July 10, 2024 -- Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) today marked the ten-year anniversary of its CHOP Cares Community Grant Program with an event featuring community leaders, government officials and innovative presentations from past grant recipients.
Extending beyond their commitment to caring for children at CHOP and in the CHOP Care Network, many hospital employees have a strong connection to and are deeply involved in their surrounding communities, volunteering time outside of work hours to promote health and wellness.
"Our employees work incredibly hard to care for children in our hospital and in the community, and many have very creative ideas on how to improve children's health," said Peter Grollman, Senior Vice President of External Affairs at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. "We started the CHOP Cares Community Grant Program ten years ago to help turn our employees' innovative ideas into reality -- and they continue to exceed expectations."
"Over the past 10 years, CHOP has awarded more than 200 grants and over $1 million for employees' projects. Today, we announced that funding for CHOP Cares Grants will increase from $5,000 to $10,000 per grant,” Grollman added.
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Narrator: At Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, our employees care about our patients and families, and many employees volunteer their time to support our communities. CHOP Leadership recognizes their commitment to serving others and encourages further involvement through the CHOP Cares Community Grant Program.
Since 2013, the Office of Community Impact has provided essential funding to CHOP employees to support their efforts in addressing priority health needs throughout the community served by the CHOP Care Network. We've supported communities across the southeastern Pennsylvania and Southern New Jersey region.
In 2019, the CHOP Cares Excel Grant was introduced to help with growth and sustainability of CHOP Care's Community Grant Projects to have an even greater impact. In its first 10 years, the CHOP Cares Community Grant Program awarded over $1 million to over 200 employee led programs, such as gun violence prevention workshops, food distribution, parent and youth support groups, menstrual hygiene education, I STEM workshops, career exploration activities and internships, health screenings, and so much more.
Many community grant projects have been integrated into CHOP's robust community programming. Listen to one example that has become an essential part of CHOP's literacy efforts.
Narrator 2: Have you ever had an idea for something that could make a positive impact on the people around you, your patients, your community, your coworkers? In 2015, I had an idea: to give a book to babies. I wanted to get families of all newborns, started on the right foot in promoting early literacy, to boost reading success and to foster a positive parent-child relationship.
I wanted to connect all families to local and online resources, yay libraries, to help parents raise readers and to feel part of their community. I wanted all families to know they are valued by presenting these materials as a gift, and I wanted it to be fun. I bounced the idea off several colleagues who liked it, and so the Books for Babies Program was born. We received initial funding from a local grant, but needed a new source of revenue, after the first year. In the fall of 2016, I applied to the newly developed CHOP Cares Grant Program and was excited to be chosen to receive funding to cover another year of cost. In the process, I also learned how to write an effective grant with coaching from the CHOP Community Impact Team, and connected with other grant recipients and early literacy advocates at CHOP.
My project was featured in the CHOP Community Impact Report and I presented it to CHOP's Community Advisory Board. I learned a great deal about community health needs, assessments and presented a poster at the Association for Community Health Improvement National Conference in Atlanta. With the continued success of the program at my local hospital, Grand View incorporated the cost into their maternal child budget. The families and staff at Grand View Hospital couldn't be happier. After five years of success at Grand View, I looked outward to see how to expand this program to other CHOP network sites. Once again, CHOP was there, this time with the Excel Grant, specifically designed for recipients of the CARES grants who were hoping to grow their programs. In 2021, I was awarded the much larger CHOP Excel Grant and brought my program to seven new sites in the network. The expertise of any CHOP department I needed was now at my fingertips. I was able to grow the program from serving a thousand families per year to 10,000.
You can find out more about it on CHOP's early literacy webpage, that I even helped to create. This was an incredible journey which began, grew, and continues to prosper due to the ongoing support of the CHOP Community Impact Department, the CHOP Grants Programs, and the commitment of the whole CHOP enterprise to help their employees support children and families in their communities.
Thank you.
Narrator: This work could not be possible without the ongoing commitment of CHOP employees. They are the driving force, meeting the community where they are, and providing services that go beyond patient care. If you are interested in learning more or supporting the Chop Cares Community Grant Program, contact the Office of Community Impact at CHOPcaresgrants@chop.edu. We also wanna thank everyone that supports the program, including CHOP Leadership, the CHOP Cares Community Advisory Board, and our community partners. We know we are better together, so as we look into the future, we welcome you to join our mission.
The CHOP Cares Grants program is an example of how the hospital supports employees in developing and implementing programs that fill specific health or wellness-related needs, such as those identified in the regional Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA), by providing financial and technical support to help make a difference in their neighborhoods.
