Category Archives: GAN

October 31, 2014 · 11:21 am

Farewell from the Sweeten Alumni House

By Kiera Reilly, C’93  @KieraReilly

After fourteen years working for Penn Alumni in our West Coast Regional Office in Los Angeles, today is my last day as a Penn employee.

It has been my honor and pleasure to work with the amazing volunteers and Penn Clubs that are literally all over the world. This was not just a job for me but a real love and passion to support Penn on the west coast. I will miss working with all of you.

Penn physically resides in West Philadelphia, but after talking, emailing and visiting countless alumni outside of the 19104 zip code, I believe that Penn’s heart is with our dedicated alumni that live and work in every corner of the world.

Final Sweeten Photo

In front of the Love Statue with my fabulous colleagues Carol Romani, Kristina Clark, Marge Tinsley and Janell Wiseley.

I leave Penn today as an employee, but remain a dedicated and loyal alumna, from the great class of 1993 (see you in May 2018 for our 25th reunion)!

Forever Red and Blue,

Kiera

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Filed under Class of 1993, Clubs, GAN, Kiera R., Leaving Penn, Penn Clubs, West Coast Regional Office

July 2, 2014 · 6:38 pm

Penn Club of San Diego Goes South of the Border for Street Eats

By B. Bea Rajsombath, C’99, club president

There are a lot of great things about living in sunny San Diego, including over 70 miles of beautiful coastline, the nice Mediterranean climate, pockets of diverse neighborhoods with their own vibe, mountains or beaches within miles of each other, great restaurants and bars, its proximity to Tijuana, and so much more.

The Penn Club of San Diego works on creating events and activities that feature the neighborhood gems and life in San Diego; events any of our alumni can appreciate, whether they recently moved here or are returning natives.

In November 2013, the Club joined Turista Libre for a wine tour in Valle de Guadalupe. Based on that successful and fun adventure, we had requests to organize another event south of the border. As Turista Libre (TL) focuses on organizing tours highlighting the local aspects of Tijuana and surrounding areas, we worked with them to deliver another event for our alumni. Passports in hand on March 22, Penn alumni and friends met up with TL at San Ysidro, the last US stop before reaching Mexico, about 15 miles south of San Diego. We were joined by a few other TL guests to walk across the border to board a small school bus operated by TL to start our adventure tour: TJ Street Eats.

Penn Alumni and friends

Penn Alumni and friends

We started our day with a birria taco from a busy food truck stationed on a non-descript street by a Staples. It was simple, yet bursting with flavor. A cheese quesadilla was offered to our vegetarian guests. The tacos were so delicious most of us wanted more, but we were advised by TL to limit ourselves to the one because we had a number of stops to make. A few of us couldn’t hold out though and had to try a second taco.

A birria taco

A birria taco

Our second stop was at Kokopelli’s food truck, for black Harder ceviche de lenguado tostada. Our vegetarian guests feasted on grilled Portobello mushroom tacos. At this point, more guests were losing their willpower to hold off on just one item and explored some other offerings from Kokopelli’s. A few also ventured to try a seemingly, innocent pink-colored salsa…and suffered through the burning from a habanero-beet mixture. TL also offered up some Tecate beer for refreshments before we headed to our third stop.

A tostada

A tostada

Before we reached Tio Pepe, a wonderful bottle of tequila was shared. Some of us are still searching for the bottle on this side of the border. Tio Pepe is a neighborhood gem with plastic tables and chairs, friendly staff and a bustling lunch crowd. I would love to go back…if I can find my way there! Here, we sat down to enjoy Guadalajara-style torta ahogadas, a few rounds of Corona and some ventured off to order additional tacos. I don’t know where they found room.

Torta Ahogada

Torta Ahogada

After indulging ourselves, we still had two more stops! The next was at Tepoznieves, an artisan ice cream parlor with more than 100 flavors. Unfortunately, I was too busy sampling the flavors and enjoying my selection of three small scoops to capture any photos to share. On the way to our last stop, another bottle of tequila was brought you to be shared. Finally, we made it to Baja Craft Beers for a sampling of house brews. We essentially had the place to ourselves so early in the afternoon. The brewery had great space and a long list of local and international beers available.

Baja Craft Brewery

Baja Craft Brewery

Alas, our great little adventure came to an end by 5pm and TL returned us to the border to make our way back across to the US. We definitely enjoyed our TJ Street Eats tour and working with Turista Libre again. We already have requests to repeat both the wine tour and the TJ Street eats.

The Penn Club of San Diego and Turista Libre

The Penn Club of San Diego and Turista Libre

These are just a few of the activities and events the Penn Club of San Diego organizes for local alumni in the greater San Diego area. If you are interested in learning about these and other events, please contact us via email, join our email listserv, like our Facebook page, or follow us on Twitter.

Our next event is a yPenn Happy Hour on July 10th. We hope to see you there!

 

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July 1, 2014 · 7:09 am

Seattle Alumni Put on Aprons for an Evening to Help Alleviate Poverty

By: Haley Shapley, C’06

Thanks to a little help from the Penn Club of Seattle, at least one person will be able to transition from the streets to a job in the hospitality industry.

It was all part of Guest Chef Night at FareStart, a culinary job training and placement program for homeless individuals in Seattle. Since 1992, FareStart has provided opportunities for nearly 7,000 people to transform their lives, while also serving more than 6 million meals to disadvantaged men, women, and children.

