The Garces Foundation announced Tuesday that it is adopting a new but familiar name after 14 years of serving the Philadelphia community.
According to foundation leaders, the organization officially changed its name to Comunidad Garces — comunidad means “community” in Spanish — because that’s what patients, students and volunteers have been calling it for years. Officials said the new name also reflects the foundation’s commitment to serving immigrant families.
“Transitioning to Comunidad Garces is a natural evolution for us, as our students and patients have called us their comunidad for years,” said Robin Morris, executive director of Comunidad Garces. “Comunidad Garces reflects our mission to open doors to opportunity for our immigrant friends, family, and neighbors — regardless of status and place of origin. Whether you need help learning English, access to health care, or just an ear to listen, you can count on our team at Comunidad Garces to welcome you in.”
The organization was founded in 2012 by Chef Jose Garces and Dr. Beatriz Garces, following the death of Felipe, a 26-year-old butcher who died of treatable thyroid cancer after avoiding medical care out of fear of deportation.
“We’ve witnessed and experienced firsthand the challenges of the immigrant journey in the United States, and that’s why we built Comunidad Garces,” said co-founders Dr. Beatriz Garces and Chef Jose Garces. “Felipe was our co-worker and our friend, and his loss affected us deeply. Knowing his death could have been avoided with earlier medical attention led us to this work, so that nobody has to wait that long again.”
On Tuesday, the organization also announced that it will expand its free “Community Health Days” to a second location in Kennett Square amid growing demand for services.
According to officials, Community Health Days, which provide free medical and dental care, have increased from quarterly to every other month, and now include mammograms through Penn Medicine’s mobile mammography program alongside colon and prostate cancer screening.
Moreover, leaders say enrollment in IDIOMA, the organization’s English as a second language (ESL) program, has doubled since 2020 to more than 700 students a year.
To learn more about Comunidad Garces, visit this website.
