Members of the city's Dominican community gathered to raise the Dominican flag over Allentown City Hall on Sunday. The city counts roughly 20,000 Dominicans as residents — nearly one out of every six people.
The organization got a $120,000 grant to jump-start the process and says diversity is important for successful blood transfusions.
Santo Domingo Este, Dominican Republic, is an official sister city of the City of Allentown following the adoption of an ordinance by the city Wednesday.
The city removed the check box after concerns were raised over whether the question of legal status was overly intrusive and whether it could be discouraging requests.
Casa Guadalupe will get $311,000 to use towards developing a new technology, science and arts education center in the residential building next door, which the organization recently purchased.