The tables are set for FareStart's Guest Chef Night, with Penn Alumni Club of Seattle members as guest servers.

The tables are set for FareStart’s Guest Chef Night, with Penn Alumni Club of Seattle members as guest servers.

Each Thursday evening, prominent guest chefs come to work with the students as part of their 16-week food-service program. The three-course meal is served by volunteers, which is where Penn alumni came in.

Chef Sam Hassan explains the evening's menu.

Chef Sam Hassan explains the evening’s menu.

Although none in the group had any restaurant experience to speak of, on April 24 we got a crash course in the art of serving, learning the importance of checking back within two bites, refilling waters regularly (and not touching the rim of the glass!), and how to properly carry a tray. Chef Sam Hassan of Maple Falls Cafe provided a tasting of the Mandioca Frita, NW by SE Pasta, and Mango Raspberry Cobbler beforehand so that we’d be able to answer questions about the ingredients when guests inquired (Just what is yuca? Ask us; we know!).

The featured servers tonight - the Penn Club of Seattle!

The featured servers tonight – the Penn Club of Seattle!

Penn Alumni getting trained

Penn Alumni getting trained

Six hours, countless pitchers of water, and a few cramped fingers later, we’d served 169 diners, raising a total of $7,116 for FareStart’s training programs, including donations of $181 and tips of $1,327. All in all, it’s more than enough to give one student safe housing, the full 16-week culinary program, and comprehensive wrap-around services.

It's a full house.

It’s a full house.

The program has a 90 percent job placement rate within three months for students after graduation, and each Guest Chef Night includes a graduation ceremony with those who’ve completed the 16-week program successfully. On our night, we watched two grads get ready to move on to the next stage of their lives, including Tina, who didn’t miss a single day. “It’s made me stay focused instead of every day wondering what’s going to happen,” she said.

Rupi Sureshkumar, Maria Seredina, and David Blum watch the graduation festivities.

Rupi Sureshkumar, Maria Seredina, and David Blum watch the graduation festivities.

Bob, who moved to Seattle in July with a big plan that fell apart, was equally grateful. “I thank this program; it really rescued me,” he said. “I learned a lot and I appreciate it. This program is ingenious to solve the problem of homelessness and poverty.”

Bellies full of delectable ingredients like shaved Parmigiano, smoked fish, and Chantilly cream, we scattered into the night back to our respective homes — energized by the experience and humbled by the fact that we made a contribution, however small, to the students being able to have homes to return to as well.

Penn alumni enjoy a hard-earned meal at the end of the evening.

Penn alumni enjoy a hard-earned meal at the end of the evening.

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April 10, 2014 · 8:01 pm

Penn Club of Utah Fifth Annual Day of Service

By Kiera Reilly, C’93 @KieraReilly

Art Warsoff, W’83, and his wife Diane Warsoff, W’83, submitted this note about the Penn Club of Utah’s Fifth Annual Day of Service:

On April 5th, the Penn Alumni Club of Utah held our 5th annual day of service. This year we volunteered with Tree Utah and followed it up with lunch at our favorite Mexican restaurant, Red Iguana.

We are glad that the weather cooperated and we were able to get all four large columnar oaks and an apple tree planted at Wheeler Historical Farm. We were also able to cheer runners participating in a 5k run which went right past us.

As in prior years, we invited alumni from Princeton, MIT, Franklin & Marshall and University of Virginia to join us. All twenty-five alumni, friends and family that participated are looking forward to next year’s activity.

Planting trees in Utah.

Planting trees in Utah.

You can see more photos from the day’s event here.

Many Penn Clubs around the world contribute to their communities through service activities. Some recent examples are from the Penn Club of Northern California, Penn Club of Philadelphia, and a group in Los Angeles, Penn Serves LA, that includes members of both PennClubLA and the Wharton Club of Southern California. You can also read about the Penn Club of Utah’s 4th Day of Service here.

We hope that many other clubs will plan events to serve their communities – and share your story with us. Please contact Kiera Reilly, C’93, from the regional clubs team, or your regional clubs liaison, if you would like to plan an event or you organized an event you would like to share on our blog.

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January 12, 2014 · 8:05 pm

Penn Alumni Clubs Toast Ben Franklin

#PennToastsBen

Ben Birthday Bash

By Kiera Reilly, C’93  @KieraReilly

Penn’s founder, Benjamin Franklin, is celebrating his 308th birthday on January 17, 2014. Join Penn alumni in a city near you for this year’s festivities!

Cities/clubs celebrating this year include: Baltimore, Boston, Houston, Las Vegas, Lehigh Valley, London, Long Island, Los Angeles, Metro NJ, New Haven, Northeastern Pennsylvania, Northern California, Orange County, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Portland, San Antonio, San Diego, Shanghai, Seattle, and Westchester/Rockland Counties.

Follow the fun on Twitter with the hashtag #PennToastsBen

Baltimore

Penn Club of Baltimore

Friday, January 31, 2014

5:00 pm -7:00 pm

The Party Room/Area at The Greene Turtle

1606 Whetstone Way

Baltimore (South Bmore/Fed Hill), MD 21230

Join the Penn Club of Baltimore for appetizers and a cash bar to celebrate the birthday of Penn’s founder, Ben Franklin. Start the New Year with your follow Penn alumni. For questions or to RSVP, contact pennbalt@yahoo.com.

