Dear Penn Community,

Thank you for making this one of the most successful holiday gift giving seasons. Your generosity was unprecedented. Many benefited from your willingness to give. The following is a list of the various efforts:

Thank you to President Amy Gutmann for hosting an Annual Holiday Party where over 350 toys and gifts were collected.

Thank you to the following departments that brought joy to more than 35 families during the holidays by “adopting” them:

• Academic & Enrichment Programs coordinated by Pamela Edwards
• Anesthesia & Otorhinolaryngology coordinated by Tom Hoffman
• Bioethics coordinated by Colleen Becht
• Business Services coordinated by Maria Chaney
• Cell & Developmental Biology coordinated by Kim Sheppard
• Center for Clinical Epidemiology coordinated by Nicole Jones
• Center for Sleep coordinated by Mary Jones-Parker
• College Houses & Academic Services coordinated by Pamela Robinson
• Computer Information Science (SEAS) coordinated by Janean Williams
• Computing Educational Technology Services (SEAS) coordinated by Tonya Revell
• Creative Communications coordinated by Rachel Chandler
• Development, Alumni Records & Gift Administration coordinated by Jane Rafter
• Electronic Acquisition Services coordinated by Jeanne Shuttleworth
• General Counsel coordinated by Helen Logan
• Gift Planning and International Gifts coordinated by Debbie Layton
• Health Education coordinated by Susan Villari
• Housing and Conference Services coordinated by Katrina Terrell
• Library Information Systems coordinated by Nancy Rose
• Space Planning and Operations coordinated by Robin Rozen
• U.L.A.R. coordinated by Mary Jo Pauxtis
• University Communications coordinated by Judy West
• Vice President for Government, Community & Public Affairs coordinated by Linda Satchell
• Wharton School Dean’s Office coordinated by Jennifer O’Keefe
• Wharton School External Affairs coordinated by Dawn Downing
• Wharton School Finance & Administration coordinated by Erika Dingle
• Wharton School Marketing Department coordinated by Marcia Longworth
• Wharton Undergraduate Division coordinated by Meredith Wickman

Thank you to the following Penn families for bringing joy to additional families:

• Tara Friebel and fiancé
• Yvette Acevedo and Leslie Gallagher
• Andrew and Laura Sparks

Thank you to the entire University community for donating over 1,100 gifts and toys.

Thank you to the Dropsite Volunteers that collected all the gifts and toys (see Almanac December at Penn www.upenn.edu/almanac/volumes/v51/n13/deccal04.html) and made it possible for us to respond to request for donations from our neighbors listed below:

• Councilwoman Jannie L. Blackwell’s Holiday Dinner for the Homeless
• Bridges To The Community
• Carroll Park Community Council
• Children’s Services, Inc. at Shaw Middle School
• Church of New Hope & Faith, Inc.
• Intercultural Family Services
• McMichael Public School
• One Day At A Time
• Our Lady of the Rosary Church
• Potter’s House Mission -Salvation Army
• Word Tabernacle Baptist Church

Additionally, the Penn community was able to provide gifts to the Linda & Paul Smith family featured in the Philadelphia Daily News on December 22, 2004.

Thanks to Amy Forsyth for coordinating the Annual Coat Drive. This year, our Penn Coat Drive benefited the Annual Philadelphia Cares Winter Coat Drive.

Special thanks to the William Penn Charter School’s 3rd grade class and Ms. Corinne Scioli. They joined with us in our Adopt A Family Program and provided gifts to 2 of our adopted families.

Special thanks to Nicholas Wallin for the Food & Clothing Drive at Penn School of Design to benefit deserving members of our community.

Special thanks to Business Services and Taylor Berkowitz for conducting a toy drive on the Plaza in University Square.

Thank you for your generosity!

Please contact me via e-mail (sammapp@pobox.upenn.edu) or call (215) 898-2020 to volunteer for any of the upcoming programs.

—Isabel Mapp, Associate Director, Faculty, Staff and Alumni Volunteer Services, Director, Penn Volunteers in Public Service, Center for Community Partnerships

January Volunteer Opportunities

Bring your used cell phones back to campus: Friday, January 14 through Friday, January 21. The Undergraduate Assembly, working with The Friends of 40th Street and Drexel University, is sponsoring a cell phone donation drive in January. Donate your old cell phones to Phones for Life: they will reprogram them to dial 911 and distribute them free to senior citizens in West Philadelphia. Phones for Life endeavors to improve the quality of life among senior citizens by meeting their emergency medical access needs through wireless technology. Phones for Life, Inc., is a national distribution center of 911 cell phones and also an informational resource center for members throughout the country. It services the dual purpose of increasing elderly citizens sense of security and protecting the environment. It collects used cellular phones from individual and corporate donors, which are then tested, recycled, programmed and distributed to senior citizens 65 years and older.

Drop phones off at the following locations:

Partial listing of sites:

Other sites include:

Penn College Houses, Civic House, the Graduate Student Center, Houston Hall, VPUL, Van Pelt Library, the Health Center. Collection boxes will also be located on the Drexel University campus and in locations in University City. 

Preparing America’s Future Book Drive: Now through Thursday, January 13. Help prepare the minds of America’s future. Donate new or slightly used children’s books. The donated children’s books will support Philadelphia Reads, which helps young children become independent readers and the Building Bridges project, which works to improve the image of welfare offices and those who receive their services.

Please drop books off at the following locations:

Penn’s Commitment to the Legacy: Meeting the Challenges of a Diverse Democracy

From January 17 through January 28, there are a variety of programs for the Penn community to participate in commorating the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Events taking place on January 17 include: Day of Service Breakfast; School Spruce Up Project; Children’s Banner Painting Service Project; Helping Hands at Houston Hall; Philadelphia Reads Literacy Project; and Candlelight Vigil.

For a complete listing of the month of MLK events see the African-American Resource Center’s web site www.upenn.edu/aarc/mlk.