Hispanic Liaison wins GSK IMPACT award for efforts to create healthier community

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SILER CITY — The Hispanic Liaison was one of 10 Triangle-based community nonprofits to win an IMPACT award from global pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) for creating a healthier community.

GSK partnered with the Triangle Community Foundation and Philadelphia Foundation in 2021 to award $1 million to 20 small- to mid-sized nonprofits working to improve the health of marginalized populations — including 10 based in the Triangle and 10 in Greater Philadelphia. Launched 25 years ago, the IMPACT awards since have doled out over $13 million to community nonprofits.

Each winner will receive $50,000 in unrestricted funds to continue their work; this year’s award sum represents a 25% increase from last year’s.

“Health is about so much more than the products that we (GSK) make or what happens in the doctor’s office,” Sri Ramaswami, GSK’s head of U.S. Communications, said during the company’s virtual IMPACT awards ceremony. “The IMPACT awards have shown us that the neighborhood and community that a person lives in and the support systems that they have access to have an even greater influence on living a healthy life. … Thanks to the work of these amazing GSK IMPACT Award winners, more people are living in healthy neighborhoods and communities every day.”

Along with 19 other leaders, the Liaison’s executive director — Ilana Dubester — spoke about the nonprofit’s mission and work in the virtual award ceremony. This included the health and safety project they launched with poultry plant workers to advocate for healthier working conditions and their Solidarity Fund — which has distributed $226,000 to 261 immigrant families who didn’t qualify for federal stimulus checks.

“Thanks to your generosity and vote of confidence we’ll make our organization and our communities stronger,” Dubester said. “Mil gracias.”