Twenty students now have a dedicated space for learning from home thanks to a donation by Bethlehem-based law firm Cohen, Feeley, Altemose and Rambo. On Friday, September 18th, during Week of Action 2020, members of the TeenWorks Board and Lehigh Valley Labor Council members, along with the Cohen, Feeley, Altemose & Rambo and Capital BlueCross teams gathered to assemble 20 desks and 20 chairs for students at Roosevelt Elementary School. Along with the donated desks and chairs, the teams volunteered their time and labor assembling the furniture and filling backpacks with supplies at Roosevelt. “It was our absolute pleasure to participate and give back to our local town community,” said Sarah Cohen of Cohen, Feeley, Altemose & Rambo Law Firm. “We at Cohen Feeley, Altemose and Rambo are dedicated to our community and the families we serve. We are committed to supporting equality that all demographics have the same opportunities when it comes to receive an education. It is of the upmost importance that we not only give back monetarily but we dedicate our time to causes such as the TeenWorks and being able to help students at Roosevelt Elementary. We look forward to future charitable projects to serve the Lehigh Valley.” Roosevelt Elementary School is one of 15 elementary schools located in the city of Allentown, PA. It is a Community School in partnership with Communities In Schools of the Lehigh Valley. Financial support is provided by Corporate Partners Capital BlueCross and TeenWorks. Capital BlueCross staff, TeenWorks board members and Lehigh Valley organized labor provide hundreds of hours of volunteer service to the school and its students each year. “Seeing so many organizations and partners together was a powerful testament to what we can achieve as a community,” said Nashira Williams, Community School Coordinator at Roosevelt Elementary School. “The principals and I were able to witness the joy of the students and families as we delivered desks and chairs to their homes. We are so grateful for our partners who continuously respond to the call for help as we try to serve our families with love and dignity." Formed in 1999, TeenWorks™ is a collaboration between Lehigh Valley labor unions and local teens. The TeenWorks board is made up of a diverse group of teens and adults who help to encourage and endow young, local applicants who want to better their communities. To date, TeenWorks has funded over 500 projects with dollars exceeding $500,000 through United Way workplace campaign donations. “We had the opportunity to bring together people from many facets of labor in the Lehigh Valley along with TeenWorks teenagers to actively fill a need for this community,” said Cori Fecho, past Adult Chair of TeenWorks. “To give students a dedicated work space to be productive and have ownership over will provide them the opportunity to also take control of their own learning in a challenging way to deliver instruction.” “Our volunteers were engaged, laughing, and for many, learning how to assemble furniture for the first time,” said Cameron Hines, Teen Chair of the TeenWorks Board. “I loved knowing that the desks and chairs were going to children who were really going to appreciate them,” added Maeve Yanes, TeenWorks Recording Secretary. September 14-18 was United Way’s Week of Action, presented by Crayola. The week was dedicated to discovering ways to give back and take action to make important, effective change in Lehigh, Northampton and Carbon Counties. Click here to learn more about the #WeekofAction2020 campaign.