“In recognition of our employees’ dedication to children in our community, CHOP offers competitive Cares Grants to support employee volunteer efforts,” said Falguni Patel, Director of Community Impact at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. “The grants program is an initiative of CHOP’s Office of Community Impact and projects are funded by the CHOP Cares Community Fund, which includes individual donations and Hospital contributions.”
“We hosted the 10-year community celebration event at the West Philadelphia YMCA, as it has served as a partner and host site for many CHOP Cares grant programs. The YMCA is a community leader and a safe and welcoming space for children and their families,” Patel added.
“The Garage Community and Youth Center is a grateful partner of the CHOP Community Cares Grant Program, which has allowed our organization to further develop our health and wellness initiatives, including nutritional education and meal service programs,” said Kristin Proto, Executive Director of The Garage Community and Youth Center. “Further, the partnership with CHOP has sparked the career interest of our students who are now serving in our summer internship program, Career Compass, with two high school students cooking daily meals in our Nutrition Kitchen as well as one high school student who interns at CHOP’s Kennett Square and West Grove Primary Care Centers this summer. Thank you for your partnership and the support you provide in our community!”
The CHOP Cares Community Grant program has also provided funding for many current programs such as gun violence prevention workshops, food distributions, parent and youth support groups, menstrual hygiene education, iSTEM workshops, career exploration activities and internships, health screenings, and more.
To learn more about the CHOP Cares Community Grant Program, visit community.chop.edu.
About Children's Hospital of Philadelphia: A non-profit, charitable organization, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia was founded in 1855 as the nation's first pediatric hospital. Through its long-standing commitment to providing exceptional patient care, training new generations of pediatric healthcare professionals, and pioneering major research initiatives, the hospital has fostered many discoveries that have benefited children worldwide. Its pediatric research program is among the largest in the country. The institution has a well-established history of providing advanced pediatric care close to home through its CHOP Care Network, which includes more than 50 primary care practices, specialty care and surgical centers, urgent care centers, and community hospital alliances throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey, as well as the Middleman Family Pavilion and its dedicated pediatric emergency department in King of Prussia. In addition, its unique family-centered care and public service programs have brought Children's Hospital of Philadelphia recognition as a leading advocate for children and adolescents. For more information, visit https://www.chop.edu.
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July 10, 2024 -- Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) today marked the ten-year anniversary of its CHOP Cares Community Grant Program with an event featuring community leaders, government officials and innovative presentations from past grant recipients.
Extending beyond their commitment to caring for children at CHOP and in the CHOP Care Network, many hospital employees have a strong connection to and are deeply involved in their surrounding communities, volunteering time outside of work hours to promote health and wellness.
"Our employees work incredibly hard to care for children in our hospital and in the community, and many have very creative ideas on how to improve children's health," said Peter Grollman, Senior Vice President of External Affairs at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. "We started the CHOP Cares Community Grant Program ten years ago to help turn our employees' innovative ideas into reality -- and they continue to exceed expectations."
"Over the past 10 years, CHOP has awarded more than 200 grants and over $1 million for employees' projects. Today, we announced that funding for CHOP Cares Grants will increase from $5,000 to $10,000 per grant,” Grollman added.
-
Narrator: At Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, our employees care about our patients and families, and many employees volunteer their time to support our communities. CHOP Leadership recognizes their commitment to serving others and encourages further involvement through the CHOP Cares Community Grant Program.
Since 2013, the Office of Community Impact has provided essential funding to CHOP employees to support their efforts in addressing priority health needs throughout the community served by the CHOP Care Network. We've supported communities across the southeastern Pennsylvania and Southern New Jersey region.
In 2019, the CHOP Cares Excel Grant was introduced to help with growth and sustainability of CHOP Care's Community Grant Projects to have an even greater impact. In its first 10 years, the CHOP Cares Community Grant Program awarded over $1 million to over 200 employee led programs, such as gun violence prevention workshops, food distribution, parent and youth support groups, menstrual hygiene education, I STEM workshops, career exploration activities and internships, health screenings, and so much more.
Many community grant projects have been integrated into CHOP's robust community programming. Listen to one example that has become an essential part of CHOP's literacy efforts.
Narrator 2: Have you ever had an idea for something that could make a positive impact on the people around you, your patients, your community, your coworkers? In 2015, I had an idea: to give a book to babies. I wanted to get families of all newborns, started on the right foot in promoting early literacy, to boost reading success and to foster a positive parent-child relationship.
