The Century Therapeutics team spends the day at Philabundance food bank, part of their “Give Like a Centurion Week” (SOURCE: Life Science Cares)
Life Science Cares: How Local Biotechs and Biopharmas are Giving Back to Communities in Need
By Eliana Spiess
April 18, 2023
The life science industry is known for its innovation and profitability, but is much less so recognized for community engagement. Make no mistake, though – life science professionals aren’t just sitting in a laboratory or meeting room all day with their heads down doing work. Just like any flourishing ecosystem, they’re getting out into their communities and helping others live better lives.
Here at BioBuzz, we highlight community leaders and changemakers in addition to innovators to shine a light on the good that exists within our ecosystem. Life Science Cares (LSC) has taken on a similar mission, as they have created a system through which the life science industry can directly give back to the community.
Beginning in Boston, LSC saw the potential the life science industry had to help fellow Bostonians that were suffering from poverty. The team worked tirelessly to galvanize the industry to utilize its influence by connecting them to visionary nonprofits that fight poverty. Using the aid from their corporate partners, LSC provides grants to their nonprofit partners who aid those affected by poverty.
“Life Science Cares was created on the belief that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, that by organizing and focusing the time and talent of hundreds of companies and thousands of employees, we can have the most meaningful impact in the communities in which we live and work,” says Rob Perez, LSC founder.
“We are creating sustainable opportunities for our life science partners to make their philanthropic vision a reality. We believe this industry has the resources to move the needle on issues of poverty in the cities we serve,” said Brandi Burgess, Director of Development at Life Science Cares Philadelphia. “We work alongside our nonprofit partners to identify their unique needs and matchmake them with industry leaders who share our commitment to social responsibility. Our relationships are human-centric, so we follow the nonprofits’ needs and invite our industry partners to meet us at the table and get to work. We believe collective impact lives beyond the grant checks we are writing, and we hold our network accountable to that – we engage time, talent, and treasure.”
These nonprofits are composed of three foundational pillars:
- Basic Needs: LSC funds multiple organizations working to address basic needs such as food security, safety, health, and housing to ensure each chapter’s most vulnerable neighbors have a strong foundation on which to build.
- Education: LSC supports programs that provide STEM educational enrichment, and college preparation and success initiatives. The team also brings students to visit local life science companies to learn more about what’s out there.
- Opportunity: Upending generational inequity means investing in job creation, job training, mentoring, and resource development. LSC believes that providing support to the best organizations that work to help families and individuals lift themselves out of poverty is an important strategy for change.
Now, with a multitude of corporate partners and advisory board members, LSC has expanded to the Bay Area, San Diego, New York, and Philadelphia and is creating positive change in each of those communities.
From mentorship to special donations, from volunteer drives to offering office space, LSC Philadelphia, like other chapters, takes available resources from life science companies and helps utilize them for the good of the community. Donations are a major aspect of LSC’s ability to make sustainable grants to their nonprofit cohort, and their local partners at Harmony Biosciences and Jazz Pharmaceuticals have given immense support and routinely set clear goals to ensure they are meeting community needs and remaining engaged.
“When you invest in Life Science Cares, you’re supporting a portfolio of organizations working on the ground to improve the lives of our neighbors living in poverty. Your gift is paired with thousands of volunteer hours and hundreds of thousands worth of donated goods annually. By investing in this network, your gift goes farther and has a stronger impact,” said Burgess.
LSC Philly provides its partners with an opportunity to design custom volunteer engagements based on their team’s focused impact. During Black History Month, for example, the Marinus Pharmaceuticals team did a donation drive for Achieveability and for Women’s History month they built over 50 hygiene kits (which included personal notes of encouragement) for a women’s shelter at the Bethesda Project. As a national partner, Danforth Advisors plans a day of service for all LSC sites so employees across the country are united in a week of impact – typically with a hundred volunteers showing up to serve at all 5 LSC affiliates.
Additionally, LSC’s partnership with Century Therapeutics supported LSC Philadelphia’s launch of Project Onramp, a national LSC internship program dedicated to placing college students from underrepresented backgrounds in summer internships with LSC corporate partners.
“Life Science Cares is uniquely positioned to invest in solutions to poverty because of the resources and skills of our sector. A scientific mind is needed to build and measure these solutions along with an empathetic heart to solve human-centered issues. Our job is to harness the talents of this incredible community and direct it as effectively as possible with our nonprofit partners,” adds Morgan Berman, LSC Philly Executive Director.
“What we need now is for partners to join us at the table so we can grow to meet the rapidly increasing need across all the cities LSC serves. We are only as strong as those who have joined our efforts. With each new partner, we gain resources, but we also iterate forward, galvanized by their ideas, expanding our reach and refining our approach,” concluded Burgess.
Tickets are still available for LSC Philadelphia’s 2023 Impact Reception on April 24th, at Broad Street Ministry.
LSC is also always looking for more ways to grow their “network of good”. Contact Director of Development Brandi Burgess to find out how you too can make a tangible difference in your community.
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Eliana Spiess is BioBuzz’s Editorial Intern. She is currently working towards her BA in Human Biology and English Literature, and her MPH in Epidemology and Biostatistics. Eliana is passionate about increasing scientific literacy in the general population and loves writing about all things science, biotech, and finding one’s niche in those spaces as she works toward finding her own.
