Members of Raising the House stopped by the Palmerton Borough Hall for the council meeting on Thursday to spread the word on their community efforts and thank the borough and the police department for their assistance in helping those in need.

Raising the House was established in March of 2016 with the intent of helping families with hardships ranging from medical bills to house fires.Inspired by Palmerton teacher and coach Blaine R. House, who passed away in 2013, the group strives to inspire a better community with their hardship alleviation and scholarship programs.Raising the House board members Adrianne Allen and Erin Snyder spoke on behalf of the group, explaining one of their key fundraising drives that will take place next month."We're here to tell you about our race that's coming up on March 25," Snyder said. "We're hoping to have another large crowd of runners and walkers, and nice weather, for this event."The 5K is the biggest fundraiser for our organization. The money that we raise from this event goes to helping families in the Palmerton Area School District that have fallen on hardships such as fires, illnesses, or financial challenges."Allen called Mayor Christopher Olivia and council member Kris Hoffner to accept donations to the borough and police department."We would like to present two checks this evening, one to the borough, and one to the police department, for all of the support that they provide to us to make our event safe for our registrants," Snyder said, presenting checks to Olivia and Hoffner."I'm very appreciative of the donation. It will help pay for the police time for the event," Olivia said.Hoffner, a member of the organization himself, was happy to see the money going to the borough and department, helping to foster a bond between different groups with a common goal.He pointed out that the police department will help lead the race, and borough employees will set up barricades."It's a great organization, one of many great organizations that make Palmerton such a good place," Hoffner, who was friends and colleagues with House during his time as a teacher. "We just want to show our appreciation to the police department and the borough workers."