By Carol Berman and Daphne Sashin
More than 120 Penn Medicine CAREs grant recipients, along with representatives from their partner organizations—and a couple four-legged friends—gathered this week for a celebratory reception honoring the great work being done in our communities by staff, faculty, and students. The Penn Medicine CAREs program provides institutional support for employees and medical students who volunteer their time to serve neighborhoods across the region served by the University of Pennsylvania Health System (UPHS).
It was an emotional event, with UPHS CEO Kevin B. Mahoney getting choked up during his remarks—so touched by the volunteer work being performed throughout the year by physicians, nurses, students, and staff outside of the walls of hospitals and clinics.
Founded in 2012, the CAREs grant program was developed to recognize and support that work, while at the same time helping local organizations who continue to find ways to address unmet community needs. The program has provided over $1.1 million to initiatives in the communities Penn Medicine serves, including in Philadelphia, Lancaster, Chester County, Princeton and New Jersey.
To allow this work to expand, Mahoney announced an increase in annual funding to the CAREs program from $100,000 to $250,000.
“We’ve seen how these volunteer-driven initiatives extend the reach of Penn Medicine, improving health, advancing wellness, and tackling disparities in communities across the region,” he said. “Bolstering funding will help our workforce expand this impact to benefit more people in the communities we serve.”
Honoring a community champion who empowers youth to be safe from gun violence
UPHS CEO Kevin Mahoney presents the Community Champion Award to Cherlynne Graham Seay as Jonathan Epstein, the interim dean of the Perelman School of Medicine, looks on.
Mahoney also presented the CAREs Community Champion Award to Cherlynne Graham Seay, a program manager with the Penn Center for Community Health Workers and co-founder with her husband of the Jarell Christopher Seay Love & Laughter Foundation to unite communities and protect children. The organization is named for their son, who they lost to gun violence in 2011.
“We could never understand what you've been through,” Mahoney said, presenting Seay with the award, which came with $5,000 for the foundation. “But we are all here for you.”
Seay’s foundation runs several programs, including an annual backpack giveaway for kids in West Philadelphia with safety and martial arts presentations; Ladies in Power for Peace, for girls in grades 6 to 8 to learn about healthy eating, self-care, and staying safe; and the Defenders summer program for younger students focused on safety. Besides Penn Medicine CAREs grants, the organization has received funding for its antiviolence efforts from the Philadelphia District Attorney’s office and other grants, and through its own regular fundraisers.
"Your current situation does not determine your destiny," Seay said to a rapt, appreciative crowd.
Celebrating the breadth of care for communities in need
This year’s CAREs grant awardees included health care projects for un- and underinsured people, mental health outreach for immigrant communities, literacy projects for all ages, food access for those in need, career exploration and afterschool programs for youth, and more.
One awardee in attendance, oncology nurse Johanna Rochat, BSN, RN, volunteers with the Janine Hee Memorial Foundation, which provides aid and services to people receiving cancer care, ranging from rent assistance to transportation.
"It takes the stress off," said Rochat. "There are so many stressors with treatment and it's great connect patients with resources."
And the four-legged friends in attendance at the reception? They were with the Warrior Canine Connection, a nonprofit that places service dogs with disabled veterans, and where Paula Crawford-Gamble, MSN, CRNP, Penn Medicine Veterans Care Concierge liaison, directed her Spring 2024 CARES grant funds.
To view all of the recent CAREs Grant recipients, visit PennMedicine.org/CAREs. For more information on the CAREs Grant or community outreach programs, visit PennMedicine.org/Community.