Melissa Flores

New Easton Rotarian Melissa Flores presented her classification talk. She serves as the Director of Building Tenant Relations and Community Impact at the Two Rivers Health and Wellness Foundation.

Her path to her current role was neither easy nor traditional. She was raised by a strong single mom in the projects of Brooklyn and the Bronx. She dropped out of high school and became a teen mom. At age 25, she found herself living in a shelter with two children. That situation became a turning point. She returned to school and earned her GED. She took every certificate course she could find. With some encouragement she went to college focusing on Social Work and Rehabilitation because she wanted to help people like herself who are overlooked or underestimated.

Melissa worked in higher education for several years before she felt a calling to do something more. Nine years ago she took a leap of faith and moved to Pennsylvania. There was no job lined up. She worked minimum wage jobs and kept on applying for better positions. Eventually Janet Mease at Two Rivers gave her an opportunity. She started as an office assistant and has progressed to her current position.

The Two Rivers Health and Wellness Foundation is a conversion foundation created from the sale of Easton hospital. The hospital was a non-profit sold to a for- profit entity and the law requires the assets from the sale to remain in the community. The Foundation serves the people of Northampton County by investing in their health and well-being through grants, partnerships, and community initiatives. They focus on areas of Healthy Living, Education, Children, Seniors, and Housing. They have awarded over $11 million in grants to over 60 local organizations.