December:

St. Judes Children’s Research Hospital (Lee Moylan and Mike Iaconelli)

Ronald McDonald House Charities of Philadelphia (Herc Grigos)

Share Food Program (Monica Clarke Platt)

Philadelphia Bar Foundation – Albert W. Sheppard Scholarship Fund

Arthur’s Acres Animal Sanctuary (Bill Matthews)

Common Cause Pennsylvania (Gregory G. Gosfield)

Planned Parenthood Southeastern Pennsylvania (Gregory G. Gosfield)

Parks & Rec Heroes Fund (formerly Philadelphia Parks Alliance) (Gregory G. Gosfield)

Friends of Bache-Martin (Patrick Murphy)

Eastern Pennsylvania Alliance of Climbers (Paige Willan)

The Primavera Fund (Carl Primavera)

Urban Promise (Tom Ecker).

November:

Anti-Defamation League (Jonathan Krause): ADL is the leading anti-hate organization in the world. Founded in 1913, its timeless mission is “to stop the defamation of the Jewish people and to secure justice and fair treatment to all.” Today, ADL continues to fight all forms of antisemitism and bias, using innovation and partnerships to drive impact. A global leader in combating antisemitism, countering extremism and battling bigotry wherever and whenever it happens, ADL works to protect democracy and ensure a just and inclusive society for all.

Philadelphia Holocaust Remembrance Foundation (Jonathan Krause): The foundation seeks to educate people on the atrocities of the past while working toward a future of tolerance and enlightenment and also maintains the city’s only Holocaust monument, the Horwitz-Wasserman Holocaust Memorial Plaza.

Pennsylvania SPCA (Cori Brennan): PSPCA is Pennsylvania’s oldest, largest and most comprehensive AnimalWelfare organization and also the second oldest in the nation. PSPCA is not associated with the ASPCA or any other SPCA in the state or country. PSPCA’s mission is to protect animals, prevent cruelty and improve the health and quality of life throughout PA. They have 4 physical locations – North Philadelphia, Danville, Lancaster and Main Line Animal Rescue – where they offer in-house Shelter Hospitals, low-cost veterinary services, behavior and enrichment programs, humane education and placement of abandoned animals in loving forever homes. They also have a Humane Law Enforcement Department, which covers 18 counties throughout the state. PSPCA has a no-kill philosophy – they do not euthanize for time or space – and have achieved a 97% live-release rate.

Philly Friendship Circle (Lee Sussman): The Philly Friendship Circle is based on the foundation of “love your fellow as yourself.” The organization connects teens and young adults to youth with special needs and their families through a full range of social offerings. They provide inclusive social programs where children, teens and young adults, both with and without disabilities, can build friendships. Through fun and interactive experiences, these relationships bring a sense of joy and meaning to the Friendship Circle community and beyond. The Philly Friendship Walk will take place at Jack M. Barrack Hebrew Academy in Bryn Mawr, PA.

Cathedral Kitchen (Carol Slocum): Cathedral Kitchen is the largest emergency food provider in Camden, New Jersey, serving more than 100,000 meals a year. They provide nutritious meals for food insecure residents of Camden and the surrounding areas. They also provide meals for local after school programs, groceries for low-income senior centers, and send donated food to local pantries, churches and soup kitchens that also serve the local population. In addition, the organization also provides a Culinary Arts Training Program and Baking Arts Training Program to provide culinary training to those who wish to enroll. Both programs include classroom instruction in culinary/baking arts, plus ServSafe certification training, like skills, financial literacy and interviewing skills training. Graduates are assisted with job placement and over 86 percent of graduates find employment during the first three months following graduation. Other services the organization provides include referrals to other agencies for needed help, free groceries from their weekly Marketstand, free personal care items and on-site general health care screenings in partnership with Project H.O.P.E.

Philabundance (Greg Gosfield): The organization is the Delaware Valley’s largest hunger relief organization, rescuing and distributing food to help feed those in need and advocating for policies that increase food access. Their mission is to drive hunger from our communities today and end hunger forever. They serve more than 90,000 people each week in nine counties in PA and Southern NJ.

Free Library of Philadelphia (Greg Gosfield): The mission of the Free Library of Philadelphia is to advance literacy, guide learning and inspire curiosity. Its vision is to build an enlightened community devoted to lifelong learning. 

Women’s Way (Greg Gosfield): Women’s Way is the Greater Philadelphia region’s leading nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of women, girls and gender equity. Their mission is to inspire and mobilize the community to invest in organizations and leaders that will advance the rights of and opportunities for women and girls and achieve gender equity for all. They work in partnership with individuals, organizations and communities that have a stake in advancing gender equity to build a region where all women and girls thrive. Their programs to respond and advocate for issues impacting women include the Immediate Response Action Fund, Women’s Economic Security Initiative and the Young Women’s Initiative.