Boston

Penn Club of Boston

Thursday, January 16, 2014

7:00 pm

Max Brenner

745 Boylston Street

Follow on Twitter: @PennClubBoston

Celebrate Ben Franklin’s Birthday with desserts at Max Brenner!

Did you know that Benjamin Franklin was born on Milk St in Boston, MA in 1706? He then went on to attend Boston Latin School, ran away to Philadelphia at the age of 17, and eventually helped found the University of Pennsylvania and went on to become one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. Today, his legacy lives on in the field of politics, philosophy, science, and education.

Join us on January 16th at 7pm at Max Brenner’s as we celebrate the legacy of the illustrious man and founder of Penn, Ben Franklin. RSVP is required. RSVP through the Penn Club of Boston website or by sending an email to stephanieh@pennclubofboston.org. RSVP Here!

Houston

Penn Club of Houston

Thursday, January 16, 2014

6:00 pm – 8:00 pm

Camerata

1834 Westheimer Road

Houston, TX

713.522.VINO

Follow on Twitter: @PennClubHouston

Penn Houston is celebrating Ben’s 308th birthday at Camerata, a cool, recently opened Montrose wine bar that has a laid-back vibe and amazing wine list. First glass and apps are on the club! Join us to kick off 2014 with familiar faces and new friends as we reminisce on Ben and good old Penn. Advance registration required via our website.

Registrants & Fees:                       Registrant Fee

Child/Guest of Member                $ 5.00

Child/Guest of Non-Member        $ 10.00

Member Penn Club of Houston    $ 5.00

Non-Member Penn Club of Houston   $ 10.00

More info on Camerata: Popular among bar and restaurant critics, Camerata was named in December as the 3rd hottest wine bar in the country by Eater National and has been featured by Texas Monthly, Houston Press, Culturemap, the Houston Chronicle, and Eater Houston, to name a few. Owned by Paul Petronella and directly adjacent to his restaurant Paulie’s, Camerata offers an ever-changing bottle list from ex-Uchi Houston beverage director David Keck in a space that draws a hip, younger crowd.

Parking: Camerata is located on Westheimer, between Driscoll Street and Morse Sreet. Parking can be find on either side street, and entrances are on Westheimer and the back of the restaurant.

Las Vegas

Penn Club of Las Vegas

Friday, January 17, 2014

6:00 – 8:00 PM

Banger Brewing (downtown)

Follow on Twitter: @PennLV

The Penn Club of Las Vegas is excited to host the Vegas Ivy Plus community for a beer tasting in honor of Big Ben’s Birthday. There will be discounted drinks for our group as well as a tour of the brewery. Beer + education = win win for us and Ben.

We hope you can make it and are looking forward to seeing you all there. Last year we had a great turnout and a great time. Note: Ben Franklin wigs optional (kidding).

Questions, email: Lea Artis, C’08 at leartis@alumni.upenn.edu. (And even if you can’t, make sure you’re on our email list!) PS. Visit our new website PennLV.com for all upcoming events and news.

Connect with PCLV on: Facebook  |LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram

Lehigh Valley

Penn Alumni Club of the Lehigh Valley

Thursday, January 16, 2014

6:00 – 7:00 PM Happy Hour

7:00 PM Dinner

Rodizio Grill Brazilian Steakhouse

2805 Lehigh Street (just off Rt. 309)

Allentown, PA

“Take time for all things; great haste makes great waste”

The Penn Club invites you and your guest(s) to Ben’s Birthday Bash (“eve”) celebrating Benjamin Franklin’s 308th birthday.

Two menu options: The Full Rodizio – $28.99 – Enjoy a variety of rotisserie grilled meats carved table side, glazed pineapple, a gourmet salad bar, and authentic Brazilian appetizers, all Unlimited! Gourmet Salads – $16.99 – Enjoy unlimited authentic Brazilian appetizers and unlimited trips to the gourmet salad bar, featuring over 30 hot and cold items. Rodizio is 100% MSG free, 100% Peanut free, and 95% Gluten free. We hope to see you there. Please rsvp and indicate if you are joining us for Happy Hour, Dinner or Both (hopefully both!) We need to give the restaurant an accurate count so that they can accommodate us properly.

RSVP to Joan at info@pennclublehighvalley.com.

London

Penn Club of the UK

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

7:00 pm

21 Covent Garden

21 The Market

WC2E 8RD London

In celebration of Ben Franklin’s birthday, we are celebrating our beloved founder’s special day with drinks. Come join us at 21 Covent Garden from 7 PM, where we will have a reserved area in the bar overlooking the Covent Garden Piazza. Feel free to bring a Ben Franklin-related item… We’ll buy a drink for the person with the best or most unique item!
Looking forward to seeing you and raising a toast to dear ol’ Ben.

Questions? Email the club at pennalumniuk@gmail.com.

Long Island

Penn Club of Long Island

Thursday, January 23, 2014

7:30 pm

Vespa

Great Neck, NY

Join us in celebration of Ben Franklin’s Birthday, Ben’s Bash. There will be a brief Club meeting, followed by dinner.

Los Angeles

PennClubLA

Friday, January 17, 2014

7:30 – 9:00 pm

The Churchill

8384 W 3rd St

West Hollywood, CA 90048

Note: Location change, no longer at The Pikey!

Follow on Twitter: @PennClubLA

Ben Franklin Birthday hat 2

Happy New Year Penn Alumni! We would like to invite you to come celebrate Ben Franklin’s birthday with fellow classmates at The Churchill this Friday! Help us cheers to dear old Ben! Find more information and RSVP here.

