When Laura Carter, patient service associate for Penn Medicine Cherry Hill, worked in the trauma unit at Cooper Hospital, she saw many victims of violence. She vividly remembers one, a young man who had been shot eight times but, miraculously, recovered. “Before he was discharged, he told me that he’d get his life together this time. He said ‘I don’t want this to happen again.’” Months later, he returned to the ER, but this time no one could save his life. “I knew then that I wanted to help – give these kids a way to escape the violence in Camden,” she said. “I had to do something.”
Growing up in Philadelphia, she recalled enjoying free lunches and free recreation activities during the summer. “They don’t have that in Camden. Kids have nothing to do. A lot are in the houses by themselves.” That’s when she came up with Setfree Urban Outreach, a fun and safe way for underprivileged children in Camden to spend Saturdays during the summer. “I simple wrote down what I wanted to do and then I made it happen!” she said. She created and distributed flyers in several Camden neighborhoods but didn’t think many kids would show. That first summer 250 kids and parents came.
For several years, Carter and her team of volunteers (which included coworkers, friends, neighbors, spouses… even her mom!) set up several tents for games and storytelling, a dance contest with prizes, free pretzels and water ice, health screenings, and gently used clothing and shoes. “My volunteers were my motivation,” she said.
This past summer, though, funding for these weekly activities, which primarily came from Carter and other volunteers, ran out so she was unable to hold the program. But, thanks to a Penn Medicine CAREs grant – and the help of many of her coworkers at Penn Medicine Cherry Hill - many kids from Camden still enjoyed an outreach they won’t soon forget. At the end of August, nearly 60 got to bowl for two hours and eat all the pizza, soft pretzels, and soft drinks they wanted! “We also gave out backpacks filled with school supplies,” she said. “The kids had a great time and the parents who came were thrilled.”
Carter hopes to start Setfree Urban Outreach up again next summer. “I’m looking for sponsors to build a relationship with so that we may continue to service the children in the inner city and give them options other than just the street corner,” she said. “I work very hard to make sure my own children succeed; it's embedded in me to want every child I come across to have the same outcome: success.”
If you would like to learn more about Setfree Urban Outreach and how you can help, email Carter or call 856-520-0055.
Penn Medicine CAREs Grant
Penn Medicine faculty, staff and students throughout the organization donate their time and expertise to provide countless hours of work to improve the health and well-being of the communities we serve. To help with these efforts, the Penn Medicine CAREs Grant program was established to offer institutional support in the form of grants that can be used for the purchase of supplies and other resources needed to perform this important work in the community.
QUESTIONS? Do not hesitate to email the Public Affairs office or call (215) 662-7030 with any questions or concerns regarding the grant or application process.
Interested in volunteer opportunities? Visit the Community Events Calendar.