HERSHEY, Pa. — Leaders from Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and Penn State Cancer Institute dedicated the Kristen Olewine Milke CARE Center, a vital resource for holistic cancer care, during a special ceremony on Aug. 7. The naming of the CARE (Cancer Assistance and Resource Education) Center, part of the Cancer Institute, honors donor and volunteer Kris Milke, whose $1 million gift brought the project to fruition in 2021 and established an endowment to ensure ongoing support for the center.
“Kris Milke’s commitment to this community, to Penn State Health and to Penn State Cancer Institute is deeply appreciated and truly inspiring. Kris possesses a deep conviction for treating the whole person, and her generous gift has allowed the Cancer Institute to create a special space that brings physical, emotional, social, spiritual and educational resources together to support patients and families,” said Don McKenna, president of the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center.
Within a welcoming, private environment, the Kristen Olewine Milke CARE Center offers patients the support and education needed to navigate treatment and beyond.
“We work closely with the entire team at Penn State Cancer Institute to not only treat the disease but to care for the whole person. Cancer has the ability to turn people’s lives upside down, yet we also see how incredibly strong and resilient people are in the face of such a challenge,” said Dr. Michael Hayes, founding program director of the CARE Center.
Milke is the daughter of the late Benjamin Olewine, a well-known philanthropist in central Pennsylvania. Over many decades, Olewine transformed the Harrisburg grocery store his father had started into a food distribution company that was ultimately bought by Sysco Corp. Milke served as senior vice president of Sysco Food Services of Central Pennsylvania until 2005, when she retired to devote herself full time to philanthropic work.
Milke joined the Penn State community as a volunteer in 2015.
“It has been a privilege to work with Kris through the Cancer Institute Development Committee,” said Dr. Raymond Hohl, director of Penn State Cancer Institute and professor of medicine and pharmacology. “Her deep commitment to advancing cancer care and research was evident throughout her years of service, and her leadership and generosity helped drive our success. The CARE Center would not have become a reality without Kris.”
Milke also served as a member of the Campaign Cabinet for Penn State Health and the College of Medicine during the University’s most recent campaign, “A Greater Penn State for 21st Century Excellence.”
“I am honored to help advance the important mission of Penn State Cancer Institute. As a two-time cancer survivor, I personally understand the importance of thoughtful, coordinated care and the need to serve the individual patient as a whole person,” Milke said. “It is my wish that the Kristen Olewine Milke CARE Center will be a place of hope and healing for many patients and their loved ones.”
Milke also has provided generous philanthropic support to Penn State College of Medicine through the Dr. Lindsey T. Surace Medical Student Scholarship, named in honor of one of her physicians and a graduate of the College of Medicine, and through a future pledge to support the Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery.
Donors like Kristen Olewine Milke advance the University’s historic land-grant mission to serve and lead. Through philanthropy, alumni and friends are helping students to join the Penn State family and prepare for lifelong success; driving research, outreach and economic development that grow our shared strength and readiness for the future; and increasing the University’s impact for families, patients and communities across the commonwealth and around the world. Learn more by visiting raise.psu.edu.