Proceeds From Virtual Event Fund Basic Needs, Education & Opportunity
Boston, MA— On May 24, Life Science Cares rallied life science, biotech, and medtech companies to take action against poverty during the organization’s 5th annual Impact Breakfast fundraiser. The 2021 event, held virtually, raised $710,000 to support Life Science Cares’ work funding access to basic needs, access to education and access to opportunity across Greater Boston.
The program featured video stories from a variety of Life Science Cares’ nonprofit partners, including representatives from the Pine Street Inn showcasing a new supportive housing program for women, staff from Waltham Fields Community Farm and Charles River Community Health Center discussing a new produce prescription program providing healthy food to patients and the team from BUILD Boston explaining how they pivoted to give their student entrepreneurs an online platform to develop their skills. The program also included remarks from LSC’s most recent grantees at GOTVax, We Got Us Empowerment Project and Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program, all organizations working to provide vaccine education and access in communities hit hardest by COVID-19.
In the last five years, Life Science Cares has invested more than $4 million and 15,000 volunteer hours on behalf of its nonprofit partners.
“If anything, the incredible upheaval of this last year has laid bare the structural inequities that underlie poverty. And it has reinforced our belief that our industry, when working alongside our community partners, can play a key role in ensuring a just and equitable recovery,” said Sarah MacDonald, Life Science Cares’ Executive Director.
Afdhel Aziz, an author, consultant and Chief Purpose Officer of the firm Conspiracy of Love, was the morning’s keynote speaker. Aziz challenged the audience to consider how they harness purpose in their work, their companies and their lives in order to do more good in the world. He outlined the “new normal” for employers, an environment in which investors, shareholders and employees are demanding companies must take a stand on social issues.
“No company is perfect, just like no human being is perfect, so you shouldn’t wait to be perfect internally before you go out and try to do things in the world,” said Aziz. “I really believe that there is an opportunity for organizations like Life Science Cares and companies around the world in helping us to build back better.”
The program was made possible by Presenting Sponsors Samantha, Becky and Mark Levin, and Gold Sponsors Ikena Oncology and Adage Capital Management.
A recording of the Impact Breakfast is available to watch online at https://lifesciencecares.org/impact-breakfast-2021/.
2021 Impact Breakfast Supporters include: Mark, Becky, and Samantha Levin, Ikena Oncology, Adage Capital Management, EMD Serono, the Bill & Melinda Gates Medical Research Institute, CRISPR Therapeutics, Dyne Therapeutics, Ernst & Young, Takeda, Thermo Fisher, Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Agios, Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Beam Therapeutics, Biogen, Blueprint Medicines, Collegium Pharmaceutical, General Atlantic Foundation, Genocea, GNS Healthcare, Goodwin Procter LLP, Halloran, Ipsen, Puretech Health, Sanofi Genzyme, Sarepta Therapeutics, Stet Vision, Syros, Trinity, Wellington Management, WilmerHale, Xilio Therapeutics, Albireo Pharma, Arranta Bio, Aura Biosciences, The Bowdoin Group, C4 Therapeutics, Generation Bio, Imara, Kaleido Bio, Kymera Therapeutics, Mr. Laurence Reid, Lyndra Therapeutics, Marsh McClennan Agency, Nimbus, Orchard Therapeutics, PathAI, Q32, RA Capital, Seres Therapeutics, Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma Oncology, Inc., Synlogic, Tectonic Therapeutics, The NemetzGroup, X4 Pharma, Zageno, C4 Therapeutics, T3 Advisors, ElevateBio, Health Advances, SVB Leerink, Novartis, Ardelyx, Corval, Pear Therapeutics, Spero, Stoke Therapeutics, Synterex, Vigil Neuro, We Work for Health, D&Co, Cambridge Crossing/DivcoWest, Corval, Boston Consulting Group, and Translate Bio.
