Community Progress Council celebrates 60 years
Community Progress Council is pleased to recognize its 60th anniversary in 2025, celebrating 60 years of serving York County families and empowering people toward economic self-sufficiency.
Community Progress Council incorporated on April 8, 1965, and was later officially affirmed as York County’s Community Action Agency. It is now one of approximately 1,000 community action agencies across the United States, providing innovative, responsive, and efficient programs that are uniquely tailored to support low- and moderate-income people as they move toward financial stability.
“Over 60 years, Community Progress Council programs and support have created a foundation for economic stability and growth for York County families,” said Robin Rohrbaugh, President/CEO, Community Progress Council. “We’re proud to deliver high-impact, cost-effective results that generate a significant return on investment our community, and to be a trusted pillar of the community as we continue to innovate for the future.”
The organization formed in 1965 after a local Economic Study Committee reported that 30,000 York Countians, then about 15 percent of the population, lived in some degree of poverty on annual incomes of less than $3,000 a year for a family of four, equivalent to about $30,000 a year in 2025. Early priorities included workforce development and early childhood education, with initial members representing all of York County, from Hanover, New Cumberland, Felton, Etters, Glen Rock, Dover, York City, and beyond. Federal funding through the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 was approved for Community Progress Council programs in late 1965.
“We didn’t make it to 60 years alone, and we’re grateful to the strong community leaders who saw our organization through its inception and early decades,” said Rohrbaugh. “Similarly, achieving a future York County free of poverty requires partnership between public funding and private sector support. Together, we create solutions that empower individuals and families to achieve long-term self-sufficiency and sustained success in the middle class.”
Since 2018, Community Progress Council has operated with a service delivery model that prioritizes centralized intake and a client-centered approach in which supportive services are integrated and coordinated through coaching.
This approach — paired with an emphasis on public-private funding partnerships — allows Community Progress Council to support families through the benefits cliff, when an increase in income does not compensate for the corresponding loss in public benefits.
Community Progress Council is planning to celebrate its 60th anniversary throughout the year, including a community-centered block party in August for National Night Out, and a Self-Sufficiency Celebration evening event in the fall. Follow along on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/CommunityProgressCouncil) for more event details and spotlights on the organization’s history and impact.
Founded in 1965, Community Progress Council is York County’s nonprofit community action agency, whose mission is to empower individuals and families to move toward self-sufficiency and advocate for change to promote community growth. Celebrating 60 years in 2025, Community Progress Council goes beyond emergency stopgaps to provide comprehensive, integrated services for low- and moderate-income people of all ages. Connected by client-centered coaching, programs include early childhood education through Head Start, Early Head Start and Pre-K Counts; housing and financial education; nutrition support and education via the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program; York City Community of Hope at Hannah Penn K-8; and the agency’s Self-Sufficiency Program that helps residents of York County reach financial stability. Learn more atwww.YorkCPC.org.
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