Philanthropy has the power to go beyond charity to create sustainable change and meaningful, long-term impact. It takes generosity – but also hope, vision, and drive, which are abundant in Philadelphia.
Brian Communications recently had the privilege to host three regional philanthropic leaders at our Faces of Philanthropy: Driving Health Outcomes & Community Impact event, which demonstrated the influential role that nonprofits are playing in building healthier communities in Philadelphia and beyond.
Joining us were:
We shared a thought-provoking conversation on the power of philanthropy in shaping the future of health and community well-being. Here’s a glimpse of what our speakers had to say:
Hope is one of the most important gifts we can give.
“I’ve learned so much from Project HOME’s leadership and the way that they think about transformation. They’ve had this model, long before it was popular, to do very community-driven efforts – listening to what the community wanted and how they wanted to be empowered. And they thought very holistically; the Project HOME initials stand for Housing, Opportunities for Employment, Medical Care, and Education. If you’re with someone through all of it and really supporting them holistically, it makes a much bigger difference. There’s a really strong emphasis at Project HOME about recognizing our shared humanity and shared dignity.” -- Francie Fitzgerald
“We want to look at the family as a whole and see how we can make the biggest impact on everyone, including the siblings and parents. It’s not just about the financial support, but about their mental health, feeling that they’re not alone and that somebody cares for them. When they’re going through something like this, the parents are hearing “no” a lot. So to hear a “yes” — it’s just more powerful than I can describe.” -- Christine DiBona Lobley
Sustainable change will take all of us – and nonprofits can be strategic connectors.
“As a nonprofit, we have so many great relationships in Atlantic City. Together, we’re not just feeding people – we're helping them learn skills. We’re working on generating a whole neighborhood with indoor growing, outdoor growing, and all the nonprofits coming together. It’s simple, but it’s impactful. People can be empowered to grow their own food. I’m proud of our work with other nonprofits to build an economic driver and a healthy food community.” -- Cookie Till
“We want to think beyond supporting the individual to building strategic partnerships, because solving these problems will take all hands on deck. Project HOME really believes we can end chronic street homelessness in Philadelphia, but everyone has a role to play.” -- Francie Fitzgerald
As a team, we were so honored to showcase these organizations and their impact in the community, and to convene nonprofit leaders, healthcare innovators and changemakers throughout Philadelphia to discuss how we can continue to build on this work.
As Christine’s father, Fred, once taught her, “When you have the opportunity to be a positive part of a person’s journey, then be a positive part of that journey.”