The Whitehall-Coplay Communities That Care Aug. 20 meeting opened with an introduction to its new members.

Denise Continenza, a Penn State Extension educator and group coordinator, explained the purpose of the coalition, and members detailed what outside groups they represent, such as school district personnel, Lehigh County groups, Valley Youth House, Center for Humanistic Change, Whitehall-Coplay Hunger Initiative and more.

As a continuance of the group’s work for its coalition checkup, Continenza showed a list of the group members broken into different committees based on the coalition’s three main priority areas - mental wellness, hunger and prevention of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs.

In earlier meetings, it was noted the group should work on expanding its leadership positions to include committee co-chairs who could report on the coalition’s focus areas.

Coalition members discussed the importance of having those positions, so the responsibility of keeping track of everything does not fall on one person’s shoulders. Shared leadership is needed to ensure the group continues to run efficiently, it was reported.

Since there have been new members joining the group, they were asked to pick a committee to join and to consider stepping in as a co-chair.

As of now, two of the three committees have two co-chairs each.

Continenza also shared a group activity, which explored what factors are considered when choosing programming to introduce into the school district, such as data, need in the district and more. She noted they found data-driven, evidence-based programming to be the most effective.

As a regular part of the CTC meetings, reports were given in regard to the group’s three main priorities.

Shari Noctor, president of WCHI, discussed the children’s summer feeding program members and volunteers held over the summer. Earlier in the meeting, Continenza commended Noctor for her work feeding the children.

Noctor noted in the past they had problems with getting the children to come out to get the food, so the group held the program in six locations throughout Whitehall Township and Coplay Borough to expand the program’s reach.

She said the group would like to have more community partners in the future to help provide activities and other programming at these events to help incentivize the youths in the community to come get the food they need.

Noctor reported they are restarting the Snack Pack Pals program, which helps provide food to students who need it during the school year. The group will continue with the system it utilized last year, where WCHI members sort and pack the bags at its pantry at St. John the Baptist Church, 3024 S. Ruch St., Whitehall. The bags are then transported to the schools in the Whitehall-Coplay School District, including St. Elizabeth Regional School, where the guidance counselors and teachers distribute them.

Regarding prevention education, Continenza noted they are continuing to hold the Life Skills training in the health classes. She said the program is funded through University of Colorado for three years, so the group should begin considering ways to continue funding the program to ensure its sustainability.

When it comes to the mental wellness of youths, community member Cheryl Huckabee-Washington noted she is hearing from a lot of parents that their children are showing personality and behavioral changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Fear and anxiety are a few of the new personality changes being seen.

WCSD Assistant Superintendent Christopher Schiffert reported the district is introducing new programming through Valley Youth House and Lehigh Valley Health Network in anticipation of behavioral changes in the students. Schiffert noted WCSD wants to offer assistance and support for the students. Families with children can reach out to the schools for more information on accessing these programs.

Kristen Holben, a program manager with LVHN’s Weller Health Education, noted they have been doing virtual presentations for parents and families regarding COVID-19 fatigue, understanding the impacts and how to help.

Continenza asked if it would be possible to hold one of these virtual presentations at a countywide level to reach a greater audience and help as many families as possible.

Videos, resources and more can be found at lvhn.org/weller-health-education-lehigh-valley-reilly-childrens-hospital.

The next CTC meeting will be held 8:30 a.m. Sept. 17.