Hurricane Relief Fund: Thank You for Your Support

November 27, 2017

To:Penn Medicine Faculty and Staff

From:J. Larry Jameson, MD, PhD
Ralph W. Muller
Gail Morrison, MD

We are proud to share that thanks to the dedication, commitment, and industriousness of students in the Perelman School of Medicine, the student-led effort to help those affected by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria, raised more than $27,000. These funds have been matched by Penn Medicine, totaling more than $55,000 in contributions.

The funds will be divided between national and local organizations best suited to support the urgent and essential need for health care infrastructure and medical supplies in these regions where residents are in desperate need of medical support and many are still without shelter, electricity or clean water.

Organizations receiving funds from these generous efforts include:

  • AmeriCares: A non-profit disaster relief and global health organization with vast experience in providing immediate response to emergency medical needs and in supporting long-term health care initiatives for people in the United States and around the world. More than $22,000 has been donated to AmeriCares to support people affected by all three hurricanes.
  • ConPRmetidos: An independent nonprofit created by Puerto Rican leaders to foster entrepreneurship and social impact in Puerto Rico. A $11,000 dontation will go toward the organization’s efforts to support long-term structural repairs to the most vulnerable communities in Puerto Rico.
  • Center for Popular Democracy’s Hurricane Maria Community Relief and Recovery Fund: One hundred percent of the $11,000 donation will be used to support immediate relief, recovery, and equitable rebuilding in Puerto Rico for communities hit hardest by the storm.
  • Vieques en Rescate: This local Puerto Rican nonprofit was first created in response to the disproportionate incidence of cancer in the municipal island of Vieques. A $11,000 donation from the student’s campaign will support the rebuilding of the island’s infrastructure, including repairing phone line and transportation ferries that were destroyed during Hurricanes Irma and Maria.

These recent natural disasters have taught us that the Penn Medicine community’s spirit of giving expands far beyond Philadelphia to people across the United States and the world. We thank you for your generosity and commitment to helping those in need, no matter where they live.