Thank You from Gift of Life Howie's House

Our 2024 Beneficiary

The Pennsylvania Breast Cancer Coalition

The Pennsylvania Breast Cancer Coalition (PBCC) was created in 1993, by women from across Pennsylvania that came together to take action in the fight against breast cancer. They had one mission, to find a cure now… so our daughters don’t have to. The PBCC is a statewide non-profit 501(c)(3) organization that represents, supports, and serves breast cancer survivors and their families in Pennsylvania through educational programming, legislative advocacy, and breast cancer research grants. The PBCC is the source of action and information for women in Pennsylvania with breast cancer. Whether it’s through our free care packages, annual conference, or traveling photo exhibit we provide a fun and educational way to support and bring awareness to newly diagnosed women and long-term survivors.

Our 2023 Beneficiary

Gift Of Life Howie's House

Gift of Life Howie's House, a 501(c)(3) non-profit charitable organization, opened in 2011 is a 32-room facility offering organ transplant candidates, recipients, living donors, and their families temporary lodging and supportive services. Families are asked to pay just $40 a night and receive a safe place to rest, a warm meal each evening prepared by volunteers, and transportation to and from transplant centers. They also have access to a social work team and a supportive community of other families on the transplant journey to support them during what can be one of the most difficult times in their lives. No eligible family is ever turned away from the House due to an inability to pay its nightly fee.

Our 2022 Beneficiary

Baby Colin and Little Peter Helping Families

The mission of Baby Colin & Little Peter Helping Families is to support families that experience infant loss and babies born prematurely that have an extended stay in the NICU in the Philadelphia and surrounding areas.

The founders of the organization, Pete and Emily McNicholas, have personally endured the tragic loss of their Son four years ago as a result of a premature birth. They currently have a beautiful 5 year old Daughter and 3 year old determined Son who was also born premature and diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy. Pete & Emily experienced loss, grief, hardships, and spent numerous days (at times months) in the hospital with testing, consultations, and therapy. While navigating through this unfamiliar territory, they obtained first-hand knowledge of these circumstances and want to help families in need in the Philadelphia and surrounding areas moving forward. To this end Baby Colin and Little Peter Helping Families was established! Whether it is assisting with hospital bills, lodging for out-of-town families with children in hospitals, or the extremely unfortunate funeral costs for a loss, they want to give back in their sons’ names and there is opportunity to do so every day. The goal of Baby Colin and Little Peter Helping Families is to help families focus on what is important, spending time with family!

Our 2021 Beneficiary

DAV (Disabled American Veterans) Charitable Service Trust

The mission of DAV (Disabled American Veterans) Charitable Service Trust is dedicated to one, single purpose: empowering veterans to lead high-quality lives with respect and dignity.

To carry out this responsibility, the DAV Charitable Service Trust supports physical and psychological rehabilitation programs; enhances research and mobility for veterans with amputations and spinal cord injuries; benefits aging veterans; aids and shelters homeless veterans; and evaluates and addresses the needs of veterans wounded in recent wars and conflicts. For those of every era, the Trust also supports programs that benefit the caregivers and families of ill and injured veterans.

Since establishment, the DAV Charitable Service Trust has led a grant program for not-for-profit organizations that fulfill a need or array of needs for sick, wounded, and homeless or at-risk veterans throughout the nation. Though the Trust recognizes that the needs of veterans are often unique to a particular military family or veteran of a specific era, many of the services provided with grants funds reflect the rehabilitation for physical and/or psychological wounds from combat.

Frequently, the Trust awards grants to promote food, shelter, and other necessary items to homeless or at-risk veterans; mobility items for veterans that have experienced vision loss, hearing loss, or amputations; therapeutic or recreational activities for those with physical and/or psychological limitations; and education or training for veterans seeking career-readiness and skill development. Funds have also been awarded to support the families and caregivers of veterans in acknowledgement of the extended barriers faced by countless loved ones. The Trust does not generally provide funding to support goodwill advertising; initiatives that are affiliated with any given political or religious concept or campaign; endowment funds; pilot or newly established projects; or capital items including funds to support the acquisition or maintenance/rehabilitation of property.