League of Women Voters of Philadelphia (Greg Gosfield): The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan political organization made up of women and men of all ages and backgrounds which encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy.

Moravian University (Darlene Venini): Founded in 1742, Moravian University offers students a private education with personal attention and preparation for life with a record of success longer than our nation’s history. With small class sizes and expansive academics, Moravian University is both selective and accessible, rooted in an education-for-all inclusiveness that we pioneered. The first school to open its doors to women, Moravian has constantly evolved over 280 years and now carries university recognition, reflecting the richness of their undergraduate, graduate, and research offerings. Open to students of every background and faith, they celebrate their historic roots in the Moravian Church and continue their founders’ legacy of crossing borders and overcoming barriers.

October:

Friends of United Hatzalah (Mort Branzburg): United Hatzalah is a community-based volunteer emergency medical services (EMS) organization committed to providing the fastest response to medical emergencies across Israel even prior the arrival of ambulances and completely free of charge. They have a network of more than 6,500 volunteers across the country, available around the clock – 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year – who respond to more than 2,000 emergencies each day. 

Anti-Defamation League (Keith Kaplan): ADL is the leading anti-hate organization in the world. Founded in 1913, its timeless mission is “to stop the defamation of the Jewish people and to secure justice and fair treatment to all.” Today, ADL continues to fight all forms of antisemitism and bias, using innovation and partnerships to drive impact. A global leader in combating antisemitism, countering extremism and battling bigotry wherever and whenever it happens, ADL works to protect democracy and ensure a just and inclusive society for all.

Saint John’s Hospice (Greg Gosfield / Jon Katona): Saint John’s Hospice is a Catholic Social Services shelter for men located in Center City Philadelphia. Established in 1963 by Monsignor Anthony J. O’Neill, Pastor of Saint John the Evangelist Church, and The Little Brothers of The Good Shepherd, Saint Johns was created as an outreach ministry to serve and assist the poor and homeless in the community. Saint John’s continues to provide crucial, life-sustaining services with dignity, respect and compassion to homeless men in Philadelphia.

 Morris Animal Refuge (Greg Gosfield): Founded in 1874, the Morris Animal Refuge is a pioneer in Animal Welfare. The Philadelphia-based life-saving organization is committed to adoption, education, and high-quality care with the goal of finding positive and humane outcomes for animals in need. Keeping with Philadelphia tradition, the Refuge established a number of “firsts” in animal welfare.

Beyond Literacy (Greg Gosfield): Beyond Literacy (BeLit) provides opportunities for adults and families by harnessing the power of literacy through free, high-quality education. As the leading literacy agency in Philadelphia, BeLit helps learners improve their reading, writing, math, English language, digital literacy, and workplace skills. Classes move students from learning to earning, helping them succeed as students, community members, and career seekers. In spring 2021, a merger between Center for Literacy (CFL) and Community Learning Center (CLC) brought together 87 total years of literacy experience that has created lasting, positive impacts, not just for individual students, but for their families and the community at large.

Project HOME (Greg Gosfield): The mission of the Project HOME community is to empower adults, children, and families to break the cycle of homelessness and poverty, to alleviate the underlying causes of poverty, and to enable all of us to attain our fullest potential as individuals and as members of the broader society. They strive to create a safe and respectful environment where individuals support each other in the struggles for self-esteem, recovery, and the confidence to move toward self-actualization.

Pennsylvania Innocence Project (Paul Nofer): The mission of the Pennsylvania Innocence Project is to exonerate those convicted of crimes they did not commit, to prevent innocent people from being prosecuted and convicted, and to help those wrongfully convicted transition to freedom. 

Secondhand Pups (Augusta O’Neill): Secondhand Pups is an animal rescue organization based in Livingston, Texas. 

August:

American Councils for International Education (Paige Willan): American Councils strengthens international ties and mutual understanding through excellence in academic, professional and cultural exchange, language acquisition, educational development, and research. They believe that international education should be accessible for all. That is why their focus is to advance scholarly research and cross-border learning through the design and implementation of educational programs grounded in key world languages, cultures, and regions. Through international training, cultural exchange, immersion learning, and public diplomacy, they broaden individual perspectives and foster personal and intellectual growth.

Caring People Alliance (Gaetano Piccirilli): The mission of Caring People Alliance is “To reduce poverty and injustice by providing high-quality services that nurture positive child and youth development, stable families across the life cycle, and thriving communities.” This ambitious, but grave, pursuit starts with nurturing positive child and youth development and encouraging family stability. They achieve this by providing youth, their families, and their elders with high-quality, community-based programs and services that promote character-building, educational achievement, healthy lifestyles and teamwork. Through neighborhood-based services, they bring resources and opportunities to economically challenged, under-resourced communities.

