Making an Impact: The 2013 GSK IMPACT Awards (part 1)

Today was a big day at GSK’s Philadelphia offices! We hosted the 2013 GSK IMPACT Awards for the Greater Philadelphia Region. So much of what influences our health depends on what happens outside the doctor’s office – right in our communities. Today we recognized seven nonprofits in the area that are working to build healthy communities. 

The winners are:

• Center in the Park, Inc. – Building healthy communities by addressing health disparities among older African Americans.
• Common Market Philadelphia, Inc. –  Building healthy communities by connecting communities with healthy, sustainably grown farm food.
• Homeless Advocacy Project – Building healthy communities by improving self-sufficiency through high quality legal services.
• Inn Dwelling – Building healthy communities by helping families become self-sufficient and upwardly mobile.
• Lutheran Settlement House – Building healthy communities by empowering individuals and families through social, educational, and advocacy services.
• MANNA (Metropolitan Area Neighborhood Nutrition Alliance) – Building healthy communities by providing medically appropriate meals for people with life-threatening illnesses.
• New Kensington Community Development Corporation – Building healthy communities by enhancing the physical, social, and economic fabric of the community through sustainable development. 

“There is an important connection between our health and our community. The more we understand this connection, the more we can improve it. And the GSK IMPACT Award winners show us how it’s done.”

Safety, access to healthy foods and recreational spaces, and the support of families and social networks contribute to our health, but also present a bit of a challenge for us to help people do more, feel better, and live longer. That’s why we’re putting such an emphasis on supporting community-based organizations making a local impact.

The GSK IMPACT Awards (Greater Philadelphia Region and Research Triangle Park Region in NC) and GSK IMPACT Grants(Metropolitan Denver and Greater St. Louis) recognize nonprofit organizations for their efforts to address these community health factors. The IMPACT Awards in NC will be held on December 4, and we’ll announce the IMPACT Grant winners early next year.