For Your Service, Our Endless Thanks
November 26, 2025
Dear Colleagues,
Medicine is a field made of innovators, problem solvers, doers, and givers—people who devote their time, talent, and energy to uplifting others. They see the world as it is and work to bring about what it could be.
Across Penn Medicine, this commitment unfolds with purpose every day, and your actions, in the last few weeks alone, have shown how powerful that kind of caring can be.
This fall, the Penn’s Way giving campaign exceeded record levels in support of local charities. What’s more, when SNAP benefits for families in the region were threatened, employees responded with generosity to meet the moment. The institution pledged funds to local food banks, and through Penn Medicine, faculty and staff also made donations to organizations that help prevent hunger.
At the same time, that spirit of service extended far from our own backyard to people an ocean away. When Hurricane Melissa struck Jamaica last month, it left a trail of devastation. Penn Medicine quickly mobilized, sending relief funding, medical supplies, and volunteer aid in response to one of the strongest storms in the island’s history.
Beyond seasons of need, the Penn CAREs grant program helps employees and students translate the passion they find in their work to neighborhoods in the area year-round. Since 2012, employees and students have received more than $1.4 million to benefit over 1,000 initiatives that improve health and well-being in the places Penn Medicine serves.
This autumn, we celebrated the far-reaching impact of these efforts and honored CAREs Community Champions, recognizing outstanding programs that address issues from veterans’ health and the educational equity gap in STEM to expanding the health care safety net in medically underserved neighborhoods, and more.
Because of you, patients and families gain hope, communities grow stronger, and lives around the world are transformed. This Thanksgiving, we offer our deepest gratitude to you, the healers and helpers who give without hesitation.
