HEADstrong Brings Thanksgiving to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania for the 13th Year In A Row

For the 13th year in a row, HEADstrong Foundation volunteers and staff members will serve a traditional Thanksgiving meal to families receiving inpatient cancer care at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. The Foundation’s HEADtable program serves meals, provides outlets of entertainment and recreational activities for in-patients and their families receiving life saving cancer treatment at Philadelphia-based hospitals.

The HEADstrong Foundation is a Philadelphia-area based non-profit organization dedicated to improving lives affected by cancer and helping families navigate the emotional and financial obstacles they face along the way. 

Spending the Thanksgiving holiday at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania is a reality all too familiar to the Colleluori family, who started the foundation. It was here that the family shared their last Thanksgiving with their son, brother and HEADstrong founder Nicholas Colleluori who succumbed to non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma just two days after the holiday in 2006. During the last days of his life, Nick asked his family to see his vision of the HEADstrong Foundation™n into fruition and to help gather loved ones by serving and sharing the traditional Thanksgiving meal with patients and families on his favorite holiday.

HEADstrong brings the holiday spirit to the hospital and this event is truly something that everyone looks forward to. Throughout the day HEADstrong President Cheryl Colleluori, accompanied by the foundation’s advocacy team of survivors once treated at HUP, travel the floors to delivery comfort kits assembled by employees of PECO Energy and personally meet with every patient and their family to listen and provide support, empathy and a loving embrace.

The meals are prepared by Rastelli Catering and provided by supporters of HEADstrong Foundation.

For more information on the HEADstrong Foundation, please visit www.HEADstrong.org or follow on social @HEADstrongFnd.