Patient First in the Community

We have participated in Just Between Friends (JBF) consignment events in both the Collegeville and Wyomissing areas during the past several years. Following one of those recent events, another JBF event being set up on the campus of beautiful Haverford College in Delaware County, PA reached out to us and invited our participation in their event. Our schedule was clear, se we jumped at the opportunity to join for a day of this multi-day super sale.

This organization's events always draw big crowds of shoppers who know where to find great bargains, and this event was no exception. Organizers told us they had more than 100,000 items for sale at this particular events. People from all over the region came out to do some serious power shopping for their families. Although the audience was mostly young moms with children, or expectant moms, we saw plenty of dads, grandparents and others, too. It was a buyer's paradise with all kinds of things available for purchase at deep discounts, too. Children's clothing, shoes, games and toys, puzzles, books strollers, furniture and so much more flew out the door at people enthusiastically searched for their treasures.

The event ran like clockwork thanks to a very organized event leader and her scores of volunteer support staff. We were so happy to be part of an event that drew people from such a large area. Although most event-goers were closest to our Patient First centers in Springfield and Devon, PA, many others came from Philadelphia and communities around the city, and even several from South Jersey. We are hoping for an invitation to return to future events since we know this is the type of activity that attracts participants who are very interested in great deals, great service and exactly the type of care we provide at our Patient First locations when people are ill or injured and need care. 

Dominion Energy Riverrock, advertised as the nation's premier outdoor sports and music festival, took place over the weekend of May 17-19 at Brown's Island and Belle Isle in Richmond, VA. Forecasted rains throughout the weekend did not stop the fun as the event offered a preview of summer fun on the horizon in Richmond. The event was initially designed to promote the City's unique riverfront, downtown trails, and whitewater rapids, but has since evolved and now has over 30 participatory events throughout the 3-day festival, including yoga, a kayak polo competition, and dog jumping, as well as several free demos, offering plenty of ways to be a part of the adventure. In between events, festival goers enjoyed music from local Richmond bands as well as samplings from Richmond's burgeoning foodie scene.

Patient First was on site all three days of the festival and was positioned across from the dog jumping event, offering great views of the competition. Several festival goers stopped by our tent to take advantage of our free blood pressure screenings. While the rain kept the crowds at bay the first two days, the final day made up for it. Of those we talked to, many had visited Patient First and had many wonderful things to say. A highlight of our year, we are already looking forward to next year's festival!

There was plenty of Bad Blood between the Bowie Baysox and the Richmond Flying Squirrels Friday night, as the minor league teams engaged in a slugfest as the Baysox hosted Eras Night for the fans.

In keeping with the theme of the night, many of the people who came out to the game arrived decked out in their best Taylor Swift gear, Bejeweled with their friendship bracelets and other fan paraphernalia.

Plenty of people stopped by our table to say Thank You (Aimee was not there), for the services we provide. So many, in fact, that we struggled to keep there from being too much Blank Space on our table, as they snatched up our promotional items, including branded stress ball baseballs. 

The night was quite  the display of offense, with more than 22 runs scored between both teams, resulting in a final score of 17-10, with the Squirrels as the victor. Here's hoping that the next series results in some Karma for the Sox, and that the next time the two teams square off, there's something Better Than Revenge for the Bowie faithful. It's been a bit of a Cruel Summer for the club, and they could use a winning streak of  a Fortnight or two.

Following the game, Taylor fans were ready to Shake It Off and take in a live concert with a Taylor Swift cover and, and they were certainly Ready For It. Before fans could say Is It Over Now, the night came to a close and everyone went home floating on a Lavender Haze of great memories.

Don't Blame Me for the number of TS titles in this summary. Look What You Made Me Do!

On Saturday, May 11, Patient First returned to one of the largest street fairs in the Baltimore region, the 43rd annual Laurel Main Street Festival. After several days of rain leading up to the event, the weather proved to be picture perfect, and judging by the volume of the crowd, they were ready to celebrate!

