staffing roles that make these initiatives possible. That includes support for trauma-informed facilitator Missy Bower, whose work has been instrumental in delivering trainings and advancing initiatives like Integrative Community Therapy (ICT) across the region.
The trainings are designed to help individuals, organizations and communities strengthen relationships more effectively from a culturally responsive, healing framework that builds resilience.
RESILIENT LEHIGH VALLEY CONFERENCE
Lehigh County sponsors Resilient LV’s annual conference, which brings together youth and adults for meaningful dialogue.
This year’s conference explored how adults and youth can make a real impact by working together, supporting each other and finding ways to overcome challenges.
At the heart of this partnership is something simple: shared values.
“We’re not just professionals doing our jobs,” said Ashi Singh, director of community resilience at United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley and lead staff for the Resilient LV. “We’re community members who care deeply about the place we live. Josh and I may work in different organizations, but we show up for the same reason — we want to make a difference.”
Looking ahead, both Resilient LV and Lehigh County remain committed to growing this partnership with intention, adapting to emerging needs, responding to the mental health challenges of the moment and continuing to center community in every step forward.
