St. Luke's Warren Employees Raise $15,000 for Local School-Based Youth Services Program

St. Luke's Warren Campus held a fundraiser last year to raise money for the Phillipsburg School-Based Youth Services (SBYS) program. Dubbed “TGIF @ Flynn’s,” the event raised $15,380, which was recently presented to Phillipsburg SBYS to help fund services that uphold the program’s aim to support health and mental wellness, community and school connectedness, healthy living, and educational and occupational development.

“Our mission is to assure that teens are both physically and emotionally prepared to take full advantage of their educational opportunities and experience a positive lifestyle, enabling them to be employable, healthy and drug-free,” explains April Poretta, the Phillipsburg SBYS Program Director.

Held on May 18, 2018, at the outdoor pavilion at Flynn’s on the Hill in Phillipsburg, the event featured an all-you-can-eat buffet, beverages, Oogie’s Ice Cream truck and live music by band Uncle Rocco. The money was raised by approximately 240 attendees, which included St. Luke’s employees, board members, physicians and community members.

It was the first time the fundraiser was held in this format. Previous iterations had been black tie galas.

“We wanted an event that was more inclusive for all employees, as well as, the community,” says Mary-Beth Smith, Coordinator of Special Events & Volunteer Services at St. Luke’s Warren Campus.

“It was a great night and we received wonderful feedback. This event was a fun way for us to support a worthwhile program that helps to strengthen our community.”

The Phillipsburg SBYS program operates within the Phillipsburg School District. It partners with St. Luke’s Coventry Family Practice, which is affiliated with St. Luke’s Warren Campus and hosts the hospital’s Family Medicine residency program. 

“Our partnership with St. Luke’s Coventry Family Practice has afforded economically disadvantaged students the connection to receive quality obstetrical services, acute illnesses treatment, and mandated new student or sports physicals,” Poretta notes.

“Donated proceeds from the St. Luke’s benefit will further assist in funding the supportive and preventive health and mental wellness services SBYS provides to the students and families in the Phillipsburg community. We are very thankful to St. Luke’s for their strong and continued support of our program.” 

This year, the St. Luke's Warren Campus’ “TGIF @ Flynn’s” fundraising event will be held on Friday, May 17, from 5:30-10:00 pm. Organizers are in the process of determining the organization that will benefit from the 2019 event. Please contact Mary-Beth Smith at marybeth.smith@sluhn.org or 908-847-2046 with any questions.

About St. Luke’s

Founded in 1872, St. Luke’s University Health Network (SLUHN) is a fully integrated, regional, non-profit network of more than 15,000 employees providing services at 10 hospitals and more than 300 outpatient sites.  With annual net revenue greater than $2 billion, the Network’s service area includes 10 counties: Lehigh, Northampton, Berks, Bucks, Carbon, Montgomery, Monroe and Schuylkill counties in Pennsylvania and Warren and Hunterdon counties in New Jersey.  Dedicated to advancing medical education, St. Luke’s is the preeminent teaching hospital in central-eastern Pennsylvania.  In partnership with Temple University, St. Luke’s created the region’s first and only regional medical school campus.  It also operates the nation’s longest continuously operating School of Nursing, established in 1884, and 28 fully accredited graduate medical educational programs with 226 residents and fellows.  St. Luke’s is the only health care system in central-eastern Pennsylvania to earn Medicare’s five-star rating (the highest) for quality, efficiency and patient satisfaction.  In 2018, St. Luke’s was named a Top Hospital in the Teaching Hospital category by the Leapfrog Group.  It has repeatedly earned the 100 Top Major Teaching Hospital designation from IBM Watson Health (formerly Truven Health Analytics) – six times total and four years in a row including 2018.  It has also been cited by IBM Watson Health as a 50 Top Cardiovascular Program.  Utilizing the EPIC electronic medical record (EMR) system for both inpatient and outpatient services, the Network is a multi-year recipient of the Most Wired award recognizing the breadth of the SLUHN’s information technology applications such as telehealth, online scheduling and online pricing information.  St. Luke’s is also recognized as one of the state’s lowest cost providers.