Our 2019 Beneficiary

The Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders Center at Penn Medicine

The mission of The Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders Center at Penn Medicine is to improve knowledge and develop new, "translational" treatments for the cognitive impairment and dementia associated with Parkinson's disease. The PD&MDC is a premier academic medical center and hosts a fellowship program for neurologists who seek specialized training in clinical movement disorders. Graduates of their program can be found all over the United States and abroad, and many lead their own movement disorders centers. Additionally, the University of Pennsylvania and the Philadelphia Veteran's Administration Medical Center have been honored to be the site of one of only six Parkinson's disease Research, Education and Clinical Centers (PADRECC) throughout the country. The Philadelphia PADRECC offers the same exceptional care for veterans, as well as opportunities to participate in clinical trials and other research initiatives.

Our 2018 Beneficiary

The Oral Cancer Foundation

The Oral Cancer Foundation's core mission is to reduce the incidence of oral and oropharyngeal cancers in the US population, and support those who are currently or have been, impacted by the disease. We do so through the following mechanisms.
We provide the most current and vetted scientific information about the disease in a central location, the OCF web site which has hundreds of pages of regularly reviewed pages on the disease, treatments, research, and much more. This information can be accessed free of charge by anyone, and our site is regularly used by patients, students, doctors, researchers, and the general public interested in the disease. An informed public is able to avoid risk factors for disease development, and recognize early signs and symptoms that will facilitate early diagnosis and treatment.

Our 2017 Beneficiary

Greater Delaware Valley Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society

For 2017, Breaking Clay for The Cure, Inc. (BCFTC) has turned its focus to those affected by Multiple Sclerosis (MS), which is a disease that damages the central nervous system resulting in varied and unpredictable symptoms. The cause of MS is still unknown, but medical experts believe the disease is triggered by as-yet-unidentified environmental factor(s) in a person who is genetically predisposed to respond. The progress, severity and specific symptoms of MS in any one person cannot yet be predicted. Most people with MS are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50, with at least two to three times more women than men being diagnosed with the disease. In an effort to keep BCFTC's support for MS close to home, we have chosen our 2017 beneficiary as the Greater Delaware Valley Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society whose mission is to help people affected by MS live their best lives, restore what is lost and end MS forever.

Our 2016 Beneficiary

The Philadelphia Ronald McDonald House

The Philadelphia Ronald McDonald House supports families of seriously ill children by creating a community of comfort and hope. Our programs include two Ronald McDonald Houses, two Ronald McDonald Family Rooms at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, a Hospitality Kiosk at St. Christopher's Hospital for Children, and a Ronald McDonald Camp. Over 90% of our funding comes from individuals and corporate donors, and the remaining 10% is provided by Ronald McDonald House Charities. While it costs the Philadelphia Ronald McDonald House nearly $90 a night per family to provide housing and supportive services, families are only asked to contribute $15 per night. No one is ever turned away due to inability to pay.

Our 2015 Beneficiary

The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia's Cancer Center

The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia's Cancer Center is a pediatric cancer treatment facility staffed by internationally recognized pediatric oncologists and teams with expertise in every type of pediatric cancer, from the most common to the rarest. Our experts, who have experience treating the rarest pediatric cancers, work together to diagnose and treat patients using an evidence-based approach backed by the latest research advancements.

Our 2014 Beneficiary

The Upper Bucks Lions Kidney Foundation

The Upper Bucks Lions Kidney Foundation is a Non-Profit, Charitable organization developed to help financially limited individuals in the Upper Bucks County area with the costs related to dialysis treatment. The Lions Clubs of the Upper Bucks County area raise funds to provide monthly payments to those individuals that have been interviewed and have been determined to need assistance with their medical costs. At this time the Foundation has 16 individuals that are receiving our help.

Our 2013 Beneficiary

Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation

The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) is the leading global organization funding type 1 diabetes (T1D) research. JDRF's goal is to progressively remove the impact of T1D from people's lives until they achieve a world without T1D. JDRF collaborates with a wide spectrum of partners and is the only organization with the scientific resources, regulatory influence, and a working plan to better treat, prevent, and eventually cure T1D.

Our 2005-2012 Beneficiary

American Cancer Society

The American Cancer Society (ACS) was first founded in 1913 and is the nationwide community-based voluntary health organization dedicated to eliminating cancer as a major health problem by preventing cancer, saving lives, and diminishing suffering from cancer, through research, education, advocacy, and service.