Many know the recent Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee Andre Reed and his most recent reverence in Allentown, when the field at the J. Birney Crum Stadium was named in his honor.
At that time, Reed demonstrated his philanthropic nature by presenting a $25,000 check to the Allentown Boys and Girls Club. Yet, few know of the woman responsible for inspiring the football star's charitable actions: Joyce Reed-Ebling. She has contributed to various organizations in the Greater Lehigh Valley area for over 20 years. “She is a well-grounded person, not presenting herself as the mother of a Hall of Fame football player, but more interested in doing good for as many as she can,” says Barry Dobil, owner of Josh Early Candies in Allentown and an Advisory Board member for the Salvation Army.
“The best part of volunteering is the feeling of giving back; it's something I love doing,” she says. “I guess helping others is in my blood, which also carries over in my job.”
“I have the impression that, while over the years many people have come and gone within the Salvation Army of the Lehigh Valley, Joyce has always been there,” says Dobil. This is precisely the case. Still, to this day, she continues to volunteer countless hours every year coordinating the Salvation Army's Angel Tree program to ensure that underprivileged children in the area have a happy and present-filled holiday, according to Mike Kukitz, the development coordinator for the Salvation Army in the Valley.
The Angel Tree program provides gifts for over 500 less-fortunate children. Found in about 40 Lehigh Valley companies and corporations, Angel Trees are decorated with angel tags, comprising the name, age and gender of a child in need of presents. “My part is small, but a good one. There are many families with children that may not receive anything for Christmas; that's where I come in,” says Reed-Ebling. She handwrites thousands of Angel Tags and distributes them to different organizations. When it's time to pick up the toys, she has two of the Salvation Army's employees help her load everything into a large van. “Sometimes,” she says, “I feel like Santa.”
Reed-Ebling also volunteers locally at The Miracle League of the Lehigh Valley and Cedarbrook Allentown Auxiliary as well as at her son Andre Reed's charitable foundation. She was awarded the Outstanding Community Service Award at the organization's Red Kettle Kickoff Dinner this past November, which, according to Dobil, she accepted with her usual humility. Reed-Ebling says, “We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give. Serving others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth.”
Lehigh Valley Salvation Army | 344 N. 7th St., Allentown | 610.432.0128 x 220 | pa.salvationarmy.org/lehigh-valley
