2021 United Way Volunteer Service Award Honors Dr. Rajika Reed of St. Luke’s University Health Network
United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley is pleased to present Dr. Rajika Reed, Vice President of Community Health for St. Luke’s University Health Network, with the 2021 United Way Volunteer Service Award.
“It is a true pleasure to work with Dr. Reed. She is welcoming, knowledgeable, strategic, and patient. Her steady leadership as a United Way volunteer is greatly appreciated and is more than worthy of this honor,” said Jill Pereira, Vice President, Education and Impact, UWGLV.
This award is presented annually at Breakfast for Champions, hosted by Volunteer Center of the Lehigh Valley.
“I am both humbled and honored to receive this award and want to thank United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley and Volunteer Center of the Lehigh Valley for their commitment to the community. We have always worked closely, but during this pandemic year, they have brought many nonprofit and grassroots organizations together to allow for organic collaboration,” said Dr. Reed.
For the past seven years, Dr. Reed has exhibited strong leadership as chair of United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley’s Data, Research and Evaluation Committee. In this role, she guided UWGLV on how to adjust our learning and evaluation approach amid a global pandemic. She encouraged agility in meeting emerging community needs related to COVID-19 – enabling flexibility and innovation for United Way and partners to better serve our community.
Additionally, Dr. Reed was one of the founding members of the Strategic Response Team, a cross-collaborative effort that formed in the early days of the pandemic. This group works to align COVID-19 response and recovery among various partners and center justice and equity in the Lehigh Valley’s COVID-19 response.
“Dr. Reed has been a strong collaborator and thought leader in this work, ensuring that information, resources, and outreach has been equitable and rooted in trust and transparency,” added Pereira.