Wharton is a special place.  We have Leadership Ventures, Global Immersion Programs, Global Modular Courses, Treks, Shadow Treks, over a [hundred] clubs, trillions of leadership positions, field application studies, and the list goes on.  We have enough going on here for us to live and breathe Wharton 24 hours a day, seven days a week.  Through Wharton, we are equipped with the tools to be global citizens and to give back both professionally and through community service.  But what about being a Philadelphia citizen?

The goal of this year’s community service team is to connect people in our community who are doing amazing things to people in our community who want to do amazing things.  It’s that simple.  I was speaking to a friend who described how he felt about his two years at Wharton.  He said that he wanted to make the most of his time and find opportunities here.  We want to show people that there are ways to be a Philadelphian from a service perspective through Wharton.

Luckily, Wharton students are already giving back in so many ways.  This semester we have spoken to Jessica Feng (WG ’14) who works with a school in Philadelphia through Say Yes to Education. We also sat down with Chris Burns (WG ’14), one of the Presidents of Rebuilding Together, and chatted about the fundraising process, which requires several thousands of dollars beyond WGA funding to create two weekends during which Wharton students can volunteer to rebuild and renovate homes in West Philadelphia.  We have had several meetings with Stephanie Kim, the new manager at the Wharton Social Impact Initiative, who describes her role in defining social impact and what it means for Wharton as her dream job.  Last, but not certainly not least, Alex Blair (WG ’14) and I have a dedicated community service team that consists of cluster service reps (Linda Yang (WG ’15), Joshua Johnson (WG ’15), Megan Kerr (WG ’15), Jaclyn Kier (WG ’15), Anupama Shekhar (WG ’15)) who are working hard to bring service programming to you this year.

This brings us to next week, when the WGA Community Service Team is bringing you Wharton Service Week! We have partnered with the Food Club and other baking experts to bring you a bake sale.  Come find us in MBA café, where we will offer delicious treats above and beyond the standard cookies. By either sitting at the table or enjoying the baked goods you will be giving back to No Kid Hungry, an organization dedicated to ending child hunger.

And that’s just during the day. At night, we are organizing dinners to promote conversation about service.  We believe that dialogue about health, education, and the environment is the first step to action and having focused, small-group dinners will help stimulate that dialogue.  The week will culminate with a service event at Philabundance and other service locations.

For those of you who came to the legendary WGA Halloween party, know that by partying the night away, $1 of your ticket went to Scare Hunger! an annual Philabundance campaign to end hunger in the region.

This is what we have for you this semester…just wait until you see what is happening next year.   If you haven’t already signed up to donate your cooking skills, time, or money, take the plunge on becoming a true Philadelphian and give back to the place we call home.