Consumer Bankruptcy Assistance Project (Ray Lemisch): The Consumer Bankruptcy Assistance Project assists low-income, Philadelphia residents with free debt counseling and pro bono Chapter 7 bankruptcy representation with the help of dedicated staff, volunteer attorneys and local law students. Without CBAP’s help, many people who would benefit from a bankruptcy are faced with either trying to hire an attorney they can’t afford or trying to go through the complicated process on their own. Instead, these same people have their financial situation assessed by a supervising attorney and their case referred to a pro bono attorney or law student. By providing both access to the court system and the tools to be financially sustainable, clients are empowered to create better financial futures for themselves and their families.

June:

Razom for Ukraine (Larry Arem): Razom, which means “together” in Ukrainian, believes deeply in the enormous potential of dedicated volunteers around the world united by a single goal: to unlock the potential of Ukraine. Razom works towards that mission by creating spaces where people meet, partner and do. Razom initiates short and long-term projects, or collaborates on existing projects with partner organizations, which help Ukraine stay on the path of fostering democracy and prosperity.

Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (Lisa Lori): Founded in 1845, the sisters are a congregation of women religious with a lifelong commitment to serving underserved populations all over the world. One of the sisters’ sponsored works is Marywood University in Scranton. Marywood was founded in 1915 to educate women in Northeastern PA at a time when women could not even vote let alone receive a college education. The sisters believe that education empowers people. Now a coeducational university with approximately 3,000 students from around the world, Marywood continues the mission of its founders by empowering underserved populations through education

May:

Team Impact (Brad Krouse): The organization tackles the emotional trauma and social isolation experienced by children facing serious and chronic illnesses by matching them with a college athletic team. By providing a safe, supportive and encouraging environment for a child and their family to connect with a college athletic team and local campus community, Team IMPACT can fill the void left when traditional support systems are lacking. Since its inception in 2011, Team IMPACT has matched over 2,000 children with more than 700 colleges and universities in 48 states, positively impacting more than 55,000 participating student athletes. 

Police Athletic League of Philadelphia (Frank Correll): PAL is “Cops Helping Kids.” PAL aspires to be the premier youth-serving organization in the city by reducing crime, promoting character development and improving educational outcomes. They do this by having Philadelphia Police Officers, supported by civilians, offer sports and other programs to youth in PAL centers in some of the city’s highest crime and lowest income neighborhoods. PAL Centers are safe havens, offering a variety of programs and other events to attract, engage and develop an active membership base of more than 10,000 Philadelphia youth. 

JFCS (Stephan Cutler): JFCS is a full-service, wide-ranging social service agency helping the most vulnerable throughout their entire life cycle. From programs for Persons Living with Disabilities and Holocaust Survivors to Mental Health counseling and prevention programs for teens to food and clothing distribution to those in need, JFCS serves the entire community and all who need them.

Covenant House Pennsylvania (Chris Leavell/Nadine Yackle): Covenant House builds a bridge to hope for young people facing homelessness and survivors of trafficking through unconditional love, absolute respect, and relentless support. Their doors are open 24/7 in 31 cities across six countries and their high-quality programs are designed to empower young people to rise and overcome adversity, today and in the future.

Habitat for Humanity Philadelphia (Denise Day): Their mission is to transform lives and the city by building and repairing homes in partnership with families in need and uniting all Philadelphians around the cause of affordable housing. Their vision is a city where all Philadelphians live in safe, affordable homes. Since 1985, the organization has built and sold approximately 216 affordable homes to first-time homeowners in Philadelphia and has strategically partnered with more than 600 families to make critical home repairs enabling so many families to achieve strength, stability and self-reliance and providing them with a brighter future. 

April:

ALS Hope Foundation (Ron Patterson): The ALS Hope Foundation provides funding for the MDA/ALS Center of Hope at Temple University Lewis Katz School of Medicine, one of the first multidisciplinary ALS clinics in the country, and the Neuromuscular Research Laboratory at Temple University College of Medicine. The Foundation also provides educational events to inform people living with ALS and the public about ALS research. 

Center for Jewish Life (Doug Schleicher): The CJL embraces all Jewish students, amplifying connections to Jewish meaning, experience, and community. We aspire to provide insights and pathways to help Princeton Jewish students live their lives as a sacred gift. We hope to help every student find their own voice within the larger narrative of the Jewish people — on their own terms — at their own level — but in ways that are deeply connected to the wisdom of our ancient tradition and linked to the opportunities and challenges of today’s complex world.

