Author: Stephanie Yee, C’08
When I became Chair of the Social Impact Committee of the Penn Alumni Club of Philadelphia, I made it our goal to host at least one service project per month. These monthly volunteer events have become wildly popular, and many of them sell out. We partner with a different non-profit in Philadelphia every month, and we are always looking for new ways to give back to our community. In addition to these one-day volunteer events, Penn alumni in the Philadelphia area can get involved in short-term projects through PennPAC.
Penn alumna, Jackie Einstein Astrof, C’93, founded PennPAC (Penn Pro bono Alumni Consulting) in 2010 as a way to engage Penn alumni together in rewarding, socially impactful work. As Chair of the Social Impact Committee of PennNYC, Jackie understands the importance of regional engagement and community engagement of Penn alumni. Through PennPAC, Penn alumni utilize their intellectual and professional skills to assist non-profits in their communities through short-term projects. In 2011, PennPAC joined forces with the Wharton Club of New York (WCNY), and in fall 2011, PennPAC launched its first projects in New York City.
Jackie reached out to me that fall about launching PennPAC through the Penn Alumni Club of Philadelphia, and I thought it was a brilliant idea. As External Vice President and Chair of the Social Impact Committee of the Penn Alumni Club of Philadelphia, I know there are many Penn alumni in the Philadelphia area who are always looking for new ways to give back to our community. With much excitement, I launched PennPAC Philly in spring 2012. Here is a sample of our current and past PennPAC Philly projects:
Spring 2012 Project:
Students Run Philly Style offers running training programs for youth. SRPS connects students with adult mentors who help them imagine and accomplish goals to succeed in life. Volunteers on this project will develop recommendations for SRPS to increase their visibility in the Philadelphia community.
Fall 2012 Project:
12+ is a non-profit organization dedicated to empowering students in underserved communities to achieve college access and completion. Volunteers in this project will increase and improve 12+ development through strategy and outreach. Note: 12+ was founded by a Penn alumnus, and the current CEO is a Penn alumna. Talk about a Penn connection!
Even though our Penn Alumni Club of Philadelphia volunteers love one-day volunteer events, many of them have expressed interest in longer-term projects. PennPAC is the perfect way for our volunteers to work closely with a non-profit in Philadelphia for 8-10 weeks. Penn alumni can get involved in PennPAC in many ways. The first step is to apply online:
Click here for the PennPAC Philly application.
Click here for the PennPAC NYC application.
Feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions about PennPAC Philly. You can email me at philly@pennpac.org. I look forward to growing PennPAC through the Penn Alumni Club of Philadelphia, and I hope to see PennPAC launched in more cities in the near future!
Frankly Penn 