Metro NJ

Penn Club of Metro New Jersey

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

7:30 PM

Birthday Cake and Open Board meeting

Follow on Twitter: @PennClubMetroNJ

All Metro NJ Penn Alumni and Penn Parents are invited to join us for Ben Franklin’s Birthday Bash at the home of Carol Michaels. After an open board meeting, there will be refreshments including Ben’s birthday cake. RSVP here.

New Haven, CT

Penn Club of New Haven

January 19th, 2014

6:30pm

Linsly Chittenden Hall, 63 High Street

New Haven, CT

Ben Franklin’s Birthday Celebration and Speaker Event

Join us for a presentation entitled “Callings and Culture-Picking: Lessons on Work and Food from the Wilds of Psychology” (topics that were of great interest to Ben!) by Penn Psychology Professor Dr. Paul Rozin and our own Dr. Amy Wrzesniewski, C ’94, of the Yale School of Management, followed by refreshments and birthday cake! The event is free, but RSVP via email to robpennclubnh@gmail.com.

Northeastern Pennsylvania

Penn Club of Northeastern Pennsylvania (NEPA)

Sunday, January 12, 2014

11:30 am – 2:00 pm

East Mountain Inn, in the Bistro

Off Exit 170-A of I-81

Ben Franklin Bountiful Buffet Birthday Bash

with Special guest speaker

Gregory E. Johnson, CFP®

Director of Gift Planning

University of Pennsylvania

Attire for the day is casual. Buffet will be served (cash bar). The price for the event is $30 per person. If you like to avoid the rush please include your dues of $15 for 2014.

RSVP no later than Thursday, January 9th by calling 570.208.3130, ext. 147 or by e-mailing me at AndrewPasonick@penneastern.com.

Northern California

Penn Club of Northern California

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

6:00 – 8:00 pm

O3 Bistro & Lounge

524 Van Ness Avenue

San Francisco, CA 94102 (Google Map)

Follow on Twitter: @NCPennClub

Penn’s founder, Benjamin Franklin, is celebrating his 308th birthday in January 2014. Join Penn alumni for this year’s festivities! Join us as we mingle with familiar and new alums and play Ben Franklin and Penn trivia! Event details here.

Cost: $10 with advanced registration, $15 at the door (ticket includes appetizers and one drink)

RSVP: Click here to purchase tickets

Orange County, CA

Penn Club of Orange County

Thursday, January 16, 2014

5:30 – 7:00 pm

Bluewater Grill at the District

2409 Park Ave.

Tustin, CA 92782

Follow on Twitter: @PennClubOC

Please join Orange County area alumni us for a fun evening of networking and remembering Ben. Also, bring ideas of events you would like to see our club take on this year!

RSVP to penncluboc@gmail.com so that we know how many will be in attendance. We look forward to seeing you there and starting off 2014 in celebration!

“In wine there is wisdom, in beer there is Freedom, in water there is bacteria.”

― Benjamin Franklin

Philadelphia

Penn Club of Philadelphia

Saturday, January 11, 2014

11:00 AM – 3:00 PM

Lecture series brunch at The Plough & the Stars, 123 Chestnut St, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Private guided tour at Benjamin Franklin Museum, 317 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106

Follow on Twitter: @PennClub

Ben Franklin’s Birthday Bash! Lecture Series Brunch and Private Museum Tour

Come celebrate the University of Pennsylvania’s Founding Father’s 308th Birthday at the new Benjamin Franklin Museum in Philadelphia!

Join us for a lecture series brunch at The Plough & the Stars restaurant in Old City with Penn Professor John Milner, Adjunct Professor of Architecture Historic Preservation and two project directors from Quinn Evans Architects, the architecture firm responsible for renovating and expanding the Benjamin Franklin Museum in Philadelphia. Following the brunch, we will experience a private guided tour of the new Benjamin Franklin Museum in Old City.

Cost: $25 for members; $40 for non-members

RSVP: Click here to buy tickets!

http://www.pennclubphilly.org/article.html?aid=832

Phoenix, AZ

Penn-Wharton Club of Arizona

Thursday, January 16, 2014

5:30 pm – 7:30 pm

University Club of Phoenix

39 E. Monte Vista

Phoenix, AZ 85004

Follow on Twitter: @Penn_Wharton_AZ

Join fellow alumni as we once again celebrate Ben’s Birthday at our annual Ben Franklin Birthday Bash. This is always one of our most popular events, so be sure to sign up early.

DETAILS Appetizers and a birthday cake, Cash Bar

COST: $20

Appropriately, at this event we honor our Ben Franklin Sponsor members. We appreciate the additional support; you and a guest are invited to this event at NO CHARGE. Red & Blue Society members and a guest attend all events at NO CHARGE. Special Invitation to our Young Alumni to join us at NO CHARGE.

RSVP: Click here to RSVP!!!

Portland, OR

Penn Club of Portland

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

5:30 – 7:00 pm (or until the last person leaves)

Kells Irish Brew Pub.

210 NW 21st Avenue

(betw. NW Davis St. and NW Everett St.)

Portland, OR

Ben Franklin portrait

Benjamin Franklin’s 308th Birthday Happy Hour

While touring Ireland in 1771, Benjamin Franklin was moved by the level of poverty he observed. Since Ireland’s economy was governed by the same trade regulations and laws of Britain that governed America, Franklin’s observation, that America could suffer the same effects should Britain’s colonial rule continue, fueled his passion for independence. So, once again this year, we are celebrating Benjamin Franklin’s 308th birthday with a nod to Ireland on Wednesday, January 15th (actually two days before his birthday) at Kells Irish Brew Pub.

