News

Photo caption: Jaclyn Hudak, Principal Delgado and Ismael Vasquez 

St. Luke’s Allentown Campus donated 1,000 headsets to Francis D. Raub Middle School to improve the experience of remote learning while students are home due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The first batch of headsets was distributed to students this past Saturday at Raub’s Annual “Fall Fest.” Principal Delgado, along with several volunteers, included the headsets with meal boxes that were also comprised of turkeys and $8,000 worth of additional meal products to over 100 students and their families for the Thanksgiving holiday. This all took place outdoors.

“St. Luke’s continues to be a strong partner of Raub Middle School,” says Principal Delgado. “Now that the students are all learning remotely, our community school director, Jaclyn Hudak, and myself wanted to provide every student with a pair of headphones with microphones for virtual learning. This way, when they’re on zoom, they can speak with confidence and confidentiality.”

“When they don’t have the right resources, they’re apprehensive to share certain things,” says Jaclyn. “We don’t know their home situation, so for example, if an outreach worker is giving them advice on how to handle certain challenges while there, they may not necessarily want anyone else in the home hearing that information or general dialogue.”

Initially, the all-volunteer St. Luke’s Allentown Development Committee was planning to help offset the cost as a group. However, Bill Moyer, President of the Allentown Campus, quickly approved the purchase of all 1,000 pairs, an investment of over $2,200.00, on behalf of the committee and the entire St. Luke’s Allentown Campus. “It’s a necessity, and the right thing to do,” says Moyer.

“This is a wonderful illustration of the power of partnerships and collaboration in Allentown.  It highlights a sense of unity throughout the community to ensure local patients’ and families’ most basic needs are met – addressing challenges that COVID-19 only exacerbated,” says Moyer. “Though we are socially distant, we can still come together in creative ways to continue providing for our friends, families and neighbors. This is another fine example of how the Allentown Community is continuing to be mindful of what it cares most about: each other. At St. Luke’s Allentown, we care for our patients from their first days of life to middle school and beyond.”