At the beginning of April, we announced the launch of a landmark gift and matching campaign led by our longtime partners and supporters, Carol and Louis Della Penna and family. They committed $100,000 as a challenge to the community to inspire unrestricted gifts to Doylestown Health—and even in extraordinary times such as these, the answer was tremendously enthusiastic. The campaign deadline was April 30. By close of day, more than $125,000 had been donated to the Della Penna Challenge; with their matching gift, more than $225,000 was contributed in unrestricted support. These gifts will help us meet immediate needs associated with delivering patient care while ensuring the safety and well-being of our Associates and clinical teams. We are so grateful for the generosity of the 120 donors—30 of whom are new to the Doylestown Health donor family—who committed to this challenge and answered the call at this critical time in our history.
Gifts of another kind—less tangible but certainly very meaningful—also continue to support the good work our teams are doing. We have received messages from community members, many of them children, thanking our healthcare heroes and offering words of encouragement. You can view them on our One Community page, and share your own messages with us at OneCommunity@dh.org. At the end of April, we received digital “cards” from some of the 4th Grade students at Groveland Elementary:
There are so many ways the community continues to rally around Doylestown Health in heartfelt ways. On April 23, Keith Garner and Joey De Noble performed an open-air concert on the hospital’s campus and then returned later in the week for a special performance in honor of the VIA’s 125th anniversary. On April 30, representatives of local law enforcement, fire companies, and EMS responders drove in a caravan through campus to show their gratitude and support, lifting the spirits of everyone who watched. Many people in the community have joined together to donate much-needed PPE items, including bouffant caps, booties, and cloth masks. Manufacturing businesses have reconfigured their assembly lines to create face shields and hand sanitizers. And throughout the community, yard signs sponsored by the VIA have started sprouting by the dozens, showing widespread solidarity in support of our healthcare heroes. The stories and examples we could share are innumerable. We are, now more than ever, #DoylestownProud!
As always, even while we celebrate these achievements and take heart, we look forward to the future and our ever-evolving needs. Today we announce that Doylestown Health will be joining a global movement for generosity called #GivingTuesdayNow on Tuesday, May 5. #GivingTuesdayNow is meant to inspire giving in communities across the world during this critical time. It is also the day before National Nurses Week begins on May 6. In recognition of this global day of giving, and to honor our nurses, our true healthcare heroes, we invite you to make a gift to the Doylestown Health Foundation Nursing Scholarship Program. This fund is dedicated to providing opportunities for nurses to continue training and education, including the pursuit of a Bachelor of Nursing degree while remaining part of our clinical teams. To donate, visit our secure donation portal or click the Donate button on our Facebook page and share with your friends and followers for maximum impact.
We are all in this together. To those who have given, and to all of those working every day for the health and well-being of our community, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Keep fighting the good fight.
