2008 Press Releases

For: patients | volunteers | family & visitors | medical professionals | donate now

Press Releases

Contact Good Shepherd's Marketing and Communications Department >>

February 22, 2008
Local Philanthropists Receive Good Shepherd's Raker Memorial Awards
Dick and Peggy Fleming and Joe Correll Are Honored at 100th Anniversary Event

Allentown, PA—The 23rd annual Raker Memorial Awards today were given to Dick and Peggy Fleming of Zionsville and Joe and his late wife Marjorie Correll, of Bethlehem. Donald Johnson, C.N.A., of Bethlehem, received the annual Raker Spirit Award.

Sally Gammon, F.A.C.H.E., president and CEO, Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Network, presented the awards during a special ceremony to commemorate the official 100th anniversary of Good Shepherd's founding, at Grace Lutheran Church in Allentown,

Since their inception in 1986, the annual Raker Memorial Awards recognize members of the community who, through philanthropy and volunteerism, honor the legacy of Good Shepherd's founders, The Rev. John H. and D. Estella Raker and their son, The Rev. Dr. Conrad W. Raker.

Raker Memorial Award Recipients: Dick and Peggy Fleming, of Zionsville
Dick and Peggy Fleming have supported Good Shepherd's mission for many years. Recently, they established the Fleming Family Endowment Program for Assistive Technology and Research at Good Shepherd. The endowment provides perpetual support for Good Shepherd's development and use of assistive and rehabilitation technology. The Fleming Family also supported Good Shepherd's recent $41.7 million capital campaign to transform its south Allentown campus.

Dick Fleming is a former executive vice president and board member of Air Products & Chemicals, Inc. He founded the Chemical Industry Institute of Toxicology (CIIT), which became an international leader in research on the toxicity of industrial chemicals, in 1975. Dick also served in leadership roles with GAF Corporation, Catalytica Associates and Catalytica Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Peggy Fleming has a long history of philanthropy and community involvement in the Lehigh Valley. She was heavily involved with Lehigh Valley Hospital's Friends of Nursing Program for 17 years and has served as an active member of the Leonard Pool Society Advisory Board for six years.

Raker Memorial Award Recipients: Joe and Marjorie Correll, of Bethlehem
Joe Correll, and his late wife, Marjorie, are long-time Good Shepherd supporters and friends. The couple supported Good Shepherd Work Services by serving as business partners who provided work for individuals with disabilities. They also recently endowed the Joseph and Marjorie Correll Pediatric Chair, which ensures perpetual funding for Good Shepherd's second developmental pediatrician. Good Shepherd is home to the only two developmental pediatricians in the area. The Corrells supported Good Shepherd's $41.7 million capital campaign to transform its south Allentown campus.

After retiring from RK Laros, Joe Correll founded a mail order company called Home-Sew, Inc., with his wife, Marjorie.

Raker Spirit Award Recipient: Donald Johnson, C.N.A., of Bethlehem
Donald Johnson of Bethlehem, a certified nursing assistant at Good Shepherd Home-Bethlehem, is the recipient of the 2008 Raker Spirit Award. The award is given annually to the Good Shepherd employee who most embodies the spirit of the Raker Family, who founded Good Shepherd in 1908.

Johnson has worked at Good Shepherd for 26 years in various direct-care capacities. He has fostered a reputation for providing outstanding care to the 60 long-term care residents of Good Shepherd Home-Bethlehem, who all have severe disabilities. Johnson's dedication to the residents extends beyond work hours. He has traveled with residents, sometimes as far as Florida, participated in their recreational activities and cultivated friendships with them. In 1999, Johnson was honored with the Caregiver of the Year Award from PANPHA, a statewide association of non-profit senior services.

Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Network, based in Allentown, Pennsylvania, is a nationally recognized rehabilitation leader, offering a continuum of care for people with physical and cognitive disabilities and specializing in assistive and rehabilitation technology. More than 36,000 people come to Good Shepherd each year for specialized programs in stroke, orthopedics, brain injury, spinal cord injury, pediatrics, amputation and more. Good Shepherd provides rehabilitation services in 7 eastern Pennsylvania counties. Good Shepherd operates 14 outpatient sites, 4 inpatient sites, a long-term acute care hospital, 2 long-term care homes for people with severe disabilities, an independent living facility, a Work Services division that provides employment training and job placement and a lifestyle products store called Rehability. Good Shepherd Penn Partners, a partnership of Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Network and the University of Pennsylvania Health System, will provide post-acute care in the Philadelphia region beginning July 2008. Good Shepherd was founded in 1908 when The Rev. John and Estella Raker invited a disabled orphan named Viola into their Allentown, Pennsylvania, home. Good Shepherd is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. For more information, visit www.goodshepherdrehab.org.