This annual tradition closes off Laurel's Main Street for several blocks, allowing more than 250 vendors, service providers, and food stands to set up shop on both sides of the thoroughfare. Our tent was positioned right square in the center of the action, allowing us to interact with so many people, in what's been our biggest event of the year, so far!

The day began with a nearly hour-long parade, featuring dozens of city leaders, first responders, civic groups, marching bands, youth sports leagues, and private organizations. Among them was Laurel Little League, which we proudly sponsor as one of our youth sports organizations! This provided us a first-hand look at our logo branding on the jerseys for every team in the league!

As was the case last year, the crowds came out in droves. Most of them had been patients at our Laurel center, and all of them were effusive in their descriptions of the care they received from our staff there. As you can see from the photos, it's easy to see why this is one of our busiest events of the year. The crowd was easily in the 30,000+ range, and everyone was eager to come by, say wonderful things about Patient First, and walk away with some of our promotional items. We will certainly look forward to seeing everyone there in 2025!

The mission of Laurel House is to advocate for and empower those impacted by domestic violence by providing crisis intervention, safe haven, supportive programs and resources. They also aim to advance social change through preventive education, community training and the collaboration to provide a coordinated response to domestic abuse. Several years ago the organization tapped Patient First for support, and we have been happy to engage in a variety of their activities as a sponsor ever since that initial connection. We are happy to support an organization like this that provides supportive services to individuals, families and communities throughout Montgomery County, PA. 

We participated in the organization's 2024 "Walk A Mile In Her Shoes" event, and had such a great day with the hundreds of individuals, groups and organizations who came out to join the fun. Each year at this event men are literally asked to walk a mile in women's high-heeled shoes to actively confront gender stereotypes and expectation in a playful way. This year Pfizer's Collegeville, PA Campus staged the walk, and popular Philadelphia disc jockey Preston Elliott from WMMR's Preston and Steve radio show returned to emcee the event.

Hundreds of men (women and families, too) signed up to raise awareness about this important cause. They came from all walks of life, too, which was remarkable. Participants included Assistant District Attorneys, firefighters, veterans, law enforcement officers, corporate executives, students and many more. The solidarity in raising awareness of domestic violence brought so many people together, and at the end of the day more than $50,000 was raise to support the good work Laurel House does to serve the community. We are happy to have been a part of walking a mile in her shoes again this year, and we look forward to many more opportunities to be supportive of the powerful and important mission of this organization in the future.

With sunnier skies and warmer temperatures, events returned to the Virginia Beach Oceanfront this month, where kite enthusiasts and spectators united for the Atlantic Coast Kite Festival. This popular event took place along 16th and 17th streets on the boardwalk, where kites of all varying sizes and shapes could be seen soaring from a mile away. 

Spectators watched as experienced members of the American Kite Association conducted captivating kite demonstrations and routines set to music. With an array of other activities, people of all ages and skill levels were able to participate in the fun through a "Best Kite Contest," allowing them to show off their flying abilities. Kite building workshops helped teach people not only  how to build a kite, but also on the various aspects of kite launching, flying techniques, and safety precautions. Daily awards were given out to the oldest and youngest kite fliers, the funniest kite, the most unusual kite, and the biggest kite. 

While Patient First did not have a kite of their own at the event, we were on site to conduct free blood pressure screenings, and to pass out informational brochures and other giveaway items. Patient First will be back on the boardwalk throughout the summer season for other fun events too!

We enjoy partnering with many sports organizations, but each year the Little League sponsorships near our centers always seem to catch a special place in our hearts. 

There's nothing quite like hearing or even singing "Take me out to the ball game," and it is even more special for us when we are at a game and see our Patient First name on team jerseys, or our banner hung at ball parks.

This year we were excited to be invited to participate in Opening Day activities for the Cherry Hill American Little League in New Jersey. And, what a great day we had! We have been a sponsor for many years, but this was the first time we had the opportunity to join everyone on site for the Opening Day festivities.

One of the day's highlights was meeting the Coach of "our" Patient First team, along with several of our team players, their moms, their dads, and their families. They were all so happy to see us, and thankful for our sponsorship support.

