Barbara's fundraiser for Put People First! PA 2025

Put People First! PA is a politically independent organization of everyday people from across PA uniting for Healthcare As A Human Right!  Our organization is 13 years old, and we are completely member-led and staff free. Our funds go towards helping members during moments of crisis, send folks across the state, country or overseas to study and exchange with others, and to cover the everyday costs of our organizing - Zoom, printing, providing food and childcare, and more!

We’ve just completed another powerful year of organizing in Pennsylvania and helping to lead the national Nonviolent Medicaid Army. Now more than ever our work organizing the politically independent poor is needed. With the Great Medicaid Purge beginning in 2023, the Biden administration with bipartisan support cut 25 million people from Medicaid. This year, the Big Beautiful Bill for Billionaires will conservatively add another 15 million. This means over 1 in 10 people in Pennsylvania have been denied their basic human right to Healthcare. The war on the poor has gone on for far too long and we won't be silent any more.

Here are some of our highlights from our year of organizing! 

Coordinated with over 20 simultaneous actions across the country for our Nonviolent Day of Action! These included vigils, healthcare caravans, rallies outside hospitals under attack and our first civil disobedience risking arrest in Delaware County to protest the closure of Chester-Crozer Hospital.

Held two NVMA Songbook Tours across the Northeast and Midwest Rustbelt, exchanging with leaders in other states and hosted leaders from the Kairos Center as they launched We Cry Justice! These grew our cultural organizing and were supported with our constant attention to basebuilding and leadership development.

Coordinated over 800 calls to Congress, educating and organizing folks across key constituencies in PA and other states.

Held our annual Membership Assembly with over 180 participants and 40 children, including leaders from partner organizations from over 17 states to build through our human rights struggles. We also are proud to have been able to bring international guests and coordinated to have a fully bilingual space to advance our Unity Across Language.

Donations are tax deductible and will be processed through our sibling organization and fiscal sponsor, United Workers. Their tax ID number is: 20-4345458