Look for friends, smiling faces and/or small Penn flag.

RSVPs, while not required, are always appreciated to club president John Vosmek at John Vosmek john.vosmek@vosmek.com.

San Antonio, TX

Penn Club of San Antonio

Friday, January 17, 2014

11:30 AM

Youz Guyz South Philly Cheesesteaks

316 Pat Booker Road

Universal City 78148

The Penn Alumni Club of San Antonio will continue our tradition of celebrating Ben’s Birthday Bash on Friday, January 17. Once again we will gather, starting at 11:30 A.M., at San Antonio’s Philly cheese steak emporium and our informal clubhouse, Youz Guyz South Philly CheeseSteaks, phone 210-659-8930. Be ready for Quizzo while we munch our lunch.

RSVP by Monday, January 13, to Elaine Ayala, eayala@express-news.net, 210-250-3402.

San Diego, CA

Penn Club of San Diego

Friday, January 17, 2014

6:00 pm – ?

Eddie’s

3501 30th Street

Follow on Twitter: @PennClubSD

The Penn Club of San Diego will celebrate Ben’s Birthday Bash! A small corner is being reserved at 6pm at Eddie’s! Cheesesteaks, Tastycakes and other menu items will be available for purchase.

RSVP by emailing pennclubsd@gmail.com.

Seattle, WA

Penn Club of Seattle

Bowling for Ben

Sunday, January 12, 2014

5:00 – 7:00 pm

The Garage Bowling and Billiards

1130 Broadway (on Capitol Hill)

Seattle, WA 98122

Follow on Twitter: @PenninSeattle

Join the Penn Alumni Club of Seattle in celebrating Ben Franklin’s 308th birthday with an evening of bowling, billiards, food and drink at the great space known as “The Garage” on Capitol Hill in Seattle. Bowling begins at 5:00 PM. You can bowl, schmooze, eat and drink, play some billiards and just enjoy the company of local Penn alumni and parents. Cost for the night will be $10, which includes bowling and shoe rentals. $20 includes bowling, shoe rental and a Penn Club of Seattle t-shirt! (Food and drink will be on you).

RSVPs are required at http://www.pennclubofseattle.com/item/554706. Space is limited so sign up today!

Shanghai

Ben Franklin birthday hat

Penn Club of Shanghai

Thursday, January 23, 2014

7:30 – 9:30 PM

Sarment Wine Bar

Reel Mall, 1601 West Nanjing Road

( 南京西路1601号2楼202-1室, 近常德路)

Wines start from 45RMB. Buy two glasses get one free.

Ben Franklin’s Birthday Bash and Standing Committee Elections

To kick off the Penn Club’s events in the new year, we are commemorating our University’s founding father, Ben Franklin, with a birthday bash in his honor. Please join us for some drinks and good times with your fellow alumni!

During the birthday bash, we will hold our annual standing committee (i.e. board) elections. We encourage all alumni interested in helping shape the future direction of our club to take part in the election by either running for a position or simply by attending and voting during the elections. The position that are available for election:

Chairman (President)

Secretary of the Treasury (Treasurer)

Secretary of Propaganda (Secretary)

Secretary of Internal Affairs (Webmaster)

Secretary of Labor (Professional Events)

Secretary of Education (Educational Events)

Secretary of Civil Affairs (Community Service Events)

Secretary of Social Affairs (Social Events)

Secretary of Recruitment (Secondary School Committee)

If you are interested in learning more about running for a position, please email us at penn.club.shanghai@gmail.com. We will accept nominations for positions until Tuesday, January 21.

Westchester/Rockland Counties, NY

Penn Club of Westchester and Rockland Counties

Saturday, January 25, 2014

7:30 pm pub fare and drinks

9:30 pm Penn Alumni Band, “The Velcrows”

MTK Tavern

30 East Main Street

Mt. Kisco, NY

(914-218-3334)

Ben’s Birthday Bash featuring Penn Alumni Band “The Velcrows” at MTK Tavern

This year we are heading to Mt. Kisco to enjoy great food and drinks while enjoying the music of a Penn Alumni Band!

Mingle with fellow alumni while enjoying pub fare and drinks from 7:30 to 9:30PM, and then Randi Nielsen, W’84, Robert Birkenholz, ME’82, and Mike Rosenman, C’76, will be performing with their band, The Velcrows, at this fun venue! MTK Tavern is located in Mt. Kisco, an easy walk from the train station if you would rather not drive. The evening will conclude with a cake to celebrate Ben Franklin’s birthday!

RSVP/PAYMENT (includes cover charge and from 7:30-9:30PM: food and wine/beer/soft drinks): Through January 20th: $50 for members  and $60 for nonmembers; From January 21st through January 25th: $60 for members and $70 for nonmembers; Use the red link below to rsvp and pay by MC/Visa or to pay by check, email the event chairperson, Wendy Weinstein at wendy.weinstein.karp@gmail.com with the number of attendees and then send a check payable to “The Penn Club of Westchester & Rockland Counties” and write “Ben’s Birthday Bash” on the memo portion of the check. Please send the check to Club Treasurer: Pamela Harpaz, 12 Woodmill Road, Chappaqua, NY 10514.