If it had just have been about 20 degrees warmer and without wind, our day could have been called perfect. But blue skies and bright sunshine prevailed, making it a beautiful day to be among the hundreds of people who came out to cheer on their teams.

Cherry Hill's team (the bigger boys) won the National Championship last year, and they were honored by having the whole team out to join the festivities. It was great inspiration for the younger players to look up to the older athletes. It's the local Little League where the national winners got their start!

The 21st Annual KORUS Festival, held from May 3 to May 5 at the Annandale Center parking lot, brought together the vibrant Korean American community for a weekend of celebration. Despite the weather challenges, the festival attracted a diverse crowd with its array of cultural performances and activities. 

Friday's grand opening under sunny skies featured a mix of musical acts, traditional dances from various cultures, and energetic performances that set the tone for the weekend. Saturday's schedule was packed with talent shows, K-pop performances, and cultural competitions despite the persistent rain. Sunday saw the continuation of festivities with the Seniors Superstar Singing Contest and a thrilling performance by the world champion Chun-Jae Park Taekwondo team. 

Throughout the event, attendees enjoyed a variety of activities, including games, job fairs, and cultural showcases. Despite the rain, the community showed up in full force, eager to participate and celebrate. At the event, our table provided valuable information to the Annandale community, including free blood pressure checks and a table for kids activities. With 97 blood pressure readings taken over the weekend, our presence was felt and appreciated. Our signage in Korean attracted attention and sparked conversations, with many attendees expressing surprise and gratitude for our presence in Annandale. We also connected with young attendees, encouraging them to follow us on social media and engage with our center. 

In general, feedback was positive, with attendees mentioning seeing our advertisements in the Korean newspaper and expressing appreciation for our services. We were particularly touched by the gratitude expressed by attendees who received first aid kits from us. Overall, the festival was a success, bringing the community together and showcasing the rich cultural heritage of Annandale community.

Thank you!

As the weather and our community event schedule begins to heat up, Patient First would like to recognize and thank all our employees who helped with events over the past year. We truly value your contributions and your time in making our community events the successes that they are. 

It takes special people to give of themselves to help others, and each and every one of you who has given up your time to participate at the hundreds of festivals, family health nights, fun runs, and other events are very special to us. Thank you for your enthusiasm, your positive energy, and for being such amazing ambassadors for Patient First!

Take a look at this video we've assembled showcasing our amazing staffers! (Note: We have many more staff who support our events who may not appear in this video montage, but rest assured each and every representative from our centers is greatly appreciated!)

A beautiful, crisp, clear Sunday morning in downtown Baltimore provided the perfect backdrop for an event steeped in love, caring and support in the form of the Ronald McDonald House Red Shoe Shuffle.

While this was the 13th year that this 5k run/walk/stroll has been held at the site of the Ronald McDonald House (just three miles from our Bayview center), this was the first year that Patient First has been a part of it. Nevertheless, we could not have been made to feel more welcome, with friendly greetings and check-ins by the RMH staff, and a prime location for our table and tent in the middle of the event's Celebration Village.

With its mission of providing housing-- sometimes for months at a time-- for out of town families while their children undergo life-saving treatments at area hospitals, this nationwide event could not be a more worthwhile cause for us to champion, and we received countless thanks from not just the organizers, but the families and supporters of the recipients of this invaluable service.

This year marked the first time in its history that the event sold out, with 3,000 people participating in the Shuffle itself, not to mention the people that came out to cheer on and support the participants. So many of those who stopped by our table had been patients of ours, and self-proclaimed frequent fliers from as near as Bayview and Glen Burnie, to as far as Waldorf and Downington, PA. We had so many wonderful conversations with people who were incredibly appreciative of our services, the clean condition of our centers, and the professionalism of our staff.

With this year's record setting turnout, the money raised to support this charity hit an all-time high as well-- with over half a million dollars collected! Our staff felt honored to be a part of this celebratory day, and we certainly look forward to keeping this event on our schedule for years to come!