Staying Connected With Our Community
Greetings!

As the weather gets warmer we usually see an increase in volunteer events as we all look for ways to reconnect with our communities. While our ability to provide in person volunteer events remains on hold during the COVID-19 pandemic, Life Science Cares Philadelphia is focused on staying connected with our community. Keep reading to find out about:

  • our webinar series with leaders of our non-profit Partners
  • virtual volunteer activities
  • other ways to help!
We are also actively working to raise additional funds to support the needs of our Partners and the communities they serve. Last month Life Science Cares Philadelphia granted $100,000 to our Partners to support their efforts in this time of extreme need. However, more is needed and we are in the process of raising an additional $100,000 to make emergency grants. Learn how you can join us in the Get Involved - Donate section below.
Responding to COVID-19 Webinars
Earlier this month Life Science Cares Philadelphia began a series of webinars to showcase how our Partner non-profits have responded to the COVID-19 pandemic. Register below for an upcoming event or listen to a recording of an earlier event in order to hear directly from the leaders of our Partners about the needs of the communities they serve and how our Partners have responded.
Upcoming Webinar:

Wednesday May 27
9:30 am to 10 am

Special Guests:

Michal Smith, Executive Director Cradles to Crayons

Vin Milano, CEO
Idera Pharmaceuticals
In this interview with Michal Smith, executive director of Cradles to Crayons Philadelphia we'll learn more about how Cradles to Crayons responded to their community partners who turned to Cradles to Crayons with urgent needs for new diapers, school and art supplies, hygiene items and other essentials needed by families with children. 
Recorded Webinar:


Special Guests:

Mike Dahl, Executive Director Broad Street Ministry

Lisa Dalton, Chief People Officer, Spark Therapeutics

Learn more about how Broad Street Ministry modified their services to protect the health of vulnerable populations and their staff while still distributing food and providing services to those in need. Executive director Mike Dahl also discusses how collective effort is more powerful than working alone as he reviews partnerships created with other local organizations. 
Get Involved - Virtual Volunteering
Mock Interviews
 Issue area: Sustainability | Youth

Volunteer Virtually with Year Up students from Wilmington or Philadelphia on two separate dates. Volunteers will participate in a series of virtual mock interviews with Year Up students using Zoom to ask questions, review resumes and give real time feedback. These experiences are incredibly important and impactful as the Year Up students get ready to interview in the real world. Training materials and Zoom instructions will be provided in advance of the event.
Wednesday June 10
Wilmington Students
2:00 - 5:00 pm 
Online Zoom event
Wednesday June 17
Philadelphia Students
2:00 - 5:00 pm 
Online Zoom event
At Home Activities
Issue area: Survival | Youth
Cradles to Crayons has created a toolkit of activities so you and your family can continue helping provide essential items to local kids from the safety of your home. Just click on an activity to download instructions, then “Collect & Hold” the donations you accumulate!
Get Involved - Donate
DOUBLE YOUR IMPACT!

In order to increase the impact of your donations to Life Science Cares Philadelphia, we will match all donations we receive in this time of extreme need. For every dollar donated to Life Science Cares Philadelphia, we will make $2 in emergency grants to our partners who continue to be in need of financial support, until we reach our goal of raising an additional $100,000. We are over halfway to this goal and need your help! 

Funding for the emergency grants and our Life Science Cares match program has been provided by members of the Board of Directors of Life Science Cares Philadelphia and Spark Therapeutics. We encourage our life science community to join us in this effort to support the most vulnerable among us.
Get Involved - Other ways to help
Contact Tracing Volunteers

Contact tracing is a process in which officials identify whom an infected person may have exposed and warn them to self-isolate to reduce the spread of the virus. Having effective contact tracing programs in place will be necessary in order to safely reopen our economy. A contact tracing effort will involve a lot of people and local governments are working to increase their capacity to do that work.

If you are interested in learning more about becoming a volunteer to assist with contact tracing, please complete this survey and you will receive additional information from the Philadelphia Department of Public Health as it becomes available.
Donate tablet devices
At virus hotspots across the country, countless patients - especially the elderly and low-income - are suffering in social isolation without a smart device to stay connected to their families and communities.  Connect for COVID-19 is collecting excess smart devices (smartphones, tablets, laptops) to enable digital access for vulnerable populations to tackle patient isolation and enable remote access for medical staff on the frontlines. Fill out this form to start the process of getting your device to an ICU patient in need:
Stay in touch
Keep up date with the latest news about Life Science Cares Philadelphia by following us on Twitter and LinkedIn:
Life Science Cares Philadelphia
P.O. Box 670 Ardmore, PA 19003