For questions or additional information, please contact the event chairperson: Wendy Weinstein at  wendy.weinstein.karp@gmail.com.

Click here to buy tickets!!!

Philadelphia

Celebration in Philadelphia honoring Ben Franklin

Celebration! Benjamin Franklin, Founder, will present the Franklin Founders Award to Dr. Edward O. Wilson in recognition of his lifetime of work in the natural sciences, and his insights into the genetic basis of the social behavior of animals, including humans. Recognized worldwide as a leading authority on ants, Dr. Wilson has used his findings on social species to develop cutting-edge theories about human behavior. His 2012 book, The Social Conquest of Earth, looks at altruism and conflict in human society. Dr. Wilson, who received the Pulitzer Prize in 1979, is an emeritus professor at Harvard University.

The day’s Philadelphia celebration includes a free morning seminar on the topic of Observing the World, featuring:

Robert McCracken Peck, Senior Fellow, Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University

Dr. Douglas W. Tallamy, Chair of the Dept. of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware

A procession up 5th Street to Dr. Franklin’s grave will be followed by a luncheon honoring Dr. Wilson.

AGENDA

9am-10:30am Seminar, Franklin Hall (free)

11am-11:30am Procession and wreath-laying at Franklin’s Grave (free)

11:45am – 1:45pm Luncheon at The Chemical Heritage Foundation, 315 Chestnut Street

Please visit www.ushistory.org/celebration for more information and registration

Click here for Registration / Luncheon Tickets

 Don’t forget to post your photos and fun with the hashtag #PennToastsBen

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November 8, 2013 · 1:09 am

Penn Shines in California

By Kiera Reilly, C’93  @KieraReilly

To celebrate the successful conclusion of Penn’s Making History campaign, the University is hosting “Time to Shine” events around the world to thank alumni, parents and friends for their support. California, home to over 27,000 alumni, welcomed President Gutmann at two events in California early in October –  in Los Angeles and San Francisco – and our Penn family came ready to shine!

TTS LA reception 10.8.13

First up was Time to Shine Los Angeles at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel, where a record number of alumni, parents and friends attended to celebrate Penn. See more photos of the event here.

Terry Baris, C'84, Jess Garvey, C'09, and Aileen Level, C'99, GED'00, members of the Penn Club LA board and Time To Shine host committee are ready to welcome everyone.

Terry Baris, C’84, Jess Garvey, C’09, and Aileen Level, C’99, GED’00, members of the Penn Club LA board and Time To Shine host committee are ready to welcome everyone.

Host Committee members Peter Shoemaker, C'86, Nancy Bergmann, C'89, Beth Kean, ENG'89, and Denise Winner, W'83.

Host Committee members Peter Shoemaker, C’86, Nancy Bergmann, C’89, Beth Kean, ENG’89, and Denise Winner, W’83.

TTS LA Brian Chi 10.8.13

PennClubLA president Brian Chi, W’10, is ready to promote the club’s upcoming events.

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Heather Lieberman, C'94, President Gutmann, Matt Rosler, C'96, and Todd Lieberman, C'95.

Heather Lieberman, C’94, President Gutmann, Matt Rosler, C’96, and Todd Lieberman, C’95.

The following morning, a small group of Penn donors and volunteers leaders met for a breakfast discussion with Eric Furda, C’87, Dean of Undergraduate Admissions. After a lively discussion, the alumni staff headed south to San Diego. We attended a reception with the Penn Club of San Diego. Hoopes Wampler, Assistant Vice President for Alumni Relations, provided guests with a campus update, and Eric Furda, spoke about admissions at Penn today. We were excited to welcome an enthusiastic crowd, including several potential Penn applicants. Click here to see the event photos.

Penn Club of San Diego president B. Bea Rajsombath, C'99, welcomes everyone to the event.

Penn Club of San Diego president B. Bea Rajsombath, C’99, welcomes everyone to the event.

 

Former club presidnet Robby Koeppel Foss, C'92, GED'92, current president B. Bea Rajsombath, C'99, and Kiera Reilly, C'93, from Penn's Los Angeles office.

Former club presidnet Robby Koeppel Foss, C’92, GED’92, current president B. Bea Rajsombath, C’99, and Kiera Reilly, C’93, from Penn’s Los Angeles office.

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Alumni Relations staff pose in La Jolla the night after a successful event as they prepare to fly up to San Francisco. L-R: Elise Betz, Liz Pinnie, Colin Hennessy, Kiera Reilly, Hoopes Wampler, Tara Davies, Eric Furda and Patrick Bredehoft.

Our crew then headed north to San Francisco for Time to Shine at the Regency Center, where we saw former Penn Alumni colleague Jason Horger, Jim, C’76, PAR’11, an Pat, L’81, PAR’11, Wong from Hawaii, and Belinda Buscher, C92, co-president of the Penn Club of Seattle – just a samplying of the many enthusiastic alumni and parents that celebrated with us. All the photos are here.

Alumni Relations staff ready to welcome San Francisco alumni and parents: Nicole Svonavec, Kiera Reilly, Elise Betz and Tara Davies

Alumni Relations staff ready to welcome San Francisco alumni and parents: Nicole Svonavec, Kiera Reilly, Elise Betz and Tara Davies

TTS SF group reception 10.10.13

Former alumni relations colleague Jason Horger, C'91, came with his colleague from St. Mary's College, and Belinda Buscher, C'92, co-president of the Penn Club of Seattle.

