Pictured from left - MVRCC Executive Director Leanna Hopkins-Spada, Greater Charleroi Community Development Corporation President Adele Hopkins, Immigrant Community Liaison Getro Bernabe, and Mon Valley Alliance Foundation CEO Jamie Colecchi
Charleroi, PA, May 11, 2023 – The Mon Valley Alliance Foundation and the Greater Charleroi Community Development Corporation today announced that a former Haitian Coast Guard officer and liaison to the US Embassy in the Caribbean country, Getro Bernabe, has been hired as part of the Neighborhood Partnership Program, a six-year revitalization plan that will invest $1.5 million into Charleroi for community improvement projects, main street development, and social services.
Getro Bernabe will serve the community as the immigrant liaison to the growing Haitian population which is living, working, and opening businesses in the community.
The Charleroi NPP was announced in November as part of $35.9 million in state tax credits awarded under the Neighborhood Assistance Program. Through the NAP, private companies receive state tax credits for investing in non-profit projects. The competitive program is overseen by the Department of Community & Economic Development.
In addition to hiring Bernabe, the NPP activities for the inaugural year include conversations with the borough to renovate and upgrade playgrounds, investing in the physical upgrades at the Charleroi Library, stabilizing the Community Development Corporation financially, fostering main street improvements, providing financial counseling to residents, assisting in homeownership programming, and connecting residents with job opportunities.
“I am excited to be a partner with the Charleroi NPP and the Mon Valley Regional Chamber of Commerce to assist our growing population better understand the resources available and to serve as a point of contact for the community, assisting residents with anything from translation to opening a small business” Bernabe said.
Bernabe, a graduate of the United States Coast Guard Academy and the Haitian State University, has a wide-ranging career in public service including the military, law enforcement, and education. Bernabe already had been working within the immigrant population and serving as an interpreter at the Charleroi Area School District, Literacy Council of Southwestern Pennsylvania, and at the Mid-Mon Valley Transit Authority. “We couldn’t have found a better individual for this important role,” said Jamie Colecchi, CEO of the Mon Valley Alliance Foundation. “This is an exciting time for Charleroi. Over a century ago, European immigrants built the community, and the NPP plan put together by local stakeholders will help strengthen the fabric. At the same time, the plan recognizes that new immigrants bring with them new opportunities to grow the town and compliment efforts already underway to spark revitalization.”
Leanna Spada, Executive Director of the Mon Valley Regional Chamber of Commerce, with its headquarters in downtown Charleroi, spearheaded the search which led to Bernabe’s hiring. The search committee sought out an individual who would be a trusted partner to help capture the opportunity that the new wave of immigrants has presented within the Mid-Mon Valley.
“We are pleased to be a partner in the Charleroi NPP and to secure the services of Mr. Bernabe to help the new residents of Charleroi find the opportunity to grow,” Spada said, “We are already seeing small businesses being established in downtown Charleroi and the growing economic activity from the new residents will contribute towards a community revitalization of the Borough of Charleroi.”
The Charleroi NPP, led by the Mon Valley Alliance Foundation, is a multi-year community revitalization plan that was developed by representatives from the Charleroi Area Public Library, Charleroi Borough, Charleroi Community Park Trustees, Greater Charleroi Community Development Corporation, Mid Mon Valley Transit Authority, Mon Valley Initiative, Mon Valley Regional Chamber of Commerce, Blueprints, Voices for Independence, and the Washington County Redevelopment Authority.
Funders for the Charleroi NPP are Fourth Street Barbecue, LaCarte Enterprises, Key Bank, and UPMC Health Plan. Collectively, the four companies will provide $250,000 annually over the course of the next six years.
Mon Valley Independent Article - https://monvalleyindependent.com/2023/05/charlerois-immigrant-liaison-got-head-start-on-new-job/