Every month\u00a0here at\u00a0Life House\u00a0is unique, but\u00a0one thing always stays the same: mothers\u00a0consistently\u00a0show up\u00a0for themselves and their babies\u00a0and choose\u00a0to build a better\u00a0future.\u00a0Throughout the year, our Residential Program has remained steady, a reflection of just how many mothers in our community need a place to land.\u00a0Far more than providing housing,\u00a0Cay Galgon Life House is\u00a0about\u00a0helping moms\u00a0create\u00a0stability,\u00a0build\u00a0confidence, strengthen\u00a0their\u00a0families, and\u00a0give\u00a0their\u00a0children the opportunity to thrive.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here\u2019s an update on some of our mothers and children. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Taylor<\/strong> is on track to graduate nursing school in November 2026. She’s been working full time at a rehabilitation and healthcare center while finishing her degree, all while raising Mahkai, who is growing by leaps and bounds socially and emotionally. When Mahkai hit a rough patch with his daycare placement earlier this year, our team partnered with Early Intervention and Pinebrook’s Unconditional Childcare Program. Between that support, Taylor’s mom, and our babysitting volunteers, Taylor never missed a shift or a class. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Danaisha <\/strong>finished her Medical Assistant certification this spring and started working in her new role with a local healthcare network. She’s saving, planning, and getting closer every week to independent housing for herself and her son, Atreus, who continues to reach new developmental milestones while he brings endless energy and curiosity to each new stage of his growth. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Anastasia<\/strong> welcomed her baby daughter, Luna Mae, and is settling into mothering in those wonderful newborn months while still keeping an eye on her educational goals and remaining focused on building a strong foundation for the future. <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Mira <\/strong>is focused, dedicated, and committed to maintaining her employment and financial responsibility while preparing for her next step into independent housing, all while little Ariah continues to develop into a happy and curious toddler right before our eyes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Annie<\/strong> recently started working as a Home Health Aide on top of her coursework and educational program participation, determined to build a brighter future while her son, Legacy, develops beautifully, right alongside her. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This spring we\u00a0waved\u00a0a bittersweet goodbye to\u00a0Koral\u00a0<\/strong>and her son,\u00a0Jayden, who transitioned into a specialized Mommy and Me program better suited to support her continued needs\u00a0as\u00a0she keeps\u00a0growing and learning how to\u00a0parent\u00a0her son. Goodbyes\u00a0are never easy, but we know success\u00a0works best when\u00a0every family receives the level of care that\u00a0truly meets\u00a0their needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The move was made possible by a team effort. Longtime CGLH volunteers joined members of the Knights of Columbus and the Notre Dame Club to help transport Koral and baby J’s belongings from the Life House to her new home, carrying every item up to her floor. It was a wonderful reminder of what community support looks like in action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Behind every one of these stories are hundreds of quiet, unseen conversations between our Residential team, case management, community partners, leadership, and our Board. Together, with your continued trust and support, we are helping mothers discover their strength, build brighter futures for their babies, and create lasting change in their families for generations to come. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Beyond These Walls<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Beyond These Walls is the next step for moms as they transition from our Residential Program into more independent living. While they may no longer live at Life House, they are still part of the CGLH family. We’ve learned that lasting stability doesn’t happen the moment a mom walks out the door. It grows over time with encouragement, practical support, and the reassurance that someone is still walking alongside her. Through Beyond These Walls, our team continues to provide guidance, resources, and a caring connection during this important season, because sometimes the difference between surviving and thriving is simply knowing help is still just a phone call away. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This year,\u00a0we are supporting\u00a025 households\u00a0connected to us through\u00a0Beyond These Walls,\u00a0assisting\u00a0with everything from move-ins and goal setting to parenting classes and post-exit check-ins.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Community Program<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Every family in our Community Program has a different story but always the same need: someone steady in their corner as they work to build a brighter future for themselves and their children. So far this year, we’ve welcomed 100 new families into the program and provided more than 900 appointments, totaling over 480 hours of direct support. That includes 665 pantry visits and 76 emergency appointments, many resulting from referrals through trusted partners like the American Red Cross and United Way of the Lehigh Valley. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Earlier this year, when our supply of car seats was nearly depleted, two longtime community partners, Francelia and Lynn Dietrich, stepped in without hesitation. Francelia donated several car seats on the spot. Lynn donated five more, and while searching Facebook Marketplace for another, she mentioned to the seller that it was for a Cay Galgon Community Program family. Without a second thought, the seller donated the car seat and even delivered it himself. That’s the kind of ripple effect that happens when kindness inspires kindness. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Francelia, once a Community Program client herself, now spends her time connecting other families with resources and giving back to the community that once supported her. Lynn is always looking for ways to remove barriers for families, driving them to appointments, picking up supplies, doing laundry, whatever it takes to help. Together, they remind us that this work extends well beyond our walls. When a community comes together to support families, hope grows stronger, connections deepen, and parents discover they don’t have to face life’s challenges alone. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Educational Programming<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n This spring we launched “Tayo and the Super Produce Pals,” a bilingual, four-week nutrition series developed in partnership with the St. Luke’s University Health Network Pediatric Residency Program and WellNEST Medicine. To encourage the 20 families who participated to apply these lessons at home, they received supportive resources throughout the series, including fresh produce, children’s books, feeding supplies, and more. The series was a great success thanks to Dr. Julia Burns, a Pediatric Resident Physician at St. Luke’s, who coordinated the series from planning through implementation. Dr. Burns worked with the families to help bridge healthcare, nutrition education, and community-based maternal and child health services. Meanwhile, Dr. Bisi Alli, Principal of WellNEST Medicine and a board-certified physician, developed the innovative curriculum and led the research initiative that served as the foundation for this partnership, and brought an evidence-based, food-as-medicine approach to families in our community. The series is also part of an ongoing research study evaluating the impact of storytelling and nutrition education on healthy eating behaviors among caregivers and young children, with findings expected later this year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This fall, our Real Talk: Women’s Health series returns, building on the momentum of this year’s programming.\u00a0We’re\u00a0also in the\u00a0early stages\u00a0of building an Economic Empowerment Taskforce, bringing local banks and financial institutions together to shape future programming around budgeting, credit, and long-term financial stability. Stay tuned to our\u00a0socials\u00a0for details as both take shape.\u00a0 Volunteers<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Our volunteers are the heart of Cay Galgon Life House, generously giving their time so we can serve more families\u00a0with care, compassion, and practical support.\u00a0In the first half of this year alone, 75 active volunteers gave their time across\u00a0nearly 720\u00a0shifts, adding up to\u00a0roughly\u00a01,500\u00a0hours. We also welcomed 22 new volunteers over the past six months.\u00a0\u00a0Nearly half\u00a0of all volunteer hours were dedicated to donation management, highlighting just how essential volunteers are to our ability to process and distribute the thousands of\u00a0in-kind\u00a0donations that support families throughout the year.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Partnership Updates<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Food insecurity has become one of the greatest challenges facing the families we serve, and our community partners have been instrumental in helping us meet that need. This year, 34% of families entering our programs were experiencing food insecurity at intake, the highest we’ve ever recorded. Thanks to our partners, we’ve been able to reach families throughout the Lehigh Valley with thousands of pounds of food. Since January, we’ve distributed more than 4,775 pounds of produce, prepared meals, and shelf-stable food, along with 220 frozen family-sized meals through our ongoing partnership with The Freezer Ministry. Valor continues to keep us stocked with shelf-stable food and infant formula, and this fall we’re launching a new partnership with ProJeCt of Easton, who will provide 20 emergency food bags each month for families facing unexpected hardship. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Our relationship with St. Luke’s University Health Network continues to grow as well, with Life House serving as a community training site for pediatric residents and a new series already in the early planning stages. <\/p>\n\n\n\n With Gratitude<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Every baby welcomed, every certification earned, every mom who finds her footing again, all of it happens because this community continues to show up. Thank you for being a part of that. We look forward to connecting with new and familiar faces throughout the community and sharing the work being done every day to empower mothers, strengthen families, and create brighter futures. <\/p>\n\n\n\n With heartfelt gratitude, <\/p>\n\n\n\n Executive Director Cay Galgon Life House<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The first six months of this year have been a whirlwind at Cay Galgon Life House in the best possible way! Babies arriving, moms crossing finish lines they once thought were out of reach, and a community that keeps showing up for these families in ways that take our breath away. Since January, we’ve supported 316 families […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":12223,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"nf_dc_page":"","_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[40,14,47],"tags":[30,35],"topic":[23],"class_list":["post-12199","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-40","category-newsletter","category-summer-2026","tag-mid-year-update","tag-paulas-update","topic-updates"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/caygalgonlifehouse.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/image-4.png\")
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