Former alumni relations colleague Jason Horger, C’91, came with his colleague from St. Mary’s College, and Belinda Buscher, C’92, co-president of the Penn Club of Seattle.

Former Penn Club of Hawaii president and current Interview Program Chair Jim Wong, C'76, PAR'11, pictured here with the Penn Alumni Interview Program's Patrick Bredehoft, attended with his wife Pat Wong, L'81.

Former Penn Club of Hawaii president and current Interview Program Chair Jim Wong, C’76, PAR’11, pictured here with the Penn Alumni Interview Program’s Patrick Bredehoft, attended with his wife Pat Wong, L’81.

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Penn Club of Northern California board members Mohammed Shaik Hussain Ali, GEN’08, Phil Crosby, C’92, club president Tom Eliaz, ENG’02, and Kiera Reilly, C’93

The Saturday after the Time to Shine events concluded, Penn Alumni Regional Clubs and the Penn Alumni Interview Program hosted an alumni leadership conference for alumni club boards and interview committee chairs. We are thankful for the incredible work these volunteers perform on behalf of Penn, and we are also incredibly grateful that they “donated” their Saturday to be with us to learn about how these groups can work together to support the University. See photos from the conference here.

Penn Alumni club board members at the West Coast Alumni Leadership Conference

Penn Alumni club board members at the West Coast Alumni Leadership Conference

As seen by the photos here, Penn certainly shines in California thanks to our wonderful alumni and parents! If you live in California and are not already connected with the alumni network here, there are many opportunities to get involved:

PennClubLA

Wharton Club of Southern California

Penn Club of Orange County

Penn Club of San Diego

Penn Club of Northern California

Wharton Club of Northern California

Hurrah, Hurrah to our California Penn family!

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October 28, 2013 · 1:56 am

Penn Serves LA: Serving the Environment and LA Leadership Academy

By Kiera Reilly, C’93  @KieraReilly

Penn Serves LA, the community service initiative launched in 2012 by Jane Gutman, CW’73, PAR’14, PAR’16, Leanne Pyott Huebner, W’90 and Denise Winner, W’83, continues to offer events to bring Penn Alumni in Los Angeles together to serve.

On August 24th, a group of Penn Alumni and their children gathered for a day of environmental cleanup and nature restoration at the Canyon at Chadwick School on the Palos Verdes Peninsula. The group learned about the local habitat, wildlife, conservation and environmental challenges impacting the community from the leading Southern California bird expert and past President of the Southern California Audubon Society.

The Penn Serves LA crew as we start the day.

The Penn Serves LA crew as we start the day.

We started our efforts by bringing cleared brush up the canyon to a holding area at the top of a steep hill. It was steep and sometimes difficult to grab the prickly branches, but we developed an assembly line and quickly moved a huge pile to the top of the hill. Then, we hiked into the canyon for shade, a water and watermelon break (thank you Denise!) while we learned about efforts to bring back the natural habitat of the canyon and rid it of invasive vegetation. After our break, we set out with shears, clippers and other gardening tools to clear back plants, bushes and trees from the trail. I tasted some of the wild lemonade berries – tart and sweet. The sun was hot, but many hands made quick work.

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You can see more photos of our work that day here.

Next up, Penn Serves helped at the L.A. Leadership Academy in the Lincoln Heights area of Los Angeles on September 28th. Our mission was to help move classroom supplies into the new school building and interact with some of the college bound students and their families. The school is a charter school that is devoted almost solely to serving children in poverty, 95% of its student body is on free and reduced lunch.

How many Penn alumni does it take to lift this heavy desk onto a dolly?

How many Penn alumni does it take to lift this heavy desk onto a dolly?

Three plus one (representing the College, Wharton and Engineering no less!).

Three plus one (representing the College, Wharton and Engineering no less!).

Although we initially thought we’d be painting, it turned out that the school scheduled our Saturday to be a move day, and we would be helping the students, their families and school staff move fifteen classrooms worth of furniture and supplies from the front building into the new middle school in the back. The Penn group, which included many former Penn Serves participants, quickly got to work moving desks, chairs, books and science supplies. Down a long hall, then a flight of stairs and through the old school, into the courtyard and into the new building – things that seemed light when we started became heavy pretty quickly. But everyone was in good spirits. We stopped for a lunch break, and the school principal gave a special shout out to our group as other than the families that were there, we were the only ones helping. In the course of moving things up and down the stairs, we learned that the school’s founder, Roger Lowenstein, was the college roommate (at the University of Michigan) of Wharton Professor Michael Useem! What a small world. After lunch, we got to work setting up the science classroom (and reminiscing about our own science classes as we unpacked lots of glass beakers).

Everyone in the school community helped with the move.

Everyone in the school community helped with the move.

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Here some of us take a lunch break (the others were still moving!).

You can see more photos of the day here and on the Penn Club of Los Angeles’ Facebook page.

If you live in Los Angeles, I encourage you to join us at an upcoming Penn Serves LA event – the service activities planned benefit a variety of non-profits in the area, and each service project is in a different part of the city. This provides an opportunity for alumni to join in a project that is of particular interest, or in a more convenient location, and also offers the opportunity to learn about the many organizations serving the Los Angeles community.

The next event is planned for Sunday, November 17. We’ll be writing letters to American troops at the Red Cross. For more information and to RSVP, visit the PennClubLA website.