I wanted to connect all families to local and online resources, yay libraries, to help parents raise readers and to feel part of their community. I wanted all families to know they are valued by presenting these materials as a gift, and I wanted it to be fun. I bounced the idea off several colleagues who liked it, and so the Books for Babies Program was born. We received initial funding from a local grant, but needed a new source of revenue, after the first year. In the fall of 2016, I applied to the newly developed CHOP Cares Grant Program and was excited to be chosen to receive funding to cover another year of cost. In the process, I also learned how to write an effective grant with coaching from the CHOP Community Impact Team, and connected with other grant recipients and early literacy advocates at CHOP.
My project was featured in the CHOP Community Impact Report and I presented it to CHOP's Community Advisory Board. I learned a great deal about community health needs, assessments and presented a poster at the Association for Community Health Improvement National Conference in Atlanta. With the continued success of the program at my local hospital, Grand View incorporated the cost into their maternal child budget. The families and staff at Grand View Hospital couldn't be happier. After five years of success at Grand View, I looked outward to see how to expand this program to other CHOP network sites. Once again, CHOP was there, this time with the Excel Grant, specifically designed for recipients of the CARES grants who were hoping to grow their programs. In 2021, I was awarded the much larger CHOP Excel Grant and brought my program to seven new sites in the network. The expertise of any CHOP department I needed was now at my fingertips. I was able to grow the program from serving a thousand families per year to 10,000.
You can find out more about it on CHOP's early literacy webpage, that I even helped to create. This was an incredible journey which began, grew, and continues to prosper due to the ongoing support of the CHOP Community Impact Department, the CHOP Grants Programs, and the commitment of the whole CHOP enterprise to help their employees support children and families in their communities.
Thank you.
Narrator: This work could not be possible without the ongoing commitment of CHOP employees. They are the driving force, meeting the community where they are, and providing services that go beyond patient care. If you are interested in learning more or supporting the Chop Cares Community Grant Program, contact the Office of Community Impact at CHOPcaresgrants@chop.edu. We also wanna thank everyone that supports the program, including CHOP Leadership, the CHOP Cares Community Advisory Board, and our community partners. We know we are better together, so as we look into the future, we welcome you to join our mission.
The CHOP Cares Grants program is an example of how the hospital supports employees in developing and implementing programs that fill specific health or wellness-related needs, such as those identified in the regional Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA), by providing financial and technical support to help make a difference in their neighborhoods.
“In recognition of our employees’ dedication to children in our community, CHOP offers competitive Cares Grants to support employee volunteer efforts,” said Falguni Patel, Director of Community Impact at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. “The grants program is an initiative of CHOP’s Office of Community Impact and projects are funded by the CHOP Cares Community Fund, which includes individual donations and Hospital contributions.”
“We hosted the 10-year community celebration event at the West Philadelphia YMCA, as it has served as a partner and host site for many CHOP Cares grant programs. The YMCA is a community leader and a safe and welcoming space for children and their families,” Patel added.
“The Garage Community and Youth Center is a grateful partner of the CHOP Community Cares Grant Program, which has allowed our organization to further develop our health and wellness initiatives, including nutritional education and meal service programs,” said Kristin Proto, Executive Director of The Garage Community and Youth Center. “Further, the partnership with CHOP has sparked the career interest of our students who are now serving in our summer internship program, Career Compass, with two high school students cooking daily meals in our Nutrition Kitchen as well as one high school student who interns at CHOP’s Kennett Square and West Grove Primary Care Centers this summer. Thank you for your partnership and the support you provide in our community!”
The CHOP Cares Community Grant program has also provided funding for many current programs such as gun violence prevention workshops, food distributions, parent and youth support groups, menstrual hygiene education, iSTEM workshops, career exploration activities and internships, health screenings, and more.
To learn more about the CHOP Cares Community Grant Program, visit community.chop.edu.
About Children's Hospital of Philadelphia: A non-profit, charitable organization, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia was founded in 1855 as the nation's first pediatric hospital. Through its long-standing commitment to providing exceptional patient care, training new generations of pediatric healthcare professionals, and pioneering major research initiatives, the hospital has fostered many discoveries that have benefited children worldwide. Its pediatric research program is among the largest in the country. The institution has a well-established history of providing advanced pediatric care close to home through its CHOP Care Network, which includes more than 50 primary care practices, specialty care and surgical centers, urgent care centers, and community hospital alliances throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey, as well as the Middleman Family Pavilion and its dedicated pediatric emergency department in King of Prussia. In addition, its unique family-centered care and public service programs have brought Children's Hospital of Philadelphia recognition as a leading advocate for children and adolescents. For more information, visit https://www.chop.edu.
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