Freeman: $1.3 million awarded to support keeping Easton, Wilson youth safe
Rep. Robert L. Freeman April 16, 2026 | 11:38 AM
HARRISBURG, April 16 – Four organizations that provide programs to help keep Easton and Wilson youth safe were awarded more than $1.3 million in grants, announced state Rep. Robert Freeman.
The competitive grants, approved by the School Safety and Security Committee under the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency, are part of more than $64 million awarded to organizations across the state.
“In today’s world, when most parents are working, it is important that young people have supervised activities to keep them safe outside of school hours. We are fortunate in the Lehigh Valley to have several organizations that offer such programs and these grants will help them to continue to keep kids safe and busy,” said Freeman, D-Northampton.
The Greater Easton Development Partnership will receive $500,000 to continue its Safe Routes to School program, a community-based safety and prevention initiative serving school-age youth in Easton’s West Ward neighborhood. The program deploys trained Easton Ambassadors along key pedestrian routes surrounding Paxinosa Elementary School to reduce risks associated with traffic hazards, unsupervised time, and exposure to neighborhood-level safety concerns during school arrival and dismissal. By providing crossing support, visibility, informal mentorship and real-time coordination with school and municipal partners, the initiative aims to strengthen protective factors for approximately 600 students annually.
Funds will support salary and benefits for four Easton ambassadors and partial salary/benefits for a program manager. Funds will also be allocated to support indirect/administrative costs required for oversight, coordination and reporting.
Community Bike Works will receive $494,800 to expand the Easton Bike Club, a bike-based mentoring and violence-prevention initiative serving high-risk Easton Area High School students ages 14 to 18. The program uses bicycles as an engagement tool to connect teens — particularly boys from low-income neighborhoods in Easton’s West Ward and South Side — with caring adult mentors in a structured environment. Through a 48-hour Earn a Bike curriculum, daily afterschool and summer cycling activities, one-on-one mentoring, youth apprenticeships and a new “Bike Bus” commuter support model, the project aims to build protective factors. Teen participants spend time each week with mentors, learning bike mechanics, safe riding, communication skills and healthy coping strategies, while also gaining access to safe recreational outlets, transportation support, and meaningful leadership opportunities. Community Bike Works expects to serve approximately 60 individuals during each year of the project.
Funds will be used to partially support the salary and benefits of the following staff: a project manager, a program director, two part-time adult staff, and paid youth apprentices. Funding will also be used to support travel, including transportation of youth, staff mileage, training, participation in youth-focused conferences; supplies and operating expenses, such as helmets, lights, locks, pumps, mini-repair kits, bike parts, recreational activity fees and food. The budget also includes indirect/administrative costs.
St. Anthony Youth Center of Easton, Pa. Inc., doing business as the Easton Area Community Center, was awarded $232,820 to expand its long-standing organized competitive sports and athletic programs serving underserved youth in Easton’s West Ward. The EACC currently provides after-school programming, a full-day summer camp, and rapidly growing competitive sports offerings including basketball, wrestling, cheerleading, and a piloted soccer program. The proposed project aims to enhance administrative capacity, strengthen existing sports programs, and expand offerings to include larger-scale soccer programming and additional sports such as pickleball, tennis, golf and softball. Organized sports are intended to support positive youth development, reduce exposure to gangs and negative peer influences, build social and emotional skills, and provide consistent supervision during high-risk after-school hours. EACC anticipates serving 250 youth throughout the project period.
Funds will be used to partially support the salary of a director and a grant specialist. Funding will also support supplies and operating expenses such as uniforms, sports equipment, league fees, referee and security fees, facility rentals, and team banquets. Coaching services will also be supported by VIP funding.
Wilson Area LINCS Family Center Inc. will receive $79,000 to launch the Skills Training and Recognition Program, a new evidence-based after-school prevention initiative for approximately 200 intermediate-aged youth in the Wilson Area School District. The program responds to elevated community risk factors identified through the Communities That Care planning process, including low neighborhood attachment, depressive symptoms among youth, normalization of substance use, and limited access to structured prosocial opportunities. STAR will provide three annual cycles of supervised, skill-building sessions delivered after school, with instruction provided by trained community partners and volunteers. Guided by the Social Development Strategy, the program will strengthen protective factors through hands-on skills training, positive adult mentorship, opportunities for prosocial involvement, recognition of youth contributions, and structured enrichment activities.
Funds will partially support a full-time STAR coordinator; employee benefits; travel for training, partner coordination, and site visits; equipment necessary for program management; supplies and operating expenses such as instructional materials, snacks, software, printing and minor operating costs; consultant support for Communities That Care training and technical assistance; and other allowable costs including background checks, insurance, transportation assistance and facility-related expenses.