Drug Giant GSK Hands Out $360,000 To Help Improve Community Health
By Cherri Gregg
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Nine Philadelphia-area organizations got a financial boost today to help them in their work of creating healthier communities.
At an awards ceremony today at the Navy Yard in South Philadelphia, the philanthropic arm of the drugmaker Glaxo Smith Kline gave nine $40,000 "Impact Award" grants to nonprofit groups that work to create healthier communities through education, food resources, shared spaces, and more.
"The bicycle is a powerful tool for physical health and physical health management," noted awardee Kristin Gavin (at lectern in photo), whose Gearing Up organization uses cycling to help hundreds of women who were recently incarcerated reclaim their lives. "The bike is a physical embodiment of bringing women back into the community and empowering them."
And for "Giving Tuesday," GSK is awarding an additional $10,000 to the honoree who tweets the best idea for making Philadelphia even healthier.
"Think of it as one idea in one day," says GSK director Katie Loovis.
They're using the hashtag #GSKImpact on Twitter.
Other Impact Award honorees this year include the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society and the Center for Grieving Children.
The GSK Impact Awards were presented through a partnership with the United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey.