About Penn Serves LA – Started in 2012, Penn Serves offers a way for direct community service for local Penn alumni and their children to serve Los Angeles’ most needy populations. We partner with established nonprofits and grassroots organizations for one-time volunteer opportunities. So far, we’ve served meals to the homeless, delivered food to low income families, planned activities with immigrant children, and so much more. Please contact us if you’d like to help at a future event: pennservesla@gmail.com.

Read about our past events:

May, 2013 – One on One Outreach

March, 2013 – Habitat for Humanity

January, 2013 – Inner City Arts

September, 2012 – The Midnight Mission

June, 2012 – Turning Point Shelter

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October 11, 2013 · 6:27 pm

First September with the Penn Club of Northern California

By Beth Topor, W’80, and Jenny Zhan, C’10, W’10

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The Penn Club of Northern California welcomed the Class of 2013 to the Bay area with what else – a wine tasting! This First September celebration was held on Saturday, September 7, at DogPatch Wine Works, the newest winery to open in San Francisco. The crowd of just under 100 wine tasters included undergraduate and graduate school alumni with more than half of the attendees from the Class of 2013! We enjoyed seeing classmates reunite, not knowing each had been fortunate to land in San Francisco. It was great occasion for Quakers to mingle, nosh and sample wines; white and red, but alas no blue.

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Tom Eliaz, ENG’02, president of the Penn Club, welcomed the new alumni to the area with a toast, and encouraged all to get involved with local Penn activities which include interviewing high school students and volunteering with the Club. Tom introduced the Club Board members and Interviewing Chairs who were enjoying the tasting but also ready to answer questions about how all alumni can become West Coast Ambassadors for Penn.

Tom concluded by inviting all Northern California alumni to “Time to Shine” on Thursday October 10th, hosted by Penn President Amy Gutmann. This reception will be followed by a YPenn happy hour for our young alumni classes 2004 – 2013. Over 400 alumni registered to attend.

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Each year, Penn Alumni Clubs around the world host First September events to welcome the most recent graduating class and alumni new to the area. Be sure to join your local domestic or international club and learn more about their upcoming events.

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September 27, 2013 · 6:21 pm

Penn Cares with the Penn Club of Northern California – Habitat for Humanity

By Betty Huang, ENG’12, GEN’12, and Jenny Zhan, C’10, W’10

Donning hard hats at 8:30AM on a chilly and grey Saturday morning, volunteers from the Penn Club of Northern California joined in on ground-breaking work with Habitat for Humanity of Greater San Francisco. The work was more physically challenging than usual because we were doing foundation work, that is, a lot of shoveling, waterproofing, wheelbarrowing, and moving dirt around. Despite the difficulties, it was very gratifying getting in on a project from the very beginning: Habitat had just received permits for a 28-unit single family development named Habitat Terrace, an ambitious project in the Oceanview neighborhood and the organization’s largest development yet in San Francisco.

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We are proud to contribute to Habitat’s mission to provide a helping hand to families in need of improved living conditions. The homes that we helped lay the foundations for will be sold to families at no profit and financed with 0% interest mortgages. In addition, new owners will put 500 hours of work into their own homes. It will take over 100,000 volunteer hours to finish this Habitat Terrace development in the next 2 years, and the Penn Club of Northern California is looking forward to seeing the project through. Thank you to all our volunteers on August 17th, and if you live in the area, please join us in serving our community!

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Read about our experience helping at the San Francisco Food Bank here.

Read about Penn Serves LA helping at Habitat for Humanity here.

The Penn Softball team volunteered at Habitat for Humanity in New Jersey last year – here’s the link to a story and video about their experience.

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August 30, 2013 · 12:48 am

Penn Cares with the Penn Club of Northern California

By Betty Huang, ENG’12, GEN’12, and Jenny Zhan, C’10, W’10

On Saturday, June 15th, we held our inaugural Penn Club of Northern California community service event with eight Penn alumni at the San Francisco Food Bank warehouse in the Potrero Hill neighborhood. The San Francisco Food Bank delivers 100,000 meals worth of food every day to senior and families in need, and relies on volunteers year-round to help package and distribute the resources. Our Penn Cares volunteers spent three hours that Saturday afternoon manning the apple juice table – that is, we were responsible for filling each food donation box with two bottles of apple juice. Packed additionally with cereal, canned fruit, and other pantry staples, these boxes would go out to the 11,000 low-income seniors in San Francisco, where approximately one in four seniors live at the risk of hunger.

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We were blown away by the efficiency of the Food Bank staff in directing all the volunteers, for many of whom this was a first-time experience at the warehouse. We all gathered around an assembly line in an orderly fashion, and worked at such a rapid pace that we had to constantly switch positions because our arms would get sore (lifting bottles of apple juices was quite a workout)! Nevertheless, everybody had a great time, and our three-hour shift passed by quickly as we all chatted away while multi-tasking on the packaging. Volunteers like us work in shifts to provide the Food Bank with the equivalent manpower of 70 full-time workers – this in turn allows the Food Bank to save on salaries and turn 96% of all donations directly to their programs. At the end of our shift, we were asked to guess how many food boxes we had packaged – we were all astonished to hear that together with the other volunteers, we had packed exactly 1,377 boxes in three hours, helping 1,377 seniors for one entire month – It was such an instant gratification knowing that each box we packed would go to one senior and alleviate some of his or her food security-related stress for the next month!

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If you live in the San Francisco area, we encourage you to join the Penn Club of Northern California, and sign up for their free email newsletter to be notified of other Penn Cares events. www.ncpennclub.com

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