Friends of Bache-Martin (Patrick Murphy): Friends of Bache-Martin provides financial resources and facilitates community engagement to enhance the educational opportunities offered by the school. Friends of Bache-Martin cooperates with the Bache-Martin school administration to create a community of lifelong learners, and to support the school’s mission, vision, and values.

Independence Charter School (Justin Csik): Independence Charter School (ICS) is a community-based K-8 public charter school of academic excellence, centrally located in Philadelphia and serving a diverse community of learners. ICS provides an intellectually-stimulating curriculum with a global focus designed to develop independent, thoughtful global citizens. We emphasize second language acquisition and integrate arts, ideas, and histories from around the world.

March:

For Pete’s Sake Cancer Respite Foundation (Bill Matthews): The organization enables cancer patients and their loved ones to strengthen, deepen and unify their relationships by creating unforgettable and lasting respite experiences. Their Cancer Respite Program includes two forms, the Travel Respite and the Staycation Respite. Both experiences are transformative and address the emotional, psychosocial, financial, physical and spiritual traumas that families confront with a cancer diagnosis. Their Cancer Respite Program complements traditional treatment and the respite experience plays a crucial role in the patient continuum of care.

Be Strong Families (Paul Nofer): Be Strong Families is a nonprofit organization that partners with organizations, systems and communities to help families grow stronger from the inside out. They offer technical assistance and trainings to help create peer-to-peer discussions that promote vitality, provide emotional healing and foster peace. These transformative conversations not only prevent violence and fight oppression, but they also give hope, create amazing leaders and help overlooked communities thrive.

Philadelphia Youth Orchestra Music Institute (Carl Primavera): The PYO Music Institute is the tri-state region’s premier youth orchestra organization for gifted, young, classical musicians, and one of the oldest and most highly regarded youth orchestra organiza­tions in the United States. For over 80 years, the PYO Music Institute has been providing professional-caliber musical experiences to young instrumental­ists, while thrilling discriminating audiences in the Greater Philadelphia region and across the globe.

Covenant House Pennsylvania (Carol Slocum): Covenant House builds a bridge to hope for young people facing homelessness and survivors of trafficking through unconditional love, absolute respect, and relentless support. Their doors are open 24/7 in 31 cities across six countries and their high-quality programs are designed to empower young people to rise and overcome adversity, today and in the future.

February:

Homeless Advocacy Project (HAP) (Jon Katona): The Homeless Advocacy Project is the only legal services organization dedicated to providing direct civil legal services to individuals and families experiencing homelessness in Philadelphia. HAP also advocates for the needs of the City’s homeless population, promoting positive changes in policies that impact those needs. 

Secondhand Pups (Augusta O’Neill): Secondhand Pups is an animal rescue organization based in Livingston, Texas. 

Chabad at University of Delaware (David Eagle): The Chabad center for the University of Delaware, which offers critical counseling services and a warm, non-judgmental and safe space for students of all affiliations, as well as students of no affiliation, to gather, learn and just relax. 

Greater Cleveland Volunteers: Greater Cleveland Volunteers enriches the community and individuals through volunteer service. They recruit volunteers age 18+ to serve at numerous nonprofit organizations in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, and assist people in finding the right opportunity to serve based on their interests, skills and availability. 

Doctors Without Borders (Virginia Bishop): Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) offers medical humanitarian assistance to people based solely on need, irrespective of race, religion, gender, or political affiliation. Their teams of doctors, nurses, logisticians, and other frontline workers are often among the first on the scene when peoples’ lives are upended by conflict, disease outbreaks, or natural or human-made disasters.

January:

Main Line Art Center (Mort Branzburg): The mission of Main Line Art Center is to inspire and engage people of all ages, abilities, and economic means in visual art through education, exhibitions, and experiences. The Art Center has been the community’s home to discover, create and experience visual art for over fifty years. Along with our classes and workshops for kids, teens and adults, the Art Center offers tuition-free classes, scholarships, programs for artists with disabilities, outreach programs with over 20 community partners, exhibitions and events.

ACHIEVEability (Monica Clarke Platt): ACHIEVEability is a nonprofit working to permanently break the generational cycle of poverty for low-income, single parent and homeless families through higher education, affordable housing, supportive services, community and economic development and accountability.

United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation (Matt Werthman): For more than 25 years, the UMDF has built a network of the top clinicians, hospitals and researchers dedicated to fighting mitochondrial disease. They are driven by a nationwide community of ambassadors solely focused on supporting patients and families affected by mitochondrial disease. Together, they are committed to make a difference by funding the best science no matter where it is found in the world and providing critical programs and services to the patient families they serve.