BETHLEHEM, Pa. — The Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center is based in Allentown but serves the entire Lehigh Valley.
Now, the center will hold an event to build community and listen to feedback from Bethlehem's LGBTQ residents.
- Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center will hold a Community Day in Bethlehem on April 8 at The Ice House
- The main part of the event will be a community conversation, which will be an opportunity for community members to share their thoughts about how the center can better serve the LGBTQ community in Bethlehem
- The event will also feature yoga, Zumba and a musical performance by artist Dina Hall
The center will hold a Community Day in Bethlehem from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. April 8 in The Ice House at 56 River St. in Sand Island Park.
The free event will feature yoga, Zumba and a musical performance.
But the center’s Healthcare Enrollment Coordinator Deirdre Van Walters, who is running the event, said the “key focus” will be a community conversation from noon to 2 p.m.
Van Walters said the community conversation will be an opportunity for community members to share their thoughts about how the Bradbury-Sullivan Center can better serve the LGBTQ community in Bethlehem.
“Our biggest question is, 'How can we better serve the community? How can we better serve the Bethlehem area? What are some of the needs not just for our adults, but also for our youth?' ” Van Walters said.
Van Walters said the purpose of the community conversation also is to convey that the Bradbury-Sullivan Center is there for the residents of Bethlehem, not just Allentown.
“We really, really want to just let the community know we're here for them,” Van Walters said.
Community conversation and more
The community conversation will feature three panelists: Ariel Torres, associate director of The Pride Center at Lehigh University; Bradley Sullivan Executive Director Ashley Coleman; and local activist and artist Dina Hall, who will perform after the conversation.
Bradley Sullivan Director of Development and Communications Ren Deysher Fernández said the center wants to start expanding its reach in all the other municipalities in the valley, as well.
“There's a strong vision of wanting to serve all of the Lehigh Valley.”Bradley Sullivan Director of Development and Communications Ren Deysher Fernández
“There's a strong vision of wanting to serve all of the Lehigh Valley,” Deysher Fernández said.
The Community Day will start with yoga at 11 a.m. led by Angela Baio. Participants are strongly encouraged to bring their own yoga mat.
Hall will perform from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m., followed by Zumba at 3:45 p.m. There then will be a Mix & Mingle event with light refreshments from 4:45 to 7 p.m.
The Mix & Mingle event also will serve as an open house for Pennie Insurance, Pennsylvania’s health and dental coverage marketplace. Attendees will be able to ask questions and learn more about the program.
The entire event is free, but RSVPs are recommended. For more information, go to the event webpage.
