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December 14, 2007
Good Shepherd and its Founders Honored by Pennsylvania Society

Allentown—Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Network of Allentown, Pennsylvania, and its founders, the Raker family, were honored on December 8, 2007, by The Pennsylvania Society, a non-profit, charitable organization with thousands of members from throughout the Commonwealth. The honor was presented to Sally Gammon, FACHE, president & CEO of Good Shepherd at The Pennsylvania Society's annual Holiday Dinner at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City.

In addition to honoring Good Shepherd and the Rakers, The Pennsylvania Society presented its 2007 Gold Medal to Senator Arlen Specter. Governor Ed Rendell addressed the gathering.

The Pennsylvania Society's purpose is to honor achievement, to reward excellence and to promote good will and understanding and to celebrate service to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and to humanity in general. Members of The Pennsylvania Society come from many walks of life and professions, including educators, scientists, bankers, business people, lawyers, politicians and clergy. For more information on The Pennsylvania Society, visit www.pasociety.com.

Good Shepherd will celebrate its 100th birthday on February 21, 2008. Good Shepherd was founded in 1908 by the Rev. John Raker and his wife, D. Estella Raker, when they invited a disabled orphan into their Allentown home. In 1941, the Rev. Dr. Conrad W. Raker took over as administrator of Good Shepherd following the death of his father, John. Dr. Raker’s innovation would lay the foundation for the impressive growth that would define Good Shepherd later in the 20th and early 21st Centuries.

Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Network is a nationally recognized rehabilitation leader, offering a continuum of care for people with physical and cognitive disabilities. Good Shepherd serves more than 36,000 people annually and provides services at 30 sites in 7 eastern Pennsylvania counties. Good Shepherd offers specialized programs in brain injury, spinal cord injury, amputation, stroke, orthopedics, pediatrics and more. The organization operates inpatient rehabilitation hospitals, outpatient sites, a long-term acute care hospital, long-term care homes for people with severe disabilities, an independent living facility, a Work Services division that provides employment training and job placement for people with disabilities and a lifestyle products store called Rehability. Good Shepherd is also the majority owner of Good Shepherd Penn Partners, a joint venture with the University of Pennsylvania Health System (UPHS) of Philadelphia, which will serve as the post-acute care provider for UPHS beginning in July 2008. For more information on Good Shepherd, visit www.GoodShepherdRehab.org.